Category: 2026 News

ARCHBALD – From the window of the room where Austin Burke paints, he can see the spire of Saint Thomas Aquinas Church in Archbald, his home parish and spiritual anchor.

The view is not lost on him as he spends many mornings carefully sketching, mixing colors, and patiently bringing to life some of the most sacred and iconic church buildings across the Diocese of Scranton – one brushstroke at a time.

For nearly the past year, Burke has been quietly undertaking a remarkable act of stewardship.

The retired community leader has committed himself to painting Catholic churches throughout the Diocese, donating every completed work to benefit the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton.

More than a dozen churches have already been captured on canvas, representing communities from Dunmore, Stroudsburg, Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre to Scranton, with more to come.

“I feel blessed. I really do,” Burke said. “God’s given me some talent, given me the health to go through with it, given me the community and the affirmation to say, ‘Austin, we like your stuff.’ I totally feel blessed and privileged to be able to do this.”

Burke, a native of Archbald, is well known across northeastern Pennsylvania for his decades of leadership in economic development. He served for 40 years with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and later as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Community and Economic Development under Governor Ed Rendell.

But while business and civic leadership have defined his professional life, art has long lived quietly alongside it.

“I’ve always had an interest in art,” Burke said.

That interest took a more serious turn in 1997 during a family vacation in Florida, when Burke borrowed a set of watercolors and began painting clouds.

“When I came home, I continued,” he joked. “I started slow. I painted trees for the next month.”

After retiring in 2013, Burke audited art courses at Keystone College and immersed himself in color theory, perspective, and drawing.

“I ended up taking 15 art courses and that really upped my game,” he acknowledged.

Over time, his paintings of Scranton-area landmarks gained attention. But Burke found himself increasingly drawn to churches.

“I think the most iconic buildings that we have in Lackawanna County are all of our churches,” he said. “They are real treasures that we have.”

For Burke, churches represent far more than architecture.

“A church is where humanity encounters God,” he reflected. “Not only do you encounter God there, but you meet your community there, and that is important.”

That insight eventually led to an idea: using his talent to help raise money for the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton. Burke offered to paint local churches and the artwork could be put up for auction online.

Diocesan leaders embraced the idea – and encouraged him to expand beyond his home region.

“The Bishop said, ‘Would you mind doing a few more out in Williamsport, Muncy and Stroudsburg?” Burke recalled. “I was honored.”

Each painting is a significant commitment.

Most are 16-by-20-inch oil paintings, with the Cathedral of Saint Peter a little larger. Burke and his wife, Marianne, travel to each location, carefully photographing the church under ideal lighting conditions.

“Morning light is different from evening light,” he explained.

In his home studio, the process begins with days of sketching.

“If you don’t get the sketch right, you don’t know what you’re going to paint,” he said.

In total, Burke estimates that each painting takes about 200 hours from start to finish.

“These churches, they have great stained glass, stonework and buttresses,” he said. “Those lines often pull the whole painting together.”

Painting, for Burke, is a daily discipline.

“I like to paint most mornings,” he said, noting author Stephen King’s advice to work every day. “I would bet you that I paint four or five days a week for several hours.”

Some churches present unique challenges. He joked about the countless stones at Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Moscow but also acknowledged the joy that comes when a painting finally reveals a building’s true beauty – as what happened with Annunciation Church (Saint Joseph the Worker Parish) in Williamsport.

“All of a sudden – bang – you can see what a beautiful church this is,” he said, reflecting on the color he used for the columns near the church’s stained-glass windows. “That was one of the delights.”

For Burke, the greatest reward comes when others see the finished work.

“When you get it right, you bring joy to people that see it – and that brings joy to me,” he said.

Displayed in early January at a leadership donor reception for the Catholic Ministries Appeal, the paintings sparked pride among parishioners from across the Diocese.

Burke hopes his paintings also help people recognize the breadth and diversity of the Church of Scranton.

“I’d like to see people recognize how huge this diocese is,” he said, “and the variations (of churches) depending on where immigrants come from.”

As the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton prepares for an auction of Burke’s paintings after Easter 2026, his effort already stands as a powerful witness. It is a reminder that stewardship takes many forms – and that the gifts God gives to each of us, when offered generously, can help build the Kingdom in unexpected and lasting ways.

“The Foundation is going to be great, and I hope this helps drive home the fact that we have one huge community,” Burke said.

 

SCRANTON – One of the Diocese of Scranton’s most popular and creative fundraisers is returning for a milestone season, as Rectory, Set, Cook! will launch its fifth annual competition next month – with the hopes of surpassing $1 million raised since its inception.

The 2026 Rectory, Set, Cook! campaign will officially kick off on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and continue through 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27, inviting everyone across northeastern and north central Pennsylvania to support priests-turned-“pastor chefs” as they cook – and compete – for a good cause.

Half of all funds raised through Rectory, Set, Cook! benefit Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton, specifically supporting hunger and homelessness initiatives, while the remaining half goes directly to the participating priest’s parish.

The new season will begin with a Launch Party on Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Scranton. The 21-and-over event will feature food from local restaurants, musical entertainment from some of the pastor chefs, and a collaborative beer brewed by Breaker Brewing Company in partnership with Father Brian Van Fossen. Admission is $20 at the door.

Now in its fifth year, Rectory, Set, Cook! has grown into a signature fundraiser for Catholic Social Services, combining friendly competition, humor, and generosity.

Priests from across the Diocese film short cooking videos – sometimes solo, sometimes alongside parishioners, friends, or fellow clergy – encouraging donations and votes through an online platform.

For Father Michael Boris, assistant pastor at Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish in Kingston and Holy Family Parish in Luzerne, the competition is about much more than cooking.

“I really do think it’s important that we support Catholic Social Services,” Father Boris said. “As a priest, I have an obligation to do what I can to promote those services.”

Entering his third year in the competition, Father Boris this year is cooking Pan-Seared Chicken with Lemon Riccotta Pasta alongside several parishioners.

“Every time I do it, I’m impressed with how the people I work with come together,” he added. “I think it helps them appreciate what we do as priests – and I get to learn new skills.”

Monsignor Jack Bendik, who has participated in Rectory, Set, Cook! every year since its launch, said his continued involvement reflects an enduring commitment to service.

“I want to show that even though we’re retired, we still have a commitment to the Diocesan mission – especially to the poor,” Monsignor Bendik said. “Everything we receive is given to the poor.”

Monsignor Bendik will be joined by Father Phil Sladicka in this year’s video for the Villa Saint Joseph. The pair will share several simple, crowd-pleasing recipes, including a zucchini quiche that became a parish favorite in Avoca.

“Every time I had Bible study or a Sunday morning gathering, this was so easy to make that I would feed it to everybody and they loved it,” he said. “They kept coming back.”

Since its inaugural year in 2022, Rectory, Set, Cook! has steadily grown, raising $171,747 in its first year, followed by $197,412 in 2023, $218,001 in 2024, and a record-breaking $227,162 in 2025.

Proceeds have supported food pantries, kitchens, emergency shelters, and housing initiatives across the Diocese, helping Catholic Social Services respond to increasing needs in local communities.

For more information on Rectory, Set, Cook!, visit the Diocese of Scranton’s website or follow Diocesan social media channels.

It is also not too late for priests to participate in this year’s effort. For more information, contact Shannon Kowalski at Skowalski@dioceseofscranton.org.

SCRANTON – In celebration of the vocation of marriage and National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14), the Diocese of Scranton is hosting a Swing Dance on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Scranton.

The Swing Dance, which will take place in the Pastoral Center Auditorium, will feature the Swing Fever Dance Band from Limekiln, Pa., a 17-piece traditional Big Band, and swing dance instruction from local instructors, Philip Spinka and Jill Wetzel.

The Swing Fever Dance Band is a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to perform and encourage the enjoyment of big band music.

Swinging since 1983, the Swing Fever Dance Band has been recreating the big band sound of the 1930s and 1940s and performing music selections that span over five decades.

In addition to performing throughout Pennsylvania, in 1992, the band performed in England and Wales. They were also invited to return in 1994 to participate in the United Kingdom’s official commemoration of the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

The Swing Fever Dance Band has several CDs, which include great selections like Take the A-Train, Eager Beaver, Moonlight in Vermont, and The Shadow of Your Smile.

Please mark your calendars now for this special event in Scranton.

All people over the age of 18 are welcome to join us from 4 – 5 p.m. for the dance instruction from our local instructors and then enjoy open dance from 5 – 8 p.m.

Tickets to attend will be $20 per person in advance, and $25 at the door.

Guests also have the option of reserving a table for their families and friends in advance for $10 for tables of 8 guests.

For more information or to purchase tickets now, visit dioceseofscranton.org.

All who are attending are welcome to bring their own food and drinks to enjoy at the dance.

If you have any questions, you may call Bridget Maille, Program Coordinator, Family Life, in the Diocesan Office for Parish Life, at (570) 207-2213 ext 1133 or email: familylife@dioceseofscranton.org.

SCRANTON – As many people continue to experience food insecurity, Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton has begun the 48th annual Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign to support its mission of feeding and clothing individuals and families in need.

For a donation of $100 or more, an individual, family, business, community organization or faith-based group can help to fund a day’s meal. Major sponsorship levels are also available starting at $500.

In effect, each contributor becomes a “host” for a day. Contributors may then select a date on which they or someone they designate or memorialize will be recognized as helping to provide that meal.

Financial contributions to the Kitchen also help to fund other programs such as a Client-Choice Food Pantry and Free Clothing Store and weekly meals at parish locations and high-rise housing buildings in Carbondale and Olyphant, and also weekly meals at parish sites in Roaring Brook Township and Archbald.

In addition, the Kitchen is also now providing meals for Saint Anthony’s Haven shelter for the homeless.

The Kitchen’s Free Clothing Mobile Trailer visits various locations to bring clothing items to those in need who might not be able to come to the Scranton property.

Also, the Kitchen participates in the “Code Blue” initiative with the City of Scranton and Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton. When the temperature gets below 20 degrees, the Kitchen provides hot soup to those experiencing homelessness who are being welcomed at Weston Field.

Rob Williams, Kitchen Executive Director, noted that the Kitchen has been serving historic numbers of meals.

In 2025, the Kitchen provided more than 125,000 meals, far surpassing the approximately 95,000 meals in 2024 and 75,000 meals in 2023.

In recent months, the Client Choice Food Pantry and Free Clothing operation have also experienced higher visits by families in need.

“For a variety of reasons, we are seeing more people than ever coming to us for help,” he said. “There is nothing more basic than the need to eat, and we are privileged to be in a position to address this need for our brothers and sisters.”

Michael J. Cummings, a member of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board, is chairing the 2026 Host-for-a-Day campaign and leading the effort with his fellow board members.

“The Host-for-a-Day campaign is essential to the operation of the Kitchen,” he said. “The generosity of so many individuals and organizations within our community enables us to continue the mission.”

Recent contributors to the campaign are receiving an appeal directly from the Kitchen through the mail or will be contacted by members of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board.

Host‑for‑a‑Day gifts can also be made by calling the Kitchen at (570) 342‑5556, or sending a check to Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509.

Donations can also be made online at: www.stfranciskitchen.org or facebook.com/stfranciskitchen or text SFAK to 26989.

The culmination of the campaign will be celebrated at Fiorelli’s in Peckville on Wednesday, April 29, beginning at 6 p.m.

Each contributor and a guest is invited to attend. RSVPs are required by April 15 to confirm attendance and an accurate meal count.

Those who would like to sponsor the reception are asked to call the Kitchen at (570) 342‑5556.

SCRANTON – The Diocese of Scranton formally concluded the Jubilee Year of Hope locally with a Closing Mass celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as the principal celebrant and homilist for the liturgy, which was held on the Feast of the Holy Family. Several hundred people were in attendance for the Closing Mass.

The Jubilee Year, proclaimed by Pope Francis and celebrated by the universal Church every 25 years, officially began on Christmas Eve 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. While Pope Leo XIV formally closed the Holy Year in Rome on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, Jan. 6, Bishop Bambera noted that local churches around the world were called the mark the Jubilee’s conclusion with a Mass of Thanksgiving.

“In his papal bull proclaiming the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis emphasized the theme of hope, a much-needed virtue in a time of uncertainty, war, and tribulation,” Bishop Bambera said. “Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.”

Bishop Bambera noted that the Jubilee Year unfolded in ways few could have anticipated, particularly following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, just one day after his final Easter Sunday blessing.

“Not surprisingly, given the death of the Holy Father, the motto of the Jubilee Year – Pilgrims of Hope – took on a different light,” he said.

Citing Archbishop Rino Fisichella, organizer of Jubilee 2025 events, the Bishop noted that “Christian hope is not a sentiment, but a promise,” rooted in eternal life revealed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the last year, the Diocese and its parishes across northeastern and north central Pennsylvania marked the occasion through both special events and everyday parish life.

While not a complete list, the Diocese celebrated Masses honoring persons with disabilities, vocations, mothers, priest and religious jubilarians, and married couples.

Additional celebrations included the Feast of Corpus Christi, a Hispanic Heritage Mass, a Respect Life Mass, and the ordination of two new priests and eight permanent deacons.

Two major Diocesan pilgrimages also marked the Jubilee Year. Nearly 100 faithful traveled to Rome in late August and early September, while more than 600 pilgrims journeyed to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1.

Because the local Closing Mass of the Jubilee Year coincided with the Feast of the Holy Family, Bishop Bambera acknowledged both the blessings and struggles present in family life.

“No family is immune from life with its opportunities and its challenges,” he said, noting that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph themselves experienced hardship, poverty, displacement, and fear. Yet, he emphasized, they faced those realities “with a deep sense of trust in God and a selfless, sacrificial love that bound them together as a family and provided them with hope.”

Calling the faithful to carry the Jubilee forward, Bishop Bambera urged them to embrace the virtues outlined by Saint Paul: “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience,” reminding them that “over all these put on love, this is, the bond of perfection.”

SCRANTON – A capacity crowd filled the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Christmas Eve as nearly 800 faithful gathered for the 4 p.m. Vigil Mass of Christmas, celebrated by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.

With every pew filled and worshippers standing in the back of the Cathedral, the joyful liturgy marked the beginning of Christmas celebrations at the Mother Church of the Diocese and was broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television and livestream on Diocesan social media platforms.

Later that night, Bishop Bambera returned to the Cathedral to celebrate Midnight Mass, and on Christmas Day he carried the same message of hope, humility, and compassion to residents of the Gino Merli Veterans Center in Scranton, celebrating Mass with veterans and staff.

In his Christmas homily, Bishop Bambera reflected on the humility and hope found in the birth of Christ, sharing a personal story of witnessing kindness between two impoverished men on a cold winter day. He recalled witnessing one homeless man carefully ensure that his elderly friend had food before worrying about himself. That simple act, the Bishop explained, reveals the heart of the Christmas miracle.

“For whatever baggage those two men carried, the kindness displayed between them gives us a glimpse of the goodness of God who reached into our broken lives on that first Christmas,” Bishop Bambera said, noting that God continues to offer “hope and a way forward amid the upheaval of our world.”

Quoting theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Bishop reminded the faithful that “God loves the lowly” and is “near to lowliness,” choosing to dwell among “the lost, the neglected, the excluded, the weak, and the broken.”

That nearness, Bishop Bambera emphasized, speaks directly to the fears and struggles many carry today.

“In Jesus’ birth, we no longer have reason to be afraid,” he said. “God has accepted us and God has loved us – as we are.”

The Bishop also encouraged the faithful to recognize God’s presence in ordinary moments of compassion and human connection.

“The joy of God’s goodness is contagious,” he said, quoting Pope Leo XIV. “We just need to be wise enough to know where to look and to accept that joy.”

With the Christmas season now concluded, Bishop Bambera’s message continues to resonate: the light of Christ shines brightest when it is humbly received and generously shared, reminding all that Emmanuel – God with us – has already come.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Marking the Jan. 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, urged Catholics to reflect on how they are called to be “drum majors for justice” in their own communities. He drew on the slain Civil Rights leader’s words and the Church’s Gospel mission from Jesus Christ in a Jan. 13 statement released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Archbishop Coakley reflected on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 sermon, “The Drum Major Instinct,” and challenged the faithful to consider how leadership rooted in service and humility can shape efforts for justice, peace and righteousness today.

“Let us take a moment to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose prophetic voice was a ‘drum major for justice,'” Archbishop Coakley said, referring to Rev. King by a widely-used title reflecting his doctorate in systematic theology earned from Boston University. Rev. King also received several honorary doctorates from colleges and universities that held his Civil Rights leadership in high esteem until his death at just 39 years old. He had led the Civil Rights movement from 1955 until 1968, when a white supremacist assassinated him in Memphis, Tennessee.

In reflecting on how Rev. King’s “inspiring words continue to speak to our hearts today,” Archbishop Coakley quoted the Civil Rights leader’s own description of the legacy he hoped to leave behind.

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice,” Rev. King said in the sermon. “Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Archbishop Coakley emphasized that Rev. King’s message remains relevant for Catholics seeking to live out the Gospel in concrete ways.

“Dr. King’s sermon encouraged people to be leaders in the priorities that Christ gave us,” he said.

He posed a central question for the faithful: “What does it mean to be ‘a drum major’ in our own communities?”

Answering that question, the archbishop pointed to Jesus Christ’s demands in the Gospel of Matthew, writing that the priorities Christ gave his followers are directed in the corporal works of mercy: “to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison.”

Archbishop Coakley said the Catholic Church also seeks to fulfill this mandate through ministries and charitable works across the country. But he emphasized that the call extends to every follower of Christ.

“Just as important is the challenge to help the faithful to authentically live out this call,” he said.

He cited recent efforts by the U.S. bishops as examples of striving to lead with love, noting the Nov. 2025 special message on immigration and its continued commitment to “addressing the sin of racism.”

He said both efforts are “two recent examples that serve as efforts to be drum majors of love in our communities.”

Referencing the bishops’ Nov. 2018 pastoral letter on racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts,” he highlighted the enduring influence of Rev. King’s leadership in confronting racial injustice and fostering unity grounded in faith.

“As we remember Dr. King and commemorate his legacy, let us continue this work as drum majors and engage in actions of compassion and mercy,” the USCCB president said.

Archbishop Coakley concluded by inviting Catholics to prayerful discernment and action.

“I encourage you to take time to reflect on how the Holy Spirit may be inviting you to join with others in addressing challenges within our families, neighborhoods, or communities,” he said. “May we lead the way in building a society rooted in justice, peace, righteousness, and the dignity of every human person.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of the month of January, near his Jan. 15 birthday. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of its first observance as a national holiday beginning Jan. 20, 1986.

(OSV News) – The 2026 national March for Life promises to bring tens of thousands of pro-life Americans to the nation’s capital to celebrate the beauty of every human person, born and unborn, with the theme “Life Is a Gift.”

“‘Life is a Gift’ is a universal message that speaks to the heart and cuts through the noise,” Jennie Bradley Lichter, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, told OSV News in emailed comments about the 53rd annual March for Life in Washington Jan. 23. “It invites our marchers to join the spirit of joy and celebration that is the March for Life — a spirit inspired by the inherent goodness and beauty of life itself.”

She added: “Through this theme, we are showing the world that we are a movement of compassion for women and love for unborn children, united by the simple yet world-changing belief that, no matter the circumstances, every single life is a gift.”

Every year, the national March for Life, which calls itself the “largest annual human rights demonstration in the world,” takes place on or around the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which once legalized abortion nationwide. This year’s event marks the fourth march since the high court overturned Roe with the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

Today, the March for Life seeks to impact laws at the state and federal level and to change American culture until abortion becomes unthinkable. The March for Life’s national march complements its growing state march program that advocates for life-affirming laws on the state and local level.

The 2026 march is the first led by Lichter, who began serving as president last year. The event comes following the news that the new pope, Pope Leo XIV, once attended.

“It’s very moving and very inspiring to know that the Holy Father attended the March for Life as a young man — and was surely formed by it, as so many young people have been over the years,” Lichter, a Catholic, said.

The national march regularly draws tens of thousands of marchers who brave the winter weather to challenge abortion and champion life from the moment of conception. The march attracts a diverse crowd: young and old, women and men, and people of various ethnicities and different political affiliations attend to advocate for life and remember the more than 65 million lives ended in abortion since the Roe decision.

Pro-life chants, music and prayer mark the daylong event filled with colorful banners and handmade signs as people march around the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court building.

To kick off the march on Jan. 23, the March for Life team is holding a pre-rally concert by Christian band Sanctus Real at 11 a.m. on the National Mall between Seventh and 12th Streets. Following the concert, a noon rally features the national anthem performed by the Friends of Club 21 Choir, a chorus of young adults with Down syndrome, and a slew of speakers.

Announced speakers include Sarah Hurm, a mother of four whose life changed after she sought an abortion pill reversal; Elizabeth Pillsbury Oliver, president of Georgetown University Right to Life; Cissie Graham Lynch, senior adviser and spokesperson for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse; and Lichter.

Lichter confirmed with OSV News that Rep. Chris Smith, a Catholic Republican from New Jersey, will also speak at the 2026 march.

At a launch event last year, Lichter hinted that last-minute speakers could include politicians. At the 2025 march, President Donald Trump delivered a video message while Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Smith spoke in person.

The march itself is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Marchers will leave the National Mall and trek around the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court building. Georgetown University Right to Life, a pro-life student organization, will carry the banner leading the march.

For people traveling to Washington, the March for Life recently released a travel planner, which includes the official schedule, travel information and a checklist for marchers.

Lichter spoke about the importance of the march while highlighting its longevity and the persistence of the pro-life movement. She called 2026 a “critical moment.”

“We applaud the many states that have stepped up to the plate and advanced laws to protect life,” she said. “But there’s still so much yet to do in transforming the culture to meet pregnant women with love and help when they need it most.”

The Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs overturned Roe and returned abortion policy to the states. Today, 21 states have pro-life protections restricting abortion, according to a tracker by national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Lichter added: “We’re also still working hard to protect women from the reckless sale of chemical abortion pills, and from the predatory and self-serving Big Abortion industry.”‘

Today, medication-based abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol accounts for the majority of U.S. abortions after Dobbs, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive research organization that supports abortion.

Approved by the FDA for early abortion in 2000, mifepristone — the first of two drugs used in a medication-based abortion — gained the moniker “the abortion pill.” However, the same drug combination has become used sometimes in recent years for miscarriage care, where an unborn child has already passed, a situation that Catholic teaching would hold as morally licit use.

Lichter also called the March for Life a “crucial venue” to “meet young people where they are and speak into their desire for the truth.”

Several events surround the March for Life, including a Capitol Hill Club Breakfast with members of Congress organized by March for Life Action, the March for Life’s political arm, Jan. 23 at 8 a.m. That same day, following the march, the March for Life holds its annual Rose Dinner Gala beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Westin Hotel in downtown Washington. Together with Alliance Defending Freedom, it simultaneously offers a first-ever cocktail reception for young professionals, “Pour la Vie: For Life,” at the same location.

Other related pro-life events in Washington include the 2026 National Prayer Vigil for Life Jan. 22-23 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It opens with a 5 p.m. Mass Jan. 22 celebrated by Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, which is followed by a Holy Hour presided by Bishop James T. Ruggieri of Portland, Maine. The event concludes with an 8 a.m. Mass Jan. 23 celebrated by Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, retired archbishop of Boston.

A live television broadcast of the Masses will be provided by the Eternal Word Television Network, or EWTN, and will be available via livestream on the basilica’s website, nationalshrine.org/mass.

The fourth annual Life Fest, a morning rally by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus, takes place Jan. 23 at 6:20 a.m. at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The event features a Eucharistic procession, Mass, confession, musical performances and speakers including pro-life advocate Lila Rose of Live Action. Attendees will have the opportunity to venerate first-class relics of St. John Paul II, St. Teresa of Kolkata, St. Carlo Acutis, the Blessed Ulma family and Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights. A livestream will be made available.

The day after the march, on Jan. 24, Students for Life of America, together with other pro-life and conservative groups, hosts its annual National Pro-Life Summit at Grand Hyatt Washington. People can sign up to watch a livestream at the summit website, prolifesummit.com/livestream.

The 27th annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference for Life takes place that same day at Georgetown University and features Lichter as the keynote speaker.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – President Donald Trump met with Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jan. 12, a spokesperson for the USCCB confirmed.

The private meeting, which was listed on the official White House schedule for Trump, was closed to press. The White House did not specify the topic of the meeting.

In a statement provided to OSV News, a USCCB spokesperson said, “Archbishop Coakley had the opportunity for introductory meetings with President Trump, Vice President Vance, and other Administration officials, in which they discussed areas of mutual concern, as well as areas for further dialogue.”

“Archbishop Coakley is grateful for the engagement and looks forward to ongoing discussions,” the statement said.

Although it was not immediately clear what the topic of the meeting was, it comes as the U.S. bishops have alternately praised and criticized some Trump administration policies, objecting to some of his actions on topics including immigration and the death penalty, but commending others, such as those on gender policy.

Archbishop Coakley was elected president of the USCCB in November at the bishops’ fall plenary assembly. At the same meeting, the bishops also approved a “special pastoral message” Nov. 12 — their first since 2013 when they objected to the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate — voicing “our concern here for immigrants.” The bishops’ special message opposed “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and also prayed “for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”

The statement, which did not name Trump, came as a growing number of bishops have acknowledged that some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies risk presenting the church with both practical challenges in administering pastoral support and charitable endeavors, as well as religious liberty challenges.

The week before Trump’s meeting with Archbishop Coakley, the U.S. president told House Republicans to be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits public funding of elective abortions, in negotiations on health care subsidies. That policy has long been supported by the U.S. bishops, who defended it after Trump’s comments.

Private meetings between a sitting president of the USCCB and the president of the United States are not without precedent, but do not always happen.

The previous president of the USCCB, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, told OSV News in November, “I was never able to meet with the president of the United States. Neither with President (Joe) Biden nor with President Trump.”

Trump had a brief meeting in 2017 that included Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, who was president of the conference at the time.

USCCB presidents, including then-Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, had several meetings between the two of them with then-President Barack Obama over the course of his presidency.