On the occasion of the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Franciscan Monastery joins faithful throughout the United States in praying for the defense of life at every stage.
The March for Life that took place in Washington DC last Friday, January 19th, saw tens of thousands of young people from across the country marching to defend the dignity of the human person.
Their commitment to this noble cause was stronger than the inclement weather that day, with temperatures in DC reaching peaks of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Nor did the snowstorm stop thousands of participants from visiting our Monastery between January 18th and 20th. Groups of people from all over the country visited our church and gardens to discover this small oasis of prayer.
Although the groups had come to Washington DC for the reason of participating in the March for Life, those who stopped by our small corner of the Holy Land became pilgrims for the day.
Visitor groups were expertly guided through all the significant places in our sanctuary, retracing the history of salvation by praying at our replicas of the Holy Land inside and below the church. Many also stopped to pray in front of the Nativity Scene still set up in the church, in order to receive the plenary indulgence that can be obtained until February 2nd, on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the first creche in Greccio.
The visit of so many people to the Monastery was a source of joy for the entire community of Franciscans who live here. The friars were glad to share the history of the Monastery, as well as information about the Holy Land and the programs and publications they produce to connect people to the land where Jesus walked.
