Saturday, February 2, 2019

Novena to Our Lady of Good Success - Day 9

Act of Repentance  

I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God.
Increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me to have contrition,
So that I may, with the help of Thy grace
And the powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Most beloved Mother of the Divine Son,
Most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost,
Sublime throne of the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
In whom the Three Divine Persons
Have placed the treasures of
Their Power, Wisdom, and Love!

Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
Whom God has made so great
So that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners;
Remember that thou has often promised to show thyself
A merciful Mother to those who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then, Mother most merciful,
And I beg thee, for thy love of the Most High,
That thou shouldst obtain for me from God the Father
A lively Faith that never loses sight of the eternal truths;
From the Son, a firm Hope that always aspires to reach that glory
That He won for me with His Blood;
And from the Holy Ghost,
A charity so inflamed that I will always live
Loving the Supreme Goodness and thee,
Most Holy Virgin, until, through thy intervention,
I should love and enjoy thee eternally in glory.
Amen.

We salute thee Mary, as the Favored Daughter of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Chosen Mother of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Singular Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
Glory be to the Father...

Consider how the humble sister felt on hearing the command of Holy Mary to have a statue made of the same size and appearance as the apparition. She excused herself saying that it would be impossible, that no sculptor could reproduce such rare beauty or render with precision its proper proportions. The beautiful Lady, with most amiable forbearance, replied to her: " Do not fear for this reason. Take off the cord around your waist and measure my height."

Since, from a natural fear, the religious did not dare to touch Mary with her hands, the Heavenly Queen herself took the end of the cord and held it to her head, while the sister touched it to her feet to measure the exact height of the marvelous vision. Then Holy Mary said: " Here, as I told you, you have the height for the statue that you should order to be made, and the rest of the measurements should be in proportion to it. Place the statue in the place I have indicated with a crosier and the keys of the cloister in my right hand, for I desire to be Advocate and Protectress of this Convent." Having said this, the vision disappeared.

The heart of the sister who had just received so signal a favor and so pleasing a mission was penetrated, filled with gratitude and warm sentiments for Mary Most Holy! Ah! Search, o my soul, in your heart for those sentiments, and be dissolved in gratitude for Mary of Good Success, our Advocate and Protectress. Let me venerate her Image with the most tender gratitude and the vehement desire of corresponding to such singular graces by leading a life that is holy, obedient, and observant of all the duties of my state of life.

Then the holy sister who had been favored with this vision sent for a capable sculptor to begin the work on this statue that Mary herself had ordered to be made. And thus this statue, full of sweetness and majesty, will last until the end of time. Venerated in the upper choir of this Convent, the religious there always have recourse to her in their most grave conflicts. So also has she been the refuge of all the people who come to her in their necessities, and through her intercession many portentous favors and special graces have been obtained.

The measurements given by Mary symbolize the measure of her humility, obedience, and love of God and neighbor, which she gives to us so that we might strive to reproduce them. Imitate her, and you will also carry an image of the Virgin Most Holy in your heart. Strive like that holy sister to make the moral image of your Virgin Mother in your customs and sentiments, in your bearing and way of acting, in your fidelity to the rule and your prayers, in your meekness and your candor, in your purity and your detachment from earthly things, thus aspiring only to heavenly goods.

Prayer

Oh God! Tender Father of Thy creatures Who in every manner demonstrates Thy paternal care and guidance for us, principally by giving us Mary Most Holy as our Advocate, Protectress and model ideal of virtue, infuse our hearts with a constant desire to imitate our Mother and Queen, modeling our thoughts, desires, and actions after those of Mary Most Holy so that we might be like Her in all that our fragile nature permits. Assisted by Thy Divine Grace , may we conquer our passions and receive the choicest graces that our Mother grants to her children who confidently come to her as Advocate in their pressing needs. May we find her ready to assist us in the last difficult moment of life, and afterward enjoy the pleasure of her company in Heaven forever and ever.
Amen.

Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin

O Virgin blessed among all women! We lack the words to give thee thanks for the innumerable blessings that we have received from thy hand. The day of thy birth can be called the day of thanksgiving, happiness, and consolation. Thou art the honor of mankind, the joy of Paradise, the beloved gift of God, and the well being of our country. What merit do we have, Blessed Virgin of Good Success, to deserve to have thee as our Mother? May God be forever blessed Who has desired it so! Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary, because, despite our ingratitude, thou showest us thy propitious favor.

Thus art thou, most clement Mother, our consolation on earth, our refuge, our help and our protection in both our public and private needs. Safeguard us from war, pestilence, hunger, storms, earthquakes and all the calamities, which we merit by our guilt.. Pray for the Holy Church and for her visible head. Hear the supplications of those who invoke thee. Be thou our Advocate, our Mother, for as thus do we place our confidence in thee. To thee do we have recourse, and through thy intercession we hope to achieve from thy Son pardon for our sins and perseverance in grace until death.  
Amen.

Here, each one raising up his heart to God, should ask, through the intercession of Blessed Mary of Good Success, that grace or favor which he desires to receive.

Praises to the Holy Virgin

O Virgin Mary, our Mother preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Above all others, thou were attentive to the Word of the Father, who does great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Thou art the most worthy temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

The Christian world proclaims that thou doth reign on the right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

O Mother of Grace! O our hope! Port for the shipwrecked and star of the sea.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Gate of Heaven, health of the sick, light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Through thee, we will find ourselves before God in the court of the Saints, where He lives and reigns.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Guide our steps and help us, O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Receive this praise from our tender lips, which cannot express thy singular grandeur.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Antiphon: Holy Mary save the miserable, help the weak, intercede for the afflicted, plead for the
people, intercede for the clergy, petition for the faithful. Permit all those who celebrate thy holy memory to experience thy favor and assistance.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!

R. So that we may be made worthy to receive the promises of Christ.

Final Prayer

We ask thee, Our Lord and God, that Thou grant us health of soul and body through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary. Through her merits and those of her sovereign Child Jesus, we hope to be freed from the present evils and to attain eternal happiness.
Amen

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Novena to Our Lady of Good Success - Day 8

Act of Repentance  

I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God.
Increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me to have contrition,
So that I may, with the help of Thy grace
And the powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Most beloved Mother of the Divine Son,
Most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost,
Sublime throne of the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
In whom the Three Divine Persons
Have placed the treasures of
Their Power, Wisdom, and Love!

Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
Whom God has made so great
So that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners;
Remember that thou has often promised to show thyself
A merciful Mother to those who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then, Mother most merciful,
And I beg thee, for thy love of the Most High,
That thou shouldst obtain for me from God the Father
A lively Faith that never loses sight of the eternal truths;
From the Son, a firm Hope that always aspires to reach that glory
That He won for me with His Blood;
And from the Holy Ghost,
A charity so inflamed that I will always live
Loving the Supreme Goodness and thee,
Most Holy Virgin, until, through thy intervention,
I should love and enjoy thee eternally in glory.
Amen.

We salute thee Mary, as the Favored Daughter of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Chosen Mother of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Singular Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
Glory be to the Father...

Consider that the Holy Virgin, on appearing to the sister, did not desire to favor her alone with a single transitory grace, for God does not bestow His special gifts except with the providential plan of increasing the piety, stimulating the moral progress, and improving the religious discipline of all the members of a community, a country, or the whole Church. For this reason Mary Most Holy of Good Success told the Conceptionist sister, "It is the Will of God that I command you to have a statue made that would represent this apparition in all its details, so that it might be placed in the choir where all the religious pray directly above the Abbess' chair, so that they might consider this memorable Statue as their principal Abbess." Thus would this Statue stimulate perpetual gratitude, special attentiveness in prayer, perfect obedience, a firm faith, a confident hope, and an ardent love for Mary Most Holy who thus offered herself to preside over and govern this Convent.

Ah, if we had a living faith! With what veneration and respect would we place ourselves before that Statue! How keenly we would recall her apparition so full of goodness and her promises and favors! How confident would we be in our supplications, how attentive in our prayers, how fervent in our devotions, how spontaneous in our obedience, how regular in our observance of the Commandments and the duties of our state of life!

Enliven, O my soul, your faith and if you are lacking in it, ask God and Mary of Good Success to grant it to you. Thus, by taking advantage of the special gift and singular privilege of having Mary of Good Success as our intercessor, we may not be responsible for a disdain or lack of appreciation for the gift that Providence has given us to increase our piety and encourage us in the practice of the virtues of faith, confidence, charity, obedience, and the fulfillment of all our duties and obligations.

Prayer

O God, loving guardian of pious persons, families, and Communities, Who in Thy Providence doth guard and protect them because of their attention to prayer and fulfillment of their duties of life, hear now our prayers. Be attentive to our cries, enflame the light of our faith in Thy powerful protection, so that we fear not our enemies. For if Thou doth assist us, nothing can harm us. G r ant us unlimited confidence in Mary Most Holy of Good Success and the grace of obedience to and observance of our Rule (or to the fulfillment of the duties of our particular state of life), so that we might be worthy of a Mother so holy and a Protectress so powerful. May we always be Thy grateful and docile subjects so that one day we may sing with glory Thy praises in Heaven, Thou Who hath favored Mary as Daughter, Mother and Spouse of the Most Holy Trinity, the one God who lives forever and ever.
Amen.

Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin

O Virgin blessed among all women! We lack the words to give thee thanks for the innumerable blessings that we have received from thy hand. The day of thy birth can be called the day of thanksgiving, happiness, and consolation. Thou art the honor of mankind, the joy of Paradise, the beloved gift of God, and the well being of our country. What merit do we have, Blessed Virgin of Good Success, to deserve to have thee as our Mother? May God be forever blessed Who has desired it so! Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary, because, despite our ingratitude, thou showest us thy propitious favor.

Thus art thou, most clement Mother, our consolation on earth, our refuge, our help and our protection in both our public and private needs. Safeguard us from war, pestilence, hunger, storms, earthquakes and all the calamities, which we merit by our guilt.. Pray for the Holy Church and for her visible head. Hear the supplications of those who invoke thee. Be thou our Advocate, our Mother, for as thus do we place our confidence in thee. To thee do we have recourse, and through thy intercession we hope to achieve from thy Son pardon for our sins and perseverance in grace until death.  
Amen.

Here, each one raising up his heart to God, should ask, through the intercession of Blessed Mary of Good Success, that grace or favor which he desires to receive.

Praises to the Holy Virgin

O Virgin Mary, our Mother preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Above all others, thou were attentive to the Word of the Father, who does great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Thou art the most worthy temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

The Christian world proclaims that thou doth reign on the right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

O Mother of Grace! O our hope! Port for the shipwrecked and star of the sea.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Gate of Heaven, health of the sick, light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Through thee, we will find ourselves before God in the court of the Saints, where He lives and reigns.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Guide our steps and help us, O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Receive this praise from our tender lips, which cannot express thy singular grandeur.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Antiphon: Holy Mary save the miserable, help the weak, intercede for the afflicted, plead for the
people, intercede for the clergy, petition for the faithful. Permit all those who celebrate thy holy memory to experience thy favor and assistance.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!

R. So that we may be made worthy to receive the promises of Christ.

Final Prayer

We ask thee, Our Lord and God, that Thou grant us health of soul and body through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary. Through her merits and those of her sovereign Child Jesus, we hope to be freed from the present evils and to attain eternal happiness.
Amen

Act of Repentance  

I believe in Thee, O my God.
Strengthen, O Lord, my faith.
I hope in Thee, O my God.
Affirm, O Lord, my hope.
I love Thee, O my God.
Increase, O Lord, my love.
I repent of having offended Thee.
O my God, help me to have contrition,
So that I may, with the help of Thy grace
And the powerful patronage of
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Never sin again.
O Lord, have pity and mercy on me.
Amen.

Opening Prayer

O most Excellent and Immaculate Queen of Heaven,
Holy Mary of Good Success,
Most favored Daughter of the Eternal Father,
Most beloved Mother of the Divine Son,
Most cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost,
Sublime throne of the Divine Majesty,
August Temple of the Holy Trinity,
In whom the Three Divine Persons
Have placed the treasures of
Their Power, Wisdom, and Love!

Remember, Virgin Mary of Good Success,
Whom God has made so great
So that thou canst give succor to miserable sinners;
Remember that thou has often promised to show thyself
A merciful Mother to those who have recourse to thee.
I come to thee then, Mother most merciful,
And I beg thee, for thy love of the Most High,
That thou shouldst obtain for me from God the Father
A lively Faith that never loses sight of the eternal truths;
From the Son, a firm Hope that always aspires to reach that glory
That He won for me with His Blood;
And from the Holy Ghost,
A charity so inflamed that I will always live
Loving the Supreme Goodness and thee,
Most Holy Virgin, until, through thy intervention,
I should love and enjoy thee eternally in glory.
Amen.

We salute thee Mary, as the Favored Daughter of God the Father.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Chosen Mother of the Divine Son.
Hail Mary...
We salute thee Mary, as the Singular Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
Glory be to the Father...

Consider that the Holy Virgin, on appearing to the sister, did not desire to favor her alone with a single transitory grace, for God does not bestow His special gifts except with the providential plan of increasing the piety, stimulating the moral progress, and improving the religious discipline of all the members of a community, a country, or the whole Church. For this reason Mary Most Holy of Good Success told the Conceptionist sister, "It is the Will of God that I command you to have a statue made that would represent this apparition in all its details, so that it might be placed in the choir where all the religious pray directly above the Abbess' chair, so that they might consider this memorable Statue as their principal Abbess." Thus would this Statue stimulate perpetual gratitude, special attentiveness in prayer, perfect obedience, a firm faith, a confident hope, and an ardent love for Mary Most Holy who thus offered herself to preside over and govern this Convent.

Ah, if we had a living faith! With what veneration and respect would we place ourselves before that Statue! How keenly we would recall her apparition so full of goodness and her promises and favors! How confident would we be in our supplications, how attentive in our prayers, how fervent in our devotions, how spontaneous in our obedience, how regular in our observance of the Commandments and the duties of our state of life!

Enliven, O my soul, your faith and if you are lacking in it, ask God and Mary of Good Success to grant it to you. Thus, by taking advantage of the special gift and singular privilege of having Mary of Good Success as our intercessor, we may not be responsible for a disdain or lack of appreciation for the gift that Providence has given us to increase our piety and encourage us in the practice of the virtues of faith, confidence, charity, obedience, and the fulfillment of all our duties and obligations.

Prayer

O God, loving guardian of pious persons, families, and Communities, Who in Thy Providence doth guard and protect them because of their attention to prayer and fulfillment of their duties of life, hear now our prayers. Be attentive to our cries, enflame the light of our faith in Thy powerful protection, so that we fear not our enemies. For if Thou doth assist us, nothing can harm us. G r ant us unlimited confidence in Mary Most Holy of Good Success and the grace of obedience to and observance of our Rule (or to the fulfillment of the duties of our particular state of life), so that we might be worthy of a Mother so holy and a Protectress so powerful. May we always be Thy grateful and docile subjects so that one day we may sing with glory Thy praises in Heaven, Thou Who hath favored Mary as Daughter, Mother and Spouse of the Most Holy Trinity, the one God who lives forever and ever.
Amen.

Act of Thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin

O Virgin blessed among all women! We lack the words to give thee thanks for the innumerable blessings that we have received from thy hand. The day of thy birth can be called the day of thanksgiving, happiness, and consolation. Thou art the honor of mankind, the joy of Paradise, the beloved gift of God, and the well being of our country. What merit do we have, Blessed Virgin of Good Success, to deserve to have thee as our Mother? May God be forever blessed Who has desired it so! Blessed also art thou, Virgin Mary, because, despite our ingratitude, thou showest us thy propitious favor.

Thus art thou, most clement Mother, our consolation on earth, our refuge, our help and our protection in both our public and private needs. Safeguard us from war, pestilence, hunger, storms, earthquakes and all the calamities, which we merit by our guilt.. Pray for the Holy Church and for her visible head. Hear the supplications of those who invoke thee. Be thou our Advocate, our Mother, for as thus do we place our confidence in thee. To thee do we have recourse, and through thy intercession we hope to achieve from thy Son pardon for our sins and perseverance in grace until death.  
Amen.

Here, each one raising up his heart to God, should ask, through the intercession of Blessed Mary of Good Success, that grace or favor which he desires to receive.

Praises to the Holy Virgin

O Virgin Mary, our Mother preeminent above all on earth.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Above all others, thou were attentive to the Word of the Father, who does great things in thy honor.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Thou art the most worthy temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

In thee is that same purity the Angels enjoy.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

The Christian world proclaims that thou doth reign on the right side of the King of Kings.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

O Mother of Grace! O our hope! Port for the shipwrecked and star of the sea.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Gate of Heaven, health of the sick, light in the darkness.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Through thee, we will find ourselves before God in the court of the Saints, where He lives and reigns.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Guide our steps and help us, O sweet Mary, in our last hours.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Receive this praise from our tender lips, which cannot express thy singular grandeur.
Response: Come to our assistance and show us mercy, because thou art our Mother.

Antiphon: Holy Mary save the miserable, help the weak, intercede for the afflicted, plead for the
people, intercede for the clergy, petition for the faithful. Permit all those who celebrate thy holy memory to experience thy favor and assistance.

V. Pray for us, O Virgin of Good Success!

R. So that we may be made worthy to receive the promises of Christ.

Final Prayer

We ask thee, Our Lord and God, that Thou grant us health of soul and body through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary. Through her merits and those of her sovereign Child Jesus, we hope to be freed from the present evils and to attain eternal happiness.
Amen

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Apology from March for Life to Covington students

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-march-for-life-apologizes-for-rush-to-judgement-on-covingt?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=4da832a24c-ProLife_1_24_2019_Non_NY_Subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-4da832a24c-403991617

March for Life apologizes for ‘rush to judgement’ on Covington boys


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – More than a week after condemning the Covington Catholic High School students after reports claimed a video showed them harassing a Native American man, the March for Life has apologized for its “rush to judgment and initial statement based on incomplete and misleading information.”
March for Life President Jeanne Mancini initially called the boys’ alleged behavior “reprehensible” on January 19, but the March for Life deleted that statement the next day.
Extended video and firsthand accounts soon revealed the Native American man, Nathan Phillips, was the one who waded into the group waiting for its bus and decided to beat a drum inches from student Nick Sandmann’s face, and other adults who accompanied Phillips shouted racial taunts at the kids. The kids had been performing school cheers in an attempt to drown out the harassment, and did not respond to adults’ insults and abuse in kind.
As the original narrative began to fall apart, the March for Life released two tweets on January 20 saying, “Given recent developments regarding the incident on Friday evening, March for Life has deleted its original tweet and removed our statement on this matter from our website. It is clear from new footage and additional accounts that there is more to this story than the original video captured. We will refrain from commenting further until the truth is understood.”
“For our rush to judgment and initial statement based on incomplete and misleading information, we apologize. The facts that have since come to light reveal that the boys from Covington Catholic experienced some real and inexcusable intimidation, insults, and harassment,” the March for Life’s statement Monday evening said. “We have tremendous respect for the schools, families and young people who travel long distances and make sacrifices to attend the March each year. In the future, when it comes to the accuracy of breaking news reports or social media coverage of the March, we will not trust, we will verify.”
The Covington students’ lives have been forever altered by the death threats, media attacks, and doxxing they endured. A lawyer representing about a dozen families and all of the classmates who were slandered has said his clients are pursuing monetary compensation for damages.
President Trump has come out in support of the boys, saying the media “smeared” them and made them “symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be.” A number of other pro-life politicians, such as Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Thomas Massie, and Sen. Ted Cruz have come to the students’ defense.
More information has also come to light about Nathan Phillips, including that he did not actually serve in Vietnam as he and multiple media outlets reported he did, has a violent criminal record, and attempted to lead protestors in disrupting Mass at the Basilica of National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – where many pro-life events take place around the March for Life – just one day after he confronted Sandmann.
The March for Life’s full statement is below:
“After our peaceful rally and March on the afternoon of Friday, January 18, an unfortunate incident took place that evening at the Lincoln Memorial.  The March for Life learned of this incident Saturday afternoon, January 19. Based upon incomplete information, we made a statement critical of the behavior of the students from Covington Catholic High School. As further information came, we retracted our initial statement on January 20 and indicated a further statement would follow once more facts came to light.
For our rush to judgment and initial statement based on incomplete and misleading information, we apologize.  The facts that have since come to light reveal that the boys from Covington Catholic experienced some real and inexcusable intimidation, insults, and harassment.  We have tremendous respect for the schools, families and young people who travel long distances and make sacrifices to attend the March each year. In the future, when it comes to the accuracy of breaking news reports or social media coverage of the March, we will not trust, we will verify.
For 46 years the March for Life has been a place where millions have enjoyed their First Amendment rights to freely speak and assemble. The young people who come to the March for Life each year stand up peacefully and joyfully in defense of the unborn, while also grieving for the 60 million lives lost to abortion since Roe v. Wade – sisters and brothers missing from their own generation whom they will never know. These young people should be encouraged and respected by adults in our society.  While this incident has impacted many, it will not stop our work to build a culture of life.  We will continue to exercise our first amendment rights in defense of the unborn, as we have done peacefully for so many years.”