All eyes will be on Washington, D.C., this week as Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
The inauguration activities begin Sunday afternoon, when President-elect Obama will host a welcome ceremony on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On Tuesday, the new president and vice president will take the oath of office. Following the traditional inaugural parade, 10 official balls (and many unofficial festivities) will be held in the D.C. area.
The schedule concludes Wednesday morning with a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington.
Millions of people are expected in the nation's capital during these momentous four days, hoping to see and hear our first African-American president. Millions and millions more in this country and around the world will witness the historic events through the news media - on television, in newspapers and on the Internet.
What you may not see in your daily newspaper or on the 6 o'clock news is that almost overlapping the inaugural events is the annual March for Life. Thousands of pro-life marchers - many of them young people - are expected to participate in the activities surrounding the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States.
Over 12,000 people are expected to attend the National Prayer Vigil for Life Wednesday evening at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. On Thursday, thousands of marchers will assemble for a noon rally on the National Mall. They then will march along Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In addition, millions of Catholics in parishes throughout the United States will be part of a Day of Penance observed each year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Many other events will be taking place across the country to mark this anniversary. You may not see much mention in the mainstream media. (Do not, however, forget the Catholic press.)
Our hope is that during his first week in office, President Obama will have an opportunity to see the thousands of young people in the March for Life and to listen to their message of hope. Perhaps his heart will be moved by their ardent support of the pro-life cause and his new administration will be encouraged to support measures that respect and protect the gift of life.