As Catholics from across the country prepare to gather in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life, a major pre-march rally focused on prayer and renewal is set to return to accompany it.
LifeFest, a Catholic rally and Mass centered on the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life, is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2026, just hours before the National March for Life.
LifeFest, which is organized by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus, will be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, near Washington. Doors open at 6 a.m., with programming from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., allowing participants to head directly to the march afterward, according to Lifefest’s website.
The 2026 LifeFest theme is “Because love is the answer,” and the March for Life Education and Defense Fund has announced the 2026 march theme is “Life is a Gift.”
Organizers say LifeFest is intended to renew the Church’s commitment to defending human dignity through prayer, witness, and charity. Sister Maris Stella, SV, of the Sisters of Life, said the rally aims to refocus participants on love at the heart of the pro-life mission.
“We want to serve the Church in her most urgent need — that of the cause of human life, sharing the good news of God’s plan for life and love,” she stated on Lifefest’s website, adding that the event calls Catholics to be “agents of healing in a broken world.”
The program includes speakers, personal witness, and live worship music, culminating in Holy Mass, celebrated by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. Auxiliary Bishop Edmund Whalen Espaillat of New York will deliver the homily.
LifeFest will be emceed by Sister Cora Caeli, SV, and Sr. Mary Hostia Josephine, SV. Featured speakers and witnesses include Lila Rose, founder of Live Action; the Schachle family; and Fr. Isaiah, CFR, a Franciscan friar, who will also provide music. Musical performers include Damascus Worship and the Sisters of Life.
Sister Marie Veritas, SV, said the rally and march are rooted in solidarity with women and families affected by abortion.
“We march because we stand with women who are pregnant and in need,” she said. “We march because no woman who has experienced abortion is left unseen by God’s love and mercy. We march because every life is a gift.”
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