It’s a cloudy Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver. Students from St. John Paul the Great Catholic High walked down the aisle with candles and flowers. They place them on a table to the right of the altar, where there are pictures of babies and signs in black, all-capital lettering reading “63+ MILLION” and “WE WILL NOT FORGET.”
The day marked 50 years since the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the U.S. It was the first time the Catholic Church commemorated the day since last summer’s Dobbs decision overturned the case. It was a major victory for the church and opponents of abortion.
The mood was solemn — this was a memorial Mass for the lives lost since Roe v. Wade became law in 1973 so they would not be forgotten.
