The fifth annual Requiem Mass for the Unborn, honoring the memory of all who have died from abortion in the past year, will take place Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with Cardinal Roger Mahony presiding with several auxiliary bishops.

The Mass is celebrated in the archdiocese every January near the Jan. 22, 1973 anniversary of Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion in the U.S.

"It's very important on an annual basis to remember and pray for the children who have been aborted in Los Angeles," said Nancy Iredale, a grassroots pro-life activist and former Respect Life coordinator for Holy Family Church in South Pasadena.

Iredale, who was present at the first Requiem Mass as well as two others, said the annual liturgy has been very well attended since the beginning. "We do this at the same time our brothers and sisters on the East Coast are marching in freezing temperatures," said Iredale. "We ought to be able to fill the Cathedral once a year."

According to Iredale, the most moving part of the Mass is the candlelight commemoration of each child who lost their life due to abortion in an average 24-hour period in Los Angeles. Last year, 157 candles were carried to the altar --- three candles fewer than those lit two years ago.

In his homily last year, Cardinal Mahony said the slight reduction corresponded to a gradual change in attitudes toward abortion. He said pro-life efforts to reverse Roe v Wade "have born a lot of fruit" since "fewer and fewer people are in favor of unlimited abortion with polls showing a reduction of support from 70 to close to 52 percent.

"Anyone who is pro-life, regardless of their faith denomination is welcome to attend the Requiem Mass," said Licia Nicassio, a member of the archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Life issues. The liturgy offers those who have had abortions an opportunity for reconciling themselves with God and their unborn children.

Fourth degree Knights of Columbus will form an honor guard in full regalia and members of the Archdiocesan Catholic Council of Women will also be present. Original music by John Bonaduce will be sung by the Shantigarh choir.

Before Christmas, many archdiocesan pro-life supporters will participate in a prayer pilgrimage for the Feast of the Holy Innocents on Dec. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Pico Union District of Los Angeles where seven abortion facilities are within a one-mile radius. According to Hispanics for Life spokesperson Astrid Bennett Gutierrez, the event will bring "more prayerful awareness to the disproportionate number of abortion centers and abortion promotion found in Latino neighborhoods."

Starting from Los Angeles Pregnancy Services, prayer pilgrimage participants will walk to a few of the nearby abortion clinics. "Our prayerful presence will communicate to this abortion-vulnerable community that there is hope in Christ and in an entire pro-life community waiting with open arms to lovingly help them," said Gutierrez. For pilgrimage information, call LAPS at (213) 382-5643.