CONNELLSVILLE —Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School students were thanked for their witness in support of human life by Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt in his homily at the pro-life Mass Jan. 26 at the Connellsville school.

"It was a great experience to participate in the March for Life," he said. "There were hundreds of thousands of people, mostly young people like yourselves."

Nearly 80 Geibel Catholic students participated in the march, Bishop Brandt said, including most of the senior class.

Christians celebrate the fact the Messiah entered the world as an infant at Christmas, Bishop Brandt said, adding, "How odd that our nation, which celebrates the infant at Christmas, then accepts abortion."

The fact that the son of God came to us as an embryo in Mary’s womb shows that "human life in the womb is sacred," Bishop Brandt said.

The march and the many events surrounding it are an opportunity to deplore the horrendous U.S. Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade and "to pray for a change of people’s hearts and minds."

Bishop Brandt reminded the students that Blessed Mother Teresa once said "America will never know peace until it stops killing its unborn."

Abortion legitimizes violence, which is like a cancer, he said. "It’s in its (violence’s) nature to spread and destroy whatever it touches."

There have been a staggering number of abortions in the U.S. since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, Bishop Brandt said, but it is encouraging to note that 51 percent of Americans now describe themselves as pro-life.

"Jesus has already won the victory of life over death," he said, telling the students to reach out and assist anyone who is struggling with an unplanned pregnancy.

"Always have the courage to stand up for unborn life and stand up for our religious freedom," he said.

In addition to the students from Geibel Catholic, students from St. Sebastian Regional School, Belle Vernon, St. John the Baptist Regional Catholic School, Scottdale, St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School, Uniontown, and Verna Montessori School, Bullskin Township, attended the Mass.