Taking place just two days after the March for Life in Washington, D.C., the archdiocesan Respect Life Mass in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Jan. 24 will have bicoastal participants joining local parishioners in a Requiem for the Unborn.

Ten Knights from the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, from both East and West Coasts, are expected to be present at the 6 p.m. Mass this year to show their support for the archdiocese's annual Respect Life liturgy, with Cardinal Roger Mahony presiding.

The Constantinian Knights' participation was organized by Dominic Bonaduce, 21, a junior at Catholic University of America in Washington, who attended the Jan. 22 pro-life march in the nation's capital before flying to Los Angeles for the Respect Life Mass. Bonaduce's father, John, is the composer and musical conductor of the Shantigarh Requiem for the Unborn sung at the Mass by a combined choir of college, high school and elementary students.

"Carrying on the tradition is a huge honor for me," said Dominic, a philosophy major who interns at the USCCB Office of Justice, Peace and Human Development.

Currently a "Squire" in the Constantinians, an international Catholic Order of Chivalry founded in Italy several centuries ago to defend the teachings of the church and do charitable works, Dominic researched the location of Knights around the county in efforts to promote the archdiocesan Mass. Knights from Maryland and Virginia are flying out for the Mass, joining members from the West Coast.

Dressed in their signature royal blue capes, they will lead in the children's choir in the opening procession and will also form an honor guard for the Ceremony of Light, commemorating the number of unborn children who are aborted in the Los Angeles area every day. Last year, 151 candles were placed around the altar in remembrance of unborn lives daily extinguished by abortion.

Maura Piazza, music teacher at Louisville High School, says the students she has brought to sing in the Mass choir over the last three years are deeply moved by the candlelight meditation during which a second of silence for each unborn baby is observed in the darkened Cathedral.

"I think the pro-life movement is growing," said Louisville student Whitney Wong. "More people are learning about and becoming aware of the consequences of abortion."

"The Requiem is important because we need to acknowledge and remember the unborn who have died," added Louisville High School student Julia Wall. Added classmate Marie Bliss: "It shows that children who are aborted are not forgotten."

Besides remembering the unborn victims of abortion, the Mass also conveys compassion for mothers who have undergone abortions, according to Piazza. "I have brought friends who have had abortions. They felt more forgiveness than condemnation," said Piazza.

Editor's note: Those interested in being candle bearers for the Respect Life Mass Ceremony of Light are encouraged to arrive at the Cathedral by 5 p.m. to reserve a candle and receive instructions. A discounted parking rate of $5 per car will be available at the Cathedral parking lot for the event.