About
A monthly rosary procession steps off from St. Agnes on East 43rd Street, half a block from Grand Central and walks Midtown praying aloud.
Half a block east of Grand Central, the Church of St. Agnes, the parish where Fulton Sheen broadcast for decades, empties onto East 43rd Street once a month and keeps praying out loud as it walks. Witness for Life is the Archdiocese of New York's Manhattan pro-life witness: Mass first, then a rosary procession through Midtown streets. It is one of the few standing religious processions that still claims a New York sidewalk on foot.
What to expect
The morning starts inside St. Agnes with Mass, after which participants gather on East 43rd Street between Lexington and Third and set off on foot, praying the rosary aloud in a loose column. Expect anywhere from a few dozen to a couple hundred walkers, some carrying banners, moving at a slow steady pace with police managing the crossings.
Good to know
- Grand Central-42nd Street on the 4/5/6/7/S is a two-minute walk; Metro-North riders exit toward Lexington Avenue
- The Church of St. Agnes sits mid-block on East 43rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues
- Free and open to anyone; you can join the Mass, the procession, or only the procession
- Comfortable shoes matter most, since the walk covers real Midtown distance on pavement
- This is an explicitly pro-life Catholic devotion, not a general-interest walking tour
- Midtown East is quiet on weekend mornings, so the block is far calmer than a weekday
Common questions
Who organizes Witness for Life?
The Respect Life office of the Archdiocese of New York. It runs Manhattan, Bronx and Brooklyn editions, each on its own Saturday of the month.
Do I have to attend Mass to join the procession?
No. Many participants come only for the walk, which forms on East 43rd Street outside the Church of St. Agnes once the morning Mass ends.
Where does the procession go?
From St. Agnes it walks as a rosary procession to the Parkmed clinic, praying along the route, then disperses.