Parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and around the country are preparing for potential protests at Masses this weekend, after a national abortion advocacy group called on supporters to disrupt Catholic liturgies.  

In a May 5 email to parish leaders, the archdiocese’s Office of Communications alerted parishes of the possibility and shared ideas for addressing such protests.  

“While the Archdiocese has no information that disruptions are planned locally, the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment is communicating with area law enforcement — particularly St. Paul and Minneapolis — to make them aware of the possibility,” the email said. 

It said parishes may want to have extra parish leadership and staff at Masses to watch for unusual behavior, prepare ushers to peacefully and respectfully escort protestors from Mass if necessary, and announce that “Mass is not the proper forum for protesting and encourage demonstrators to move outside the church to public property to express their views.” 

The email also provided advice for helping the faithful if a disruption occurs, and advised parish leaders to contact law enforcement if a situation becomes unsafe. It also invited them to speak with a staff member of the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment and shared the cell phone numbers of three archdiocesan staff members in that office with backgrounds in law enforcement. 

On May 3, the abortion-supporting organization Ruth Sent Us posted on Twitter: “Whether you’re a ‘Catholic for Choice’, ex-Catholic, of other or no faith, recognize that six extremist Catholics set out to overturn Roe, Stand at or in a local Catholic Church Sun May 8.” 

The post was accompanied by a video appearing to show activists in a church chanting, “Without this basic right, women can’t be free. Abortion on demand and without apology.” The video encouraged participants to share protest videos on social media. The organization’s name alludes to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

The call to protest is in response to the May 2 leak of an initial draft of the Supreme Court’s majority opinion upholding a Mississippi law at the center of the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, thereby overturning the court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. 

Protests against the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe are also planned nationwide May 14.