AUGUSTA — Anti-abortion activists are gathering at Maine’s State House for the annual “Hands Around the Capitol Rally and March.”

The group will gather for a Roman Catholic Mass and prayer service before marching to the State House, where participants will join hands and encircle the building.

During the ceremony, a bell will ring 39 times, one for each year since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion with its Roe v. Wade decision.

Prominent anti-abortion leaders who are participating include Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Portland, along with anti-abortion legislators and Gov. Paul LePage.