Catholic voices to honour Charlie Kirk at stadium memorial as 200,000 register

Catholic speakers are preparing to address the thousands who will gather to honour Charlie Kirk in Arizona today. The memorial service will take place at State Farm Stadium in Arizona – home to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals – which has a capacity of 73,000. The nearby Desert Diamond Arena will serve as overflow and can accommodate an additional 19,000 people.

However, Turning Point registration has reported that more than 200,000 people responded to the organisation saying they would like to attend in person. 

Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, will deliver the eulogy. Erika, who was left widowed with two children, has been named CEO of Turning Point USA following her husband's assassination. The couple married in 2021, holding a Turning Point USA-organised wedding reception at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess hotel in Arizona. Erika is a businesswoman and speaker in her own right, having launched The Midweek Rise Up in 2019, and is CEO of the Christian clothing brand, Proclaim Streetwear. Raised a Catholic, faith has been a central part of her life and a driving force behind her public work.

Vice President J.D. Vance will also speak. Vance and Kirk are understood to have been personal friends for several years, with Kirk supporting Vance’s political ambitions by backing his Senate bid in 2022 and publicly advocating for him to be chosen as Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also address the crowd. He has had a dynamic relationship with his faith, having twice left the Church and twice returned. As a child, his family began attending services at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; however, young Rubio showed a keen interest in Catholicism and is credited with bringing his family back to the Church. He later married in a Catholic church, though his faith lapsed during the early years of his professional career.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, will also speak. Kennedy recently called Kirk his “soulmate” during a vigil for the activist. He has described Kirk as the “primary architect” of the political alignment between his own movement, Make America Healthy Again, and Donald Trump’s MAGA base. Kennedy is a practising Catholic who has described his faith as “the centrepiece” of his life growing up. He credits his religion with playing a central role in his recovery from drug addiction and helping him remain sober for more than 40 years.

President Trump will also honour the life of the conservative activist, having said it would be a “tough day” and that “we’re going to celebrate the life of a great man today”.

(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)