Respect Life and Pro-Life Ministries

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. With nearly 25 million victims worldwide, there are more slaves today than at any time in history. Our Catholic faith calls on us to defend life and human dignity, to fight conditions that lead to the enslavement of human beings.

Loving Father, 
We seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved. For those forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery, and denied freedom. We  beseech you to release them from their chains. Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment. Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning. Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes. Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking. Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation. For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Resources on Human Trafficking:

Vatican     USCCB     Amistad Movement     

Read more on St. Josephine Bakhita here.

Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between. We consider more deeply why every human life is valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death.

Click on the resources below for more on Respect Life Sunday.

Reflection     Prayer     

We pray that the life of every person, from conception to natural death, will be protected in our laws and cherished in our hearts. Amen.

Mary’s Assumption into heaven reminds us that life on earth is a pilgrimage to our ultimate destination. We prepare in hope for our own passage into eternal life by the choices we make today. When we choose to love and follow God in our daily lives, we strengthen our relationship with Him, and this relationship is the true meaning of heaven: “To live in heaven is ‘to be with Christ’” (CCC, 1025 citing St. Ambrose, In Luc.,10,121:PL 15 1834A.).

We can see how, throughout her life, the Blessed Mother continually chose to go deeper into her relationship with God. She modeled how to value and respect His precious gift of human life, from the moment of conception to its natural end. In the Annunciation, through her “yes,” Mary witnessed to the undeniable humanity of unborn children as she conceived and carried the Christ child in her womb. After the Annunciation, having learned that her cousin Elizabeth was with child, she went in haste to her aid.

Our Blessed Mother shows us how the way we live today can prepare us, in hope, to also enter into heavenly glory at the end of our lives. Are we open to God’s precious gift of new life? How do we support pregnant mothers and parents of young children? Do we prioritize showing our love to those who are ill or aging? Do we care for them in a way that respects God’s gift of life?

Although fathers do not physically carry their children from conception, fathers can still be overwhelmed by an unexpected pregnancy. We Christians must support men who, in following the example of St. Joseph, choose to embrace their role as a father in all circumstances, but especially in challenging situations. St. Joseph was unexpectedly called to fatherhood amid extremely confusing and difficult circumstances. However, despite many obstacles, St. Joseph chose to be faithful. St. Joseph chose life by listening to God’s will and consciously deciding to be a father to Jesus, the Son of God. Pope Saint John Paul II said that fathers are called to exhibit “generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the mother” (Familiaris consortio 25). Like St. Joseph, all fathers are uniquely entrusted with the protection and defense of both mother and child and, in this way, safeguard the sanctity of human life. But biological fathers, because they do not physically carry the child, sometimes fail to truly father their children.

Our society increasingly tells fathers that they should have no say in the lives of their unborn children, no opportunity to choose to father their children. Our society seems to restrict the decisions regarding an unborn child solely to the discretion of the mother. In the face of false messages about fatherhood, we must respond with the truth that the role of a father “is of unique and irreplaceable importance” (FC 25). We know that the assistance and support of the father of a child, or lack thereof, can often be a deciding factor in a woman’s decision to choose life. Tragically, there are men who sometimes pressure mothers to make the decision to abort the child, sinning grievously and making the cowardly choice. These men are not following the example of St. Joseph and are not exercising true, spiritual fatherhood.

This is because fatherhood extends beyond simple procreation and biology.  Fatherhood is first a spiritual reality, because fatherhood has its origins in God who chose to reveal Himself to us as Our Father, sending his only Son for the sake of our salvation. Fathers therefore have a special and unique role “in revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God” (FC 25). Fathers have a vital, unique, and important role to play in the personal and spiritual development of their children, and in reflecting the love of God the Father himself. Fathers are called to show the world the virtues of a tender protector, while living out the virtues of humility and courage.

In all circumstances, but especially in difficult circumstances, a father needs to be encouraged to faithfully accept the role entrusted to him by God and support the mother of his child. Through our prayers and through the intercession of St. Joseph, patron of fathers, may fathers come to know the irreplaceable role they hold in the lives of their children, and the responsibility they share in welcoming God’s gift of new life!

By the age of 45, as many as 1 in 3 women have had an abortion, and a similar number of men and family members have been involved.
Many feel that abortion is “the unforgivable sin.” They need to hear that, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God forgives every sin of a repentant heart, even the sin of abortion. In fact, Jesus’ message to St. Faustina is that the greater the sinner, the greater the right to His mercy.

For those who have participated in an abortion and feel they have committed an unforgiveable sin: May they come to know the Lord’s limitless mercy, and turn to Him for forgiveness and healing. Find ways to build the bridge of mercy HERE.

If you or someone you know has had an abortion, be assured that it is never too late to seek God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Additionally, other confidential, compassionate help is available. Select “Find Help” from the menu on www.hopeafterabortion.org to find the diocesan Project Rachel Ministry near you.

National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, Feb. 12) are opportunities to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family. This year's theme, "Marriage...one flesh, given and received" highlights the one-flesh union of husband and wife that is willed by God. It also indicates the personal self-gift of each spouse, one to the other. These concepts point to Christ who gives Himself under the appearance of bread and wine—as real flesh and blood.

Prayer for a Married Couple

O God, who in creating the human race
willed that man and wife should be one,
keep, we pray, in a bond of inseparable love
those who are united in the covenant of Marriage,
so that, as you make their love fruitful,
they may become, by your grace, witnesses to charity itself.

Through Christ our Lord
Amen.

During this time of preparation and expectant waiting, we also remember expectant mothers who are preparing for the birth of their children. May we look to the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph and follow their example of cherishing and protecting human life.

For women who are unexpectedly pregnant: May they be filled with trust in God’s providence and lovingly welcome the gift of their child. God is with us always.

in the case of an unexpected pregnancy, you may be unsure of how to help or what to say. Learn how to support those in their new journey of motherhood HERE.