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  • Home
  • About
      • Staff
  • Resources
    • A-C Resources
      • Assistance to the Families of Incarcerated (AFI)
      • Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
      • Caring for the Whole Person
      • Catholic Healthcare
      • Catholic Relief Services
      • Census
      • Creation
    • D-G Resources
      • Death Penalty
      • Dobbs
      • Domestic Violence & Abuse
      • End of Life Care
      • Foster Care & Adoption
      • Gender & Sexuality
    • H-O Resources
      • Healing After Abortion
      • Homelessness & Poverty
      • Human Trafficking
      • LA for Dreamers
      • Merciful Companions
      • Mental Health Ministry
      • OneLife LA
    • N-P Resources
      • Parish Leaders Resources
      • Pregnancy & Parenting Resources
      • Pornography & Digital Safety
      • Pregnancy & Infant Loss
      • Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Page
      • Pro-Life
    • R-Z Resources
      • Racial Relations
      • Respect Life Month
      • Resources for Forming Faithful Citizenship and Voting
      • Special Needs Ministry Resources
  • Events
      • Homeless Persons’ Memorial
      • Respect Life Week
      • OneLifeLA
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  • OCTOBER IS RESPECT LIFE MONTH!

    • The Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month every October.
      As Catholics we are called to embrace, proclaim, and defend life. Every life is precious and must be loved and protected from conception until natural death. And as children of God made in his image,
      every person has a sanctity and dignity that cannot be diminished by illness or disability,
      and cannot be limited by race, age, sex, or social condition. 

    • Our theme for Respect Life Month is “Made for Greater Things!” This message of love comes directly from Archbishop José H. Gomez, in his second Pastoral Letter ‘For greater things you were born’ he writes: 

      Nothing can contain our greatness! What a statement. The first disciples lived their Christian identity and proclaimed their faith with this overwhelming sense of astonishment. And so should we, my brothers, and sisters! It is time for all of us in the Church — bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, consecrated, religious and lay people — all of us should be alive with a new sense of awe at our greatness in the eyes of God. 

      We must learn again to see what the saints can see — that the human person is something marvelous in the universe. You and I are God’s masterpiece, each of us made in his image as a unity of body and soul, endowed with reason and free will, and given the vocation to imitate God and to share in his divine work, serving and ruling over his creation.

      We are made in the image of the Lord of history, the Author of Life, the Maker of heaven and earth! God is Love and so we are made in the image of love. I have always appreciated the poet Dante’s description of God as “the Love that moves the sun and the other stars.”

      Nature’s designs speak to us of God’s love and truth; and our existence is part of God’s plan of loving goodness. The human person is exceptional, we are not just one more creature in God’s creation. We are not just something, we are someone.

      Alone among all earthly creatures, the human person can build computers, fly into outer space, and discover the inner workings of the human body and mind. Alone among all creatures, the human person alone can write songs and poems, make paintings and symphonies. And alone in the material universe, the human person can love, sacrifice, and offer worship to his Creator. 

      We are made in the image of the God of all creation. All the universe was made for us, and in all of creation, we are the only creature that God wills to share in his own life.

      This is our greatness. 

      (Excerpt taken from Archbishop José H. Gomez, Pastoral Letter: For Greater Things You Were Born, 13)


       

      FOR GREATER THINGS YOU WERE BORN

      USTEDES NACIERON PARA COSAS MAS GRANDES

    • PARISH AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES


      The Office of Life, Justice and Peace has sent every parish in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles a packet for Respect Life Month which includes posters, prayer cards, intercessions, and bulletin announcements. 

    • You can also download the digital files below:

      • Respect Life Month Poster: English 
      • Respect Life Month Poster: Spanish
      • Prayer Card: English 
      • Prayer Card: Spanish 
      • Intercessions for Respect Life Month: English 
      • Intercession for Respect Life Month: Spanish
      • Bulletin Announcements:  English
      • Bulletin Announcements:  Spanish
      • Questions for Discussion for LJP Ministry
      •  

      Other resources for Respect Life Month:

      Respect Life Month Scripture Verses: English
      Respect Life Month Scripture Verses: Spanish
      Holy Hour for Life
      Rosary Prayer Intentions: English
      Rosary Prayer Intentions: Spanish

  • PRAY

    • Every human being is created in the image of God and destined to be in communion with him. God calls us to seek him, to know him to love him. Our very essence, our identity, the source of our dignity comes from God.

      This October you can use our resources for Respect Life Month to grow closer to God through daily prayer, reading scripture and participating in the sacraments. Below are ways you and your parish community can pray during Respect Life Month.

      ORGANIZE A BLESSING FOR PREGNANT MOTHERS AND UNBORN CHILDREN

      Pray with the Rite of Blessing for Unborn Children at the end of Mass to honor the sanctity of life.

      PRAY THE ROSARY

      Parish Ministry groups can pray the Rosary and use the Intentions for Respect Life Month during each Mystery.

      HOST A HOLY HOUR FOR HUMAN DIGNITY

      Your Parish can organize a Holy Hour for Life.

      PRAY FOR THOSE IN NEED

      Use the Intercessions for Respect Life Month during Mass each Sunday in October.

  • Service

    • As Catholics we must share God’s love with others. When someone is facing great trials, we need to meet them where they are, walk with them on their journey, intercede for them, and be open to sharing Christ's love.

      Below are ways you can serve our brothers and sisters in need this Respect Life Month:

      VISIT YOUR LOCAL PREGNANCY CENTER

      Pregnancy Resource Centers help pregnant women in need. You can visit your local pregnancy resource center or schedule a tour! Take your Respect Life Group, Confirmation Class, or Young Adult group and learn how the center can help pregnant women in need. Many pregnancy centers need volunteers to collect and sort baby items or share information, this is a great way to introduce your parish community to the center and serve pregnant women in need.

      Find your local pregnancy resource center by following the link and tying in your zip code: Optionsforpregnancy.com

      HOST A DRIVE

      During the month of October many parishes host a baby shower, diaper drives, or baby bottle fundraisers for pregnancy resource centers in their area. These are great ways your parish community can support pregnant and parenting families in the area.

      HELP PREGNANT OR PARENTING FAMILIES IN YOUR PARISH COMMUNITY

      Volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul

       The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Los Angeles serves those in need within Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties. They provide food, clothing, furniture, appliances, housing and resources for individuals and families in need of assistance.

      To volunteer, find the conference nearest you by contacting your local Catholic Church and asking if they have a St. Vincent de Paul Conference of Charity. If there is not a Conference of Charity at your Catholic Church, please call the Vincentian Services Department at 1-888-552-7872 or email: [email protected].

      As a volunteer, you can:

       • Conduct a food, clothing, blanket, or toy drive for those in need

       • Help a conference of charity with food distribution/ conference events

       • Speak to neighbors in need and help them find needed resources

  • EDUCATION

    • “Everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by it, everything is directed towards it.” (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 17) The Book of Genesis reveals that man is God’s most supreme creation. Men and women come to discover the authentic meaning of their personal and social lives through a relationship with God, their Creator. (Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, 11) This vision of the human person centered on God asserts and justifies the unconditional value of the human person and helps promote the advancement of “all men and of the whole man”. (Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, 16) In God’s design, every man is called to fulfillment because every life is a vocation. (Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 78)

       

      • Learn about current events on human dignity by signing-up to our Life, Justice, and Peace Newsletter: 5 things to know!

      We’ll keep you informed on important legislation, campaigns, and action alerts.
       

      • You can also visit the California Catholic Conference page for more information on legislation in our state.
      • The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is an assembly of the hierarchy of bishops who jointly exercise pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

        United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

      View action alerts from the USCCB


      READ CHURCH DOCUMENTS THAT UPHOLD THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON:
       

      The process which once led to discovering the idea of "human rights"-rights inherent in every person and prior to any Constitution and State legislation-is today marked by a surprising contradiction. Precisely in an age when the inviolable rights of the person are solemnly proclaimed and the value of life is publicly affirmed, the very right to life is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death.”             

      -Evangelium Vitae, 3

      As Catholics we are called to proclaim, embrace, and defend life from conception to natural death. Below are church documents you can read that uphold the dignity of the human person:

      Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of God who was made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14), is entrusted to the maternal care of the Church. Therefore, every threat to human dignity and life must necessarily be felt in the Church's very heart; it cannot but affect her at the core of her faith in the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son of God, and engage her in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of life in all the world and to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15).

      -Evangelium Vitae, 3

      • Encyclical Letter: Evangelium Vitae

       

      Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives.

      -Humanae Vitae, 8

      • Encyclical Letter: Humanae Vitae

       

      To the people of our time, her travelling companions, the Church also offers her social doctrine. In fact, when the Church “fulfils her mission of proclaiming the Gospel, she bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity and his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches him the demands of justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom”[3]. This doctrine has its own profound unity, which flows from Faith in a whole and complete salvation, from Hope in a fullness of justice, and from Love which makes all mankind truly brothers and sisters in Christ: it is the expression of God's love for the world, which he so loved “that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16). The new law of love embraces the entire human family and knows no limits, since the proclamation of the salvation wrought by Christ extends “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

      Compendium of Catholic Social Teaching, 3

      • Compendium of Catholic Social Teaching

       

      The Compendium is not a work that stands alone, nor is it intended in any way to replace the Catechism of the Catholic Church: instead, it refers constantly to the Catechism by means of reference numbers printed in the margins, as well as by consistent reliance on its structure, development, and contents. In fact, the Compendium is meant to reawaken interest in and enthusiasm for the Catechism, which, in the wisdom of its presentation and the depth of its spirituality, always remains the basic text for catechesis in the Church today.

      Like the Catechism, the Compendium has four parts, corresponding to the fundamental laws of life in Christ.

      The first part, entitled “The Profession of Faith”, contains a synthesis of the lex credendi, the faith professed by the Catholic Church, as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed which is further elaborated by the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. In the liturgical profession of the Creed, the Christian assembly keeps the principal truths of the faith alive in memory.

      The second part, entitled “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery”, presents the essential elements of the lex celebrandi. The proclamation of the Gospel finds its authentic response in the sacramental life, through which Christian’s experience and witness, in every moment of their existence, the saving power of the paschal mystery by which Christ has accomplished our redemption.

      The third part, entitled “Life in Christ”, recalls the lex vivendi, through which the baptized manifest their commitment to the faith they have professed and celebrated, through their actions and ethical choices. The Christian faithful are called by the Lord Jesus to act in a way which befits their dignity as children of the Father in the charity of the Holy Spirit.

      The fourth part, entitled “Christian Prayer”, summarizes the lex orandi, the life of prayer. Following the example of Jesus, the perfect model of one who prays, the Christian too is called to the dialogue with God in prayer. A privileged expression of prayer is the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus has taught us.

      • Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
  • ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

      ARTICLES

      Read the largest known in-depth study of American attitudes on abortion Sponsored by Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life.

      “How Americans Understand Abortion”

      VIDEO


      The Sisters of Life and the McGrath Institute for Church Life teamed up with CampCampo Films to create an original 12-part video series based on the work of the Sisters serving women who are pregnant. Journey with the Sisters of Life as they explain what it means to walk with a woman who is pregnant and vulnerable. Learn what it means to deeply listen to and understand the heart of another, how to rejoice in the beauty of the individual person, and what it means to truly accompany someone into God’s life and freedom.

      Into Life | Love Changes Everything
      • View the full series: intolifeseries.com
    • If you need additional resources, please contact Gina Vides, [email protected] or call (213) 637-7690.

  • 2023 Archive

    • Resources in English

       

      • Poster: English
      • Prayer Card: English/Spanish
      • Intercession for Respect Life Month: English
      • Bulletin Announcements: English/ Spanish
      • Scripture: English
      • Holy Hour for Life
      • Rosary Prayer Intentions: English
    • Resources in SPanish



      ​​​​​​​
      • Poster: Spanish
      • Prayer Card: English/Spanish
      • Intercession for Respect Life Month: Spanish
      • Bulletin Announcements: English/ Spanish
      • Scripture: Spanish
      • Rosary Prayer Intentions: Spanish
  • 2021 archive

    • Resources in English

      • Poster Eng
      • Prayer Card
      • Intercession
      • Scripture
      • Download A catholic response to abortion
      • 2021 website
    • Resources   in Spanish

      • Poster Spa
      • Prayer Card
      • Intercession
      • Scripture
      • Download A catholic response to abortion
  • 2020 Archive

    • Speaker Series 

      • What Binds the Racial Justice and Prolife Movements Together?
      • Dignity & Justice: Welcoming the Stranger at Our Border
      • How do Americans think and feel about Abortion?
      • Addressing Mental Health Challenges During the COVID 19 Pandemic
      • Care, Prepare, and Connect
      • Care, Prepare, and Connect
      • Respect Life Evening of Remembrance
      • Hope for Post-Election Politics: Hospitality and Encounter
      • Hope After the Pandemic: Building Solidarity, Resisting Throwaway Culture
      • Hope for the Holidays- Grief and Resiliency in a Time of Covid-19 
    • RESOURCES FOR REFLECTION & DISCUSSION 

      • Abortion 
      • Economic Justice
      • Faithful Citizenship 
      • Racism 
      • Forgiveness & Mercy 
      • Mental Health and Loneliness
About

Office of Life, Justice, & Peace
3424 Wilshire Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90010

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