Respect Life Ministries
Promoting the Cause of Life through...
Prayer ...
Witness ...
Education ...
Advocacy ...
Support ...
What is it?
The Respect Life Ministry is a parish group whose members work to promote a greater respect for human life at all stages through prayer, action, and advocacy. We meet once a month to plan activities and share news relevant to the cause of Life.
How can I get involved?
Any parishioner or friend of the cause of Life is welcome to join, and we hope every parishioner will consider active or associate membership.
Active members take part in meetings on a regular basis and help organize our regular activities and special events. Your participation and activity as an Active member is up to you.
Associate members don't come to meetings but support the ministry through their prayers and, if possible, their participation in simple activities which can be done at home, on their own schedule, such as writing or phoning a member of the legislature. Associate members are kept aware of Ministry activities by means of e-mail or phone or through the monthly newsletter.
What does the Ministry do?
While we are always looking for new ways in which to increase respect for life, our regular activities include:
- Monthly diaper collection to support new mothers
- Parish newsletter on critical Life issues
- Holy Hours for Life
- Bus trip to the March for Life in Washington
- Writing to elected officials on relevant legislation
- Prayerful witness at a local abortion facility
- Rosaries for Life during the month of May
- Guest lectures on issues such as stem cell research and eugenics – October
- Collection of gently worn baby items for use by new families in need
- Confidential assistance and referral of women in crisis pregnancies
Whom should I contact?
Call Gerry deBlois, Respect Life Ministry chair, at 896-3341 if you are interested or want to learn more. Or come to one of our monthly meetings, which are announced in the parish bulletin.
Our Mission Statement
Through service, advocacy, communication, and prayer, the Respect Life Ministry at the Church of Saint Ann promotes and protects the God-given dignity of human life from fertilization to natural death in keeping with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as articulated by the Roman Catholic Church. We affirm the values expressed concretely in the encyclical The Gospel of Life and are dedicated to transforming today's culture of death into a culture of life. We seek to foster a parish environment that embraces a consistent ethic of life, promoting change in our society regarding such issues as abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, the death penalty, and all areas in which the life and dignity of the human person are threatened.