Respect Life Ministry

• Promote a consistent ethic of life from conception to natural death at diocesan/deanery events, particularly in October and January.

• Provide leadership through education and awareness of the variety of issues as found in the Gospel of Life which are part of a consistent ethic of life: abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, etc.

• Activate legislative networks on health care and abortion, and other issues of life

• Network with Catholic Conference of Illinois, Catholics for Life and deanery pro-life groups on Catholic social teaching

• Support parish programs that address poor women in crisis pregnancies (Elizabeth Ann Seton)

• Project Rachel Post-Abortion Reconciliation Peer Counseling Workshops - Unplanned Pregnancy
  Workshop outline:

• Prayer, listening skills

• development of the unborn child

• appropriate response to person with unplanned pregnancy

• information on abortion

• available resources Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities:

The Ministries to Promote the Dignity of the Human Person , using the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching as its base, is looking to provide educational opportunities to those interested in learning more about the social teaching of our Church. This opportunity for reflection and discussion on how the church respects and values the dignity of every person, from conception to natural death, is available for large and small parish groups, RCIA teams, DRE's, Catholic school teachers, parish councils and all other ministries within the parish..

The Ministries to Promote the Dignity of the Human Person welcomes invitations to speak to your parishioners and schools about what it means to value and support life. When abortion, capital punishment, racism, euthanasia, hunger and poverty are accepted by the mainstream in society, members of our church have a responsibility to stand up for the rights of others. Our culture has embraced these wrongs in our world because not enough people have challenged these accepted practices and policies which escalate and foster the social and moral breakdown of a culture.

Through group discussions and presentations on the social injustices of our world, we hope to educate our faithful on the issues. We will explain why the issues are accepted by our culture and give examples on how each person and their parish can help to abolish the issues that interfere with our relationship with God.

The office staff is available for providing presentations and educational pieces on Catholic Social Teaching to fit the parish schedule. We suggest weekend reflections up to 4 hours within the parish or week night reflections for 2 hours, over a two night period which could be 2 consecutive nights or the same night 2 weeks in a row or whatever is convenient for the parish.

For example:

• Saturday or Sunday
  10:00 a.m .- 2:00 p.m .
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
  7 p.m.-9 p.m. any two nights

You may choose 4 issues or topics:

Abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, peace and justice, racism, poverty, hunger, special needs awareness, inclusion for people with special needs, rural life issues and cultural diversity.

To schedule a weekend or weekday reflection on any of the above mentioned topics, please call the Ministries to Promote the Dignity of the Human Person at (217) 698-8500, ext. 167, 161 or click here for request form.