For details on events or to acquire a prayer partner, email our pastorate’s Respect Life Coordinator, at pnoeller@comcast.net
Respect Life Ministry
Respect Life Holy Hour is held on the first Tuesday of each month, in St. Agnes Church, during our weekly Tuesday Adoration. Join us from 4:45 to 5:30pm to pray for the preservation of all life from conception to natural death, including Praise, Adoration, and the Rosary, followed by Evening Prayer, and Benediction.
Pro-Life Resources
Respect Life Coordinator Reflections
A NEW YEAR’S REFLECTION: CHOICES
Originally written for our pastorate's January Respect Life Holy Hour, this reflection grew into something else… a reflection on not only how Adam and Eve’s choice (or decision) led to the Fall, but how our choices and their consequences impact not only our lives but the lives of those around us and the culture in general.
It’s not just about ME…
FEBRUARY RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
The January Respect Life Holy Hour reflection was on original sin. For February, we delve a little deeper...
MARCH RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
Continuing reflections on the theme of "Choices" ...
AS WE PREPARE FOR LENT
I can think of no better Lenten activity than praying, fasting and advocating for life!!! Here are some suggestions for ways you can incorporate critical Maryland issues into your Lent.
APRIL RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
The title of this reflection references “God’s Timing” partly because the discussion on human dignity has changed dramatically in a short period of time, and partly because of how reading the document has impacted me personally. As far as the discussion on human dignity goes, it is no longer just about economic, political, and social injustice and safeguarding the lives of the most vulnerable members of our society. The discussion is increasingly centered on the “individual” and a culture marked by increasing rates of addiction, depression, suicide and other forms of self-inflicted violence marked by increased confusion about what it means to be human.
This Easter the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome's declaration on human dignity entitled “Dignitas Infinita” appears to be, in part, a response to this mounting confusion.
More from the desk of our pastorate's Respect Life Coordinator:
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Do We Need Another Law that Threatens the Dignity of Human Life? - Assisted suicide legislation is again being debated by Maryland State legislators. The End-of-Life Option Act (HB0403 and SB0443) would permit a person diagnosed with a terminal illness that “will more likely than not result in death within 6 months” to request of an attending physician a prescription for a lethal drug that the patient could use to end his or her life. Here is a link to the House bill (HB0403): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/bills/hb/hb0403F.pdf
Evaluate the Legislation: Any proposed law that would make it legal to end a human life should be examined through the lens of Church teaching. One should also examine the danger such legislation poses to the common good and how it might change the culture’s perception of the human person over time. For example, in countries that have long allowed assisted suicide, rates of suicide in the general population have gone up. More disconcerting is how the definition of who can participate in (has the “right” to) assisted suicide has changed in those countries over time. Look at how abortion in our country has gone from being “safe, legal and rare” to being viewed as a right through all nine months of a pregnancy!
Visit The National Bioethics Center: 1. “Summary: Physician-Assisted Suicide”, 2. Search of the National Bioethics Center’s Website.
Take Action: Maryland Right to Life has posted a breakdown of the legislation and a Take Action letter on its website (https://www.mdrtl.org/takeaction.html). Following the link will take you to both. The letter will automatically be sent to your state representative, senator and members of the judicial proceedings committee. Contacting or not contacting your legislators may be one of the most important choices you make this year.
St. John Paul II, Pray For Us!