For details on events or to acquire a prayer partner, email our pastorate’s Respect Life Coordinator, at pnoeller@comcast.net
From October 22nd - 30th, the USCCB invites you to join Catholics nationwide in praying a special novena for the protection of human life from conception to natural death. Each day of the novena features a different prayer intention, as well as a short reflection, suggested actions, and additional information to help participants go deeper. The USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities sends the novena by email annually October 22-30, but it can be prayed at any time. Use the link above to download or subscribe to receive the daily emails from the USCCB.
Throughout the year, our Respect Life Holy Hour is held on the first Tuesday of each month, in St. Agnes Church, during our weekly Tuesday Adoration, from 4:45 - 5:45pm. Leading up to the November Election, we will hold a Holy Hour for Maryland every Tuesday, during this hour, including special prayers and reflections surrounding the issues facing Maryland, including Maryland Constitutional Amendment - Question 1.
NOTE: Special Prayer Sheets will be provided for the Holy Hour for Maryland.
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.
JUNE RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
We often talk rather casually about the dignity of the human person. However, should we? Isn’t our human dignity a gift from God, born out of His unfathomable and infinite love for us and bought at a terrible cost?
JULY RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
In June we reflected on the concept and origin of our human dignity, deciding it was a gift from God. It was a gift from the God who created us in His image and likeness so that, despite the sin of Adam and Eve, we could one day share in the perfect communion of love found only in the Trinity. No other creature can claim such a distinction, can they?
AUGUST RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
Unity of Body and Soul ... Food for the Journey. How counter-cultural Jesus was and still is!!! His incarnation was an act of pure self-gift, wasn't it? He established the Eucharist so we would never be alone. And His arms outstretched on the cross perfectly embodied His words of consecration at the Last Supper when He said, "This is my body which is given for you." Luke 22:19
SEPTEMBER RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
This November, Marylanders will be asked to consider a "Right to Reproductive Freedom" amendment to the State Constitution. The language is very vague and ambiguous. Click on the link here for five reflections you might find helpful in discerning its meaning and significance.
OCTOBER RESPECT LIFE HOLY HOUR REFLECTION
Because this November's proposed amendment is on "Reproductive Freedom," our Respect Life Coordinator decided to check out Pope Benedict XVI’s take on “freedom”…. what it means… what limitations can be imposed on it, and who
has the authority to limit it, etc. Read more through the link here:
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!