RESPECT LIFE MONTH
RESOURCES
PAGE CONTENTS
In October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is designated as Respect Life Sunday. To support these annual observances, the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities provides materials to help Catholics understand and value the gift of human life and help build a culture that cherishes and protects it.
The following materials are designed to be brought to life as tools in your hands. These resources may be downloaded, printed, and reproduced for use in your parish, school, or ministry.
WEBINAR
Join USCCB staff as they walk through the Respect Life Month Action Guide and provide ideas for utilizing the provided materials during the month of October.
POSTER
The 2021 Respect Life poster features four scenes from the life of St. Joseph, and includes the petition, “St. Joseph, defender of life, pray for us!”
The poster is 17" x 22", with English on one side and Spanish on the other.
If you need a different file format or have any issues, please contact prolife@usccb.org.
PRAYER CARD
This prayer card features four scenes from the life of St. Joseph with the petition, “St. Joseph, defender of life, pray for us!” The back of the card features a prayer to St. Joseph, defender of life.
The prayer card is 3.5” x 5” and double-sided.
ACTION GUIDE
This action guide includes simple steps, sample announcements, activities, and more to help you celebrate Respect Life Month. You are encouraged to adapt these resources as needed to fit your specific parish, school, or ministry.
CHAIRMAN STATEMENT
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, of Kansas City in Kansas and Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, offers reflections on Respect Life Month. His statement highlights St. Joseph as a profound reminder of our own call to welcome, safeguard, and defend God’s precious gift of human life.
REFLECTION
This short reflection unpacks the role of St. Joseph as defender of life. It explores how throughout his life Joseph acted as the faithful protector of both Mary and Jesus.
The reflection can be used as the basis for a homily or talk, shared in parish bulletins, printed in your diocesan paper, and included in newsletters. It could also be used as the basis for small group discussions at parish pro-life meetings, in a high school religion class, or simply among friends.
HOMILY HELPS
On the first Sunday of October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Sunday, and priests and deacons are encouraged to preach on the Church’s teachings on human life. The provided notes can be used to supplement their reflections on human life and the readings of the day.
Other ministry leaders can also use these notes during Bible studies, small groups, ministry gatherings, or in other faith formation settings.
GRAPHICS
Graphics are available to help you celebrate Respect Life Month!
Each image is provided in English and Spanish and can be downloaded directly for use on parish/diocesan websites, in bulletins and newsletters, or in any other way that may be helpful to you in sharing the Gospel of life.
LEADERS' TOOLKITS
Use these leader toolkits to help celebrate Respect Life Month in your specific area of ministry. Ideas and suggestions are provided for using the resources in a range of settings.
CATALOG
In addition to our new poster and prayer card, use our catalog to browse an array of Respect Life printed materials available for purchase.
To order, use the provided order form or call 866-582-0943.
