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HOLLADAY — The 2024 Diocesan Respect for the Dignity of Life Day brought many of the faithful together on Oct. 19 at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church to hear more about various social justice issues of interest to Catholics.
The day began with Mass celebrated by Father Samuel Dinsdale, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish and spiritual advisor for the diocesan Respect for Life Commission.
As the presentations got under way, Bishop Oscar A. Solis told those attending that “one of the things that our Holy Father emphasized is that we all need to develop this sensitivity to the needs of others. Most of the time we become indifferent, [but] we need to see the people around us, to listen to people around us.”
The bishop congratulated those in attendance for making themselves available to celebrate the Respect for the Dignity of Life Day, and he highlighted the importance of the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
“We all know that all life is sacred; our Catholic faith has taught us that,” he said. “It’s important to protect the life in the womb, but it goes farther than that, there are additional pieces to the sacredness of life,” such as the lives of those who are incarcerated, the lives of people with disabilities, and people on death row.
“All life is important,” he said.
Respect for the dignity of life is one of the Catholic Church’s wonderful teachings, he said, adding that people sometimes forget to have sensitivity for the life of others, but all are children of God. “There is good in all God’s creatures since he created us in his image,” he said.
The topics of the presentations were the diocesan prison ministry, the death penalty, accompanying people with disabilities and their families, suicide/mental health awareness, miscarriage and infant loss, and the state of abortion in Utah.
Deacon Greg Werking, assistant chaplain for the diocesan prison ministry, said that through the program about 20 Catholics regularly visit incarcerated people.
There is a recidivism rate of about 65 percent among inmates in the two Utah state prisons, he said, adding that the diocesan prison ministry has begun a new program aimed at helping inmates nearing their release date to successfully transition back into society and have less of a chance of being reincarcerated.
“Think about walking out of a prison after being in for 10 years and going outside the doors and there’s no one waiting for you,” Deacon Werking said as he invited people to get involved with this ministry. “We’re hoping that the new volunteers would be willing to talk with those inmates to help them come up with a life plan so that when they get out, they have success.”
The presentation on the death penalty was given by Michelle Beasley, a lay ecclesial minister who is involved with the diocesan prison ministry and also is now leading a local effort to abolish the death penalty. Her journey along this path began when she got involved with the protest against the state-sponsored execution of Taberon Honie, who was put to death by lethal injection on Aug. 8.
“I didn’t know what to do, but, hey, when the Lord calls you to do something, listen. And I did that,” she said. “He was whispering to me, and even though I had no idea on this theme, I put my faith in action and learned.”
Beasley felt the urge to raise awareness of “the pain and suffering of families of victims as well as families of those sentenced to death,” she said. “I also want people to know that Pope Francis is calling to end the death penalty worldwide. … To put it in simple words, murder goes against our Catholic faith.”
Carol Ruddell, a lay ecclesial minister who ministers to Catholics with disabilities and their families, presented both the talk on accompanying those with disabilities and the one on suicide/mental health awareness. Ruddell is a longtime member of the diocesan Commission for People with Disabilities; she also is administrator of suicide prevention programs at the State of Utah.
It is important for parishioners to welcome others into the life of the Catholic Church, she said. “And it’s not just about feeling welcome, it’s about feeling that you belong. … It’s important that we all feel that we can be part of something in our Church; that we really belong.”
One in five people has a disability, and many times these disabilities aren’t noticeable to others, she said, so parishioners should be welcoming.
In her second presentation Ruddell talked about some of the misconceptions about suicide and mental health.
“We need to not be afraid to talk about suicide,” Ruddell said. “We need to talk about the importance of communicating and advocating for people who are experiencing either mental health challenges or just sadness and depression, and we as the Body of Christ need to reach out to others.”
Kevin Cummings, director of Christian formation at his parish, St. Rose of Lima in Layton, spoke about miscarriage and infant loss.
“When a person experience a miscarriage, this becomes a traumatic experience,” he said. “Most likely women, even if they don’t express it, will be searching for comfort, support, and it’s on the community to help them feel that they’re not alone, and in God there is always hope.”
On the topic of abortion, Crystal Painter, director of the diocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life and the Respect for Life staff liaison, noted that Pope Francis has emphasized that this is not primarily a Catholic or even a religious issue, “it is first and foremost a human rights issue. Roe v Wade may have been overturned, but our work to defend the unborn and to walk with moms in need is not over,” she said.
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