Two local events planned for Respect Life Month

Friday, Sep. 27, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY — Holding sacred what God has created – including honoring human life from conception to natural death —  is a core  Catholic tenet. Reflecting this, each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month where Catholics are asked to ponder more deeply the dignity of every human life. The first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday; this year, the theme of Respect Life Month is “Christ Our Hope: In Every Season of Life.”

“This year’s theme is particularly suited for the times in which we live,” wrote the Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities on the Respect Life website. “The attacks against human life seem to grow more numerous and callous by the day. Despite these challenges, we know that Christ has conquered sin and death once and for all. Through our Christian hope in the Resurrection, we are given the grace to persevere in faith. Our sacrifices on behalf of the Gospel of Life can contribute to the redemption of this current culture of death.”

October is also Rosary Month. In the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Bishop Oscar A. Solis is encouraging all families to pray the rosary at least weekly, if not daily, during this Month of the Rosary. Parishes are encouraged to use the prayer intentions for life found on the USCCB website.  

“At the heart of the rosary is a ‘yes’ to life, a respect for the dignity of all life, whether in or out of the womb,” said Veola Burchett,  director of the diocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life.  “Praying the rosary reminds us that Mary said yes to life. She experienced an unplanned pregnancy; her total faith in God allowed her not to be fearful. She is the example of a true Christian. She received Christ into her and then immediately went out into the world and took Jesus to others (the Visitation).  We are all called by her example to do the same – receive Christ and take Him to the world. The rosary helps us to reflect on her and Jesus’ life and mission.”  

“During this Respect for Life Month, we can do things as families that are simple and yet powerful,” Burchett continued. “Respect for Life offers us a wealth of opportunities to look for ways that we can honor and respect life.”

Suggested activities include taking food and clothing to a homeless shelter or checking in on the elderly in one’s family, parish or neighborhood. Families can invite someone who is alone to dinner or on a fall hike and picnic, volunteer at the soup kitchen or contact the Ronald McDonald house to see if there is anything they need as they help families dealing with sick children. Donations can be made to organizations such as the Pregnancy Resource Center, which helps women in crisis pregnancies.  

One way local Catholics can make a difference in a more public manner is to participate in two different upcoming events  that seek to commemorate those lives lost to abortion, to pray for world peace and to encourage devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.

The national Life Chain event will be held locally Sunday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m. at the intersection of 10600 South and State Street, Sandy. This event, where volunteers stand on the sidewalk near the intersection for one hour of silent prayer, is hosted by the Knights of Columbus. 

“It’s a very positive experience,” Tina Pisenti, one of the organizers, said. “A lot of people, especially now, with all that has been going on around this issue, have said, ‘I feel like I have to do something.’ To show your support in a simple, quiet way appeals to a lot of people. We get a lot of honks and thumbs up – most people are very supportive.”

The event, which is open to everyone, is family-oriented, peaceful and respectful, Pisenti said. 

At the same intersection at noon the following Saturday, Oct. 12, volunteers will pray the rosary as part of America Needs Fatima, “a campaign to capture the heart and soul of America with the Message of Our Lady of Fatima,” according to its website. 

“With these terrible times we’re in, we need to have God first in our life,” Helen Corena, a parishioner at St. Joseph the Worker and local rosary captain, said. “We need to pray the rosary; that’s our weapon.”

In addition to praying that the world will turn back to God, participants will pray for the victims of abortion, Corena said.

“Mary appeared to many visionaries; when they see her crying, she says she is crying because of babies being aborted,” she said. “We will be praying for those unborn lives.”