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Pro-Life

About the Office of Pro-Life

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Life Issues are the central social justice issues of our times. Pope Paul VI said, "If you want peace, work for Justice"; Pope John Paul II said, "If you want justice, defend life." 

God the Lord of Life has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life and men must carry it out in a worthy manner. Catechism 2271 

The Office of Pro-Life Activities follows the United States Bishop’s Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities – A Campaign in Support of Life. A consistent ethic of life reflects the Church's firm conviction of the dignity of each and every human life.

Varied Respect Life Groups may focus their energy on one particular aspect of life, however, all do so in the context of the Church's mission to uphold the dignity of life at all stages of life. The USCCB’s Pro-Life Theme for this 2011-12 is, “I came so that all might have life, and have it to the full!” (John 10:10). This year’s Respect Life Program takes us back to the basics, with eight pamphlets discussing the main attacks on human life and the inherent dignity of each person. You can find the program material here: http://www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/respect-life-program/.

News and Announcements

The Human Person According to John Paul II

We have a rare opportunity to welcome Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield to our Diocese on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at Our Lady of Lourdes parish. He will reflect on the subject of finding happiness in a world that’s rushed and wounded. Monsignor Bransfield is Assistant General Secretary for the USCCB and Executive Director of the Secretariat of Evangelization, and a noted speaker and retreat director. Download flyer (PDF)

Mission Statement

The Office of Pro-Life is committed to proclaiming, celebrating and witnessing the sacred gift of human life. We are entrusted to the evangelical mission of education, formation and the invitation of the faithful to actively participate in the protection and the sanctity of all human life, from conception until natural death in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The scope of pro-life education and advocacy includes: abortion and post abortion healing, embryonic stem cell research, immigration, homelessness, hunger and poverty, euthanasia and the death penalty. We joyfully embrace the ethic of life as a continuum where the dignity of each human life is always honored irrespective of age, or condition.  

Vision Statement

The Office of Pro-Life proclaims and affirms the life and dignity of every human person through prayer, education, outreach, and public policy in order to defend and inspire a culture of life. 

Pro-Life Activities

The U.S. Bishops' 2001 Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities calls upon the Church - its people, services, and institutions - to pursue the cause of human life & dignity in four major areas. The Office of Pro-Life in the Diocese of Raleigh recommends that parishes try to be involved in each of these four areas of the Pastoral Plan:

  1. Education to deepen understanding of the sanctity of human life and the humanity of unborn children, the moral evil of intentionally killing innocent human beings — whether at the beginning of life or at its end — and the mission of the Church to witness to and serve all human life.
  2. Pastoral Care for women with problems related to pregnancy; for all who have been involved in abortion; for those who are disabled, sick, and dying, and their families and caregivers; for those who have lost loved ones to violent crime; and for those in prison sentenced to death.
  3. Public Policy efforts directed to restoring legal protection to the lives of unborn children, those suffering from injustices due to societal systems, those living in poverty, and those vulnerable to pressures to end their lives by assisted suicide, and to providing morally acceptable alternatives to abortion and assisted suicide.
  4. Prayer and Worship directed to participation in the sacramental life of the Church and in programs of communal and individual prayer, to pray for the culture of life.

Contact

Office of Pro-Life
Jackie Bonk, Director
715 Nazareth St.
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone: 919-645-4438
Email: jackie.bonk@raldioc.org

Mary Beth Phillips, Associate Director
715 Nazareth St.
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone: 919-719-8267
Email: marybeth.phillips@raldioc.org