In November 2001, the U.S. bishops renewed their call to Catholics nationwide – individuals, parishes, organizations, religious orders, schools and colleges – to join in an unparalleled effort to protect human life.

In the “Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life,” the bishops invite all to help “restore respect and legal protection for every human life.” They explain: “It is our hope that in focusing on the need to respect and protect the lives of the innocent unborn and those who are disabled, ill or dying, we will help to deepen respect for the life of every human being.”

Rachel Williams, left, and Miriam Page, members of St. Isidore Parish in Yuba City, staff a booth for the Yuba-Sutter Right to Life Committee at the Yuba-Sutter County Fair in August.

The bishops provide a suggested model for organizing and allocating the church’s resources of people, services, institutions and finances at various levels to help restore and advance a true culture of life. The model includes a diocesan pro-life committee, as well as parish pro-life (or respect life) committees.

Christine Cipperly, respect life coordinator for the diocese, says enabling parishes to become centers of life is a critical part of her mission.

“We are the body of Christ. We need to act out our faith,” she said. “Part of being a Christian is living out the Gospel in our daily lives.”

Her challenge, as outlined by the bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities, involves encouraging and equipping parishioners to become involved in respect life activities in four areas: education, pastoral care, public policy and prayer/worship.

To assist parish communities in developing pro-life activities, Cipperly, as a member of the department of Catholic Faith Formation, sponsors respect life retreats. One was held Sept. 10 at Christ the King Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, with representatives from 15 parishes attending.

“It is important to get together to see what other parishes are doing,” Cipperly said. “We hope parishioners get to know each other and will feel empowered knowing their parishes have the same challenges.”

Parishioners committed to fostering a culture of life are present in varying numbers in every parish in the diocese. Many parishes sponsor monthly or annual pro-life Masses, support diocesan programs such as Project Rachel (an outreach to women struggling with post-abortion experiences). and organizations such as the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home in Sacramento and Mother Teresa Maternity Home of El Dorado County.

Marilyn Schroeder, a member of the respect life committee at St. James Parish in Davis, says it’s a parish ministry made up of people who, through prayer and service, seek ways to “place a higher value on life.”

“That includes the unborn, the disabled, and people making the transition between life and death,” she said.

The respect life committee’s activities include providing financial and volunteer support to the Davis Pregnancy Resource Center; planning presentations to their group from organizations such as the Sacramento Life Center; participating in community life chains; and attending interfaith pro-life events held in local churches.

At St. Isidore Parish in Yuba City, a parish-based respect life ministry has spread to encompass hundreds of people in Yuba and Sutter counties.

It all started when some members of St. Isidore decided they wanted to do something to support women dealing with crisis pregnancies. They linked up with members from St. Joseph Parish in Marysville and other pro-life advocates to start the Yuba-Sutter Right to Life Committee.

“The focus of the organization is to educate our parishioners and the larger community,” said Chuck Page, a member of St. Isidore’s respect life committee.

Yuba-Sutter Right to Life places its pro-life message on billboards and broadcasts it through local cable television programming. The organization sponsors outreach programs that provide information to pregnant women in doctors’ offices, has created a Web page dedicated to discussing life issues, and staffs a pro-life booth at the Yuba-Sutter County Fair.

St. Isidore’s committee also provides volunteers for “A Woman’s Friend,” a pregnancy resource center in Marysville. Its members are also involved with the parish’s Spiritual Adoption Program, which involves praying daily for children who are in danger of being aborted. Each month a poster is placed in the vestibule showing a baby’s development, and a celebration of birth is held at the end of nine months.

In Placer County, Penny Gowring, coordinator of the Catholic Community of Auburn’s respect life ministry, views her work as the most important in the church today. The parish group of approximately 15 members meets monthly.

“So many laws are passed against life,” Gowring said. “As a lay person I feel there is something I must do to change the view on abortion and protect the unborn.”

Activities include support for the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home through baby showers for clients and their infants, and invitations to speakers to come to the parish to discuss topics from euthanasia to crisis pregnancy issues.

Members have also participated in life chains by standing in peaceful demonstration on Highway 49 holding signs with pro-life messages.

At another parish, St. Mel in Fair Oaks, Verna Verspieren is one of several parishioners actively participating in the Gabriel Project, a national ecumenical movement joining churches to assist women and families facing crisis pregnancies.

Activities include providing support services for Sacramento Life Center clients such as transportation, donation of baby items, and financial assistance. Verspieren said she has been inspired by work with the Gabriel Project to start a respect life committee at St. Mel.

“It’s a way to witness and join others in standing up for life,” she said.

In addition to parish-based pro-life committees, a diocesan pro-life committee, Catholics for Life, serves as an advisory group to Bishop William K. Weigand on respect life issues.

Since its inception in 1990, the group has started the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home, begun sponsoring an annual pro-life Mass, provided workshops at the annual diocesan youth conference, and erected a memorial to the unborn at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Sacramento.

Copyright © 2001 Diocese of Sacramento - All Rights Reserved

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