Greetings!
Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday (October 3rd this year). As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.
This year our Respect Life Theme is "St. Joseph, defender of life, pray for us!" See below for a reflection on the reasoning behind this year's theme from the USCCB.
In recognition of Respect Life Month this year, we have the following educational, prayerful, and charitable opportunities for you:
- October 3rd - Respect Life Sunday - grab a special bookmark for your family at all masses.
- October 11th - Suicide Awareness & Prevention Talk - Laura Aguirre, LPC and Melissa Abraham, LMSW from Rejoice Counseling (our Parish Counseling partner) will be presenting in the Community Center from 7pm to 8pm.
- October 20th - 40 Days for Life - CtR’s Day of Prayer at Planned Parenthood. It is such a powerful experience to be physically at the abortion clinic to pray for a change of heart for these women! Sign up for an hour at link below.
- October 23rd - annual White Mass and reception at the Co-Cathedral/Cathedral Centre. The White Mass is an annual celebration of the contributions of our Catholic healthcare workers. If you are a healthcare worker, we invite you to join us to celebrate all you have done, particularly in the past year and a half! Even if you do not work in healthcare, you are still invited to join us. Our Catholic medical teams face so many challenges in being the hands and feet of Christ. Many are threatened with performing procedures that violate deeply held religious beliefs. Let’s join our Catholic medical teams in solidarity!
- Senior Care Drive - being held all month to benefit Catholic Charities and our sister parish, Our Mother of Mercy. A list of requested items is below and we will be sending out an Amazon wish list once it is live.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions and/or suggestions!
Blessings,
Kerry Chu
Respect Life Ministry Leader
Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church
516-330-7152