“Respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life.” – Saint Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, no. 5
This site offers a variety of resources to be used by individuals, families, parishes, and other organizations to pray for, learn about, and advance the cause of life. Click on the buttons below to access prayers and devotions, Church teachings, and action opportunities to further develop a Culture of Life in our archdiocese.
Pray for Life
“A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the creator and lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from every family and from the heart of every believer.” – Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, No. 100
Prayers for Life
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offers a variety of prayers on their website that can be used by any individual, family, organization, or parish community to thank God for the gift of life and implore that recognition and protection of the dignity of every human person.
Pray for Life Campaign
The USCCB Pray for Life Campaign monthly issues feature a prayer intention, a short reflection, suggested actions, and more. It focuses on the needs of pregnant and parenting moms of young children in our parishes and our neighborhoods.
9 Days for Life (Every January)
To be prayed on January, 9 Days for Life is a novena for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. Sign up to receive the novena by email, text message, or an app at www.9daysforlife.com.
Learn About Life
“Man (…) is the only creature on earth which god willed for itself.” – Gaudium et Spes, No. 24
Recent Homilies and Reflections on Life from Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS
Respect Life Month (Every October)
Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday. 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.
Prayer, Procession, and Mass for Life (Every January)
Every year, the Archdiocese of San Antonio calls for the renewed protection and promotion of the gift of life with a prayer service, procession, and mass for life at San Fernando Cathedral around the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. In 2020, this event was held on Sunday, January 12, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Church Teachings on Life
The Dignity of the Human Person
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
Created by the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services, this CST-101 Video offers a short introduction to the concept of the dignity of the human person.
This article from the USCCB offers a short introduction to the concept of the dignity of the human person and the many challenges it faces in today’s world.
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Numbers 105–159 of the Compendium Of the Social Doctrine of the Church offer a detailed explanation of the dignity of the human person. Because of such inherent dignity, “the church sees in men and women, in every person, the living image of God himself” (no. 105).
Evangelium Vitae - 25th Anniversary
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” – Jn. 10:10
Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life)
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of Saint John Paul II Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), which to this day provides clear guidance in a large variety of matters connected to the value and inviolability of human life and the need to protect it and promote it from the moment of conception to natural death.
Pope Francis’ Message on the 25th Anniversary of the Encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae
On March 25, 2020, Pope Francis reflected on the current relevance of Saint John Paul II Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). “Every human life, unique and unrepeatable, he said, has value in and on itself: it is of inestimable value. This must always be proclaimed anew with the courage of the Word and the courage of actions.” Watch this video to learn more about what Pope Francis said during that General Audience.
Living The Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics
We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a “gospel of life.” It invites all persons and societies to a new life lived abundantly in respect for human dignity” – USCCB, Living the Gospel of Life, No. 19
Published in November 1998, the statement titled Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics provides a succinct, thoughtful, and compelling reflection on the importance of proclaiming and promoting the Gospel of Life in the United States. Its content remains valid today. Reading it will provide clarity and inspiration to anyone interested in learning more about the importance of recognizing and promoting the sanctity of human life in our world.
Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities. A campaign to Support Life
“What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life. All together, we must build a new culture of life.” – Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, No. 95
The 2001 document, Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities. A Campaign to Support Life, offers a useful roadmap for the development of a well-rounded program of Pro-Life activities. The pastoral plan is built around four major areas: (1) public information and education, (2) pastoral care for women with problems related to pregnancy, (3) public policy efforts, and (4) prayer and worship. “Key to the success of this pastoral plan it states is the work of informed and committed lay people throughout the nation (…) In addition, efforts of the laity, especially at the parish level, deserve and require the encouragement and support of priests, deacons, and religious.” All of these groups (laypeople, priests deacons, and religious) will find great benefit in the study of this document.
Issues
Abortion
Abortion violates a basic human right, the right to life. Abortion also can wound the mother emotionally and physically. Along with clear and compelling notions on the intrinsic dignity of the unborn, women who are facing a challenging pregnancy must find in the Church a community of brothers and sisters committed to supporting them through and through. In the words of Pope Francis: “how greatly I desire that all those places where the Church is present, especially our parishes and our communities, may become islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of indifference!” (Pope Francis, October 4, 2014)
Respect Life Website on Abortion
The Respect Life website on abortion (USCCB) offers useful resources on the topic of abortion, including articles, fact sheets, intercessions, and graphics for personal formation and/or use in your parish, ministry, or school.
Evangelium vitae on abortion
Numbers 58–63 of Saint John Paul II Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) offer a detailed explanation of what Saint Pope John Paul II calls as the unspeakable crime of abortion.
When Does Life Begin?
Visit this website to learn more about the scientific community’s response to the question: when does life begin?
Post-Abortion Healing & Project Rachel
Abortion is harmful not only to the unborn but to all who are involved in it, men and women alike. Whoever has experienced the regret, shame, grief, and guilt that follows an abortion, must be reassured of God’s love for them, as well as His infinite mercy. Healing is possible, and help is at hand.
Bridges of Mercy for Healing after Abortion
This article illustrates how an abortion might later affect someone’s life.
Need Help?
If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential, non-judgmental help is available from Project Rachel Ministry. To find the nearest diocesan ministry click here.
In our archdiocese, the Project Rachel ministry is conducted by Catholic Charities San Antonio:
What is Project Rachel?
Project Rachel is the abortion healing ministry of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is a diocesan-based network of specially trained priests, religious, therapists, and laypersons who provide a team response of care for those suffering in the aftermath of abortion. In addition to referring to Sacramental Reconciliation, the ministry provides an integrated network of services, including pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, support groups, retreats, and referrals to licensed mental health professionals. For more information, contact your diocese or visit the USCCB Project Rachel website or visit the Abortion Healing Ministry website.
Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
“We can and must reject the temptation – also induced by legislative changes – to use medicine to support a possible willingness to die of the patient, providing assistance to suicide or directly causing death by euthanasia.” – Pope Francis, September 20, 2019
Dedicated Websites on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia from the USCCB
The Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia website and the Assisted Suicide website offer useful resources on the topics of assisted suicide and euthanasia, including Church documents and teachings, articles, and fact sheets.
Evangelium vitae on the Tragedy of Euthanasia
Numbers 64–67 of Saint John Paul II Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) offer a detailed explanation of what Saint Pope John Paul II describes as the tragedy of euthanasia.
To Live Each Day with Dignity: USCCB Policy Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide
This 2011 policy statement offers useful guidance in matters connected to physician-assisted suicide.
Killing the Pain, Not the Patient: Palliative Care vs. Assisted Suicide
This article offers a useful introduction to the difference between palliative care and assisted suicide, including how the legalization of assisted suicide undermines quality care.
The Value of Palliative Care
This article from the Pontifical Academy for Life provides a good introduction to the nature and benefits of palliative care.
Caring for Loved Ones at Life’s End
This article offers a useful introduction to the topic of caring for loved ones at life’s end.
Death Penalty & Restorative Justice
“Not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this.” – Saint Pope John Paul II, Evangelium vitae, No. 9
- New revision of number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty – Rescriptum “ex Audentia SS.mi”, 02.08.2018
- Letter to the Bishops regarding the new revision of number 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the death penalty, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 02.08.2018 This letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith provides a useful look at the arguments behind the new version of no. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
- Capital Punishment: The death penalty does not fulfill justice On October 10, 2016, the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops (TCCB) released a statement calling for the abolition of the death penalty, denouncing its effects not only on victims and others immediately affected, but also on society. “Capital punishment vitiates our hearts’ capacity for mercy and love,” the bishops write, noting that “the death penalty not only does not correspond to the common good, it actually does great harm to it.”
- Catholic Social Teaching and the Death Penalty This article from the Catholic Mobilizing Network offers a good introduction to the Church’s position on the death penalty.
Catholics and the Death Penalty: A Catholic Mobilizing Network Video
- Catholic Social Teaching & the Death Penalty infographic (Catholic Mobilizing Network)
- The Real Meaning of “Eye for an Eye” infographic (Catholic Mobilizing Network)
- Exploring the Death Penalty & Restorative Justice in the Bible study guide (Catholic Mobilizing Network)
- Defending a Culture of Life: Pro-Death Penalty Claims and a Pro-life Response study guide (Catholic Mobilizing Network)
Backgrounder on Criminal Justice
This document from the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development provides an introduction to the Catholic approach to criminal and restorative justice. Such an approach recognizes that the dignity of the human person applies to both victims of crime and those who have committed harm.
Biotechnologies
Stem Cell Research
This website offers useful resources on the topic of stem cell research, including Church documents, articles, and fact sheets for personal formation and/or use in your parish, ministry, or school.
Human Cloning
This website offers useful resources on the topic of human cloning, including Church documents, articles, and fact sheets for personal formation and/or use in your parish, ministry, or school.
Reproductive Technologies and Natual Family Planning
The Natural Family Planning website (USCCB) and the Reproductive technology website (USCCB) offer useful resources on the topics of reproductive technologies and natural family planning, including Church documents, articles, and fact sheets for personal formation and/or use in your parish, ministry, or school.
Vaccines
These websites and documents offer useful resources on the topics of vaccines, including Church teachings, articles, and fact sheets for personal formation and/or use in your parish, ministry, or school.
- Vaccine resources (USCCB)
- Numbers 34 and 35 of the Instruction of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – Dignitas Personae (Vatican)
- Conscience Exemption for Vaccines based on Fetal Tissue from Abortions (USCCB) (PDF)
- Letter to the FDA urging ethical COVID vaccines (USCCB) (PDF)
Watch this video to learn more about the Church’s teachings on the moral aspects of the development and use of vaccines.
Learn More
Interested in learning more about these and other important bioethical issues? The National Catholic Bioethics Center website and the Pontifical Academy for Life website can help.
Act for Life
“Learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously.” – Laudato Si’, N. 47
How Can You Advance the Cause of Life in our Archdiocese?
For starters, prayer is the only solid foundation of everything we are called to do in defense of human life. Visit the PRAY section of this web page for resources that can be used by a person, a family, or a community in their effort to promote the cause of life. That said, consider using the Two Feet of Love in Action (USCCB) model as a way to understand and plan the two kinds of basic activities we are called to develop in the defense of human life: charitable works (directly assisting those in need) and social justice issues (transforming the institutional framework that allows abortion to exist in our country).
Respect Life Program
Interested in developing a pro-life program for your parish or organization? Every October, the USCCB launches a new set of resources to be used as a roadmap by dioceses, parishes, and other organizations interested in developing a year-long pro-life program of activities.
Follow this link to learn more about this project and the many pro-life resources it offers, including prayer guides, image galleries, articles, bulletin boxes, and tool kits for parish leaders.
Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service
Interested in learning more about how to transform your parish into a place that can help people to choose life over abortion? The USCCB has developed a model that can help you achieve such a noble and urgent objective: Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service. The main purpose of this initiative is to enlarge the effectiveness of the accompaniment that Catholics are providing nationwide to mothers who are facing particularly challenging pregnancies so that they can choose life over abortion. The above mentioned general objective will be obtained through the following actions:
- The assessment of the efforts in assisting pregnant moms in need that are currently provided by the Catholic Church nationwide;
- The improvement of our responses, especially at the local level, so that each of our parishes can be “islands of mercy in the midst of a sea of indifference” (Pope Francis);
- Making sure that the information about the assistance that is currently provided by the Catholic Church reaches the people that most desperately need it; and
- Making sure that everyone in a parish community knows where to refer a pregnant woman in need.
This USCCB dedicated website provides detailed information about this model:
For further information on how Walking with Moms in Need is to be developed in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, contact:
Lauren Stadelman
Director for Human Dignity and Pastoral Care
Phone: 210-734-1632
Email: lauren.stadelman@archsa.org
Facing a Challenging Pregnancy or Looking for Parenting Support?
Following you will find useful information on some of the programs that Catholic Charities San Antonio offers to people facing a challenging pregnancy or looking for parenting support.
During the COVID-19 emergency, some of these programs are being conducted by phone or through Zoom. Contact Catholic Charities at 210-222-1294 or by email to learn more about the specifics.
Guadalupe Home: Guadalupe Home is a transitional shelter for pregnant and parenting mothers of children younger than 36 months of age who find themselves homeless and are seeking a change in their lives. Mothers are provided safe shelter while they seek an education or save money for their future paving the way to self-sufficiency. While staying in our home, they have household responsibilities and are provided guidance for goal-setting, financial independence, and even parenting education for a brighter future. For more information, call Guadalupe Home at 210-476-0707 or visit their website.
St. Stephen’s CARE Center: Catholic Charities San Antonio food pantry provides immediate food assistance including canned goods, dairy products, meat, bread and pastries, and even fresh, organic produce from our own St. Phocas Garden. Located at 2127 S. Zarzamora St. San Antonio, TX 78207, it opens Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5 pm. Offers free food, clothes, and diapers. For food assistance, please schedule an appointment with a case manager at 210-226-6178. For more information, visit their website.
Adolescent Pregnancy & Parenting Program: The Adolescent Pregnancy & Parenting Program is a parenting program for pregnant and/or parenting adolescents 19 years of age or younger. The Adolescent Pregnancy & Parenting Program offers site and home-based parenting sessions. To learn more about the Adolescent Pregnancy & Parenting Program call 210-222-1294 or email them.
Pregnancy and New Parent Support Program: Pregnancy and New Parent Support Program is a program for women and men who are expecting a child or who are parenting a child under 24 months. The Catholic Charities compassionate staff is ready to walk beside you and assist in welcoming a little one. Services include counseling, parenting education, and case management – including resources and referrals assistance. Services can be delivered through individual, couple, or family sessions. All services are free and confidential and can be offered in our office or your home.
San Antonio Birth Doulas: Founded in 1999 in response to a need for services among pregnant women, especially low-income women and pregnant teenagers, San Antonio Birth Doulas provided new and expecting parents with support in the areas of pregnancy, labor, breastfeeding, newborn care and bonding in an effort to prevent infant/child abuse and neglect. To learn more about the San Antonio Birth Doulas call 210-222-1294 or email them.
Do You Know Someone who is Suffering after Abortion and Needs Help?
If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential, non-judgmental help is available from Project Rachel Ministry.
To find the nearest diocesan ministry click here.
In the Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Project Rachel ministry is conducted by Catholic Charities San Antonio:
Advocacy Opportunities
Sign up to the USCCB Action Alerts
Visit the USCCB Action Center to sign up to receive Action Alerts that will keep you informed and provide you with immediate opportunities to advocate in favor of life and other relevant issues before national representatives and other authorities.
Register on the Texas Catholic Network
Visit the TCCB website to register on the Texas Catholic Network and remain informed about all policy and legislative issues connected to the Texas Bishops’ legislative agenda:
Learn more about the issues the TCCB will be advocating for during the Texas 87th Legislative Session.
