Respect Life Committee

What We Do

Our committee works to promote the value of all human life, at every stage of its existence, from the moment of conception to natural death.


Please see below for the current focus of our committee. We would love to expand our activities, but we need your help. Please prayerfully consider joining our committee. Many hands make light work!  If you would like information or are interested in sharing your time and talent with the Respect Life Committee, you may contact the parish office by phone (515) 993-4482 or email office@stjohnsadel.org.


Building a Culture of Life


Resources

Resources relating to building a culture of life:


  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, "Respect Life Reflection: Christ Our Hope in Every Season of Life" (citing Pope Benedict XVI, Spe salvi © 2007, Libreria Editrice Vaticana)  PDF
  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities; Respect Life Reflection: "I Came So That They Might Have Life"   PDF | Read Online
  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities; Respect Life Reflection: "Cherished, Chosen, Sent"  Read Online | Order | Download  
  • "The Gospel of Life: A Brief Summary" - "Gratitude and joy at the incomparable dignity of the human person impel us to bring the Gospel of life to the hearts of all people and make it penetrate every part of society." Read the brief summary
  • Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium vitae, no. 99. © 1995, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.  Read the full version
  • The Gospel of Life: Compendium and Study Guide
  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, "Live the Gospel of Life" Read Online | Download
  • USCCB “Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics” © 1998 USCCB  Read Online
  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities "How to Build a Culture of Life":  Read Online | Order 
  • The Iowa Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the bishops of Iowa. At the state legislature The Iowa Catholic Conference advocates for policies that respect the life and dignity of the human person, and apply the principles of Catholic social teaching to critical issues of the day. For more information visit their Website.
  • The Iowa bishops encourage you to read two bulletin inserts: “The Role of the Church in American Political Life” and “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” As Pope Francis has said, “Everything, including political life, belongs to Jesus Christ, and so participation in political life belongs to the mission of the Church.” Also, please review the video “Catholics Participate in Public Life,” on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ YouTube page.


Prayers

Prayers relating to building a culture of life:

  • “Prayer for Religious Liberty” Download

Racial Division

  • USCCB, "Prayer to Heal Racial Division"- "We pray to you, O Lord, that we always recognize each member of this human family as being made in your image and beloved by you, with worth and dignity."  Read Online
  • USCCB, "Prayer of the Faithful for the Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities" Read Online
  • "Prayer for Peace in Our Communities"  PDF
  • In their November 2018 Pastoral Letter Against Racism, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love, the U.S. Catholic bishops wrote, “racism occurs because a person ignores the fundamental truth that … all [humans are] equally made in the image of God.”1 Racism fails to acknowledge the dignity with which God creates each person, and it contributes to a culture of death. The Church in the United States has spoken out consistently against abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, the death penalty, and other threats to human life; it is not a secret that these attacks have severely affected people of color. These brothers and sisters are targeted for abortion, disproportionately affected by poverty, have the greatest numbers on death row, and are most likely to feel pressure to end their lives through assisted suicide when facing serious illness.2
  • 1 USCCB, Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love, 4.
  • 2 Ibid, 30.This is paragraph text.

Immigration

Creating a world where immigrants, refugees, and other people on the move are treated with dignity, respect, and welcome. Go to website Justice for Immigrants.

Human Trafficking

Married Love and the Gift of Life

The Lord God calls us to love Him and each other as He loves us. In marriage, this takes on a unique quality as the complementarity of husband and wife become the "one flesh" union that Sacred Scripture so beautifully teaches. And, God's gift of children are the fruit of such a noble love!



To learn more about Catholic teaching on marriage, married love and responsible parenthood, see:

To learn more about natural family planning (NFP) see:

Infertility and Miscarriage

Miscarriage Support

We offer support for anyone experiencing--or who has ever experienced--miscarriage or infant loss.


Burying Your Baby's Remains

You can bury your baby’s remains even in early losses or when a miscarriage occurs in a medical facility. Through our partnership with Covenant Resources Miscarriage Ministry (www.covenantresources.org), we can provide same‑day miscarriage burial supplies and related resources.


Ways We Can Support You

  • Assistance with planning a prayer service, funeral or burial
  • Connection with others who have experienced loss
  • Help starting, leading or joining a support group or book study
  • Making phone calls on your behalf for any aspect of miscarriage or infant loss


Additional Parish Resources

  • Our parish library includes books to support families navigating miscarriage and infant loss
  • We hold a monthly prayer service in honor of an unborn child or infant lost too soon
  • We have a memorial garden where you may place a memorial stone


Please call the parish office at (515) 993‑4482 to be connected with a member of the Respect Life Committee.


Link to pamphlet:  Miscarriage Support and A Quick Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Loss

REMEMBERING CHILDREN LOST TOO SOON

On the second Sunday of the month after 8:30 AM Mass, we gather in the Memorial Garden for the Unborn for a brief prayer service to pray for unborn children, infants lost too soon and their families. During Jan/Feb/Mar or bad weather, we meet in the parish hall instead. All are welcome. You are invited to pray in the garden anytime; a QR code located on a stand there provides an audio version of the prayer.


Names of unborn children or infants lost too soon may be submitted for our memorial page:

In Remembrance of Children Lost Too Soon Page

You may also place a personalized memorial stone--inscribed with a name, date, or other meaningful words--within the landscape of the Memorial Garden for the Unborn. Learn more at:

Memorial Garden for the Unborn Page

You are invited to join us each October for a Respect Life Mass, followed by the dedication and placement of memorial stones in the Memorial Garden for the Unborn. Details will be shared in parish bulletins as the date approaches.

Other Resources


Catholic Mother Finds Her Infant Son's Body Incorrupt. Infant Brian Gallagher's body was found perfectly preserved 37 years after his death:  Baby Brian: A Pilgrim of Hope


Abortion

HopeAfterAbortion.org - Project Rachel. It’s normal to grieve a pregnancy loss, including the loss of a child by abortion. It can form a hole in one’s heart, a hole so deep that sometimes it seems nothing can fill the emptiness. You are not alone…

Pastoral and educational articles, pamphlets, and booklets relating to abortion and abortion healing:

  • "Healing Within Marriage from an Abortion" PDF | Read Online | Order
  • "Life Matters: Forgiveness and Healing After Abortion" Order | Read Online
  • “How to Talk to a Friend Who’s Had an Abortion” Order | Read Online
  • "Bridges of Mercy for Healing After Abortion"  Read Online | Pamphlet | Flyer
  • "Divine Mercy in My Soul"
  • "Abortion Pills: The Basics" PDF
  • "Why We're Pro-Life" by Trent Horn © 2022 Catholic Answers. While supplies last, you are welcome to stop by the front entry area of the church to pickup a copy.  Order


Prayers centered on abortion:

Gift of Adoption


Resources are available to assist you in supporting and praying for all whose lives are touched by adoption:


Supporting Mothers (Before and After Babies are Born)


  • 10 Ways to Support Her When She's Unexpectedly Expecting" Read Online
  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities; “Prayer for Radical Solidarity" Read Online    Order     Download
  • USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities; "Respect Life Reflection: Called to Serve Moms in Need" Read Online | Download


Help for Moms Resource Directory from the St. Ambrose Cathedral's Walking With Moms team, Des Moines, Iowa. It includes area information and a resource list. Helping moms find support before and after their babies are born.


Walking with Moms in Need. Our parish recently joined a nationwide effort to increase outreach and support for pregnant and parenting mothers entitled, Walking with Moms in Need. As part of the initiative our committee will be taking an inventory of the pregnancy resources available in our area. Once completed, the results of the inventory will be shared with our parish community. Please join us in praying that our efforts will help ensure pregnant women in need know that they can turn to our parish for support and assistance. We invite all parishioners to join us in Walking with Moms in Need.  Website    Download Brochure PDF


A fundraising event for InnerVisions HealthCare, known as the baby bottle campaign, is held each October.

Addictions and Unhealthy Attachments


Mental Health


Resources

Resources relating to Mental Health:



End of Life Issues

A guide from the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa, providing resources for arranging a Catholic funeral: Diocese of Des Moines Catholic Funeral Planning Guide


Articles

Pastoral and educational articles on various end-of-life issues, USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities:


  • "Caring for Loved Ones at Life’s End"  PDF
  • “Catholic Considerations for Our Earthly Passing” Read Online | Order 
  • “The Witness of the Good Samaritan: Palliative Care and Hospice” Read Online | PDF
  • "Advance Medical Directives: Planning for Your Future" Read Online
  • "Top Reasons to Oppose Assisted Suicide"  Read Online
  • "Killing the Pain, Not the Patient: Palliative Care vs. Assisted Suicide"  Read Online
  • “Every Suicide is Tragic”  Read Online | Order


Prayers

Prayers centered on end-of-life concerns:


Catholic Bioethics

The National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) provides education, guidance, and resources to the Church and society to uphold the dignity of the human person in health care and biomedical research, thereby sharing in the ministry of Jesus Christ and his Church.


Find resources by going to www.ncbcenter.org


Free Personal Ethics Consultation.  Are you facing tough ethical decisions in health care and biomedical research?  Have you been asked to advise on these matters? The website includes a link to "Ask an Ethicist", a free personal ethics consultation, to help you understand and apply the moral teachings of the Catholic Church in the challenges you face.

Death Penalty

For people committed to upholding the sanctity of human life, the need to respect and protect innocent human life is apparent. For some, however, issues like the death penalty may seem less clear. Find answers to common questions about the death penalty from a Catholic perspective in, “Death Penalty: Catholic Q&A.”

Disability Ministry

Diocese of Des Moines: Creating Parish Communities of Welcome & Care