Respect Life Month is observed every October by the church in the United States, beginning with Respect Life Sunday, which takes place this year Oct. 1. The theme for the coming year is “Be Not Afraid” and will be in effect through September 2018.

In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, parishes are encouraged to hold special activities to pray for the culture of life and educate Catholics about issues surrounding respect for life.  The archdiocesan “Life is Beautiful” Mass will be celebrated Jan. 14 in advance of the national March for Life in Washington, D.C.

“I challenge you today to ask the Holy Spirit to help you find the person in your life who needs you,” said Archbishop William E. Lori. “Maybe she needs someone to listen. Maybe he is hurting. Maybe she’s hungry. Maybe he’s aging and afraid. Or she’s pregnant and scared. Or their marriage is struggling. When we step out, unafraid, we walk with people in their grief.”

Johanna Coughlin, archdiocesan director of the Respect Life Office, said Catholics support a culture of life in big and small ways throughout the year.

“Respect Life Month is a time to pray for all the vulnerable in our lives and discern how we are individually called to bring the gospel of life to our community,” she said.

See below for news and commentary about Respect Life Month, along with local and national resources. For  Archbishop Lori’s Respect Life Month letter, click here, and for more from the Respect Life Office, click here.