St. James Church of Rocky Hill, CT - Respect Life Ministry

767 ELM STREET * ROCKY HILL * CONNECTICUT 06067

<font face="Roman" size="+4" color="Red">Respect Life</font> Respect Life

What We Do

The St. James Respect Life Committee is an answer to God's call to affirm the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Our purpose if to bring awareness of Life issues to Saint James Parishioners and the community. This is done through prayer and action.

Our ministry serves as the liaison to the Archdiocesan pro-life office, which is responsible for the dissemination of educational information as well as the legislative agendas, which pertains to the right-to-life issues. We report and discuss this information at our monthly meetings.

Parish activities consist of, but are not limited to the following:

Production of Respect Life Bulletin messages.
Participation in Respect Life Events.
Sponsorship of Respect Life Rosaries and/or prayer services.
Advocacy for Post-Abortive Healing Ministries i.e. Rachel's Vineyards Retreats and Project Rachel.
Fund Raise for Pregnancy Crisis centers i.e. BIRTHRIGHT OF Newington/New Britain.
Sponsorship of Respect Life Educational workshops.
Sponsorship of Annual Spiritually Adopt-A-Baby Campaign and Baby Shower.
Sponsorship of Pro-Life Action Alert Bulletin Inserts.

For more information about this ministry or to find out how to become involved, please contact Terri and Gerry Luczak at (860) 563-6180.

Winter 2005 Newsletter

The Respect Life Committee of St. James has the mission to bring awareness of Life issues to St. James parishioners. One example of such awareness is with the feast day of the Annunciation on March 25th, 2005, we began our fifth annual Spiritual-Adopt-A-baby Program. Parishioners of St. James were asked to pray each day for an unborn baby that is threatened by possible abortion. We will be praying for the life of the baby and for his/her parents in hope that both may enjoy the life that God has given to them. Each month there were announcements in the bulletin describing the development of the baby in the mother's womb. We sold roses on Father's Day and had a baby shower in November to benefit local pregnancy crisis centers who support mothers and their babies This was all done in anticipation of our Spiritually baby's birth in December.

Why do women have abortions?
  74% say having a baby would interfere with work, school, or other responsibilities.
  73% say they cannot afford to have another child.
  48% say they do not want to be a single parent, or have relationship problems
    with husband or partner.
  Less than 2% say they became pregnant as a result of rape or incest.

Alan Guttmacher Institute, Perspective on Sexual & reproductive Health, Sept. 2005

In the United States, 3,542 babies are aborted every day. On January 23, 2006 will mark the 33rd anniversary of Roe Vs. Wade that legalized abortion in this country.

Consider joining your Respect Life Committee on a bus trip to join others in THE MARCH FOR LIFE leaving Hartford on the evening of January 22, 2006 and returning the evening of January 23, 2006. For more information call Gerry or Terri Luczak at 860-563-6180.