Respect Life Office

The mission of the Respect Life Office is to proclaim and defend a fundamental truth of our faith: the God-given, inviolable dignity of every person. By utilizing the resources of the universal Church, this office strives to foster the Culture of Life by means of education and prayer. For our specific departments (pro-life, post-abortion care, chastity education, fertility appreciation & end-of-life), please follow the navigation links.

It is estimated that as many as 500 million people worldwide suffer from some form of mental illness. These same persons live and move within our parish communities and are in need of a sensitive care and concern on the part of parishioners and care-givers. This year’s Life Issues Seminar, Sowing Seeds of Hope, will focus on mental illness and Catholic parishes’ response to meeting the needs of individuals and families.

Morning presentations will feature Dr. Theresa Burke, M.A., Ph.D., founder of Rachel’s Vineyard ministry. She will present on sowing seeds of healing for those who have experienced an abortion. The afternoon presentations will draw our attention to common forms of mental illness. Rosalie Etherington, Ph.D., Clinical Director for Inpatient Services at the North Dakota State Hospital will speak on the clinical aspects of depression. Father Bernard Schneider, chaplain for Altru Medical Center, Grand Forks, will address the spiritual needs of care-givers and of individuals who may suffer from mental illness.

Contact hours will be available for nurses. Parish nurses, clergy and laity are encouraged to attend. Cost is $45/person. This event will be held on October 1, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pastoral Center, Diocese of Fargo, 5201 Bishops Blvd., Fargo, and is sponsored by the Respect Life Office. For more information contact Rachelle, 701-356-7910.

This coming fall, from September 24-November 2, 2008, communities in North Dakota will take part in the nationwide 40 Days for Life campaign. With God’s help, this effort could mark the beginning of the end of abortion in America.

40 Days for Life has 3 key components:
Prayer and Fasting - Peaceful Vigil - Community Outreach

The ecumenical 40 Days for Life in North Dakota was held outside the Red River Women’s Clinic at 512 1st Ave. N., Fargo. A statewide committee volunteered to head up the organizational efforts for this vigil. Our efforts to end abortion in our state now continue with a 40 hours per week campaign.

Will you come and be a witness for the unborn?
We need churches to adopt one day of prayer and volunteers to sign up to pray and/or serve as shift leaders during the 40 hours for Life Vigil in Fargo. Contact the Pregnancy Help Center at 701-284-6601 or you can register online for the 40 Days for Life campaign at http://www.40daysforlifend.com/login.php

You can download the Pro Life Alerts at http://www.40daysforlifend.com/download.php
(these alerts will bring you important updates through out the vigil)

To view an excellent YTube clip of the 40 Days for Life event go to: www.40daysforlifend.com

To read Bishop Samuel Aquila's statement regarding the 40 Days for Life campaign, as printed in the September issue of New Earth, click here.

The Respect Life Office, in honor of 2008 being the 40th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae Vitae, will present a series of articles on the topic of Humanae Vitae. This is a good time to reflect upon how to implement the values and teachings of Humanae Vitae in our families, parishes and dioceses.

The first of the series is: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GOD’S PLAN FOR MARRIAGE AND SPOUSAL LOVE.

Father Habiger writes: “Strong marriages and healthy, happy families are crucial to any healthy society. They are the foundation of any society. A society begins to unravel when the concept of marriage is redefined, when easy divorce is accepted and permanent bonding is rare, and when married couples are no longer committed to passing life on to the next generation.

Marriage, spousal love and family are fundamental components of human life. In a certain sense, the pursuit of all the other human goods depends upon the vitality of these three components. God’s plan for marriage is that a man and a woman commit themselves to loving one another for their entire lives.”

To read Father Habiger’s entire essay on, ‘The Implementation of God’s Plan for Marriage and Spousal Love,’ click here.

Father Matthew Habiger is a full-time member of the NFP Outreach team of priests. For more information on Father Habiger, click here: http://www.nfpoutreach.org/Habiger.htm

A word from our Bishop:
"As Jesus Christ posed the question to Peter, so, too, does He pose the question to each one of us, ‘Do you love me?’ If we respond with yes, then we must live that out no matter what the cost. We cannot separate our professional life from our faith life. We must put the law of God above the law of man, especially as it concerns the dignity of the human person and the life of the unborn."
- Bishop Samuel Aquila, Diocese of Fargo, Homily, April 2004

Rachelle Sauvageau, Director
Respect Life Office
5201 Bishops Blvd, Suite A
Fargo, ND 58104
701-356-7910

“Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred
because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness
of the living and holy God.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2319.