40 Days for Life / Kansas City Coalition for Life
The Respect Life Office provides spiritual and emotional support to parents considering an abortion and material support to our local Kansas City Coalition for Life (KCCFL) organization that coordinates semi-annual 40 Days for Life prayer vigils and regularly schedules sidewalk counselors at local abortion facilities.
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ComPassio is the diocesan program for end-of-life issues. Taken from the Latin "com" (with) + "passio" (suffer), the basis of this program is to "suffer with", whether that represents the loving compassion of family and friends during the suffering of a dying loved one or the voluntary sharing in the love, passion and death of our Lord through our own suffering.
The program consists of a series of presentations on topics such as the meaning of suffering, moral medical decision-making, euthanasia and organ donation, and material and spiritual preparation for death. Also part of the program are a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare document, approved by the bishop and the Missouri Catholic Conference, that can be distributed along with instruction and guidance available at no cost. |
Faith in Action
The Knights of Columbus Faith in Action program seeks to balance the priorities of the Order — Faith, Family, Community and Life — and offer Knights meaningful opportunities to serve those in need within our parishes and communities.
Although the Faith in Action program includes four pillars, each of the activities within the Faith in Action program include some aspect of faith, family, community AND life. To learn more about the NEW Knights of Columbus Faith in Action program, visit www.kofc.org/faithinaction. |
The Life & Justice Campaign is a program co-sponsored by the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph Respect Life and Human Rights offices by which our faithful have the opportunity to support local organizations dedicated to defending the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person.
The program provides financial grants made possible through donations and through an annual parish second collection, usually a weekend in the middle of August. All donations received are distributed locally. Applications for grants may be submitted at anytime; however, only organizations that meet all of the published criteria are eligible to receive a grant. |
The March for Life is an annual pro-life rally protesting abortion, held in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of the January 22, 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade case which legalized abortion for any reason throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
The diocesan March for Life Pilgrimage is a four-day four-bus trip to Washington DC to participate in the Vigil for Life Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the March for Life. The trip, made by approximately 200 pilgrims each year, includes educational, spiritual and social pro-life activities, sight-seeing, meetings with legislators and participation in pro-life Masses and rallies. |
Project Rachel is the diocesan program to support and to provide healing to women and men who are suffering the emotional, psychological and spiritual pain of the decision to have an abortion.
The program, in partnership with Rachel's Vineyard Ministries, provides group healing sessions and weekend retreats, along with assistance in identifying additional pastoral, sacramental, and professional clinical resources when appropriate. |
Spiritual Adoption is an age-appropriate, family-friendly program in which participants pray for a specific, but unknown, unborn child for nine months, learn about fetal development during the "pregnancy", and celebrate with either a "baby shower" in which baby items are donated to a local pregnancy resource center, or a "birthday party".
The program materials are available free of charge and consist of promotional brochures and flyers for parishes and schools, pledge cards, prayer cards, ideas for providing updates and education, and announcements for baby showers and birthday parties. |
The diocesan pastoral care programs above, as well as the other Respect Life Office programs of education, prayer and worship, and public policy advocacy play a key role in the mission of the Respect Life Office. Each is directly involved, as benefactors, as beneficiaries, and as partners with the faithful members of our diocese, with other Chancery offices, and with our community. When we think about leadership and volunteer opportunities, many times we only consider those on the front lines. However, it does not matter how effective we are at counseling of women and men on the sidewalks outside of abortion mills or in post-abortive healing sessions if we do not have volunteers organizing fund-raising events to keep programs going. It does not matter how many qualified people we have to provide education on stem cell research or end-of-life issues if we do not have volunteers promoting these events. Most importantly, every ministry needs a strong network of prayer warriors both inside and outside of our parishes. Remember, it is not just about agreeing with the teachings of the Catholic Church on the sanctity of human, everyone must also have the opportunity to share their own unique gifts. |