40 Days for Life and other Respect Life Updates | Respect Life Office
Respect Life Sunday and Respect Life Month
The theme of this year’s Respect Life month is “Called to Serve Moms in Need” focusing on our renewed efforts to support single mothers in crisis. To find information and materials designed to support Respect Life Month, including Prayers of the Faithful, homily helps, and bulletin inserts, please visit https://www.respectlife.org/respect-life-month or http://archny.org/ministries-and-offices/respect-life/ (here you can also find a listing of local Life Chains)
Walking with Moms in Need
As part of our Bishops’ call to support women in crisis pregnancies, every parish is asked to renew their commitment to these important services. Here is how you can help:
1) Display the ‘Step into Hope” poster prominently on your parish bulletin board. This poster includes information for crisis pregnancy help, post-abortion healing, infertility and adverse pre-natal diagnosis. If you need a copy mailed to you, contact [email protected]
2) Appoint a parish leader to establish a Walking with Moms in Need committee to assess the ways your parish can better support mothers in crisis. For more information, see https://walkingwithmoms.com
Respect Life Week Curriculum
Education on the sanctity of human life is of critical importance. Consider implementing the Respect Life Week curriculum in your school and/or CCD program. The curriculum is available for free online with lesson plans on a wide-range of life issues. This year’s topics are: poverty, the death penalty, celebrating special needs, abortion, and racism. The material is presented at an age-appropriate level for all grades (PK-12). All Archdiocesan elementary schools will celebrate Respect Life Week Oct 17-21. You can access the curriculum on the Respect Life Office website.
40 Days for Life
40 Days for Life is a life-saving prayer campaign that will take place throughout our Archdiocese starting on September 28th and concluding November 6th. 40 Days for Life is a peaceful initiative consisting of 40 days of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil at abortion facilities, and educational outreach with the goal of protecting mothers and their children from abortion. Nearly 22,000 unborn children have been saved from abortion during 40 Days for Life campaigns. To learn more about the 40 Days for Life campaign, visit: www.40daysforlife.com
Alpha | Adult Faith Formation Office
Alpha in the Catholic Context is hosting listening sessions this Fall to hear from parish ministry leaders that have used Alpha at the parish, within campus ministry, at the diocesan level, with a school, and in RCIA! If you are interested in learning more sign up here.
Eucharistic Revival | Adult Faith Formation Office
Each parish can help amplify the Eucharistic Revival’s mission by providing parishioners information that helps teach how Jesus Christ can make a difference in the life of every person. To help parishes support this Revival, we have created a tool kit. It includes informational flyers, pop up banners, the opportunity to testify on the Archdiocese digital platform, and we would be happy to help create curated material that would speak specifically to your community. Attached is a graphic you can use in your parish as a bulletin blurb.
We hope you will join and help to support the Eucharistic Revival because we believe your ministry can provide each parishioner with a more profound encounter with Jesus Christ. If you have questions or events happening at your parish that you would like to share, please send the information to [email protected], and you can always visit our website for more information.
Forum 2022 | Youth Faith Formation
Pastors, your catechists and youth ministry leaders gift so much to your parish consider giving back to them by sending them to the Forums for Catechesis and Youth Ministry this October. Registration is only $30 and is a great way to honor the work that they do. See the attached letter for more details.
FORMED | Adult Faith Formation Office
Our FORMED renewal process is coming up. More details to come in the near future.
Formation Calendar Blurb | Youth Faith Formation Office
There will be multiple opportunities for catechist and youth ministry team members to receive formation this year! We will have classes online and in person. Attached you will see the schedule for the fall for online courses in English and in Spanish. Please share with your director/coordinator of religious education and youth ministry coordinator.
Integrity Restored | St. Joseph’s Seminary
Equipping priests to help those suffering the devastating effects of pornography addiction.
This three-day, in-depth training provides education from both theological and psychological perspectives.
Priests are given a crash course in theological anthropology, the science of addiction, relationships, and the different levels of intervention to help others to break free and heal from the devastating effects of pornography on marriages and families.
Mass Schedule | Hispanic Ministry Office
Pre-Cana Sessions | Family Life Office
The archdiocesan marriage preparation program (English and Spanish) is a set of integrated components including an online relationship inventory, online learning modules, and a one-day Pre-Cana (in-person or virtual).
Please check our website for further information archny.org/family-life/marriage- prep/ or archny.org/vida-familiar/preparacion-matrimonial/. We will update this information on a regular basis.
Pro Life | USCCB
A few months ago, I shared an early release of some of our Respect Life materials that could be used immediately to invite Catholics to serve moms in need. (To be clear, a diocese or parish does not have to be in the process of launching the “Walking with Moms in Need” process to make use of the materials.) The resources included a new poster, prayer card, reflection, flyer, graphics, bulletin inserts, and prayer guides (available in English and Spanish at respectlife.org/called-to-serve).
There is still time to order the poster and prayer card for use during Respect Life Month in October. Simply use this form to place an order and receive the discount that is available only to dioceses.
Survey of the Permanent Diaconate | Vicar for Clergy
Bishop Ed Whalen, in his role as vicar for clergy, is writing to all the priests and permanent deacons asking for a thorough review of the diaconate program of formation and ministry. Included are guidelines which will be helpful for feedback.