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Prayer
At the foundation of all our Respect Life efforts is the need for prayer and sacrifice. We urge you to pray each day for the respect for life at all its stages—from fertilization to natural death. You will find some very special Pro-Life prayers here:
http:hometown.aol.com/lrdfairfax/prayers.html

Civic Involvement
On November 24, 1999, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the United States Catholic Conference [NCCB/USCC] released its statement, “Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium.” This is a wonderful document calling all Catholics to participate in responsible citizenship. We encourage you to read the entire document at:
www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/citizenship.htm
This document may be ordered from NCCB/USCC for $1.25 by calling 1-800-235-8722 and requesting item No. 5-355 [English] or No. 5-831 [Spanish]

The following are excerpts from “Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium:”
“For Catholics, public virtue is as important as private virtue in building up the common good. In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue; participation in the political process is a moral obligation. Every believer is called to faithful citizenship, to
become an informed, active, and responsible participant in the political process. As we said a year ago, ‘We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity [more fully]
to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power.’”

“Beyond the responsibilities of every Catholic, the Church as an institution also has a role in the political order. This includes educating its members about Catholic social teaching, highlighting the moral dimensions of public policy, participating in debate on matters affecting the common good, and witnessing to the Gospel through the many
services and ministries provided by the Catholic community. Our efforts in this area should not be misconstrued. The Church's participation in public affairs does not undermine but enriches the political process and affirms genuine pluralism. The leaders of the Church have the right and duty to share the Church's teaching and to educate Catholics on the moral dimensions of public life, so that they may form their consciences in light of their faith.

As bishops, we do not seek the formation of a religious voting block, nor do we wish to instruct persons on how they should vote by endorsing or opposing candidates. We hope that voters will examine the position of candidates on the full range of issues, as well as on their personal integrity, philosophy, and performance. We are convinced that a consistent ethic of life should be the moral framework from which to address all
issues in the political arena. We urge our fellow citizens to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not simply party affiliation or mere self-interest.”

The following links should aid the faithful in becoming and staying involved in their own communities, their state, and their federal government:
www.EndRoe.org
www.nchla.org
www.catholicconferenceofillinois.org
www.wf-f.org/catholics_and_politics.html
www.legis.state.il.us/
http://thomas.loc.gov/
www.illinoisfamily.org
www.ifrl.org/

Get Involved In Your Parish
On March 21, 2000 The Most Reverend Thomas G. Doran, Bishop of Rockford,
requested that each pastor in the Diocese designate a Respect Life
Coordinator for his parish. As of January 1, 2005 ninety-six parishes had
a Respect Life Coordinator in place.

If you are faithful to the teachings of the Church and would like to
help the respect life committee in your parish, contact your Respect
Life Coordinator and ask how you could be of service.

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