O Mary,
Bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living, to you
do we entrust the cause of Life.

Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of Life with honesty and love to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace to accept
the Gospel as a gift ever new, the
joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives and
the courage to bear witness to
it resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will, a civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
Creator and Lover of Life.

                                        Amen

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Pope Saint John Paul II
Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

Healing the Culture - "Making Abortion Unthinkable" Webinar with Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.
Healing the Culture - Youtube Training Video Library for the Defense of Preborn Children
"Un-spinning the Web of Planned Parenthood" with Abby Johnson, Former Planned Parenthood Director
Blue Campaign - "One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking." - Homeland Security
Steubenville on the Lake - "Love and Same Sex Attraction" with Fr. Mike Schmitz
Ascension Presents - "Talking About Suicide" with Fr. Mike Schmitz
The Chastity Project - Pornography, Sexuality, and Relationships with Jason and Crystalina Evert, Matt Fradd, and Philip Rivers 
Equal Rights Institute - Training Pro-Life Advocates to Think Clearly, Reason Honestly, and Argue Persuasively
Equal Rights Institute - "How to Avoid Two Extremes of Pro-Life Advocacy" 
USCCB - Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Toolkit
USCCB - "How to Talk to a Friend Who's Had an Abortion" 
USCCB - "What to Do When a Friend is Considering Abortion" - the L.O.V.E. Approach
USCCB - "10 Ways to Support Her When She's Unexpectedly Expecting" 
USCCB - "Open Wide Our Hearts" - Pastoral Letter Against Racism

Mission Statement

The Respect Life Office of the Diocese of Spokane advocates for the universal respect for the sanctity and dignity of human life from conception to natural death. We work to end abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, pornography, human trafficking, and other practices which violate human rights and dignity.  Simultaneously, we actively promote that which puts into practice respect for those same rights and dignity.

Our ministry includes Prayer and Worship, Public Information and Education, Pastoral Care, and Public Policy, following the direction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Washington State Catholic Conference, and the Bishop of the Spokane Diocese.

Prayer and Worship:  Participation in the sacramental life of the Church sustains us and deepens our love for our fellow human beings. Through both individual and community prayer, we unite ourselves and those around us to the life and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Public Information and Education:  We strive to show the beautiful gift of life both to those on the margins and to those already within our communities. Through our parishes, schools, ministries, families, and friendships, we seek to demonstrate the gravity of life issues while also promoting the life-affirming alternatives to abortion, euthanasia, pornography, and other such practices.

Public Policy:  By advocating for life in legislation and policy, we seek to ensure that the fundamental human right to life is enshrined in the law of the land. To accomplish this, we support national, state-wide, and local public policy efforts addressing life issues as directed by the Bishops and the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment.

Pastoral Care:  Scripture tells us that, “Faith, if it has no works, is dead,” (James 2:17). Mindful of this, we strive to bring the ministry of life to those most in need of it. Whether by providing assistance to women in crisis pregnancies, offering healing to post-abortive women and men through ministries like Rachel’s Vineyard, reaching out to the suicidal, or any number of other life-affirming practices, we seek to put our faith into action by bringing life to those most vulnerable persons in our communities.

Respect Life Committee

Michael Dumais, Coordinator
Brian Kraut, Diocesan Staff

Susan Bacon, Laura Lucas, Faith Hauer, Maria Leaver, Richard Petersen, Charlotte Oliva, Herb Dierks, Theresa Faerber, Rose Hays, Tom Kelleher, Kim Marsalis, Vickie Nicks, Julie Olson, Kim Delich,
Mary Riehle, Mary Sorenson, Rev. Joe Sullivan, Rev. Jeff Lewis