Respect Life Month

Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child with the words Respect Life Month

Respect Life Month is celebrated each October, providing opportunities to reflect more deeply on the value of each human life and on efforts to protect life from conception to natural death. During October, we are asked to consider why every human life is valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life.

The theme for Respect Life Month in 2026 is "Mary, Mother of Life," reflecting on the Blessed Mother's role as the mother of all the life. The Blessed Mother teaches us to respect each human life in every stage and circumstance. 

From beginning to end, or “womb to tomb,” the catechism states: “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end” (2258).

“God created mankind in his image (Gn. 1:27). We were created to share in God’s life through knowledge and love, establishing us in a unique friendship with our Creator that elevates us above all else in creation Each of us is a reflection of God, called to share in love and creation.

As we hear in the Book of Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (1:5). Therefore, God’s love for his children is not based on status in society. This truth must not be subverted in favor of how useful someone is or will be, casting aside those most vulnerable: the unborn, women and children, those living in poverty, the ill, the incarcerated, those living with disabilities, and the elderly. It is why abortion, assisted suicide, capital punishment, and other practices that violate the dignity of the human person must be rejected.

Respect Life Month also reminds us that those contemplating such practices are often people who find themselves in dire circumstances and that we must always remember to be Christ to them in our words and actions.

Holy Hour for Life

Bishop James Ruggieri will open the celebration of Respect Life Month with a Holy Hour for Life on Sunday, October 4, at 6 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street in Portland. All are encouraged to attend and join in prayer for the protection of human life.

Pregnancy Support Centers

The Church calls all the faithful to accompany pregnant women with concrete charity and prayer, ensuring they receive proper prenatal, medical and nutritional care, material assistance for housing and education, and spiritual accompaniment that affirms the dignity of motherhood. As part of that same calling, parishes and Catholic agencies are urged to provide counseling, material support, and sacramental accompaniment, especially for those in difficult circumstances.

Pregnancy Support Centers provide free pregnancy tests to all women, regardless of their income. They also deliver counseling and a wide range of services at no cost. Many centers supply maternity and baby clothes, along with baby equipment. Some centers guide women in school on how to continue their education or pursue advanced degrees. These centers show women that they don’t have to choose between their own lives and the lives of their unborn children.

Maine Right to Life has compiled a list of pregnancy support centers in Maine: https://mainerighttolife.org/pregnancy-support/

IVF, NFP and Contraception

When a couple is struggling to conceive, or trying to avoid conceiving a child, the Church encourages them to use methods that honor the dignity of human life and the sanctity of marriage. For avoiding conception, Natural Family Planning (NFP) is fully approved by the Church. It helps couples respect one another and work with God’s design for procreation. All artificial contraceptives are intrinsically wrong.

When struggling with infertility, reproductive technologies are permitted when they help, not replace, the conjugal act. For example, treatments that improve a couple's natural fertility are encouraged, whereas procedures like IVF or surrogacy, which remove the conjugal act, are not morally acceptable. However, couples who have already begun IVF are encouraged to give all embryos their proper dignity, just as they would to a naturally conceived embryo.

Learn more:

Assisted Suicide

Assisted suicide is a practice that poses a severe threat to the elderly and poor in our community. The Church teaches us to devote more care, not less, to the most vulnerable members of our society. We are called to address the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of those facing the end of their earthly life. We should seek to alleviate their pains while assuring them of their inherent worth. 

How to Celebrate Respect Life Month

Learn more about the Church's teachings

The catechism is a tremendous resource to learn more about our faith. You can read more about Church teachings on respect for life in paragraphs 2258-2317 (or the overview in paragraphs 2318-2330). Additionally, check out St. John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”).

Align your care with Catholic teaching

Walk the walk by ensuring your own life is aligned with Church teachings. Find a life-affirming doctor to take over your care. Plan your advance medical directives in accordance with Catholic values. Reach out to your parish or diocese for Natural Family Planning education.

Pray

There are many opportunities to pray for specific Respect Life Month concerns ranging from rosaries to novenas and beyond. Adding your concerns and thanksgiving for life to God in your daily prayer is great.

Prayers for Hope (English / Spanish)

Respect Life Novena 

Rosaries for Life (USCCB)

A Prayer for Pregnant Mothers (External site)

Volunteer

Pro-life ministries, pregnancy and crisis centers, foster care programs and prison ministries all could use your help! Encouraging and growing a culture of life begins in our own communities.

Walk in Christ's love with others

"No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly” - Pope Leo XIV

It’s easy to say we’re pro-life, but we must always remember that Jesus always put God’s love into action, and we must also: “This is the way we may know that we are in union with [Jesus]: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived” (1 Jn 2:6). Unexpected pregnancies, life-threatening illnesses, depression, poverty, and incarceration happen constantly – what will we do if it arrives on our doorstep as a loved one or acquaintance in need? Let us resolve to act as Christ did by offering a compassionate witness, sharing life-affirming options, and walking with the most vulnerable to care for and protect human life.

Walking with Moms in Need

Walking with Moms in Need is one way we can support pregnant and parenting mothers in need. This parish-based program works to ensure that any woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant or parenting in difficult circumstances can turn to her local Catholic church and be connected with the resources she needs. Check with your parish to see if they have a Walking with Moms in Need program, or, if they don't, consider helping to get one started.

Walking with Moms in Need - USCCB

Walking with Moms in Need Promotional Flyer

Walking with Moms in Need - All Saints Parish, Brunswick

Walking with Moms in Need - St. John Paul II Parish - Scarborough

Walking with Moms in Need - St. Paul the Apostle Parish - Bangor

Walking with Moms in Need - St. Therese of Lisieux Parish - Sanford 

Resources

To support Respect Life Month and Respect Life Sunday, the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities provides materials to help Catholics better understand and appreciate the gift of human life and help build a culture that cherishes and protects it. The resources are available at www.respectlife.org/respect-life-month. Additional resources may be found below.

Mother Seton House in Fryeburg (Support for pregnant women, new mothers, and infants)

Project Rachel (Providing hope, understanding, and healing to women and men whose lives have been affected by abortion.) 

Respect Life Action Guide

Respect Life Month Resources (External Site)

Respect Life Month Bulletin Covers and Graphics (USCCB)

Ten Ways to Support Her When She is Unexpectedly Expecting (External Site)

Walking with Moms in Need (External Site)