October is Respect Life Month, a time in which Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and around the nation highlight their witness to the dignity of every human life.

Parishes will begin their observation with Respect Life Sunday at Masses the weekend of Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. While the month of October is typically filled with events that promote the sacredness of human life, including the annual Respect Life Conference, it’s also a reminder of the importance of promoting a culture of life throughout the year.

The U.S. bishops have said that Respect Life Month is a time to consider more deeply why every human life is valuable and to reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death.

The Church’s social doctrine is guided by the fundamental principle that every human life has innate dignity and incomparable value. “Every human being is the object of God’s infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives,” Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”).

The Archdiocese of St. Louis has a long history in the pro-life movement, including being the first diocese in the nation to have an office dedicated to life issues. Founded by Cardinal John J. Carberry shortly after the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the apostolate provides programs to educate Catholics on the Gospel of Life through four primary areas: pastoral care, education, spiritual support and public policy. The Respect Life Apostolate also collaborates with other offices and organizations to support other life issues, including the death penalty, adoption, refugees, human trafficking and violence, following what Pope Francis has described as as “consistent life ethic.”

Abortion ballot initiative

A proposed ballot initiative in Missouri seeks to reverse the state’s ban on abortion.

Several proposals have been made to amend Missouri’s constitution to allow abortions. If the ballot summary is approved, signatures will need to be collected from 8% of legal voters in six of the state’s eight congressional districts by May 5, 2024. If the group collects enough signatures, the measure will appear on the November 2024 ballot.

Missouri became the first state in 2019 to enact a “trigger ban” outlawing most abortions (with an exception for medical emergencies) with an overturn of Roe v. Wade, which happened in June 2022 with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.

In preparation for the ballot initiative and potential 2024 vote, the four Catholic dioceses of Missouri have formed a coalition with other pro-life leaders and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a national advocacy group.

The Respect Life Apostolate will host a panel discussion on the ballot initiative as part of its annual Respect Life Conference on Sunday, Oct. 15. The event is “a day of education, prayer and fellowship for the people that we minister to,” director Cynthia Haehnel said. “We want people to come, embrace the pro-life message and get informed on the ballot initiative.”

In approaching abortion legislation, there needs to be a focus on the mother and child, Haehnel said. The ballot initiative “is bad for women. (Abortion) harms you and your children,” she said. “It’s not going to be good for the family, and it’s not good for the unborn child. We need to continue to focus on the services we can provide to the mom and help her embrace being a mom.”

There are numerous resources in the St. Louis area for women and men experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. A guide of organizations that offer financial, housing, emotional and/or spiritual support is available at walkingwithmomsstl.com.

Rachel’s Healing Garden

Cindy Kveton was about to complete her certification to become a master gardener when she learned about the Laudato Si’ Garden Club. The archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate formed the volunteer crew several years ago to help maintain Rachel’s Healing Garden.

Located in a small space within Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, the garden was established by the Respect Life Apostolate in the 1990s as a quiet place for women and men who have experienced an abortion to find comfort and healing.

The garden is named for Rachel, the matriarchal figure in Old Testament who wept for her children: “Rachel mourns for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children — they are no more” (Jeremiah 31:15).

Kveton and other volunteers have been sprucing up the garden for the last few years, cutting out honeysuckle around the border of the garden, planting perennials, shrubs and small trees, mulching and adding new benches and statues.

Volunteering for the project and bringing a renewed beauty to the garden “represents the glory of God in a wonderful way,” said Kveton, a member of St. Stephen Protomartyr Parish in south St. Louis. “Sometimes a few of us will stop by to quickly do something, and people will stop us and say that it looks so good.”

A pathway through the garden features five small monuments with Scripture passages, which begin with a theme of despair and move into a message of hope, ending with the Lord’s resurrection. There are several benches along the pathway, where visitors may pray or reflect. A metal box on a wooden post offers a place to leave notes. The area is surrounded by trees, and a rippling creek at the foot of a small drop-off behind the trees provides a tranquil sound.

“We hope that this is a place for women and men who have experienced the loss of a pregnancy — especially an abortion — to find love, hope, peace, healing and to experience God’s mercy here,” Madeleine Appelbaum, program manager with the Respect Life Apostolate, said. “They can find through the quietness that God still loves them, and that there’s hope and healing.”

A prayer service and rededication of Rachel’s Healing Garden will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at Resurrection Cemetery, 6901 Mackenzie Road in Affton. To view a map of the garden’s location in the cemetery, scan the QR code:

The archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate’s Abortion Healing Ministry provides hope, healing and forgiveness for women, men, couples and families wounded by abortion. To learn more, call or text (314) 406-0815, email [email protected] or visit www.archstl.org/hope-healing.