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Respect Life Weekend Events
The month of October is designated as Respect Life Month by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to encourage all to reflect during the entire month in a special way on the respect for all life and the dignity of all life. The theme is "Every Life is Worth Living." This Sunday on October 4th the Diocese of Palm Beach will observe Respect Life Sunday in which Catholics celebrate life and participate in pro-life events. Pro-life Prayer Chains are planned at various parishes and locations within the five-county area of the diocese. The prayer chains have been arranged through the Catholic Charities Respect Life Office. Below is a partial list posted on the website Events Calendar of Catholic Charities and the diocese. Please check with your parish office or parish bulletin for any additionally planned activities and prayerful events. Sunday, Oct. 4: Various locations
- Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m., Boca Raton
Location: Sanborn Park, 72 N. Federal Highway. A procession will begin at the parish and will end at Sanborn Park where there will be presentations and prayer. This Prayer Chain is planned by St. Joan of Arc Knights of Columbus Council 13051 and Columbiettes, and public advocacy and respect life ministries of parish.
- Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m., Palm Beach Gardens
Location: Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, 9999 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens. Join us in prayer on the sidewalk in front of the cathedral along Military Trail. This Prayer Chain is planned by Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Palm Beach. Bishop Barbarito will attend this prayer chain.
- Time: 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Stuart
Location: on U.S. Highway 1 between Roosevelt Bridge and Baker Road. This Prayer Chain is planned by St. Andrew and St. Martin de Porres Churches.
- Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m., Delray Beach
Location: Near the intersection of Federal Highway and Linton Boulevard. This Prayer Chain is planned by St. Vincent Ferrer Parish.
- Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m., Delray Beach
Location: The corner of Atlantic Avenue and Highway 441. This Prayer Chain is planned by Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish.
- Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m., Royal Palm Beach
Location: The intersection of Royal Palm Beach Boulevard and Okeechobee Boulevard. Organized by Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Church.
- Time: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., West Palm Beach
Location: St. Juliana Church. Join us along Dixie Highway in front of the parish at 4500 S. Dixie Highway. This Prayer Chain is organized by St. Juliana Church.
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Prayer Chain Planned for Tonight on
the Treasure Coast
As part of Respect Life Weekend, this evening (Friday, October 2) starting at 5 p.m. there will be a pro-life gathering in Ft. Pierce. All are invited to join in praying the rosary to help put an end to abortion through prayer. Join the group at 1119 Delaware Avenue.
For more information, call Duane Berreth at 772-461-7646 or via e-mail or Jim Thoma at 772-240-6186 or via e-mail
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Annual Walk-a-Thon to Protect Babies to be Held This Saturday Night
As part of the celebration of life this weekend Catholic Charities will hold on Saturday night, October 3 its 8th Annual Walk-a-thon to benefit its Birthline/Lifeline Pregnancy Care Centers.
Join other supporters as we walk around the lake at Emmanuel Church in Delray Beach and pray the rosary. It is a free event and walkers can ask friends and family to pledge money to support them.
The Walk-a-thon will immediately follow the 5:30 p.m. Mass. Following the walk there will be a Praise and Worship Night.
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A Message from Bishop Barbarito for
Respect Life Month
Below is a letter from Bishop Barbarito to be read or printed at all Masses the weekend of October 3 & 4. It is also posted on the diocese's website. October 3/4, 2015
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: Today we celebrate Respect Life Sunday which begins a new program of respect for life to which the month of October is dedicated. The theme chosen by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for this year's celebration is Every Life is Worth Living. This theme is a very fitting one, not only for those who experience difficulties in life, but for all of us in regard to what the very meaning of life is all about. It is so easy to understand life in terms of what we accomplish and how we come across to others in society. Affluence, acceptance, success, physical appearance and influence seem to be at the top of the list when it comes to judging a life worth living. However, as important as these may be, they do not in themselves make life worth living and sometimes can detract from the true joy that comes from experiencing life as a gift from God. Life is worth living because God made us in His image and likeness and chose to enter into a personal relationship with each of us. Absolutely nothing interferes with God's love and mercy for us, not even our failures, faults and sins. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has clearly proclaimed the value of life at every stage and has called us to reach out to respect the life of every person, especially those at the periphery of society. He has spoken strongly against the evil of abortion and how the attitude which permits abortion only ferments the lack of respect for creation which exists in what he calls "a throwaway culture." We still have a great deal to do to promote within our nation the proper respect that is due to every life from the moment of conception in a mother's womb until natural death. In his encyclical on the care for the environment, Laudato Si, the Holy Father states, "How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties? If personal and social sensitivity toward the acceptance of the new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away." Reflecting on Pope Francis' words helps us to realize that every life is worth living and that we must reject everything that is destructive of life and is not nurturing of it. In keeping with our respect for the life of an unborn child, which is a fundamental moral value, we also reject all that is destructive of life and not nurturing of it. Assisted suicide, euthanasia, capital punishment, domestic violence, human trafficking, terrorism, unjust war, lack of concern for the poor, the vulnerable, the homeless and the immigrant are all evils which do not appreciate every life as worth living. As we celebrate this Respect Life Sunday, let us continue to join in prayer and in doing all we can to realize that our life and the life of every human person made in the image and likeness of God is worth living and is deserving of respect and every support. May we find the joy of life which only our faith in God can bring to fulfillment. With every prayerful wish, I am
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
Bishop of Palm Beach
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In the Respect Life Month Message from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities writes that every life is worth living and that people discover their worth when they discover their true identity as created in God's image and called to an eternal destiny with him.
As his message continues, he encourages protecting the gift of human life and states that human dignity is forever:
"Whether it lasts for a brief moment or for a hundred years, each of our lives is a good and perfect gift. At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God's love.
An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer-each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living."
To read Cardinal O'Malley's entire letter on "Every Life is Worth Living" please click here.
To read the USCCB's entire statement on Respect Life Month, please click here.
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New Materials for the Respect Life Program
The USCCB's Respect Life Program begins anew each year on Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday in October. The program is highlighted in liturgies and marked by special events. The USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities publishes new materials each year to call attention to numerous human life issues. These materials are especially helpful for priests, parish groups, schools, and other organizations. To view materials, including fliers, graphics, "Coffee & Conversation" and special intentions, please click here.
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Respect Life Prayer
View the Respect Life Prayer Card in English View
View the Respect Life Prayer Card in Spanish
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Resources & Prayers
Pray Daily for Our Diocesan Priests
view calendar and prayer
Pray Daily for Our Diocesan Deacons
view calendar and prayer
Daily Readings
click here to read
Prayer of the
Florida Catholic -
For the ministry of the Florida Catholic...that God will continue to utilize this ministry - as it has since 1939 - as a tool for evangelization and communication for the years to come.
We pray to the Lord.
The Florida Catholic Newspaper -
our faith news available electronically or
in print
Read the Florida Catholic (Palm Beach edition)
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A Family of Faith in Service to Others
View Bishop Barbarito's Message in Our DSA Video
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Current Action Alerts
Learn about other Action Alerts!
Sign Up to Receive Action Alerts from the Diocese of Palm Beach
click here to sign up now!
Sign Up to Receive Action Alerts from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
click here to sign up now!
Sign Up to Receive Action Alerts from the USCCB
click here to sign up now!
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