Members of the parish who wish to attend the 50th Annual National March for Life are invited to meet after the 9 am Mass on Friday January 20 to arrange for carpooling to Metro or downtown as desired. We plan on leaving by 10 am. The March for Life is an inspiring, peaceful, vibrant, and joy-filled rally of women, men, young people, and children from all across the country witnessing to the sanctity of human life. For more information and a detailed list of events at the March this year see https://marchforlife.org/national-march-for-life/.
ADW Youth Rally and Mass for Life - Friday, January 20, 2021.
For information on this year’s ADW Youth Rally and Mass for Life and National Prayer Vigil for Life 2023 see https://adw.org/youth-rally-mass-life/ and https://www.nationalshrine.org/event/2023-national-prayer-vigil-for-life/.
Adoration for Life on January 20, 2021
In addition, we will have adoration in the Church on Friday, January 20th after the 9 am Mass for those who wish to support the March by praying a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament.
Novena for Life from January 19 - 27, 2021
Like last year, we will be praying the USCCB Novena for Life in the Church at the conclusion of every daily Mass from January 19 -27. For more details on the Novena and to print your own copy, please see the USSCB website. https://www.usccb.org/resources/9-days-life-novena
Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, your prayers are needed more than ever. Montgomery County officials are actively promoting and supporting abortions. Women (and former abortionists) report that the prayers and presence of pro-life witnesses at abortion clinics dissuaded them from having an abortion.
The Spring 2023 40 Bethesda 40 Days for Life campaign will begin on Ash Wednesday Feb. 22, 2023 and run through Apr 2, 2023. In the meantime, St. Raphael’s is supporting the campaign by praying a rosary on the public sidewalk in front of Leroy Carhart’s abortion facility at the Wildwood Medical Center, 10401 Old Georgetown Road, in Bethesda, each Saturday during from 10 -11 am. The first Saturday of each month also is the Witness for Life event for all 40 Days for Life participants at the same location. For more information, see https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/bethesda.
Please do not go alone, but bring a friend with you. Please meet in the vestibule after the 9 am Mass on Saturdays, if you have questions or need help with directions. What could be more important than protecting the lives of innocent babies and their mothers from the devasting effects of abortion?
St. Raphael's Respect for Life (RFL) committee promotes respect for the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death by being witnesses to the timeless teachings of the Catholic faith. We seek to promote pro-life values for the whole life on a wide range of life issues, including advocating for legislation supported by the Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC) and against legislation abortion and physician assisted suicide, assisting moms and dads in unexpected pregnancies and material assistance, and helping those suffering from the devasting effects of post abortive syndrome. We also witness to the sanctity of human life through devoted prayer, works of charity, and education. Some of the more recent activities we participate include:
- Participating in the National March For Life in D.C. and Maryland March for Life in Annapolis
-Participating in MCC Catholic Lobby night by meeting with state legislators to advocate for pro-life legislation and against legislation promoting the culture of death
- Public Prayer to support Witness for Life on the first Saturday of the month at Leroy Carhart’s abortion facility at Wildwood Medical Center in Bethesda
- Participating in the 40 Days for Life Spring and Fall Campaigns to end abortion
- Monthly “Mustard Seed” letters to corporations who support abortion
- Supporting the Shady Grove Pregnancy Center
- Supporting Project Rachel healing ministry for post-abortive moms
- Supporting Gabriel Network maternity homes and Angel Network
- Sponsoring Pro-life Speaker Talks at our parish
- Raising money to support MD Right for Life, including Mother's Day Carnation Sale
RFL meetings are currently held on the third Monday of the month from September to June in the evening via Zoom.
The state of Maryland including Montgomery County is an abortion haven and we are in a spiritual battle trying to change one heart at a time. We are open to new ideas on how best to support life in the public sphere.
Please contact the RFL Committee at straphael.rfl139@gmail.com if you are interested in joining our committee or would like more information.
Are you facing an unplanned pregnancy and are being pushed to resolve the “problem”? You do not have to face this decision alone or make it hastily. There are several life-affirming resources available to help not to regret your decision. They are as follows:
Shady Grove Pregnancy Center Centro Tepeyac Pregnancy Center
16220 N. Frederick Road, #118 12248 Georgia Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Silver Spring, MD 20902
301-963-6223 301-587-9516
www.pregnancy-options.org/ www.centrotepeyac.org/
Archdiocese of Washington Resources
Visit: http://www.adw.org/pregnant-need-help/
Healing after an abortion?
Call Project Rachel at 301-853-4565
The Mustard Seed Project is a letter-writing campaign that sends out a letter to the organizations and corporations who support Planned Parenthood (PP) with annual or personal charitable giving programs. These organizations and corporations have in some cases supported PP for decades. The letter-writing process has been effective in changing the minds of CEOs to no longer support PP and has resulted in the loss of funding in the millions. A letter is composed with a difference entity every month. The RFL Committee encourages parishioners to copy the letter and mail it to the addressee for that month’s letter. Links to the letters are available on the menu on the left.
Angel Friends are trained volunteers from local churches who help clients in crisis pregnancies with practical, emotional and spiritual support and accompany them through pregnancy and beyond as needed. Clients are referred to teams through Gabriel Network. If you are interested in joining the Angel Friend Team at St. Raphael's, please contact Carol DeGraba, cdegraba@gmail.com.
St. Raphael’s Respect for Life Committee (RFL) seeks to promote a greater reverence in both our parish and faith community, for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. We approach this task with a readiness to nurture and sustain this precious gift of human life through pro-life education, advocacy, works of charity and prayer. In an effort to successfully promote a culture of life in an increasingly complex world, we share the Catholic Church’s teachings on a wide range of life issues, such as abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), contraception, infertility procedures and the death penalty. We humbly commit ourselves to spreading the message of God’s Word and Love as it pertains to the infinite values of each human life created in His very image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). We support St. Pope John Paul II’s comments during his 1999 visit to St. Louis: “And so, America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you want life, embrace the truth, the truth revealed by God.”