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.
Prayer Vigil to Witness to the Sanctity of Human Life and End Abortion
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 Fall Bethesda 40 Days for Life campaign begins on Wednesday, September 28 and continues until Sunday November 6. Prayer vigils are requested in hourly slots from 7 am to 7 pm. Full details on the prayer campaign are available here. https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/bethesda
St. Raphael’s is once again 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 hourly slots from 10 am – 4 pm from October 1 through November 5. Please use our SignUp Genius website at bit.ly/40DFL102022 to sign up for one or more hourly slots, so we can ensure maximum coverage.
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. But please come and pray with a friend during one of these hourly slots on Saturdays for six (6) weeks. We are asking for just one (1) of the 168 hours God gives you each week for six (6) weeks. If Saturday does not work for you, please pick another day. What could be more important than protecting the lives of innocent babies and their mothers from the devasting effects of abortion?
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.”