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 network of 6,000+ pro-life activists that help volunteers from Catholic organizations nationwide participate in a coordinated letter-writing campaign to one major Planned Parenthood (PP) donor every month. This type of mass letter-writing campaign has proven to be an effective tool, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars of funding to PP.
How does it work? The beginning of every month, the RFL Ministry receives an email from the publisher of ‘The Boycott Handbook,’ an annual publication that identifies corporate supporters of PP. The email names the target corporate donor and provides updated statistics on abortion and its effect on women’s health. Next we conduct research on the company in order to customize a one-page letter to 3 C-level executives involved in the decision and allocation of charitable donations. The one-page letter educates each executive about the untold truths about PP and asks them to consider donating their corporate funds to other worthy causes.
How to get involved? Visit this page around the 3rd week of each month. Click on the link below and download the Word document to your computer. The Word document will contain 3 pre-written letters to specific C-Level executives. All you need to do is type in your name and address in the letters. Then, print out the 3 letters, sign your name to each and mail. That’s it! If you would like to be reminded when to visit this page each month you can sign up to receive FlockNotes notifications from this ministry to your iPhone.
March 2023 Letter (click green text): Lyft Inc.
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.”