Respect Life Newsletter
July 31, 2020
Dear Pro-Life Friend,
What an eventful month for Respect Life Ministry!

  1. We welcomed a new member to the team.
  2. We celebrated two staff members in their retirements.
  3. And we launched Walking with Moms: A Year of Service!

Walking with Moms
Walking with Moms: A Year of Service is a nationwide effort designed by the USCCB's Pro-Life Secretariat to help build a culture of life and love in a very concrete way in every parish and diocese.

We've asked all Respect Life Parish Representatives to watch our short webinar on the next steps for their parish, which include, under the direction of their pastor, building a parish core team to work with their assigned Pregnancy Help Center and the Respect Life Office in this initiative. For more information or to get involved, visit respectlifemiami.org/walking-with-moms .

Let's pray for the Holy Spirit to guide this initiative and inspire the hearts of the faithful to join together in meeting the needs of pregnant women so that abortion may one day become unthinkable.

Celebrating Evalina & Susan
On July 17, Evalina Van Lengen and Susan Barthel retired from their positions at Respect Life Ministry.
Evie began volunteering with Respect Life Ministry 27 years ago. Three months after she retired from her government job, she was asked to take the Program Coordinator position at the North Broward Pregnancy Help Center, where she has been tirelessly serving the needs of mothers and their children for over 16 years!
Susan also began as a volunteer with Respect Life Ministry. After she retired from her career in banking, she too was asked to come onboard! Susan has been working for Respect Life Ministry for four years as the Program Coordinator for the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center and then as Bookkeeper for the Administrative Office.
We are so grateful to Evie and Susan for their faithful ministry and congratulate them on their retirements.

May their retirement continue to bear great fruit for the culture of life and love through their devoted prayers. And may God reward them for all that they have done to respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life!

New Positions
Coinciding with our the launch of Walking with Moms, Respect Life Ministry is announcing the following staffing changes:
We are thrilled to welcome Katherine Lantigua as our newest Pregnancy Help Center Program Coordinator. Katherine will be running our South Broward Pregnancy Help Center, where she had previously been volunteering for two years. Katherine is a Board Certified Music Therapist who has experience working with pregnant and postpartum mothers and their babies to promote infant development and maternal mental health. She is also the Respect Life Parish Representative for St. Mark parish, where she has done great work mobilizing young adults and spreading the Gospel of Life on social media. We are excited for her to put her skills at the service of Life in this new capacity.
And our second-newest staff member, Cristina Criado Montoya, who has been running our South Broward Pregnancy Help Center since she was hired in February, will take on the role of Program Coordinator at the North Broward Pregnancy Help Center. Cristina was instrumental in getting our online prenatal and newborn classes up and running in Spanish when the pandemic hit, and is one of our most passionate teachers. She says that her "greatest joy is directing women and families to the ultrasound room. It is there that they see the life they have created. It is there that I have seen hearts and minds change!"
Please join me in welcoming Katherine and Cristina in their new roles with Respect Life Ministry!

For Life,
Rebecca

Rebecca Brady
Director, Respect Life Ministry
Secretariat for Parish Life, Archdiocese of Miami


PS- We're hiring! Our open positions include an Administrative Assistant for our Respect Life Office, and two Ultrasound Technicians for our Central Broward and North Dade Pregnancy Help Centers. If you know any qualified candidates, encourage them to visit our website or the Archdiocese of Miami's website for more information and to apply!
PPS- With our primary elections approaching, please take advantage of the resources below to form your consciences according to Church teaching , take a look at the political party platforms , register to vote, educate yourself on the candidates and their positions , and PRAY.
RESOURCES
Online Events
Support After Abortion Virtual Conference
ADOM Walking with Moms Recorded Webinar
Pro-Life Politics
USCCB Releases Faithful Citizenship videos
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released five new videos to inspire prayer and action in political life. The videos are available on the  USCCB's YouTube channel  in four languages (English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese).
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship  ( Formando La Conciencia Para Ser Ciudadanos Fieles ), is the teaching document from the US Bishops (USCCB) on the political responsibility of Catholics. This document includes a new introductory letter which states that: "The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed . At the same time, we cannot dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, poverty and the death penalty." Learn more at faithfulcitizenship.org
Approved by the bishops of Florida, Election & Political Activities Guide  is intended to encourage Catholic clergy and laity to facilitate the involvement of their faith communities in appropriate election-related activities. Learn more from the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops website .
FCCB Launches Catholics Across the Aisle Podcast
The Florida Catholic Conference of Bishops has launched a podcast under the name of Catholics Across the Aisle: Commentary on Public Policy and Civic Life. In the first full episode , Executive Director Michael Sheedy talks with Ingrid Delgado, Associate Director for Social Concerns/Respect Life, about activities and outcomes of the 2020 legislative session.

You can listen and subscribe to Catholics Across the Aisle on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts.
USCCB launches Civilize It Campaign
The USCCB has launched a campaign inviting Catholics to model civility and love for neighbor throughout the year.  Civilize It: Dignity Beyond the Debate   will ask Catholics to pledge civility, clarity, and compassion in their families, communities, and parishes, and call on others to do so as well. Find out more information and resources to share with your community at  CivilizeIt.org .
Get Involved
Pregnancy Help Centers
Our Pregnancy Help Centers are open for Phase One, which has been updated to include one volunteer in each center to assist the staff in answering the many phone calls, offering pregnancy tele-counseling, making appointments, and preparing material assistance for families in need. To find out what items we accept and give to our clients, read our D onation Guidelines.
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Thank you for your faithful support of Respect Life Ministry!
Archdiocese of Miami
Respect Life Ministry
(954) 981-2922