Pro-Life Resources and Programs

             pro-life-activities/people-of-life

September 14, 2015

WASHINGTON— People discover their worth when they discover their true identity as created in God’s image and called to an eternal destiny with him, said Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston and chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in the annual Respect Life Month statement. Catholics and all people of good will in the United States are invited to participate in Respect Life Month.

Respect Life Month, observed in October, begins the new, yearlong cycle of the Respect Life Program, which continues through the following September. It is a time dedicated by the U.S. bishops for the Church nationwide to bring attention to, celebrate, and work and pray for the protection of the gift of human life. The first Sunday of the month, October 4 this year, is designated as Respect Life Sunday. The USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities publishes new materials each year on various human life issues to aid the local efforts within the Church of building a culture of life throughout the year. The theme of the 2015-16 Respect Life Program is “Every life is worth living.”

“Whether it lasts for a brief moment or for a hundred years, each of our lives is a good and perfect gift,” wrote Cardinal O’Malley. “At every stage and in every circumstance, we are held in existence by God’s love.”

Cardinal O’Malley wrote that nothing can diminish a person’s God-given dignity or the worth of his or her life, only that others may fail to respect human dignity. He also noted that encountering another’s suffering, while difficult, is an opportunity to embrace them with love, attention and prayer.

This informative video provides a quick overview on the problem of human trafficking during this week of special prayer for freedom and healing of victims and survivors of human trafficking.

A video from the USCCB about how Maggie faces dying with dignity and grace.

death-penalty-capital-punishment

end-of-life/euthanasia

Marriage preparation:

Catholic Marriage Prep.com
www.CatholicMarriagePrep.com 
1-800-208-1364
Cost:  $194
Available in English, Spanish, and French
Description:  Engaged couples are paired with an instructor couple online.  The engaged couple should expect to spend about 20 hours on the program over the course of about 6 weeks, and will be monitored and supported by the instructor couple.  At the completion of the program the engaged couple will receive a certificate of completion for their marriage prep file.
Of Special Note:  This program also offers specific courses to address the unique needs of a married couple who is seeking a convalidation within the Church

Unveiled
www.unveiledmarriage.com/ 
1-804-622-5152  
Cost:  $190
Available in English
Description:  Engaged couples go through a number of online modules covering topics such as TOB, the vows of marriage, communication, decision making, sexuality, blending families, cohabitation, spiritual life, stewardship, etc.  The coursework should take about 7 – 7.5 hours to complete.  At the conclusion of the program the couple will receive a certificate of completion for their marriage file.

Living Our Faith in Love
www.livingourfaithinlove.com 
1-810-957-1550
Cost:  $195
Available in English, captioned in Spanish
Description:  Engaged couples go through a number of online modules covering topics such as balancing practical issues, communication and conflict, the theology of marriage, an intro to NFP, sexuality, family of origin, etc.  The course work takes about 8 hours to complete.  At the conclusion of the program the couple will receive a certificate of completion for their marriage file.

 
Beloved
https://sacraments.augustineinstitute.org/ 
Cost:  $60 total for the Beloved: The Mystery and Meaning of Marriage and Beloved: Living Marriage courses.
Available in English and Spanish
Description:  This is the same Beloved courses available through FORMED.org.  When accessed through the Augustine Institute the couples will be quizzed throughout the program to ensure that they are learning the material.  Upon the completion of the course the couple will receive a certificate for their file.  One item of note when using this course for online marriage prep - we ask the couples take both courses, which is about 7 hours of material.  Even though the Living Marriage segment is more geared toward married couples, we find that the practical nature of that program complements The Mystery and Meaning of Marriage program, which focuses heavily on theology.  

Online Natural Family Planning Classes:

Couple to Couple League
www.ccli.org
1-800-745-8252
Cost:  $135
Available in English
Description:  Couples will go through a series of three online classes which totals about 6 hours of instruction.  Couples are paired with a local NFP teaching couple who can provide them with answers to their own unique questions and provide support.  

Couple to Couple League (Spanish)
www.ligadepareja.org 
1-800-214-6028
Cost:  Normally $135, currently with a $60 introductory discount (https://liga.thinkific.com/courses/conoce-tu-fertilidad?coupon=intro60 )
Available in Spanish
Description:  Couples will go through a series of three online classes which totals about 6 hours of instruction.  Couples are paired with a local NFP teaching couple who can provide them with answers to their own unique questions and provide support.  This program is not merely a Spanish translation of the English NFP program, but is uniquely designed to address the cultural nuances of Spanish speakers.

Creighton Model
www.creightonmodel.com
Cost: varies from $200 - $500, insurance may help cover cost
Description:  Couples will meet with local Creighton instructors via Zoom, Skype, etc., to  learn the method.  Check out our website for a list of instructors you can contact.  www.dol-in.org/natural-family-planning 

Support for couples in crisis 

The Third Option
www.thethirdoption.com/
1-855-624-9476
Cost:  $89 for online videos, a $40 discount is available until 5/31 with the code SAVE 40
Description:  There are 14 mini-workshops, covering topics such as respect, ending blame, understanding expectations, appreciating personality differences, learning how to fight fair, breaking the cycle of hurt, practicing forgiveness, etc.  

Be Light:  A Marriage Renewal Date Night Series
www.witnesstolove.org/belight/ 
Cost:  free
Description:  This is a 5 part video series focusing on marriage enrichment.  This program works great for a group of couples who would like to view the video content and then discuss it as an individual couple and among the group of couples.  

Finding Peace in Troubling Times
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAbqXQaOvkM7pPu1TQg6b4UwhUU3hSQke 
Cost:  free
Description:  This is a video retreat series offered by Christopher West based upon a daily reading of Father Jacques Philippe’s book Searching For and Maintaining Peace.