SJTB parishioners came together on January 22nd to pray for a climate where all life is respected from time of conception to time of natural death. The Spiritual Life Committee led us in prayer and reflection and the SJTB Knight's of Columbus led the group in reciting the Rosary for Life.

As we reflected on the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, we were invited to come forward and take a rock or glass stone from a bowl displayed in front of the altar.  In slient prayer for a specific person in our lives, or for a group of individuals in general, we placed our rock in the glass bowl with water.  Whether that person was an unwed mother, pregnant or raising a child, a homeless individual struggling with mental illness or trying to find a job, a child being bullied at school, an elderly person who has nobody to visit them at home or in a nursing home, a precious soul in the last stages of their life, awaiting transition to a new life in heaven, an immigrant, somebody struggling with addiction who is alienated from friends and family, the imprisoned, including the ones waiting for their execution, for an unborn child, a child whose life ended to soon, or a mother who made the difficult choice to give up her child for adoption.  As we placed our rock in the water and thought of our person, we were asked to watch the ripples the rock makes in the water and contemplate the ripple effect, each person causes. The effect that each precious individual has in our lives and in the world and the effect that we can have on the lives of them with our thoughts, deeds, and actions, by being God’s hands and mouth.

Thank you to the Spiritual Life Committee for coordinating the service, Leslie Dutton for providing the music and the Knight's of Columbus for leading us in the Holy Rosary. 

View pictures of the Respect Life Prayer Service by clicking this link.