Lord, we thank you
for the goodness of our people
and for the spirit of justice
that fills this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of the
land and the challenge of the cities.

We thank you for our work and our rest,
for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you, Lord:
accept our thanksgiving on this day.
We pray and give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Pope St. John Paul II was one of the most beloved Popes in history. He was a young Pope who evangelized the world during his long and fruitful pontificate. He played a large role in ending Communism, he forgave the man that tried to assassinate him, he lead ecumenical and interfaith dialog, he inaugurated World Youth Day, his many Pastoral visits around the world, his celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000 and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease were just some of the ways that he was a witness of the faith to both catholics and non-catholics. Upon his death many called for him to become a saint immediately.

HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY

Each October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month.

The first Sunday of October is observed as Respect Life Sunday.

As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.

REFLECTION