By Dc. Tom Cuskey
Editor
There is no better way to celebrate October as Respect Life Month than with the Eucharist. Getting young people actively involved in the movement is a highlight of Masses held at each of the four diocesan junior/senior high schools.
At press time, Mass at Seton Catholic Central in Binghamton had yet to take place (scheduled for Oct. 26), but Bishop Douglas J. Lucia has celebrated liturgies with students at Bishop Grimes in East Syracuse, Bishop Ludden in Syracuse and Notre Dame in Utica. His message at each school focuses on the appropriate readings of the day but his overall theme throughout the visits does not waver.
Bishop Lucia celebrates Mass with Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School students in Utica.
“Life is sacred from the first moment of conception until God calls us back to our heavenly home,” as he told students at Bishop Grimes. “He calls each one of us by name, and we are precious to him.”
Respect Life observances raise awareness of the sanctity of each individual regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status or religious beliefs. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops document states, we all must “cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between.”
Instilling that message in the hearts and minds of our young people is a foundational focus of diocesan school administrators, staff and teachers, especially for those filling the role of Respect Life coordinator at each campus.
Bishop Ludden students model T-shirts that capture what Respect Life Month is all about.
Regina Kulak is the coordinator at Bishop Grimes, in addition to teaching Theology 9 and 10, and she said the effort starts with promoting self-respect. “I think it’s important for every single student to see how precious their own life is. We start with that,” she shared. “At this point, so many feel such low self-worth, that once we feel our own personal worth, we extend that to one another. We can’t respect others if we can’t respect ourselves.” She points to the overwhelming number of outside influences young people deal with today. To combat that, she added that “we talk about inherent dignity and the pricelessness of life. We are priceless and fragile.”
Students at Grimes have opportunities to see Respect Life themes in action, helping out at ministries such as Joseph’s House for Women and Birthright. Such efforts fall in line with this year’s theme of “Radical Solidarity” in respecting all aspects of life. “The word ‘radical’ simply means ‘getting to the root,’” Bishop Lucia told the students. “We want everybody to know God’s love. And we want to be instruments of that love.”
Visit tinyurl.com/RespectLife2023 for more images from the schools.
