October is widely recognized as Respect Life Month, particularly within the Catholic Church in the U.S., focusing on celebrating and protecting human life from conception to natural death through prayer and education. January is another time during the year when activities draw attention to pro-life issues, recognized by Christian and Catholic communities as Pro-Life Month.
January was the month in which Roe v. Wade, a U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion across the United States, was decided in 1973. Although the case has since been overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the pain inflicted by abortions still remains. Therefore, rallies and marches are planned during the month to remember the babies who were lost, and the mothers who suffered as a result of choosing abortion.
The Diocese of Gary Office of Prolife Activities and the Lake County Right to Life are also once again inviting the diocesan community to join in attending the March for Life in Indianapolis on Thursday, Jan. 22. Transportation on the premium coach bus costs $40 for adults, with lunch and youth (in high school or below) are $25 per person with lunch.
There will be two buses offered this year, each with different schedules. Both transportation options will depart from the parking lot of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, 8303 Taft Street in Merrillville. When registering, individuals are asked to please select which bus they would like to ride. Space is limited. Registration and prepayment are required. Visit https://dcgary.org/event/2026-indiana-march-life to sign up and for more details.
Vicky Hathaway, diocesan coordinator for youth and young adults, has been assisting in promoting the availability of transportation by coach buses from the diocese to the March for Life in Indianapolis.
“I have heard from people who have participated in the past that it was a really moving experience, standing up for life,” Hathaway said. “Young people who participated learn the importance of advocacy within our Church. It's important to make visible the care we have for all life issues, and this march is one way of doing so.”
Director of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Gary, Father Rick Holy, has attended the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. on numerous occasions, and has recently been attending the State of Indiana March for Life. He explained the primary reason for this is that since the overturn of Roe with the Dobbs decision, the focus of most legislation is now on the state rather than the national level. Regardless of which March, his experience has been one of solidarity with people who believe in the sanctity and dignity of human life in the womb.
“It is the principle that the Church espouses of Faith and Reason working together, in this case to understand
and appreciate human life, especially in its most vulnerable and defenseless stages,” he said. “The attitude or perspective of those who march is one of love and concern for both mother and child. ‘Love them Both’ is the moniker of Indiana Right to Life. In literally a few words, it gets to the very heart of the matter of life in the womb and the gift that it is.”
Father Holy noted that rallies and marches create awareness. He pointed out abortion continues throughout the country, even in states like Indiana, only the majority of abortions are not surgical abortions but now prescription abortions (the 'abortion pill'). So, he said, it is still important to speak loudly and clearly about the sanctity and dignity of human life in the womb.
The mission as it currently stands remains the same, Father Holy said, but now there is an even greater emphasis on educating and informing mothers in crisis pregnancies not only about the development of the tiny life within, but also helping that mother to access the many resources that are available to her and her baby. He explained that Pregnancy Resource Centers are expanding and more are being built, more maternity homes are being built and Walking with Moms in Need parish-based initiatives are beginning in more parishes to accompany pregnant and parenting mothers in need both during the pregnancy and after the birth of the baby.
“Abortion centers do not offer women help when the decision is made to carry the pregnancy to term – and if claims are made in that regard, the help ranges from slim to none,” he said. “Pregnancy Resource Centers and Pro-Life ministries offer women in crisis pregnancies real help and support so that they actually do have a true choice, and do not feel ignored and left helpless and abandoned in their time of need.”
Clark Gloyeske, of St. Paul in Valparaiso, has attended for many years the local January prayer vigil for Life at the Porter County Courthouse. He said, for him, it is a time for us to reflect on the atrocity of abortion and to pray as a group for the end of abortion, and to remember the more than 65 million aborted children and their mothers. He added it is also a time to renew the commitment to be a voice for the voiceless and to protect every life from the moment of conception to natural death and to aid those in need, especially women with unplanned pregnancies.
“As baptized faithful, we are called to be a witness, that is to stand up, to be a voice, especially for those that have no voice, such as the unborn,” Gloyeske said. “It is important that we participate in events like these to show others that the value and sacredness of human life – that is, every human being at every stage and condition, is willed and loved by God.”
Gloyeske commented that even though Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of 2022, many states are still openly and radically hostile to preborn children. He stated that in Indiana, pro-life laws are constantly being challenged, and although abortion numbers are way down, they don't account for abortions via mail-order and those that seek an abortion in a neighboring pro-abortion state, such as Illinois or Michigan.
“These are big challenges, but God's grace is bigger,” he said.
Upcoming pro-life dates and events
• 9-Days for Life annual novena, Jan. 16-24, https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-signup
• RTL NWI annual prayer vigil, Valparaiso and LaPorte County courthouses, Jan. 17, Noon, http://www.rtlnwi.org/
• Indiana KoC bus trip to the National March for Life, Jan. 21-24, Washington D.C., prolifegary.org. The NMFL is also aired on EWTN on Jan. 23.
• Diocese of Gary bus trip to the March for Life Indy, Jan. 22, Indianapolis, prolifegary.org
• 53rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and a day of prayer and fasting for the legal protection of unborn children, Jan. 22
• Bi-annual diocean-wide pro-life meeting, Monday, April 13, 6:30 p.m. at the Pastoral Center in Merrillville
Caption: The leading throng of mainly Catholic youth carry a pro-life banner near Monument Circle during the Indiana March for Life on Jan. 22, 2025 in Indianapolis. The state march, in its eighth year, is a localized version of the National March for Life, which, since 1974, has brought together millions of concerned Americans who wish to publicly proclaim the Gospel of Life – to establish legal protections for the unborn from abortion and promote a womb-to-tomb respect for human life. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)
