The ProLife Profile is a quarterly educational publication designed by the Respect Life Apostolate as a bulletin/newsletter insert. The Profile features timely articles on life issues and updates on local and national pro-life events from a Catholic perspective.
The ProLife Profile is a quarterly educational publication designed as a parish bulletin insert. The Profile features timely articles on life issues and updates on local and national pro-life events from a Catholic perspective.
The ProLife Profile is available free to all parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. If your parish does not currently subscribe to the ProLife Profile, talk to your pastor about this free educational resource.
Profiles from the previous year are made available to view online. Hard copies of older editions are available from our office.
To view the entire printed version of each newsletter, please download the PDF of an issue from the archive below.
UPDATE: Board Bill 203 has been passed by the St. Louis City Board of Aldermen and signed by Mayor Slay.
Board Bill 203 (BB203) is a proposed amendment to the St. Louis City’s anti-discrimination law, adding pregnancy and reproductive health decisions as protected classes. It attacks and threatens the deeply-held moral and religious convictions of the people of St. Louis by seeking to make St. Louis a "sanctuary city" for abortion.
BB203 is "vague and ambiguous but could have terrible consequences for religious institutions." Members of the City’s Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee heard initial comments from the public on January 18. Tom Buckley, general counsel for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, told the committee the bill promotes religious persecution and discrimination, adding that it violates the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court precedent, and violates state and federal laws.
The Archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate began its work in March of 1973 (then the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Committee) as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, of January 22, 1973 which legalized abortion on demand in the country.
Cardinal Carberry announced that this new agency would be funded by the Annual Catholic Appeal, with Father Edward O’Donnell, then editor of the St. Louis Review, as its coordinator. To assist Father O’Donnell, the Cardinal also appointed dedicated clergy and laymen to an executive advisory board.
Since 1973, the Respect Life Apostolate has developed an expansive network with programs and services that have effectively responded to many life issues within St. Louis community.
Past and Present Directors:
1973 – 1978 Father Edward O'Donnell
1978 – 1985 Father Robert Boisaubin
1985 – 1995 Father Joseph Naumann
1995 – 2007 Mrs. Molly Corcoran Kertz
2007 – 2009 Mrs. Christina Heddell
2009 – 2012 Mrs. Beth Lauver
2012 - present Ms. Karen Nolkemper
40 Years of the Respect Life Apostolate
This video outlining the history and mission of the Respect Life Apostolate was produced for the "Commemorate and Commit" banquet on March 2, 2013 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and it was first shown publicly to the nearly 700 people in attendance at the dinner.
Please take a few minutes to watch this incredible video.
How much time do we spend as parents preparing our children for the choices they will make between the ages of 13-26?
Did you ever compare the amount of time we spend teaching our children to drive to the amount of time we spend teaching our children about human sexuality? We teach them the dangers involved in driving, but do we teach them the dangers involved in sexual activity before marriage?
The Respect Life Apostolate (RLA) is the official agency of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis that provides leadership for all respect life activities within the Catholic community of St. Louis under the direction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). To achieve its goal of establishing a Culture of Life, recognizing the inherent dignity of each human person, the RLA operates on four levels: Spiritual, Pastoral Care, Education and Public Policy. RLA programs are designed at the diocesan level and distributed to parishes, where they are implemented according to the needs of each community. RLA programs reach their potential through the collaboration of the pastor and lay respect life coordinators in each parish.
For more information about the Apostolate, use these helpful links:
"We proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God; that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward God, self and others; and that society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence. "
How much time do we spend as parents preparing our children for the choices they will make between the ages of 13-26?
