Pro-Life This Week

Week in Review

Five Ways to Make a Difference This October

The beginning of Respect Life Month is right around the corner, starting next week on October 1. This special month marks the importance of protecting human beings at all stages, and it gives us an opportunity to share this mission with those around us.

Here are 5 ways you can make a difference this Respect Life Month:

Join the Marian Blue Wave and pray a weekly rosary for an end to abortion. This program is about to celebrate its seventh anniversary, and over four million rosaries have been prayed for an end to all abortion. The power of prayer and our Blessed Mother’s intercession cannot be underestimated when it comes to ending the evil of abortion.
Hand out pro-life resources and talk to friends and family about what it means to be pro-life. This is so much more than just giving a friend a pamphlet. Equipping our friends and family with the knowledge they need to defend life is such a beautiful gift. One conversation, when done with love and humility, might change someone’s entire perspective. It’s these moments that the Holy Spirit uses to convert hearts.
Visit a relative whom you haven’t seen in a while. Being pro-life is so much more than wanting to end abortion. It also means supporting the elderly, the sick, or the infirm. Consider visiting a friend or family member who falls into that category and give them your time. Time is one of the most precious gifts we can give to people we love.
Donate to a food bank or baby clothes closet. Organizations that run food banks or clothes closets provide the vital necessities moms and families need to care for their little ones. This month, consider donating money or providing goods to one of these places.
Encourage a middle or high schooler to join our Pro-Life Essay Contest. This contest is the perfect opportunity for students to learn how to defend what they believe and to do so with conviction. Plus, they have a chance to win up to $250 and other incredible prizes!

No matter what we do to mark the occasion, let’s use this Respect Life Month to discern the ways God is calling us to defend life and to protect the most vulnerable.

Celebrating the Legacy of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen

On September 24, 2026, the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was beatified at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Blessed Fulton Sheen is known for his courageous and clear evangelization of the Catholic faith over radio and television. His radio program, entitled The Catholic Hour, and his TV show Life Is Worth Living drew weekly audiences in the millions, including non-Catholics. He spoke clearly and charitably about Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, the faith, and the cultural issues of the 20^th century and beyond.

One of the cultural problems that Blessed Fulton Sheen addressed often was the disregard and destruction of the human person, particularly the preborn child in the womb from abortion. His dedication to defending the sanctity of human life is just one of many examples of how he lived a holy life in service to Our Lord.

After Roe v. Wade decriminalized abortion in 1973, Blessed Fulton Sheen wrote a beautiful prayer* for the faithful to pray (a practice that is still held today) to spiritually adopt preborn children in danger of abortion: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby [baby’s name] that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion. Amen.”

As the number of preborn babies killed by abortion continues to soar worldwide, Blessed Sheen’s prayer for spiritual adoption of these babies is needed now more than ever. Additionally, Archbishop Sheen was fervent in his devotion to Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, specifically asking married couples to “make the Holy Hour, to make up for an abortion every thirty seconds [and to] prove that the Lord is the Lord of life and not of death.”

It is not surprising that such a courageous defender of life would be attributed with prayers for the miraculous healing of a newborn baby. Archbishop Sheen’s beatification followed the Church’s investigation of the miraculous recovery of a baby born without a pulse for 61 minutes in 2010. The child’s parents and a friend asked for Archbishop Sheen’s intercession, and the baby boy fully recovered.

Let us continue to read and reflect on the words and wisdom of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, which still ring true today. May we follow his example by defending the dignity of human life with courage and charity and by evangelizing to others about Our Lord and His Church. Blessed Fulton Sheen, pray for us!

*Inspired by Blessed Fulton Sheen’s spiritual adoption prayer, ALL created a spiritual adoption prayer for the conversion of the abortion-minded mother. You can find the prayer card on ALL’s online shop here.

ALL in the News

To announce the launch of the Culture of Life Studies Program’s Pro-Life Essay Contest, Susan Ciancio spoke on several radio programs this week, including Driving Home the Faith, Epiphany Radio, and Spirit Mornings. Susan also wrote an article for Catholic365 to announce the contest.

Life Issues reprinted an article from Celebrate Life Magazine about Timothy Schmalz, a world-renowned sculptor who creates pieces meant to bring people closer to God.

Katie Brown Xavios, ALL’s national director, regularly posts updates about American Life League and its important work on social media channels X and LinkedIn. Follow her accounts to stay up to date.

Twice a week, Judie’s commentaries are distributed to an expansive media list. The list contains over 100 media outlets such as Fox News, The Federalist, Breitbart, and The Daily Caller, among others. Judie’s commentaries are each featured on the front page of ALL.org.

Pro-Life Education

Culture of Life Studies Program

St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Small Deeds, Big Love introduces children to the life and “Little Way” of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, showing them how even the smallest acts of love can make a meaningful difference. Through her story, children discover that every person has inherent value and dignity as a beloved child of God and that they each have a role to play in caring for others. St. Thérèse’s example teaches children that they don’t have to do something extraordinary to live out their faith; they can begin right where they are by showing kindness, patience, respect, and love, even toward people they find difficult. The booklet offers practical ways for children to stand up for others and grow in faith while building a strong foundation in the dignity of every human being, including the preborn, people with disabilities, the elderly, and all those who are vulnerable or overlooked. ORDER HERE

ALL’s Education Materials

Fulton J. Sheen Spiritual Adoption Prayer Card: Following the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, Blessed Fulton J. Sheen wrote a prayer inviting families to spiritually adopt a preborn baby in danger of abortion. Through this prayer, known as a “spiritual adoption,” individuals and parish groups are encouraged to pray for the protection and well-being of a child in the womb. This 3″ x 4″ prayer card offers a simple way to join this tradition of prayer, whether individually or as part of a parish community. SHOP NOW

VIDEO: Blessed Fulton Sheen’s Retreat on Confession Predicts Post-Abortion Mental Disorders

Fulton Sheen’s beatification Mass took place Thursday, September 24, in St. Louis. His beatification is a necessary step toward sainthood.

Half a century ago, the same year the Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for a mother to kill her preborn child, Sheen gave a retreat in the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. He began with lighthearted stories of children and lumberjacks in the confessional before turning to a serious diagnosis of the 20^th century: the widespread denial of guilt and accountability for sin.

He described confession as “ethical nudity”—the honest stripping away of excuses before God—so that sins can be forgiven in the confessional. At one point, Sheen prophesied the mental fallout women would endure for having murdered their own preborn children. The comments begin at 10:16 in the following video, but the entire talk is worth listening to because his talks are always Christ-centered and do not fit in with modern methods of self-help.

Pro-Life This Week – September 25, 2026

Week in Review

Pro-Life Education

Pro-Life Social Media