The Sisters of Life are introducing a new approach to pro-life ministry that’s doing away with political labels and slogans in favor of authentic relationships, genuine dialogue, and intentional accompaniment.
Called Into Life: Love Changes Everything, this formation series familiarizes participants with new ideas for building a culture of life and solidarity, grounded in the Catholic faith. The whole program is completely free and comes with a series of 12 videos, a workbook, and pastoral resources.
Sisters of Life
The Sisters of Life are a Catholic religious community that was founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor. With a commitment to the protection of human life, they have spent three decades caring for vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn children and those wounded by abortion. The Sisters of Life seek to help reveal to each person their own innate goodness and the love God has for them, all the while fostering a culture of life through their evangelical works.
The Into Life series was developed from a training program they host for lay co-workers, which instructs on the Catholic approach to pro-life accompaniment. Through this program’s success, the sisters identified its potential as a new approach to pro-life ministry that eschews secular arguments in favor of Catholic doctrine. As they write on their website:
“Because pro-life isn’t about labels. Pro-life is about people.” They added, “Our hope is that every person who watches this series will come to know deeply that their life is a gift, that they are good, made in God’s image, and that their life has profound meaning and worth.”
Into Life
Teaming with the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life and CampCampo Films, the Sisters of Life produced the Into Life series. The course consists of a dozen videos with reflection and discussion prompts provided for each one.
Topics include the spiritual foundations of life, the power of prayer, understanding the heart of a pregnant woman, and hope and healing after abortion. There are three sessions devoted to instruction on accompaniment titled “The Art of Being Present,” “How to Listen Well,” and “Reflective Listening.”
Participants in the course can expect to be introduced to the theological framework used by the Sisters of Life in their ministry to pregnant women. Viewers, whether as a group or individually, will have the opportunity to pray and reflect on how a spirituality of life is manifest in their own lives, and discover what it truly means to walk with a woman through an unexpected pregnancy.
Target audience
The Sisters of Life note that the program is not just for expecting mothers, but for anyone who yearns for a way to engage pro-life issues from a religious perspective, or just to hone and refine your knowledge of the topic. They even welcome those of all faiths to explore their new program. The Sisters of Life wrote:
“Whether you’re a veteran leader, brand new to the pro-life movement, or exploring what you think about abortion for the first time, this program provides the space to reflect on and discuss what an authentic witness to life can look like in your life.”
Into Life was designed for in-person groups, but the sisters are confident that it can be adapted for a variety of formats, including personal use. To ensure that participants get the most they can from it, the sisters have provided guides for both the facilitators and the students. These resources are available from the Sisters of LIfe website at no charge.
