Dear friends in Christ,
Reverence for Life Month is an opportunity to reflect, pray, and take action to uphold the dignity of human life. This guide is here to help you pray, reflect, have conversations as a community, and have the opportunity to learn how to best advocate for yourself when it comes to end-of-life care.
We know these conversations can be challenging, especially with the complexities surrounding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). The materials and outline offered to you in this resource are created to make space for thoughtful reflection, faith-filled discussion, and practical steps to support a culture of life rooted in Christian hope and compassion. Individuals and communities are called to live their faith by praying, supporting one another, and speaking out when it matters most.
This guide is flexible and has been created to be easy for you to roll out in your diocese and parishes. Whether you use all of it or just parts, we hope that it makes it simple to engage your parish in meaningful ways.
With gratitude,
Reverence for Life Commission at the Archdiocese of Regina
Reverence for Life Month is a time to reflect, pray, and act in support of every human life. This guide includes everything you need to lead your parish through the four weeks of Reverence for Life Month, rooted in the Gospel of Life and the teaching of the Church. Inside, you will find ready-to-use tools, based on the themes: See, Accept, Accompany, and Act. Each week, we use the readings for that Sunday, helping parishioners reflect, pray, and respond with meaningful action. We hope these materials make your work easier and your ministry even more fruitful. Download the Parish Guide by clicking on the picture to the right.
The goal of this Facilitation Guide is to help you, as the facilitator, understand how best to create a space where people with all experiences, opinions, and understandings can come together to hear and reflect in a sharing circle. The goal of these sharing circles is not to try to convince anyone of anything, but rather to allow the Holy Spirit to move through the group and create a space of profound listening and sharing. To this end, the resources provided are here to foster the kind of environment where to can participate in this respectful and honest sharing. The key is prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit in this context. Download the Facilitator’s Guide by clicking on the picture to the right.
Conversation on Hope Amid Death and Dying
Join us for coffee and refreshments to watch an hour-long video that explores the hope we can experience amid death and dying. There will be a time of reflection and sharing afterwards. The goal of these sharing circles is not to try to convince anyone of anything, but rather to allow the Holy Spirit to move through the group and create a space of profound listening and sharing. Download the Editable Poster by clicking on the picture to the right.
How to Use This Website
The Facilitator’s Guide provides your parish with ready-to-use resources to educate, inspire, and engage your community. You are encouraged to copy, paste, and tailor the content to fit your parish’s needs. Whether for Mass, small groups, or other parish activities, these materials are designed for easy implementation.
All of the resources can be used throughout Reverence for Life Month, and you can use as much or as little as suits your community. You also do not have to use these resources only in May, but these can be incorporated into your parish life throughout the year. Use what works best for you. Every effort, big or small, makes a difference.
For support or questions, contact: Tashia Toupin Social Justice Coordinator at the Archdiocese of Regina at [email protected]
Campaign Purpose & Goals
The purpose is to explore the themes Week 1: All Life is a Gift, Week 2: Personal Advocacy – Advocating for Your Care, Week 3: Community Support – Hope in Life & Death, and Legislative Advocacy – Speaking Up for Life. This is done with ready-to-use resources. The goal is to have parishes focused on impactful conversations and actions both individual and communal.
By participating, parishioners join a larger movement advocating for the dignity of all life. These resources aim to help navigate complex end-of-life issues, such as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), through a lens of faith, dignity, and compassion for all. It empowers communities to engage with these sensitive issues in a way that respects life’s sanctity. Through personal reflection, community engagement, and legislative advocacy, each action helps build a culture that values and respects every life.
Week 1: All Life is a Gift
This weekend marks the beginning of Reverence for Life Month in our parish. Over the next four weeks, we are invited to reflect, pray, and act to uphold the dignity of every human life. This year’s theme is See, Accept, Accompany, Act.
This week we begin with “See” as we open our eyes to those who are vulnerable, sick, or suffering. In Canada, Medical Assistance in Dying is now the fifth leading cause of death. Many people are choosing it not because they are dying, but because they feel hopeless, lonely, or burdensome. As Catholics, we are called to see every person as God sees them and to respond with care and compassion.
In the Parish Guide, you will find Mass Announcements, Bulletin Inserts, Homily Ideas, and Prayers of the Faithful.
There is a short video that you can show at the beginning of Mass to get people interested in attending a one-hour video and having a conversation that you can host using the Facilitation Guide Resource above. The Short Video is found below.
Week 2: Personal Advocacy – Advocating for Your Care
This week’s actions focus on supporting those who are suffering and advocating for compassionate care for our end-of-life wishes by printing off and encouraging your parishioners to read through and fill out the CHAS Faith-Based Final Care Directive.
We also encourage prayer. You can use the multi-lingual Rosary video that helps us to pray with more of our Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Regina. Video is below. Consider having this rosary before or after Mass.
Week 3: Community Support – Hope in Life & Death
Encourage a parish culture of compassionate presence and introduce tools for learning how to accompany others well.
Participate in or host the CCCB “Horizons of Hope” series. Contact Leona Burkhart if your parish wants to host at: [email protected]
3-Part Dying with Christ, Living with Hope Video Series, Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) Canada is offering Train-the-Trainer sessions to help prepare facilitators for the “Living with Christ, Dying in Hope” video series. Register for Train-the-Trainers. Either May 8, 15, and 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET or June 26, July 3, and 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET
Pray a Novena: On Friday, May 23rd will be nine days before the Feast of the Visitation. Visit respectlife.org/visitation. For free printable Novena resources click here to download a PDF.
Week 4: Legislative Advocacy – Speaking Up for Life
Inspire parishioners to take meaningful public action to support ethical healthcare, protect the vulnerable, and ensure everyone has access to proper care at the end of life.
Send a Letter to your Saskatchewan Health Minister to send a message to your provincial representative urging protection for the vulnerable, protecting healthcare rights and funding for adequate palliative and hospice care.
Share you story if you or a loved one has been affected by MAiD, consider anonymously submitting your story through an Online Portal. These stories help policymakers understand the impact of current laws.
These videos will be up within the first week of May. Sorry for the delay. Editing takes time!
