Office for Human Life - Diocese of Cleveland

05/28/2026

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in our Diocesan Social Action Office - Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland & Office for Human Life's first-ever "All Life, One Faith" Town Hall gatherings over the past month.

Across four evenings, we were blessed to welcome participants from 40 different parishes and organizations throughout the Diocese of Cleveland for intentional conversation, listening, and relationship-building. We are especially grateful to our host sites for their generous hospitality:

📍 St. Mary Parish (Elyria)
📍 Center for Pastoral Leadership (Wickliffe)
📍 Church of the Resurrection (Solon)
📍 Holy Martyrs Parish (Medina)

These gatherings were meant to remind all of us that while we may be called to different ministries and apostolates, we are united by a shared commitment to uphold the dignity of every human person and to serve the common good.

Thank you for helping us begin this conversation. We look forward to continuing to learn from one another, strengthen partnerships, and discover new ways to live out the Gospel of Life together. Please connect with us if you'd like to learn more or are interested in future gatherings of this nature.

Read more about the gatherings here:
https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/2026/05/27/town-hall-meetings-begin-conversation-resource-sharing-collaboration

[image:2] A series of four regional gatherings this month brought together clergy, parish staffs, ministry leaders, parishioners and others for small-group conversations, resource sharing, networking opportunities, reflection, discernment and prayer. “This can’t be a one and done,” said Tony D...

04/28/2026

“All Life, One Faith.”

Across our diocese, so many are already doing incredible work, protecting, promoting, and serving human life & dignity. But too often, that work happens in isolation.

On May 5 at St. Mary Parish (Elyria), in grateful partnership with Diocesan Social Action Office - Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, we are creating space to come together—not for a lecture or debate—but for conversation, connection, and encounter.

This evening is an invitation to recognize what unites us:
a shared mission to protect and promote the dignity of every human life.

What to expect:
• Small-group conversations
• Resource sharing
• Meaningful connections across ministries
• Space for reflection and discernment

🕖 7:00–8:30 PM (arrival begins at 6:30)
🎟 Free event – all are welcome, but you are especially encouraged to join if you live and belong to parishes on the West-Side.

There’s still time to register: https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/events/2026/05/05/all-life-one-faith-spring-regional-townhall-conversations

If you are unable to make 5/5's gathering, there will still be 3 other opportunities throughout the Month of May!

All Life, One Faith: Spring Regional Gatherings for Collaboration, Conversation, and Resource Sharing Join us this spring for a series of regional gatherings bringing together parish leaders, ministry volunteers, and anyone passionate about protecting and promoting the dignity of every human life. W...

04/24/2026

Yesterday (4/23), cleveland.com reported on new legislation being introduced in the Ohio General Assembly that would seek to legalize physician’s assisted su***de in our state. This development speaks to important—and deeply human—questions about suffering, dignity, and care at the end of life.

As Catholics, we begin with a simple but profound conviction: dignity is not something we lose—it is something we are given. Even in moments of illness, dependence, or deep suffering, every human life remains sacred—never disposable.

Such a moment calls us, as Catholics and people of good will, not only to reflect, but to respond—with compassion, clarity, and accompaniment. We in the Office for Human Life would invite you to consider educating yourselves and your loved ones regarding “Physician’s Assisted Su***de.” To assist you, we suggest the following simple actions:

📖 Read our brief overview: “Physician-Assisted Su***de: What Catholics Should Know”—a pastoral introduction to the issue and Church teaching. Contact our office to obtain a PDF copy.

🤝 Learn from Church Teaching: using Samaritanus Bonus, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s letter on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life (published: 2020). We’d love to host a group discussion and study of this essential document. Please click here if you are interested.

👉 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ZPg8yvi7dy

🌎 Learn from others—including initiatives like "Dying to Meet You," created by Canadian-Catholic activist, Amanda Achtman which seek to renew and humanize our conversations about “suffering, death, meaning, and hope.” Amanda’s site provides powerful, personal videos that are worth the watch! Click here to access:

👉 https://www.dyingtomeetyou.com/videos

In a culture that can sometimes reduce people to their usefulness or independence, we are called to something greater— to be a people who accompany, who stay, and who love through suffering.
This is not just a policy conversation. It is a question of who we are for one another. As Pope Francis reminds us: “It is not ‘progressive’ to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life.”

Let us continue to pray, to learn, and to respond with both truth and tenderness— so that no one faces suffering alone.

04/17/2026

No Mother Walks Alone | St. Gianna Novena (WWMIN)

Starting this Sunday (4/19), join thousands in praying for pregnant and parenting moms in need.

St. Gianna—wife, mother, and physician—witnessed to the beauty and dignity of every human life, even in the midst of suffering.

📩 Sign up for daily novena prayers:
https://www.walkingwithmoms.com/saint-gianna-novena

Let’s pray… and continue building a Church where every mother is seen, supported, and loved.

03/27/2026

Last week, we were honored to partner with Catholic Mobilizing Network, John Carroll University, and Ursuline College for two powerful conversations on ending Ohio’s death penalty.

Through the witnesses of Elwood Jones, Sister Maureen McCarthy, OSU, and Sister Rita Mary Harwood, SND, we encountered stories marked by profound suffering—but also by faith, mercy, and the possibility of healing. Their testimony reminds us that even in the face of violence and injustice, the Gospel calls us to break cycles of harm, not perpetuate them.

As Catholics, our commitment to life does not stop at one issue—it flows from a deeper truth: every human life is sacred, and every person is capable of redemption.

This same vision is at the heart of current advocacy efforts like House Bill 72, which seeks to ensure that Ohio does not use public funds to take human life—whether through abortion, assisted su***de, or the death penalty.

📖 Read more about the event and these powerful testimonies here:
https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/2026/03/26/stories-of-life-loss-and-mercy-share-catholic-conversation-on-ending-ohios-death-penalty

📣 Learn more about CMN’s work to end the death penalty.

✉️ Consider taking action by contacting your state legislators in support of life-affirming policies. Visit Catholic Conference of Ohio to learn more ().

Let’s continue to build a culture of life rooted not in fear or punishment, but in justice, mercy, and hope.

03/25/2026

Today we mark the 31st anniversary of Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”), issued by Pope John Paul II on March 25, 1995. This landmark encyclical reminds us that the dignity of every human life—from conception to natural death—is sacred and inviolable. As St. John Paul II boldly proclaimed: “Respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life!”

On this anniversary, we invite you to revisit and study this powerful call to build a culture of life—one that reflects a truly consistent ethic of life in our world today.

📖 Explore the USCCB study guide:
https://www.usccb.org/resources/gospel-life-study-guide

03/24/2026

Today, the Church remembers St. Oscar Romero—a shepherd who gave his life proclaiming the dignity of every human person.

His witness challenges us still.

In a world where it is easy to look away, Romero reminds us that discipleship demands more: to see, to speak, and to act. To recognize that every human life—at every stage and in every circumstance—is sacred and worthy of protection.

Join the COAR Peace Mission to celebrate and honor the feast day of St. Oscar Romero and all those who work to keep his legacy alive in El Salvador:

📍St. Barnabas Parish (Northfield)
⏱️7:00pm

Also livestreamed at coarpeacemission.org

🙏St. Oscar Romero, pray for us.

03/17/2026

Are you free tomorrow evening at 7:00pm?!
Catholic Mobilizing Network Diocesan Social Action Office - Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland Parish Life Office

Click here for more information:
https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/events/2026/03/18/stories-of-life-loss-and-mercy-a-catholic-conversation-on-ending-ohios-death-penalty

03/13/2026

Honoring Women’s History Month | International Women’s Day (celebrated this past March 8th)

This month, the Church, along with broader society, gives thanks for the countless ways women shape the life of the world and the life of the Church.

From mothers and daughters, to educators, leaders, consecrated women, and women serving in every profession—women bring what St. John Paul II called the “feminine genius,” a unique capacity to recognize the dignity of the human person and to care for others with attentiveness of heart.

Pope Francis reminds us that the Church herself is described in feminine terms—the Bride of Christ, a mother who nurtures life and faith. When women’s gifts are welcomed and their voices are heard, the Church more fully reflects the beauty of the Gospel.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we give thanks for the women who have formed us, inspired us, and continue to witness to the dignity of every human life through their leadership, compassion, and faith.

May we continue working together to ensure that the gifts and leadership of women are welcomed in our homes, workplaces, communities, and in the life of the Church.

03/12/2026