On this page:

I. Education
II. Prayer
III. Public Policy
IV. Financial Contributions

I. Education

Bishops' Workshop on Medical-Moral Issues
In order to present the Church's position on biomedical and health issues in the public forum clearly and faithfully, bishops, priests and other experts need to be trained adequately. To that end, the Knights of Columbus underwrites the bishops' workshop on medical-moral issues held every other year in Dallas by the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston.

Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
Since 1988, the Knights of Columbus has sponsored the North American session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family in Washington, D.C. Annually, dozens of students graduate from the institute with advanced degrees in the Church's teaching on marriage and family life and begin careers in diocesan family life offices or other institutions where they can impart to others the power and beauty of the Gospel of Life.

Columbia Magazine
Regularly, Columbia magazine publishes pro-life features in addition to columns and stories that promote family.

Running of the Silver Rose
The Silver Rose program features a sculpted silver rose carried by Knights from Canada, through the United States, to Mexico, bringing the Culture of Life message on its journey. The silver rose is received at councils and parishes along its way and Masses and prayer services are offered. Special border ceremonies with Fourth Degree honor guards are held when the rose is transferred from one state to another. The Silver Rose program is a sign of the Order's unity on life issues.

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II. Prayer

Day of the Unborn Child
This international program is held annually on March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. Focusing on the pro-life meaning of the Annunciation, councils hold pro-life prayer services. In 2003, the Supreme Council sponsored a Holy Hour in St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, that was broadcast live by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).

Respect Life Month
The Order collaborates with the Pro-Life Secretariat of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the observance of October as "Respect Life Month." The Order distributes the Respect Life Program folder to thousands of Knights of Columbus leaders to assist them with pro-life programming on the local level. The Order also provides substantial annual funding for the U.S. bishops' public information and education office and the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning. Funding is also provided to the bishops' conferences of Canada, Mexico and the Philippines for pro-life and family projects.

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III. Public Policy

Culture of Life Legislative Initiative
As Catholics, Knights of Columbus have the responsibility to work for the common good of society. Catholics--and especially Knights--must, in the words of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and a privilege, but as an opportunity to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every voice counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power." The Culture of Life Legislative Initiative seeks to assist councils in becoming more effective in the public sphere.

Legislative Priorities
The Legislative Priorities section of this website informs our membership on vital issues and enables them, directly from the site, to contact their senators and representative.

Vote Pro-Life
Led by the Fourth Degree, the Order encourages its own members--and all people--to vote pro-life. The Knights of Columbus feels that the right to life is not a partisan issue, but rather the pre-eminent moral issue of our time.

A United Nations Non-Governmental Organization
The United Nations has granted the Knights of Columbus status as a nongovernmental organization (NGO). This designation entitles the Order to participate in U.N. conferences and activities at a variety of levels.

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IV. Financial Contributions

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pro-Life Secretariat
• The New York State Catholic Conference pro-life legislative initiatives
• Canada's Catholic Office of Life and Family
• The Mexican Bishops' Conference
• The Archdiocese of Mexico pro-life campaign
• The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
• Americans United for Life in Chicago
• Life Athletes
• Birthright USA
• The National Life Center
• The Nurturing Network
• The Human Life Foundation
• Seminarians for Life
• March for Life

Recommended Pro-Life Links

A listing of recommended pro-life websites.

Uncompromisingly pro-life, the Knights of Columbus is pleased to point to other, more specialized organizations that carry on the cause of life.

NCCB Secretariat for Pro-life
The NCCB Pro-Life Secretariat is the arm of the U.S. Bishops' Conference that conducts a broad-based information and education effort, in the Church and in society, to deepen respect for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Its mission is to act, in light of the Gospel of Life, to protect all human life, especially the unborn, disabled, elderly and dying.

Priests for Life
Priests for Life is an officially approved association of Catholic clergy that assists other clergy in addressing life issues. Priests for Life adds both an authoritative voice and a sacrificial power to the pro-life cause.

Birthright
Birthright began in Toronto, in 1968, when Louise Summerhill determined to help women through an unplanned pregnancy. The Toronto center quickly grew into Birthright International, the world's first international crisis pregnancy service, which now has about 500 chapters worldwide, including 70 in Canada, 450 in the United States, and others in South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and Hong Kong.

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March for Life
The March for Life began in Washington, D.C., in 1974 to peacefully protest the Supreme Court's infamous Roe v. Wade decision which decriminalized abortion. Each year on January 22, thousands of pro-life Americans, led by March for Life president Nellie Gray, march in Washington, D.C. In addition, the March for Life Fund engages in year-round educational activities and sponsors student contests, the "Say It With Roses" campaign, and the Rose Dinner.

National Right to Life
The National Right to Life Committee (U.S.) is the largest pro-life organization in the United States, with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. NRLC works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, euthanasia, infanticide and assisted suicide.

Life Athletes
Life Athletes is a coalition of more than 200 professional and Olympic athletes who teach and inspire others to respect life and live lives of virtue and sexual abstinence. Life Athletes was founded as an independent, athlete-directed, non-profit organization in 1992.

The Vatican Web Site
The Gospel of Life is found in the teaching of Christ and His Church. The Vatican web site is a repository of Church documents and other information.

Susan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List has a remarkable tool that allows visitors to send messages directly to their Members of Congress, asking for support of pro-life legislation. You don't even have to know who your Member is, all you need to do is type in your address. Sample letters are included! The Susan B. Anthony List also trains pro-life activists and candidates, works to dispel the myths about abortion, and is trying to increase the percentage of pro-life women in Congress (through their Candidate Fund).