In the summer of 2024, Bishop Earl Fernandes asked me to become the Vicar for Catholic Social Doctrine and Director of the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Columbus. These two roles are complementary in that the pro-life office forms part of the Vicariate for Catholic Social Doctrine. What was once the Department of Catholic Social Concerns is now a vicariate of three departments – the Department for Pro-Life Ministries, the Department of Catholic Charities and the Department of Catholic Advocacy and Social Doctrine.
The focus of these departments is our mission to recognize and support the dignity of every person from conception until natural death regardless of their state in life. ALL of us are equal before God and all of us are worthy of respect, love and service. Our role is to advocate, support and defend that dignity through witness, service and catechesis.
As Pope Leo XIV noted:
“While awaiting the Lord’s glorious return, we must not live a life closed in on ourselves, in a religious seclusion that isolates us from others and from history. On the contrary, seeking the Kingdom of God implies the desire to transform human coexistence into a space of fraternity and dignity for all, without exception. There is a constant danger of living like distracted wanderers, unconcerned about the final destination and uninterested in those who share the journey with us.” — Homily for the Jubilee of the Poor, Nov. 16, 2025.
So, how do these departments work and what is their focus?
The pro-life department works to build a culture of life in our society and to support pro-life ministry throughout the diocese. We work with parish respect life coordinators, Catholic schools and non-diocesan pro-life groups and are establishing our own programming and initiatives. This is now counter-cultural because so many have turned away from the Gospel. Human life is now devalued in so many ways and is often treated as expendable and only valued when it is of advantage to us.
Catholic Charities works to provide practical help and support that is firmly rooted in the Gospel and reflective of our Catholic values and concerns. We reach out to help others experience the love and compassion of Christ, and to discover Him for themselves. Charity must always be more than simply helping people with their material needs. It must also lead others into the Kingdom by witnessing to the power of Christ’s love and sacrifice. New initiatives are being worked on to make our reach more impactful and to recognize that we must go out to others on the peripheries to serve so that the Gospel is proclaimed to everyone in our diocese.
Catholic Advocacy and Social Doctrine help us to be heard in the public square and to serve those who are often neglected and forgotten, pushed to one side because we don’t want to think about them being part of us.
The department serves the incarcerated by providing access to the sacraments, is involved in the fight against human trafficking and undertakes advocacy on behalf of the diocese at the Statehouse and with the Catholic Conference of Ohio. Support is also provided for pastors and parishes in deepening our understanding of the rich heritage of Catholic Social Doctrine that has been passed on to us.
Together, the Diocese of Columbus, under the leadership of Bishop Fernandes, continues to proclaim that the culture of life can overcome the culture of death.
Together, we remind all people that life is to be cherished, valued and supported. Other people, regardless of their stage in life, age or ability, are an end to themselves. Everyone has the right to be loved, valued, supported and raised up from conception until natural death. No one is ever beyond the pail of God’s mercy, and no one is disposable. We must never treat others as simply a means of resolving our problems or as strangers to be ignored or abused.
Like John the Baptist, we are called to be “voice of one crying in the wilderness” that is the culture of death. Together, we must prepare a way for the Lord in which every person is respected and valued.
Being pro-life means valuing life at every stage, unequivocally and unapologetically. Caring for the weak, the poor, the marginalized, the abused, and the weakest and most innocent, born and unborn children, is a responsibility. We must build a civilization of love and respond to violence with love and forgiveness.
