Four people will be honored Jan. 22 with the 13th annual St. John Paul II Champions for Life Awards, which recognize individuals who strive to protect life at all stages. Awardees are Kate Fischer, a parishioner of Nativity of our Lord in St. Paul; Art and Mary Lou Junker, parishioners of St. Mary in Stillwater; and Ruby Kubista, a parishioner of St. Agnes in St. Paul.

A luncheon for the award winners usually is held in October, Respect Life Month. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s winners will receive their award at the Jan. 22 Prayer Service for Life at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

The awards are an initiative of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life.

“We ask for nominations for those who love and respect and promote life, … St. John Paul II’s Gospel of life,” said Nancy Schulte Palacheck, the archdiocese’s family and laity outreach coordinator. “These award recipients deserve to be recognized for their tireless work on respect life issues.”

Kate Fischer, 67, will receive the Pro-Life Volunteer Award. Raised in a pro-life family, she recalled her “encounter with life” started at age 20 in a college biology class. It prompted her to think about babies’ development in the womb. When Roe vs. Wade was in the news and abortion became legal in 1973, she felt called to get involved in promoting life. Fischer first worked at Birthright, where she learned that many women did not want an abortion but felt pressured due to a difficult pregnancy or crisis. Birthright counselors helped the women find needed resources.

As a young wife and mother, Fischer started a 30-year commitment to volunteer at Cradle of Hope, which financially supports pregnant women in need. She started as a volunteer reviewing applications and approving funds because it was something she could do at home while raising young children. Moved to do more, Fischer took Pro-Life Action Ministry’s training for sidewalk counseling. She prays outside a Planned Parenthood location for two hours every week. She has been inspired by the Rev. Walter Hoye, an African American Baptist minister who was incarcerated in California for praying and counseling outside a local abortion clinic.

Art and Mary Lou Junker, both 78, will receive the award for couple, family or Catholic-affiliated Group. The Junkers were instrumental in starting the first crisis pregnancy center in Stillwater, where Mary Lou served as its first director. Staunch pro-life advocates at their home parish, they also initiated joining forces with parishioners of St. Michael in Stillwater and St. Charles in Bayport. They have both served in various roles for the three parishes’ Respect Life Committee. Mary Lou currently serves as secretary.

The Junkers were among those who founded a Minnesota Citizens for Life (MCCL) chapter in the St. Croix Valley. Mary Lou was a volunteer for the local Birthright International pregnancy help line support organization and helped implement the archdiocese’s Community Caring for Life program at St. Mary. The couple provides many pro-life resources for the parish library and at the church entrances. During respect life month, Mary Lou’s nominator said she creates “amazing displays on pretty much every topic pertaining to human dignity.”

After serving as director of the St. Croix Valley Life Care Center for 12 years, Mary Lou received the Caritas Award for Christian Charity in 2001 from the life care center’s board of directors.

Ruby Kubista, 84, is being honored as the person who embodies consistent life ethics. Her pro-life activities have included serving as a delegate to political conventions to champion pro-life causes. She also arranged for doctors and nurses to speak at churches and schools about abortion. Kubista started volunteering with Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life in 1979, paying her expenses to manage booths at a wide variety of pro-life, political and public gatherings.

She became an MCCL employee in 1984, organizing the MCCL booths at all 83 county fairs in Minnesota, and is the main contact person for more than 200 chapters in the state. Kubista has served as chapter coordinator for more than 40 years. Kubista also coordinates the MCCL Fall Tour, motivating volunteers to host pro-life gatherings in dozens of towns across Minnesota.

As a former teacher and mother of 10, she discovered a need for materials for children to learn about life issues. She authored “My Mom and Me,” a 36-page activity-coloring booklet about how babies grow in the womb and care they need after birth. She also authored word games and crossword puzzles. The materials are sold at county fair booths and on the MCCL website.

Years ago, Kubista worked with St. Agnes’ high school English-speech teacher who trained students to become effective speakers and encouraged them to enter pro-life oratory contests to spread the pro-life message to others.