In a brief statement for Respect for Life Month (October), the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities wrote that “as part of the Year of St. Joseph declared by Pope Francis, this year’s celebration highlights the example of that great saint.”

“Like St. Joseph, we are also called to care for those God has entrusted to us–especially vulnerable mothers and children,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann. “We can follow in the footsteps of St. Joseph as protector by advocating against taxpayer-funded abortion, which targets the lives of millions of poor children and their mothers here in the United States. We can imitate his care and provision by helping to start Walking with Moms in Need at our parishes, ‘walking in the shoes’ of mothers experiencing a difficult pregnancy, especially low-income mothers in our communities.”