Early this year, St. Patrick High School hosted a special Mass dedicated to respecting and defending the sanctity of every human life. Fr. Dominic Clemente delivered a heartfelt homily. After Mass, Ray Pingoy inspired students with a moving message of love and truth, urging the Shamrocks for Life to be steadfast in their defense of the voiceless. With courage and compassion, they are called to stand for life—unwavering in truth, yet always guided by the peace and humility of Christ. Now more than ever, we must be a light in the darkness, speaking truth with love and never backing down in our mission to protect the most vulnerable.

If your High School is interested in hosted a Respect Life Mass, contact Ray Pingoy at: [email protected].

What is ECHO Chicago?

We hope to host a future ECHO Chicago Retreat here in the Archdiocese of Chicago in the near future. At the moment, we are building up a good foundation of Young Adult Leaders through an intensive formation and community building through our New Horizon Young Adult Servant Leadership Series. If you are a young adult desiring to serve the your parish and community in a new dynamic way, then joining the New Horizon Formation may be for you! Contact Blanca Rodriguez and let her know! [email protected]

January 24, 2025

Over four years of being in Marist High School’s Pro-Life Club, I, and the rest of the club, finally got the opportunity to go on the March for Life this January. Before this experience, you really think you are alone in your beliefs. Sure, you have your friends in the club, but in a school of 1600, your group of 20 really feels small. This all changes when you walk over to March. First, you hear it, the numerous talking voices and music blaring from blocks away. Then you see it, the small crowds of people with you that slowly turn into a sea of protesters. Finally, you feel it, you aren’t alone. While on the March there was this kind of beauty, to see so many people, all of which are happy yet have every right not to, be so friendly and energetic yet so very serious about all of it.

The March is a great experience for both the like-minded and those who disagree. We had one student and friend join us who is rather opposite on the issue, yet joined because she was encouraged by a teacher as it would be overall educational. While her views have not changed, she appears to better understand the Pro-Life stance because of the March. On top of this, she, and everyone else, enjoyed the rest of the time at Washington DC, as we got to see museums, memorials, and, what I really enjoyed, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

If someone wishes to go on the March, they should first understand what it means to be Pro-Life. Most people have a vague understanding, believing it just has to do with abortion and nothing more. To be “Pro-Life” is to not only respect the human dignity someone has but to also love the person themself. We have dignity since we were made in the image of God and we are called to love all as Christ did with his life, death, and Resurrection. The beginning of human life, as well as the soul, occurs at conception, as outlined by Pope Saint John Paul II. Though, we must recognize that we cannot just do something since we have the ability to. We can neither unnaturally create life nor can we seek to escape death. We must allow the natural order to be as it is, as this is this the way Our Lord made it to be. I suppose and much shorted definition of being “Pro Life” is obedience to God, as to treat each other any other way than God intended would be wrong.

Wrote by: Anthony Vitellaro, a senior and the leader of the Respect Life Club at Marist High School. He was part of the 2025 National March for Life Pilgrimage to Washington, D.C.
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Be a voice for the voiceless and join us for the Illinois Pro-Life March on Tuesday, March 25 at the Lincoln Statue in front of the Illinois Capitol Building.

Marches for Life have been a powerful witness to the dignity of life in Illinois since the early 1970s. In 2013, the late Francis Cardinal George brought together pro-life organizations across Chicago and Illinois, uniting them in a shared mission to strengthen and expand the March for Life Chicago. His vision laid the foundation for a movement that continues to grow. After the Dobbs decision on June 24, 2022, the March for Life Chicago hosted the first post-Roe March for Life in America.

In 2023 – due to the shifting focus from federal action against abortion to state action following the overturn of Roe v. Wade - the March for Life Chicago formally moved to Springfield, IL and became the Illinois March for Life.

To register, please click Here

Agenda:
10 a.m. – Mass for Life hosted by the Diocese of Springfield 
1 p.m. – The rally
2 p.m. – The march
3 p.m. – Lobbying

For more information, please visit illinoisprolifemarch.com.

Many of our young people are experiencing hurts and confusion that stem from a profound lack of knowledge and security in our true identity as created in God’s image and likeness. Simply put, we have forgotten the immense love that God has for us and how wonderfully He has created us to love and be loved.

St. Pope John Paul II devoted his Wednesday audiences from 1979 to 1984 to present an in-depth biblical explanation of the mystery of marriage and human sexuality. It is these series of Wednesday audiences that is collectively known as the “Theology of the Body.” With this catechesis, we can begin to discover the very structure and deepest reality of our human identity. It is not only a teaching but a gentle yet bold invitation to begin to find our place in the cosmos and begin to penetrate the mystery of the Trinitarian God. The very moment we dive into this rich teaching of our Catholic Church, we will never see the world and our faith the same way again. This life changing catechesis is by no means a departure from the Church’s heritage, but an authentic development of it. Through the “Theology of the Body,” our teens, young adults, and families can discover, pursue, and live out their own individual call to love with Christ’s love.

If you want to learn more, we invite you to explore the “Theology of the Body” with us. Our young people are searching for answers to deep questions like, “Who am I?” and “Where am I called to go?” We recognize the need to bring forth resources to our Schools and Parishes (Catechetical Program, Family Ministry, Young Adults, and Youth Ministry), as well as to equip ourselves to be able to speak to young people with the lens of the “Theology of the Body.” Please visit our website regularly to be informed of Theology of the Body Events and Trainings in and around the Archdiocese of Chicago. And do let us know if you have a Theology of the Body Parish/School events that we can help promote. Please email [email protected] and let her know of the details. We look forward to hearing from you.

New Horizon Young Adult Leadership Formation

Are you longing for authentic relationships? Do you truly know who you are? Are you ready for more? Our current Young Adult Generation is looking for the Church to provide real, tangible, meaningful opportunities for growth. Surely, this generation is wanting their faith to intersect the realities of life and desire to address real life issues.

New Horizon meets a need. For decades, the degradation and pulverization of the human person have left generations lost and in desperate need of direction and clarity. Men and women not only lack understanding of who they are, but also whose they are. Through our New Horizon Leadership Formation program, Echo Community wants to partner with dioceses and parishes to form young adults as the mature Christian disciples and leaders that they desire to be and help remind them of who they are while inviting them into a life fully alive and truly free.

Join in on a journey with other young adults desiring the very same thing: to find authentic friendships centered on Christ and to grow in their faith. New Horizon: Leadership Formation is an integrated 2 year formation program:

• Year one includes weekly formation sessions centered on our four key pillars of formation (outlined above). Young adults who commit to the program will be responsible for attending 40 sessions over the year where they will receive time for prayer, formation, and community. This is not an “at your own pace” formation experience; young adults will be invited into community and journey together in person.
• Year two of the program is no longer centered around formation but evangelization. Young Adults who have completed the first year of the formation program will enter into their second year as Mature Christian Disciples and be sent back into their parishes and communities to evangelize the men and women in their community.

This formation program will greatly help young adults grow in specific areas to become mature Christian disciples. The men and women interested in the program do not need specific skills or qualities to enter into the program – a young adult simply needs to be willing to dedicate the time and have docility to the Holy Spirit.

For more information and to sign up, CLICK HERE. 

If you have further questions, email Blanca Rodriguez.

We hope that you will join in on this great opportunity! Space is limited so do sign up and be counted soon.

The Feminine Genius – Theology of the Body

Join us for a powerful one-day Quinceañera Retreat designed especially for 15-year-old young women, as we dive into the beauty of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and embrace the profound gift of the Feminine Genius. This is a sacred opportunity to discover your identity, dignity, and purpose as a beloved daughter of God. A quinceñera is a significant celebration in the lives of young Latina girls where they transition from being girls to becoming women. This retreat is led by the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Respect Life Ministries – Chastity Education Initiative team alongside their Young Adult Leaders who have undergone an extensive Theology of the Body formation.

We will provide talks on modesty, chastity, womanhood, and encouraging the development of a personal relationship with Christ.

We will be providing a space for encounter with other quinceañeras around the Chicagoland area.
This will be a great opportunity for sisterhood between our young adult leaders and the quinceañeras to gather and open their lives, hearts, and minds and share their experiences with one another.

We pray that this retreat will guide these young girls towards the love of Christ who is the only one who can help us feel authentically loved and fulfilled.

We ask that at least one parent/guardian of each young woman participate in the morning formation and reflection, as your involvement is an essential part of the experience.

Dates and Venue to be announced in the near future.

If interested, join our waiting list by emailing Blanca Rodriguez at [email protected].

Our Parish Partner in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Melrose Park, IL will be hosting a Quinceanera Retreat on May 31st. If you are interested in joining the retreat, call this number to register: 708.344.4140.