October is Respect Life Month, and there are many opportutnities to plug into educational, prayerful, and public witnesses to the sanctity of human life within the Diocese of Peoria. Many of them will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5, which is observed as Respect Life Sunday.

Here are links to some of the scheduled activities. To add a local observance not mentioned here, email tdermody@cdop.org.

The annual Respect Life Dinner, a fundraiser for the Family Resources Center, is on Sunday, Oct. 5, in Peoria.

At least 10 communities in central Illinois are conducting Life Chains on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 5.

40 Days for Life campaigns are now under way at three regional locations.

In Galesburg, Kristan Hawkins — president of Students for Life in America — will be featured speaker at the Festival of Life celebrations sponsored Oct. 25-26 by Knox County Right to Life.

Catholic Post editor Tom Dermody challenges all to be a voice for the voiceless victims of abortion in his editorial, “Make Them Hear You.”

“Our mission is to show each person the love of Christ,” writes Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap., head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in his Respect Life Month statement.