The Bishop Dunne Catholic School Respect For Life Club promotes awareness on pro-life issues on campus and in the community. (JENNA TETER/The Texas Catholic)
By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
An outgrowth of the school’s campus ministry program, the Bishop Dunne Catholic School Respect For Life Club is witnessing increased growth in both participation and activity.
Catarina Torres, who serves as the club’s advisor, said the group’s mission is simple: education.
“We want to educate fellow students and the Bishop Dunne community members about protecting life from womb to tomb,” Torres said. “We want to represent Bishop Dunne in the broader community at Life events — from the March for Life to prayer services for those on death row.”
Torres credits the students’ passion for helping the club to achieve those goals.
“The students really drive the progress of the group,” she said. “They are passionately dedicated to keeping an open conversation with fellow students about issues like abortion and immigration, homelessness and the death penalty and are constantly challenging themselves and others to be engaged in making a difference.”
Club members are more than just talk. Torres said the group stays active around campus, making educational posters about upcoming executions and early development of life, participating in March for Life and the Youth Prayer Rally in south Dallas, participating in Catholic Advocacy Day and learning about the ways the Catholic Church is involved in protecting and promoting life at the legislative level. Some students also participated in a walk against bullying.
“Our great students also often make an effort to engage with fellow students about life issues in a compassionate and caring way,” Torres said. “The Respect For Life group really wants to grow and expand our efforts in creative ways.”
Sophomore Julia Santos is president of the Respect For Life Club at Bishop Dunne.
“The club is like a really big family, and I really enjoy being able to go to all the events with them,” Santos said. “It’s really nice to be able to work together with them and pray with them.”
In January, Santos joined six other Bishop Dunne students in a 26-hour trek to Washington, D.C. to walk in the annual March for Life. The group traveled with a group from Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville.
Freshman Katie Picha said the trip allowed her to stand up for a cause she cares about strongly.
“Dr. Seuss is famous for saying, ‘A person is a person, no matter how small,’ ” Picha said. “We got the chance to speak for those who do not have voices.”
Santos and Picha were joined on the trip by Bishop Dunne Assistant Campus Minister Nicholas Brandt as well as seniors Amanda Monsalve and Naomi Hayes, juniors America Molina and Krystal Garcia and freshman Lindy Litzenberg.
“I believe the four days had a lasting impact on our students,” Brandt said. “I know they certainly did for me.”
Santos, though, said the club is focused on more than just abortion awareness.
“Our focus is on life from conception to death,” she said. “We respect all life.”
