LAKE CHARLES – The annual Diocese of Lake Charles Respect Life Banquet on Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Lake Charles Civic Center features guest speaker Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse and the presentation of the “Pro Vita” awards, recognizing the work and service of people of the diocese in pro-life activities, will also take place.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with silent auction items available for bid. The dinner is 6:30 p.m. and Dr. Morse will speak at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 each and a table for eight can be purchased for $400.
To purchases tickets call 337-439-7400 for Caroline Matt; e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or online with a credit card or e-check.
A number of diocesan pro-life ministries, including Rachel’s Vineyard, The Gabriel Project, youth pilgrims traveling to the annual March for Life gathering in Washington DC, and a new pro-life project Grief to Grace, which will be introduced at the banquet, are benefitted by the proceeds from this event.
Dr. Morse is the founder and president of the Ruth Institute, a global non-profit organization, dedicated to creating a Christ-like solution to family breakdown. She earned her doctorate in Economics at the University of Rochester in 1980 and taught economics at Yale University and George Mason University. She has served as a Research Fellow for the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty and has held fellowships at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Cornell Law School, and the University of Chicago’s Economics Department.
She has authored several books and spoken around the globe on marriage, family and sexuality and was named one of the “Catholic Stars of 2013” by Our Sunday Visitor – a list that also included Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI.
Awards will be given in the categories of the laity – adult man or woman – and a youth. The winners will have exemplified the characteristics of carrying out this important reality.
Rachel’s Vineyard is a weekend retreat program offered to men and women harmed by the abortion experience. The Gabriel Project provides a 24-hour hotline staffed by volunteers as well as spiritual and emotional support for unwed mothers and those facing difficult pregnancies as well as baby items that the mother might need. For information on Grief to Grace (a new program of the Office of Pro-Life), Rachel’s Vineyard retreats, and the Gabriel Project, call 337-439-7400, Ext. 317.