The Immense Gift of Motherhood
Strengthen Pro-Life Values at Home with This Family-Oriented Program
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
For more than 12 years, American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program has served parents, teachers, and students by providing authentically Catholic pro-life materials for kids in preK-12th grade. What began as just a small program has grown exponentially, and now these downloadable lesson booklets (most of which have an imprimatur and a nihil obstat) are used by thousands of parents across the world.
It all started in 2014 when a group of educators and homeschool moms saw the need for Catholic pro-life education. They searched for a program that would teach children the sanctity of life from creation until death and that would uphold the value and dignity of all human beings, but nothing like that existed. So under the guidance of Judie Brown, president of American Life League, they created one.
With a mission to “create a world in which God’s word is resolutely proclaimed and willingly embraced; the institutions of sacramental marriage and family are protected and fostered; and all human beings are treated with respect, dignity, and love from the moment of creation until death,” CLSP set out to establish something unique.
And it has succeeded.
As Judie Brown said, “The Culture of Life Studies Program provides the educational tools we need to teach our children to respect all human beings as a gift from God. When children are taught at a young age to understand that every human being’s life is a blessing, they grow up with the strength to defend others.”
Teaching pro-life values
In a fun and engaging way, these age-appropriate lesson booklets teach the fundamentals of Catholic pro-life values. Beginning with preK, the program teaches that all people are valuable. It helps young students see the wonder of the preborn baby and the beauty of all members of the family—young and old. It teaches them that people with disabilities are just as special and wonderful as they are, and it shows them ways they can defend their peers and even people they may not know. Each lesson helps lay the foundation that future lessons build upon.
The program then begins introducing the saints, including John Bosco, Carlo Acutis, Ignatius of Loyola, Thérèse of Lisieux, our Blessed Mother, and more, to give students holy role models. These booklets provide concrete examples for students as they learn to emulate real people who served others, shined the light of Christ, and worked hard to change the culture.
Only as children grow do the booklets talk about threats to life, such as euthanasia and abortion. CLSP respects the innocence of each child and understands that these are sensitive topics. Yet its staff also know that they are topics they cannot shy away from. As parents, if we don’t talk to our children about these threats, the world will, and the world will not teach with morality in mind. Thus, when the program does discuss these topics, it incorporates teachings from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, from Bible stories, from the wisdom of subject-matter experts, and from Church tradition.
Knowing that not every parent or teacher has a background in theology or religion, CLSP staff purposely create these booklets so that this expertise is not necessary. Because the booklets provide all the instruction materials, you simply need a willingness to share the love of God and the truths of the Catholic faith. Additionally, all of the booklets include discussion questions and answers, and if ever your kids ask a question that you cannot answer, the staff are just an email away to help!
Building a culture of life
As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children Catholic and pro-life values, for we are naturally our children’s first teachers. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reinforces this truth and explains that “the home is well suited for education in the virtues.”
Indeed, our homes should be like the well-fortified castles of medieval times: impenetrable, safe, and armored. We do this by fortifying from within, by armoring our children with the truths of the faith, and by keeping the outside world from poisoning their minds.
Jesus once told His disciples, “Let the children come to Me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
It is our job to get our children to heaven and to help them become saints. Their journey begins in the home, and it begins with quality education in Catholic pro-life truths.
For more information or to download CLSP lesson booklets, visit cultureoflifestudies.com.
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About the Author
Susan Lochner Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame and an MLS from Indiana University. She has worked as a writer and editor since 2003; nearly 17 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the director and executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization. Susan has written hundreds of Catholic and secular articles and has edited nearly two dozen books.
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