Diocesan Events

The Annual Pro-Life Essay Contest is sponsored to raise awareness of the wide-ranging cultural effects of the United States Supreme Court decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton (January 22, 1973), by which induced abortion was made legal, for virtually any reason, at any time in the nine months of pregnancy up until this national law was overturned in June 2022.  Students in grades 6-12 who are enrolled at any Catholic school or parish religious education program in the diocese or are members of any diocesan parish are eligible to enter. Essays will be grouped and judged in two categories according to grade level: grades 6, 7, and 8 comprise the first category, and grades 9-12 comprise the second category. The essay should be 300-400 words in length for Category One and 400-600 words in length for Category Two. School essays are to be judged upon the following (factual and motivational – 80%) and style (punctuation, grammar, etc. – 20%). As always, essays received by us must be in full compliance with church teaching or they will be immediately disqualified.