For Laura Acosta, a parishioner at Holy Cross in Thornton, saving the lives of the most vulnerable through prayer has become not only her life’s mission but also a fundamental part of her faith and her relationship with God.

Even though she didn’t always have a clear sense of her mission in life, over the past few years, Acosta has dedicated herself to educating others about the pro-life cause and to sharing this information with the community.

She came to realize what abortion really is and the devastating effects it has on our society through a talk in Apostles of the Word, a ministry she was involved in at the time. She was so impacted that she decided then and there to get involved in the pro-life movement and began her own battle to defend the lives of the most vulnerable: children in their mother’s womb.

“I was very ignorant on the topic,” Acosta recalled of her beginning with the pro-life movement and her need to get educated on the topic. “That’s when the desire to speak about what happens to children in their mother’s womb arose.”

In addition to not being informed about the issue, Acosta carried the sorrow of not being able to become a mother herself after several failed attempts.

Even still, she transformed the painful burden into a motivation to stand up for the lives of the unborn, coming to understand that the mission God had given her lay not in motherhood but rather in giving her valuable time in defense of the dignity of human life.

Acosta began volunteering with Respect Life Denver, a ministry of Catholic Charities, which advocates for the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Soon after, with the support of her parish pastor, Father Warli Castro, she began a pro-life group at her parish.

“This ministry and the homilies at Mass have helped me to understand what God wants for each person, why he has created us, why we are here. They’ve also helped me to understand the incredible love God has for us, even before we were conceived in our mother’s womb,” she said.

Some time later, the pro-life group connected with Prayer in the Square, a lay movement in the Archdiocese of Denver dedicated to praying for the most vulnerable, including the persecuted and the unborn, according to the movement’s website.

In addition to the parish pro-life group, Acosta brings a group to pray outside Planned Parenthood clinics once a month.

“Being present there, we are giving testimony to our prophetic responsibility. Through the prayers we offer and by our presence there, we give testimony that there are serious injustices being committed there and that innocent lives are dying inside there,” Acosta shared. “We are there, too, to accompany those children in their last moments.”

Acosta attributes much of her pro-life knowledge and commitment to Maria Elisa Olivas, youth ministry specialist for the Archdiocese of Denver and former community coordinator for Catholic Charities, who gave the first talk Acosta heard about abortion.

“In my time supporting the pro-life ministry, it was an honor to work with leaders like Laura, who are passionate about the gospel of human dignity. Laura was a dynamo in mobilizing her community to pray on the first Saturday of the month. I’m grateful to God for Laura’s love for life,” Maria Elisa shared.

Today, Acosta desires to expand the pro-life ministry to include more people, especially in the Hispanic community, where she says the topic of abortion is often taboo.

“Each one of us has the responsibility to protect life,” Acosta said, inviting others to speak openly about abortion and its consequences. “By addressing these topics, parents will be able to talk to their children about the Catholic faith.”

 “God has called me to serve this ministry because this ministry has given me more than I could have ever given it,” she concluded.

For her dedication and commitment to the pro-life movement, Laura Acosta has been recognized as this month’s Disciple of the Month. Through her profound devotion to the dignity of human life, she has been a blessing to the archdiocesan community.

Congratulations, Laura, for being the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month!

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Do you know someone who is an exceptional steward? Nominate them here, and they could become the next Disciple of the Month!

Congratulations, Chas, for being named the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month! 

Do you know someone who is an exceptional steward? Nominate them here, and they could become the next Disciple of the Month!

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