38th Annual Respect Life Essay Contest

Theme: St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Child

The Respect Life Essay Contest is an annual event for students in grades K-12 in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, with grade-appropriate prompts around a specific theme each year (based on Catholic social justice teachings, more here).

All students that live and/or attend school in the Archdiocese of San Francisco can participate, including those in Catholic school, public school, and home school. This year will mark 37 years of this essay being held in our Archdiocese.

This contest is a gentle way of raising awareness about different topics that pertain to the dignity of the human person. This year’s contest theme is “St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Child“.

This is a great opportunity for students to show their creativity in writing and drawing. Past themes have included “Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the Unborn”, “Open Wide your hearts; Pastoral Letter against Racism”, “Life is a Blessing: The Dignity of Children with Down syndrome”, “Adoption as a concrete way of Love”, “Respecting and Loving Our Elderly”; to name a few.

Please continue to scroll down to find downloadable instructions.

Alternatively, you can find all instructions on this site, including links and videos to be used. We look forward to your participation! If you have any questions, contact prolife@sfarch.org.

Special Mass and Awards Ceremony

A Special Mass and Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday April 25, 2027, beginning with Mass at 11a.m.

Information will be updated on the site as the date for the Mass approaches.

We are grateful to United for Life of Northern California for donating the prize money for the essay contest.

2028 Respect Life Essay Contest Guidelines, Prompts and Questions

The videos and other resources are attached below. Entries are due by January 23, 2027. A perfect time to do this is during Respect Life month in October.  However, you are welcome to submit your entries at any time between August 1, 2026 and January 22nd, 2027. 

Please send all entries to:
Respect Life Program, Office of Human Life & Dignity Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94I09

Essays should be postmarked by Friday, January 22nd, 2027. 

Guidelines, Prompts
and Questions


submission
form


2027 essay
contest flyer


submission
instructions

A Special Mass and Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday April 25, 2027, beginning with Mass at 11a.m.  To RSVP, everyone will go to sfarch.org/event/essaycontest2027 closer to the date to confirm their attendance. Information of the winners will be updated live on the site as the date for the Mass approaches. We are grateful to United for Life of Northern California for donating the prize money for the essay contest.

Videos, Prompts and Questions

• Students in Grades K-8 are to respond to the directions for the prompt at each grade level.
• Kindergarten through 4th grade: Please do not provide the students with any pre-made pictures for coloring. Please let them create the image themselves.
• Grades 5-8 are required to have an Academic Integrity AI clause.
• Please always add quotation marks in any material children copy from an outside source.

Grades K-8

Kinder

Watch the cartoon provided titled “Saint Joseph Story for Kids, The Guardian of the Quiet Yes.”

St. Joseph has many titles attributed to him. We want you to focus and choose one of these three titles to draw your image:

1. Guardian of the Catholic Church,
2. Protector of Mary and Jesus,
3. Foster father of Jesus.

How can you draw St. Joseph showing love and protection in one of these roles?

Teachers or parents, ask children to draw St. Joseph in one of the many ways in which we can imitate him.

1st and 2nd Grade

Watch the cartoon provided titled “Saint Joseph Story for Kids, The Guardian of the Quiet Yes.”

St. Joseph has many titles attributed to him. We want you to focus and choose one of these three titles to draw your image:

1. Guardian of the Catholic Church,
2. Protector of Mary and Jesus,
3. Foster father of Jesus.

How can you draw St. Joseph showing love and protection in one of these roles?

Teachers or parents, ask children to draw St. Joseph in one of the many ways in which we can imitate him: Have children write a sentence or two describing their picture.

3rd and 4th Grade

Watch the cartoon provided titled “Saint Joseph Story for Kids, The Guardian of the Quiet Yes.”

St. Joseph has many titles attributed to him. We want you to focus and choose one of these three titles to draw your image:

1. Guardian of the Catholic Church,
2. Protector of Mary and Jesus,
3. Foster father of Jesus.

How can you draw St. Joseph showing love and protection in one of these roles?

Teachers or parents, ask children to draw a comic strip that shows how someone can imitate St. Joseph in one of these three ways. Please remember to write a description (a few lines) on each panel of your comic strip, so we know what each panel on your comic describes.

5th and 6th Grade

Watch the cartoon provided titled “Saint Joseph Story for Kids, The Guardian of the Quiet Yes.” and the other optional video provided below.

Please Reflect the following: “As a Church community, we need to encourage and support men to follow the example of St. Joseph and embrace their various roles as father. Even if a man is not a parent, he is still called to spiritual fatherhood—a fatherhood that fosters others’ relationship with God, protecting them from evil and providing an example of Christ’s love. St. Joseph, himself, was unexpectedly called to both practical and spiritual fatherhood, and amid very difficult circumstances. But despite all obstacles, Joseph was faithful. He welcomed life, offering care and protection to Mary and Jesus.” ***

Prompt: When was there a time you had to be courageous to stand for the protection or dignity of another person?

Or recount a time when someone else behaved courageously to protect another person.

Write 2-3 paragraphs– handwritten or typed.  

Please have students (not the teacher) in grades 5 through 8 handwrite the Academic Integrity AI clause on their information form.

7th and 8th Grade

Watch the cartoon provided titled “Saint Joseph Story for Kids, The Guardian of the Quiet Yes.” and the other optional video provided below.

Please Reflect the following: “As a Church community, we need to encourage and support men to follow the example of St. Joseph and embrace their various roles as father. Even if a man is not a parent, he is still called to spiritual fatherhood—a fatherhood that fosters others’ relationship with God, protecting them from evil and providing an example of Christ’s love.

St. Joseph, himself, was unexpectedly called to both practical and spiritual fatherhood, and amid very difficult circumstances. But despite all obstacles, Joseph was faithful.

He welcomed life, offering care and protection to Mary and Jesus.

Fatherhood has its origins in God, who chose to reveal Himself to us as Our Father, sending his only Son for the sake of our salvation. Fathers therefore have a special role “in revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God” as Pope St. John Paul wrote in his apostolic exhortation on the Christian Family. (Familiaris consortio 25).

Indeed, the role of the father “is of unique and irreplaceable importance” (FC 25).” ***

For example, St Joseph cared for and protected Jesus, the son of God.

Prompt: What are some ways you have experienced the fatherhood of St. Joseph through your father or another father figure (e.g., It could be an uncle, coach, priest, teacher, etc.).

Write (3-4 paragraphs essay) – handwritten or typed.  

Please have students (not the teacher) in grades 5 through 8 handwrite the Academic Integrity AI clause on their information form.

Resources for K-8:

Resources for K-8:

Saint Joseph  | The Guardian of the Quiet Yes

Resource for 5th & Middle School students

Who is St. Joseph (short Aletia) only

High School

Grades 9-12

Reflection: “Fatherhood has its origins in God, who chose to reveal Himself to us as Our Father, sending his only Son for the sake of our salvation. Fathers therefore have a special role “in revealing and in reliving on earth the very fatherhood of God” as Pope St. John Paul II states in his apostolic exhortation on the Christian Family (Familiaris consortio 25).

Indeed, the role of the father “is of unique and irreplaceable importance.” (FC 25).

Although society increasingly tells fathers that they have no say in the lives of their children

before birth and fails to recognize the dynamic and critically important role of fatherhood, it is both a biological and spiritual reality. Pope St. John Paul II said fathers are called to exhibit “generous responsibility for the life conceived under the heart of the mother” (FC 25). They are uniquely entrusted with the protection and defense of both mother and child and, in this way, in safeguarding the sanctity of human life. Yet research continues to show that the top reasons women seek abortions include lacking support from the child’s father and financial challenges, which are only exacerbated by a father’s absence.

As a Church community, we need to encourage and support men to follow the example of St. Joseph and embrace their various roles as father. Even if a man is not a parent, he is still called to spiritual fatherhood—a fatherhood that fosters others’ relationship with God, protecting them from evil and providing an example of Christ’s love.

St. Joseph, himself, was unexpectedly called to both practical and spiritual fatherhood, and amid very difficult circumstances. But despite all obstacles, Joseph was faithful. He welcomed life, offering care and protection to Mary and Jesus.” ***  USCCB Action Guide Resource

1. Prompt: Please answer one of the following:
   What are some ways you have experienced the fatherhood of St. Joseph through your father or another father figure (e.g., It could be an uncle, coach, priest, teacher, etc.).
2. Can you think of examples of ways to be supportive of women who are pregnant? For example, how have you in your life been able to be supportive of a pregnant mother you meet in your day-to-day life?

Write (5-7 paragraphs essay) – handwritten.  Please have students handwrite the Academic Integrity AI clause on their information form.

Resources for High School

Resources for High School: 

Saint Joseph  | The Guardian of the Quiet Yes 

Resource for High School:

Who is St. Joseph (short Aletia) only  

Submission Instructions for all students in Grades K-12

All submissions will be judged on the student’s ability to articulate his or her understanding of the issues, the message of the Catholic Church in relation to those issues, his or her own personal commitment to implementing the Church’s message and creativity.

Please send all entries to: Respect Life Program, Office of Human Life & Dignity Archdiocese of San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94I09 Essays should be postmarked by Friday, January 22nd, 2027.

Please do not put the name of the student on the front of the essay. Either attach it to the back of the essay—on the form provided—or print the form provided and staple it to their essay. We need the name of the student, student’s address, telephone number, grade, school, teacher & county.

Please print as legibly as possible so names on awards certificates will be accurate. If the teacher or student would like a copy of the essay, please copy before mailing. Due to the number of essays received, we might not be able to photocopy or return copies of essays.

Please have students in 5-8th and High School handwrite the following Academic Integrity AI clause on the information form included with the essay:

“I honestly attest that my submitted response is my own original work and that I have not copied the work of anyone else or used AI in the generation of this response.”

Categories of Judging

Grade K – Grand Prize $25

First Prize $I0 – one awarded in each County

Grade I- Grand Prize $50

First Prize $25 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grade 2 – Grand Prize $50

First Prize $ 25 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grade 3 — Grand Prize $75

First Prize $25 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grade 4 –Grand Prize $ 75

First Prize $25 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grade 5 — Grand Prize $I00

First Prize $50 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grades 6 –Grand Prize $I00

First Prize $50 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grade 7 — Grand Prize $125

First Prize $75 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Grade 8 — Grand Prize $I50

First Prize $75 – one awarded in each County Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

High School:

Grades 9-I2 Grand Prize $250 First Prize $I00

Honorable Mentions awarded as deserved

Office of Human Life and Dignity


CULTURE OF LIFE

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Contact Us

Have Respect Life Essay Contest questions or want to get involved in the ministry? We’d love to hear from you.

• Office of Human Life & Dignity
• One Peter Yorke Way
  San Francisco, CA 94109
• (415) 614-5533

María Martínez-Mont

Respect Life & Gabriel Project Coordinator

Tel.: (415) 614-5633

Email: martinezmontm@sfarch.org