Four Catholics known for decades of work defending human life received national recognition from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at the 2025 People of Life awards ceremony Aug. 11 in Arlington, Virginia.
The bishops presented the honors during its annual Diocesan Pro-Life Leadership Conference, with Bishops Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo and Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington among the roughly 100 attendees.
The award, established in 2007 by the bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, acknowledges those who “answered the call outlined by Saint John Paul II in The Gospel of Life (Evangelium vitae, 1995) by dedicating themselves to pro-life activities and promoting respect for the dignity of the human person,” according to the USCCB.
This year’s recipients — Valerie Washington, Judy Haag, and the late Rita and Mike Marker —were recognized “for their significant and longtime contributions to the culture of life.”
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Washington has served for 25 years as executive director of the National Black Catholic Congress. She has guided its mission, organized national gatherings, and built partnerships that integrate pro-life advocacy into the broader work of evangelization and justice.
According to the bishops, she has been a prominent voice in supporting the culture of life among black Catholics.
“Valerie has been deeply impactful in supporting and highlighting a culture of life within the Black Catholic community and is a source of inspiration in her compassionate, persistent witness to the Gospel of Life,” they said.
Haag, who has been a nurse for three decades, paired her professional vocation with parish and diocesan pro-life leadership. Her work has included chairing the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women’s Reverence for Life Committee, co-chairing a 40 Days for Life campaign for more than 15 years, and encouraging youth engagement in pro-life witness through Catholic Social Teaching.
The Markers, honored posthumously, began their advocacy in the early 1980s by founding the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, later known as the Patients Rights Council. Rita Marker, while raising a family, earned a law degree, wrote Deadly Compassion, and spoke across the country, while Mike Marker managed the organization’s operations. Together, they left what the USCCB described as “a legacy of leadership, commitment, and grit.”
“Their tireless efforts helped many dioceses, state Catholic conferences, and the USCCB,” the bishops said, “and were instrumental in shaping the existing coalition on assisted suicide.”
LifeNews Note: Rachel Quackenbush writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.
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Author: Rachel Quackenbush
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