Pope John Paul II visits Croatia October 2-4 . Feast of St. Francis of Assisi , who was designated by Pope John Paul II as the patron of the environmental movement, is October 4 . Liturgical and homily suggestions are included in the U.S. Catholic Conference's Environmental Justice Program parish resource kit , which also includes a St. Francis Prayer Card featuring the Canticle of the Sun. Respect Life Sunday is October 4 . Over 50,000 Respect Life packets have been distributed, mainly to parishes, with articles presenting Catholic teaching on current life issues.
Packets also contain prayers, liturgical materials, descriptions of model program and resources.
One case to watch is the Wisconsin school voucher case. IV World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees will be October 5-10 in Rome . Migrations at the Threshold of the Third Millennium . Continental Youth Gathering will take place in Santiago, Chile, October 6-11 . October 12 is Columbus Day .