DYER | Local parochial students gathered Wednesday morning on the lawn of St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers in Dyer to finish sinking 4,000 white crosses into the ground.

October is Respect Life Month, and the crosses represent the babies aborted each day in America.

The Rev. Dale Melczek, bishop of the Gary Diocese, presided over a prayer service on the hospital grounds, which included readings, songs and the release of 4,000 pink and light blue balloons.

"Four thousand balloons for all those little babies we love and hold dear," said Tom Gryzbek, a Catholic deacon and president of the hospital.

More than 600 students from area Catholic schools, including Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, St. Mary in Griffith, St. John the Evangelist in St. John and St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, participated in the service. Some held signs reading "Respect Life."

Hospital employees and residents joined students for the service near the base of a crucifix that faces busy traffic along U.S. 30 close to the state line. Although most of the crosses were in place beforehand, students finished installing them during the service.

During his homily, Melczek said the group gathered Wednesday to give witness to the God-given value of every human being from the moment of conception until natural death.

"You were created because God loved you before you ever were conceived in the womb of your mother," he said.

Killing, cheating and destroying other people's lives are so common these days because people don't value each other's lives, he said.

He led the group in a prayer to change people's hearts from disrespect to respect for life, reminding students that the way they treat one another is how to demonstrate that respect.

After the service, Melczek said it is good for students to realize the importance of the message while they are young.