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 Thanks to all of Bishops, staff, volunteers, advocates, and people back home praying to make our day a success. We made tremendous progress on several of our major issues today and it could not have happened without your efforts, prayers, and the power of the Holy Spirit! Thanks be to God for our day! We have posted a few pictures on our facebook page and will have more news and photos posted to our site soon.
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You can help advocate! Call your Texas Senate and Representative with the following message (see who represents you here)
"Hello, my name is NAME and I am a Catholic in CITY, Texas. As a constituent, I am calling to ask for your support of the issues that will be brought to you next Wednesday on Catholic Faith in Action Day. A group of Catholics will be visiting your office to discuss several issues of concern to the Bishops of Texas. Please know that you and your staff are in my prayers. For more information you can contact the Texas Catholic Conference at 512-339-9882. Thank you for your time."
Please see below for additional resources, and don't forget to continue your prayers for the day!
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Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic Bishops and Faithful Promote Life, Justice, and Peace at Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day
Nine Catholic Bishops and hundreds of Catholic faithful will be advocating for the Catholic Bishops’ legislative priorities at the Catholic Faith in Action: Promoting Life, Justice, and Peace Advocacy Day on April 6, 2011. They will be addressing a broad range of diverse issues including the state budget, sonogram access, payday lending, immigration, an education tax credit program, human trafficking, and the death penalty.
In the Catholic moral tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue and participation in the political process is a moral obligation. All believers are called to faithful citizenship -- to become informed, active, and responsible participants in the political process.
“Why do we advocate?” asked Cardinal Daniel DiNardo at the Texas Bishops’ General Assembly. “Because religion is part of the public square.”
The day will begin with a 9AM rally and press conference on the South Steps of the Capitol. At the conference, the Bishops will release an interfaith statement on the state budget (live on our site at 9AM). “The state budget is a moral document that reflects the priorities and values of our state,” the faith leaders explain. “We urge our state leaders to look at these choices from the ‘bottom-up,’ by protecting and defending the life and dignity of the poorest and most vulnerable who have little legislative presence or representation.” You can view pictures from the day on our facebook page here.
After the press conference on the Capitol South Steps, several bishops will be recognized in the House and Bishop Flores (Diocese of Brownsville) will offer the opening prayer in the Senate. You can read a copy of the House resolution online here. The advocates will then make visits to every office at the Capitol.
Bishops participating in the day include:
- Daniel Cardinal DiNardo (Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston)
- Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller & (Archdiocese of San Antonio)
- Bishop Oscar Cantú (Archdiocese of San Antonio)
- Bishop Daniel Flores (Diocese of Brownsville)
- Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey (Diocese of Corpus Christi)
- Bishop Plácido Rodríguez (Diocese of Lubbock)
- Bishop Mark Seitz (Diocese of Dallas)
- Bishop Kevin Vann (Diocese of Fort Worth)
- Bishop Joe Vásquez (Diocese of Austin)
The Bishops have a broad legislative agenda that includes 49 policy priorities. The Texas Catholic Conference (TCC), which is the public policy voice for the Bishops of Texas, is tracking over 500 bills pertaining to Catholic moral and social teachings. The Conference encourages all Catholics to be faithful citizens and engage in advocacy during and after the legislative session. Learn more about TCC at www.TXcatholic.org. You can also find the TCC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TXcatholic) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TXcatholic).
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