The Texas Catholic Conference sends action alerts on bills in Texas and in Congress. Action alerts are timed to influence a bill or regulation at a critical moment in the legislative process when large numbers of phone calls can create the most impact. National alerts are provided to the TCC from the USCCB.

State Alerts:

When a bill is in committee, we will send alerts that include contact information for the members of that particular committee so those members can receive word on our position on the bill. If a bill is on the House or Senate floor, we will include a link to contact your individual Representative or Senator.

Some bills are fairly certain to pass or be rejected and an alert may not be needed. Other bills may have a more difficult time in the legislative process, in which case we may send alerts throughout the bill's progress through the legislature.

Members are free to respond or not to any action alert.  If you agree with the advocacy suggested in the alert, we welcome you to act, using the sample message in the alert if you'd like. Your phone calls make a difference and are part of an entire system of well-timed advocacy efforts that need to work together. We generally will only include phone numbers as the contact method, because phone calls are sometimes received in a more timely manner than emails and can be more effective than mass emails.

 When calling in response to an action alert, sometimes the person who answers the phone in a legislator's office may seem inattentive, indifferent, or even state that the legislator is too busy or unable to follow with your request. Sometimes a member is entrenched in his or her position, and a call is not going to change his or her mind. There are many other times where your call may come at just the right moment, to just the right staffer who will take action based on the call.  Regardless of their attitude, the person who takes your call is required to record all calls in support of or opposition to legislation. This record of the call may just be a check mark in the support or oppose column, but they are noting the numbers.  What is important in this grassroots advocacy is that we let our legislators know that the issue matters to us as constituents, specifically, as Catholic constituents.

Often we may not know of the impact of our advocacy. I would like to share with you a example of how advocacy calls have worked for us. In the 2007 session, we issued an action alert asking for calls to the Lieutenant Governor to get a bill set on the Senate Calendar. His office received so many phone calls that all of his phone lines were busy. He contacted us and told us that if we asked our network to stop calling, that he would set the bill on the calendar, and he did. As a caller, you may not always get a feeling that you are being heard and that your request is being considered carefully, but the effect of your call is still critical.  Lots of the callers that day never even talked to a staffer, but their efforts clogged the phone lines and moved the Lt. Governor to action.

In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. Bishops state that responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. Acting on action alerts that support Catholic social and moral teaching is a great way of exercising responsible citizenship. When we advocate, much like when we evangelize, we are well received at some times and turned away at others. It is our role to pray for the conversion of all to Christ's teaching and to continue to tell our message, especially to political leaders who are elected to serve us.

The Texas Catholic Conference tries to be judicious in issuing alerts and doe so when contact from constituents will make a difference at a critical moment in a bill's movement through the legislature. We thank all of you who respond to the alerts and help advocate for the public policy priorities of the Bishops of Texas.

Some excerpts of this FAQ are taken from the California Catholic Conference Action Alert

Waterboarding? Electric Shocks? References to torture can be found in newspapers, radio and TV programs, and even in cartoons. 

Torture is a moral issue. Click here for a four-part study guide on torture from the USCCB.

Marriage, as both a natural institution and a sacred union, is rooted in the divine plan for creation. The fact that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman is a truth woven deeply into the human spirit. The Church's teaching on marriage expresses a truth, therefore, that can be perceived first and foremost by human reason.

This truth has been confirmed by divine Revelation in Sacred Scripture. In Scripture we see that marriage comes from the loving hand of God, who fashioned both male and female in the divine image, and who blesses their joining as one flesh and commands them to be fertile and to multiply. The Bible frequently uses the image of marriage to teach about the loving relationship between God and his people. In instituting the Sacrament of Matrimony, Jesus made marriage a symbol of his unconditional love for the Church. The Christian meaning of marriage confirms and strengthens the human value of a loving and life-giving marital union. For more Q&A on this topic, click here.

In the Catholic moral tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue; participation in the political process is amoral obligation.  All believers are called to faithful citizenship, to become informed, active, and responsible participants in the political process. (USCCB, Faithful Citizenship, 2004)

Arguably this is the most counter-cultural teaching of the church...that politics is a good thing, that citizenship is a virtue.  Politics is the Lord's work in a different kind of way.  It is the table of decision making--who lives, who dies, who has access to healthcare, education, security?  The Church is called to share our social teaching, to highlight the moral dimensions of issues, to participate in debate on public policy and to witness the gospel.  The community looks to the bishops for moral leadership.

For more information, please see our Faithful Citizenship resource page and the USCCB's Guidelines on Political Activities for Parishes and Catholic Church Organizations.

The constitution provides freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.  It does not limit the individual freedom of multiple religious groups from engaging personally or corporately in the political process.  Democracy works precisely because people bring their deepest held values to the debate. People ought to bring their deepest moral values to their public life.

The Church does not support illegal immigration, but it does recognize the inherent human dignity in all people. In doing so, it rejects policies that would limit access to healthcare, education, legal services, or other programs that promote human welfare. For more information on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, visit the Justice for Immigrants Web site.

The Church is opposed to all embryonic stem cell research because is it destroys human life and uses a person as a means to an end, which is never morally justified.  However, the Church is very much in support of ethical adult stem cell research, which has proven far more successful than embryonic stem cell research.  Adult stem cell research protects human life and offers hope to thousands who suffer from illness.

The Church teaches that "intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator (Catechism, 2324)." Euthanasia that is directed at "putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons is also morally unacceptable (Catechism, 2277)."

However, the Church makes the distinction between euthanasia and "over-zealous" treatment medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome. Here one does not will to cause death; one's inability to impede it is merely accepted. (Catechism, 2278)."

The Catechism, which presents Catholic Doctrine, states: Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law (2270-2271).

We believe that abortion, in all circumstances, should be prohibited.

Any comprehensive immigration reform legislation must include:

• a viable path to permanent residency for the undocumented population;
• a new worker program that includes appropriate worker protections, wage levels, and an opportunity to earn permanent residency;
• reductions in family reunification backlogs;
• the restoration of due process protections lost in the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA); and
• policies that address the root causes of migration, such as economic development in sending countries.

There are two main reasons why we are opposed to in-vitro fertilization. The first reason is that in-vitro fertilization is artificial and takes the special nature of the transmission of human life, through the marital act, out of procreation. Secondly, in-vitro fertilization leads to the creation of embryos, some of which are discarded. This is a violation of the dignity of the human life of the embryo.

Scientists have found that umbilical cord blood is a rich source of adult stem cells!  Even better, these adult stem cells exhibit many of the scientifically desirable properties of embryonic stem cells such as the ability to:

• Grow rapidly in a culture
• Treat patients that aren't an exact genetic match, without patient rejection, and
• Differentiate into many different types of cells.

Umbilical cord blood cells have already been used to treat thousands of patients!

Read our Policy Paper on Cord Blood Bank Expansion (PDF) for more information.

An encyclical is a letter that a Pope has written to the global church community to address a particular topic. Often encyclicals are written to address current topics.

A listing of all encyclicals can be found at the Papal Documents section of the Vatican web site.

The quinceanera is a traditional celebration of life and gratitude to God on the occasion of the fifteenth birthday of a young Hispanic woman. The ritual emphasizes her passage from childhood to adulthood. The family usually requests a Mass or a blessing to be held in the Church. The rite is frequently celebrated in several countries in the Americas, including Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is frequently requested by Hispanic Catholics in the dioceses of the United States of America.

Parents, in coming to the parish Church seeking the blessing, acknowledge that their daughter has reached the age where she is capable of handling additional responsibility. They see the quince anos Mass as a way to thank God for the blessing of their daughter's life and to seek God's blessing and guidance as she enters adulthood. The extended family, (grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles and cousins) is usually present, to celebrate with the quinceañera. Esponsores, other couples acting as sponsors, may bring the religious articles forward to be blessed and presented to the quinceanera. For more information, visit the USCCB Committee on the Liturgy's Quinceañera page.

The ultimate decision in appointing bishops rests with the pope, and he is free to select anyone he chooses. But how does he know whom to select?

The process of appointing a bishop is a long and complicated one. In short, bishops of various regions meet from time to time and throw out names of priests who might make good bishops. These names are given to the Apostolic Nuncio, the pope's personal representative to a country, who shares them with the Congregation for Bishops. When it's time to appoint a new bishop to a diocese, priests and others in the diocese are quietly consulted, the needs of the diocese are assessed, and the Congregation for Bishops draws up a list, called a terna, of three candidates that goes to the pope with the Congregation's recommendation noted. The pope has final say as to who is appointed. He can accept the Congregation's recommendation. He can also reject the terna in its entirety.

Key Terms

Apostolic nuncio
The pope's representative to both the government and to the hierarchy of a given nation; a key person in deciding what names are recommended to the Congregation for Bishops for possible episcopal appointment.

Auxiliary Bishop
A bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Whether in a diocese or archdiocese, his title is bishop.

Coadjutor
A bishop appointed to a Catholic diocese or archdiocese to assist the diocesan bishop. Unlike an auxiliary bishop, he has the right of succession, meaning that he automatically becomes the new bishop when the diocesan bishop retires or dies. By canon law, he is also vicar general of the
diocese. If the diocese is an archdiocese, he is called coadjutor archbishop instead of coadjutor bishop. In recent years, a growing number of U.S. bishops in larger dioceses or archdioceses have requested and received a coadjutor in their final year or two before their retirement, in order to familiarize their successor with the workings of the (arch)diocese before he has to take over the reins. This minimizes the learning curve of a new bishop and eliminates completely the possibility of the diocese being vacant following the old bishop's retirement.

Congregation for Bishops
A department of the Roman Curia, headed by a Cardinal. The head of the Congregation, called the "prefect," is presently Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re of Italy. Among the congregation's responsibilities are moderating all aspects of episcopal appointments; assisting bishops in the correct exercise of their pastoral functions; handling ad limina visits (regular visits to Rome by bishops every five years); and establishing episcopal conferences and reviewing their decrees as required by canon law. Its membership consists of approximately 35 cardinals and archbishops from around the world. U.S. Cardinals on the Congregation are Justin Rigali, William Levada, Bernard Law and Francis Stafford.

Diocesan Bishop
Pastoral and legal head and representative of a diocese.

Province
A territory comprising one archdiocese, called the metropolitan see, and one or more dioceses, called suffragan sees. The Code of Canon Law spells out certain limited obligations and authority that the metropolitan archbishop has with respect to the dioceses within his province. The United States is divided into 33 ecclesiastical provinces.

Terna
A list of three candidates for a vacant office, including the office of bishop.

Stage 1: Bishops' Recommendations
Every bishop may submit to the archbishop of his province the names of priests he thinks would make good bishops. Prior to the regular province meeting (usually annually), the archbishop distributes to all the bishops of the province the names and curricula vitae of priests which have been submitted to him. Following a discussion among the bishops at the province meeting, a vote is taken on which names to recommend. The number of names on this provincial list may vary. The vote tally, together with the minutes of the meeting, is then forwarded by the archbishop to the apostolic nuncio in Washington. The list is also submitted to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Stage 2: The Apostolic Nuncio
By overseeing the final list of names forwarded to Rome, the apostolic nuncio plays a decisive role in the selection process. He not only gathers facts and information about potential candidates, but also interprets that information for the Congregation. Great weight is given to the nuncio's recommendations, but it is important to remember that his "gatekeeper" role, however, does not mean that his recommendations are always followed.

For Diocesan Bishops

 After receiving the list of candidates forwarded by a province, the apostolic nuncio conducts his own investigation into the suitability of the candidates.

A report is requested from the current bishop or the administrator of a diocese on the conditions and needs of the diocese. If the appointment is a replacement for a diocesan bishop or archbishop about to retire, consideration will be given to the incumbent's recommendations. Broad consultation within the diocese is encouraged with regard to the needs of the diocese, but not the names of candidates.

o The report is to include the names of individuals in the diocese with whom the Nuncio might consult and how to contact them.
o Previous bishops of the diocese are consulted.
o Bishops of the province are consulted
o The president and vice president of the USCCB are consulted.
o If the vacancy to be filled is an archdiocese, other archbishops in the United States may be consulted.

At this point, the nuncio narrows his list and a questionnaire is sent to 20 or 30 people who know each of the candidates for their input.

•  A diocesan bishop must justify to the apostolic nuncio his need for an auxiliary bishop. This is easier if he is requesting a replacement for a retired or deceased auxiliary.
• The diocesan bishop prepares the terna, or list of three candidates, for his requested auxiliary and forwards it to the apostolic nuncio.
• The nuncio then conducts his own investigation of the priests on the diocesan bishop's terna, sending the names to Rome with a report and his own recommendations.

A catechism is a text which contains the fundamental Christian truths formulated in a way that facilitates their understanding. Our Catechism is divided into four parts: The Profession of Faith, Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Life in Christ, and Christian Prayer. There are two categories of catechism: major and minor. A major catechism is a resource or a point of reference for the development of minor catechisms. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an example of a major catechism. The Baltimore Catechismis an example of a minor catechism. See our Catechism link here.

Click here for more answers to questions about the Catechism.

There are approximately 6.5 million Catholics in Texas. Click here for more information on the Church in Texas.

Source: 2008 Official Catholic Directory

Both the Texas and US House and Senate web sites can help you find out who your legislators are. Click here to get started.

Click here to find Catechist Guidelines for my (Arch)Diocese.

You can visit the USCCB's New American Bible web site. The site has links to Today's readings, a podcast with the daily mass readings, the saint of the day, and video daily reflections.