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The MCC will continue to keep you informed this summer with our Summer Update. Our goal will be to issue the Summer Update weekly, but there may be off weeks on occasion. Don't hesitate to contact the MCC if you have news you think the entire Network should receive.
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Ask the Governor to Sign HB 400
and Ban Telemedicine Abortions in Missouri
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The Missouri Catholic Conference is asking members of its Citizen's Network to contact Governor Nixon to sign HB 400, a bill that passed the general assembly that would ban telemedicine abortions from being performed in Missouri. Click here to see the Action Alert issued on HB 400.
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How To Help Oklahoma Tornado Victims
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Oklahoma Thunder star Kevin Durant gave $1 million to the American Red Cross for the relief of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado victims. The Red Cross does great work in the immediate aftermath of natural disaster, but there are other organizations that provide vital follow-ups long after CNN and other media outlets have moved on to other stories.
Catholic Charities, for example, work with families over the long-haul to rebuild their lives. Such assistance can take many forms, such as help with finding new housing, replacing furniture and other household items, and mental health counseling. The best way to help organizations like Catholic Charities is not to send things but to offer financial assistance.
If you are considering a donation to help the Oklahoma tornado victims, visit Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City.
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Complete List of Bills Passed by the Missouri General Assembly
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Most bills filed by state legislators fail to receive approval by the general assembly. In fact, most of them don't even make it out of the committee stage. Want to know more about the bills that did pass? Visit this Missouri Senate website for a list of the Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed Bills. The site offers bill numbers and brief descriptions; links are provided to more complete information. |
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Immigration Reform Moves Forward in Congress
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The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved (by a vote of 13 to 5) sweeping immigration reform legislation (S. 744). From the committee's website, one can read the amended bill and other information. Click here.
Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Migration, applauded the committee's action. He urged the full Senate to adopt additional amendments to S. 744 to improve the process whereby people can become citizens or reunite with other family members.
"The path to citizenship should be widened, so that the maximum number of persons can access it and come out of the shadows," Archbishop Gomez said. "To leave a large population behind would defeat the purpose of the bill, which is to bring persons into the light so they can become full members of our communities."
The USCCB has been working to shorten the amount of time an individual must wait to apply for permanent residency, to move forward the cut-off date for eligibility, and to ease income and work requirements.
Archbishop Gomez also expressed concern over cuts to the family-based immigration system, a hallmark of the nation's immigration laws for decades.
"We must not abandon our focus on families, which are the backbone of our society," he said. "Family unity, based on the union of a husband and a wife and their children, must remain the cornerstone of our nation's immigration system."
The full Senate is expected to consider the bill in June.
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Send Electronic Postcard on Immigration Reform
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Through their Justice for Immigrants website the U.S. Catholic bishops offer a quick and easy way for Catholics to urge their U.S. Senators and their U.S. Representative to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Visit the Action Alert to send an electronic postcard. Messages to Senators Roy Blunt and Claire McCaskill are especially needed at this time as the U.S. Senates prepares to debate S. 744 in the coming weeks.
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Bishops Call for Second Fortnight for Freedom
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As we approach the summer and an August 1 deadline for the implementation of the HHS contraceptive mandate and a potentially culture-changing U.S. Supreme Court decision on the definition of marriage at the end of June, the USCCB is asking faithful Catholics to participate in a second Fortnight for Freedom June 24th to July 1st.
The purpose of the fortnight for freedom is to pray and fast for the sake of renewing a culture favorable to life, marriage, and the protection of religious liberty. For more information about how you can get involved in the Fortnight for Freedom in your area, click here.
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2013 MCC Annual Assembly
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The MCC 2013 Annual Assembly is scheduled for Saturday, September 28. Mark your calendars now! As is the custom, the assembly will be held at the State Capitol in Jefferson City.
This year's theme is" "Francis, Rebuild My Church." We will be exploring how the Gospel values lived out by St. Francis can be applied to 21st Century America, especially in the public policy arena. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.
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The Wisdom of St. Francis
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As the MCC prepares for the 2013 Annual Assembly with its theme of "Francis, Rebuild My Church," the Summer Update will offer occasional passages from the writings of St. Francis of Assisi. Here is one of the 28 admonitions that St. Francis delivered to chapters of the primitive Franciscan fraternity:
How Virtue Drives Out Vice
Where there is charity and wisdom,
there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor disturbance.
Where there is poverty with joy,
there is neither covetousness nor avarice.
Where there is inner peace and meditation,
there is neither anxiousness nor dissipation. Where there is fear of the Lord to guard the house ( Luke 11:21),
there the enemy cannot gain entry.
Where there is mercy and discernment,
there is neither excess nor hardness of heart.
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