7:00 to 9:00p.m.

St. John the Baptist
680 Mill Street
Excelsior, Minnesota 55331

Presenters: Father Peter Laird and University of St. Thomas Law Professor, Teresa Collett

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul
222-1st Avenue South
Mazeppa, Minnesota 55956

Presenters: Father Joseph LoJacono and University of St. Thomas Law Professor, Teresa Collett

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Church of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
2035 W. 15th Street
Hastings, Minnesota 55033

Presenters: Father Michael Becker and University of St. Thomas Law Professor, Teresa Collett

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued the following statement:

President Obama’s comments today in support of the redefinition of marriage are deeply saddening. As I stated in my public letter to the President on September 20, 2011, the Catholic Bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken by the President and the Administration to strengthen marriage and the family. However, we cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society. The people of this country, especially our children, deserve better. Unfortunately, President Obama’s words today are not surprising since they follow upon various actions already taken by his Administration that erode or ignore the unique meaning of marriage. I pray for the President every day, and will continue to pray that he and his Administration act justly to uphold and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. May we all work to promote and protect marriage and by so doing serve the true good of all persons.

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“Christians have a responsibility to live out their faith in the public square, and today that also means online,” said Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Communications. “People donate, speak out on numerous issues, get their news and participate in campaigns through the Internet and social media. The Church also needs to reach people through these media.”

Resources include:

• An issues quiz, which will help Catholics form their consciences through statistics and facts related to key moral issues including abortion, poverty, embryonic stem cell research and immigration. One quiz question will be posted every Tuesday and Thursday starting April 24 at www.facebook.com/usccb.
• Video reflections by bishops, including Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami and Archbishop-designate William Lori of Baltimore, discussing different issues of importance for Catholic voters: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/videos-for-faithful-citizenship.cfm.
• A “Catholics Care. Catholics Vote.” blog series, which explores different aspects of the bishops’ document, including its assertion that political involvement is a moral duty for Catholics, the questions of conscience formation and a range of issues highlighted by the bishops ahead of the 2012 Elections: http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com/2012/04/catholics-care-catholic-vote-series.html.
• A tab on USCCB’s page on Facebook called “Catholics Care. Catholics Vote.” This web portal aggregates all of these resources at www.facebook.com/usccb/app_189116767802011.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:

DATE: April 25, 2012
FROM:  Don Clemmer
O: 202-541-3206
M: 260-580-1137

Keywords: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, political responsibility, civic engagement, moral duty, Catholics, bishops, USCCB, U.S. bishops, document, statement, guide, issues, election, voting, advocacy, campaigns, social media, resources, Facebook, Youtube, blog, video reflections, parish, diocese, consciences

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Sec,DD,DioNewspapers,CNS,RNS,Crux

Too often today, we hear complaints about the church meddling in politics. We are accused of trying to take the reins of political power and imposing our religion on others. The church, however, does not seek to control the state nor does it wish to impose sectarian beliefs on the public.

Instead, the church seeks to be the conscience of the state, reminding society of the objective norms that are accessible to all and which govern right action. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, the church seeks to “help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles.”

This year, we should com­mem­orate one occasion for which everyone should be grateful that the church intervened in the public arena to remind all people of their common humanity.

Averting war

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which took place in October 1962. The placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba put the world on the brink of nuclear war, with neither the Americans nor the Russians wanting to back down for fear of looking weak.

Both President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev, facing “assured mutual destruction,” sought to avert war, but both were being pressured by agents of war in their respective governments to stand firm and launch a first strike if necessary.

To break the stalemate, it was suggested to President Kennedy that he seek the help of Pope John XXIII.  The president agreed, which was ironic given his promise not to let the Holy See dictate his policies as the first Catholic president.

Over the ensuing two days, a flurry of messages was sent between the White House and the Kremlin, with the Vatican serving as the intermediary. Blessed Pope John proposed a public message addressed to all people of good will and, after both leaders agreed, it was read publicly. The pope’s statement, which appeared in newspapers around the world and in the Soviet Union, read as follows:

“We beg all governments not to remain deaf to this cry of humanity. That they do all that is in their power to save peace. They will thus spare the world from the horrors of a war whose terrifying consequences no one can predict. That they continue discussions, as this loyal and open behavior has great value as a witness of everyone’s conscience and before history. Promoting, favoring, accepting conversations, at all levels and in any time, is a rule of wisdom and prudence which attracts the blessings of heaven and earth.”

The pope’s “decisive intervention,” as the Associated Press later described it, helped avert nuclear war. It allowed Krushchev to save face and not look weak by being the reasonable leader who kept the peace by removing the missiles from Cuba.

Papal diplomacy — as well as the efforts of local churches — to secure and maintain peace, or what St. Augustine called “the tranquility of order” (CCC 2304), has long been a feature of international affairs. The Holy See is a permanent observer at the United Nations because of this tradition.

Sadly, the church’s role as a neutral, diplomatic intermediary, which seeks to remind nations of the horrors of war and their obligations to respect international law and justice, often goes unheeded.

In our country, Pope John Paul II’s pleas to the Bush administration not to invade Iraq in 2003 were politely, but arrogantly dismissed. The result was a war that brought devastation and hundreds of thousands of deaths, has facilitated the near extinction of the ancient Christian community in Iraq, and has unleashed unforeseen political turmoil that has destabilized the entire region.

Few wars satisfy the very strict criteria of a “just war” (CCC 2309). The use of nuclear weapons, in particular, cannot be justified because their use aims to bring an enemy into submission by killing innocent, non-combatant civilians (CCC 2314).

Blessed John Paul II stated clearly the church’s view that war is not a useful tool for solving political disagreements: “No, never again war, which destroys the lives of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find a just solution of the very problem which provoked the war” (“Centesimus Annus,” No. 52).

Threat still lurks

Today, sadly, the drumbeat of war continues. Besides the recent American incursion into Libya, and the decade-long war in Afghanistan (not to mention our continued presence in Iraq), the threat of war lurks in relations with Iran, North Korea and Syria. The current administration is even rattling sabers in Southeast Asia, where we are expanding our military presence in places such as Australia to thwart Chinese expansion in the region.

The best efforts of popes, bishops, and church diplomats to avert war will be ignored unless all Catholics and people of good will stand against it. “All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war” (CCC 2308).

Let us join our voices and prayers to those working for just solutions to the political conflicts of today.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

Jason Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

Urge movement toward comprehensive immigration reform

 WASHINGTON (April 24, 2012)—In letters sent April 24, on the eve of oral arguments to the Supreme Court on Arizona’s immigration law, 15 religious leaders urged President Barack Obama and the 112^th Congress to “reassert your authority” and move to enact immigration reform legislation “as soon as possible.”

The national faith leaders expressed concern that, because of its inaction on this issue for several years, the federal government is implicitly transferring “unprecedented authority” to state and local governments to implement immigration policy, to the “detriment of our nation and our local communities.”

“Instead of one federal immigration system applicable to all, we now have many states and an untold number of localities attempting to create their own immigration policies,” the letters stated. “This will only lead to a patchwork of laws which would cause family separation, economic disruption, and divided communities.”

The leaders called for federal elected officials to move to enact immigration reform legislation, which would reaffirm federal authority over immigration law and preserve family unity as the cornerstone of the U.S. immigration system. They agreed that any reform of the system should feature a path to citizenship for the undocumented.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of USCCB, and Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, signed the letters on behalf of the U.S. bishops. Other signatories included Bishop Minerva Circano, resident bishop of the Phoenix area of the United Methodist Church and chair of the United Methodist Task Force on Immigration; Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church; Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; and Reverend Sam Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

The letters can be found at: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/upload/April-2012-USCCB-Interfaith-Letter-to-Congress-Immigration.pdf and www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/upload/April-2012-USCCB-Interfaith-Letter-to-President-Obama-Immigration.pdf.

Testimony of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration on the constitutionality of state laws is available at: www.usccb.org/about/migration-policy/congressional-testimony/upload/Testimony-JYoung-042412-Senate-Judiciary-Hearing.pdf.

The USCCB amicus brief on the case of Arizona v. United States is also available online: www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/state-of-arizona-v-united-states-of-america.pdf.

—

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:

DATE: April 24, 2012
FROM: Don Clemmer
O: 202-541-3206
M: 260-580-1137

Keywords: U.S. bishops, USCCB, immigration, comprehensive immigration reform, federal law, U.S. Congress, President Obama, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop José

Gomez, Leith Anderson, National Association of Evangelicals, policy, U.S. Supreme Court, Arizona v. United States, state and local governments

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—Blessed John Paul II

On May 6, join Archbishop Nienstedt, priests, and faithful from around the Archdiocese and the state of Minnesota at 2:00 p.m. for a rosary procession from the State Capitol to the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Defend the sanctity of marriage at the 65th Annual Archdiocesan Family Rosary Procession (PDF flier)

Rosary Procession
Sunday, May 6 – gather at 1:30 p.m. at the State Capitol, procession begins at 2:00 p.m.
Minnesota State Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul MN 55155 (Map)

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On Sunday, May 6, please join together as a family in procession and prayer with Archbishop John Nienstedt at 2:00 p.m. as we pray the rosary in procession from the State Capitol to the Cathedral of St. Paul. We will be gathering at 1:30 p.m. at the State Capitol, ready to process at 2:00 p.m. This year’s Family Rosary Procession is being offered for the grace and courage to defend marriage as between one man and one woman in a lifelong, exclusive relationship of loving trust, compassion, and generosity, open to the conception of children.

Inside the Cathedral, we will offer prayers for marriage and the family, and will close with Adoration and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Special guest Fr. James Kelleher, SOLT of the Eucharistic Family Rosary Crusade (www.eucharisticfamilyrosary.com) will be in attendance.

Come give public witness to our Catholic faith during the month of May, dedicated to our Blessed Mother. Assemble at the Capitol at 1:30 p.m.; the procession begins at 2:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!

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The Rosary Processions are sponsored by the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in collaboration with the Family Rosary Processions Association (www.familyrosaryprocession.org).

For more information, please see this flier.

Protecting the Institution of Marriage from Catholic Parents OnLine on Vimeo.

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