St. Augustine Diocesan Council of Catholic Women at 6501 Waltho Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32277 US - Legislative Commission
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Legislative Concerns Commission Annual Report for 2008 – 2009 “We also need to find again the courage to be Catholic Christians first---not in opposition to our country, but to serve its best ideals.” Charles J. Chaput (Archbishop of Denver) Our members lived out their Catholic faith by actively participating in a variety of Legislative events this past year. During the summer we participated in the Florida Catholic Conference Candidate Questionnaire initiative. Members were encouraged at all levels of Council to register to vote. Members were provided the resources need to be informed Catholic constituents. We exercised our rights as faithful citizens to prayerfully vote for the candidate whose views best aligned with the Church’s teachings. We contacted state and federal officials to voice our opinions on issues. Members stood vigil at location abortion clinics during the 40 Days for Life praying for the unborn. Many of us participated in the annual March for Life at the Jacksonville Federal Court House by prayerfully walking and the Annual March for Life in St. Augustine. We coordinated and assisted with the USCCB’s “Fight FOCA Postcard Campaign” in our parishes. We were well represented at the 40th Annual Catholic Days at the Capital and Red Mass in March. We met with state Representatives and Senators to discuss our views on several issues of concern to the Catholic Bishops of the State of Florida. We also sponsored students from Bishop Kenny High School so they could see our state government at work. We used the World Wide Web to educate our members on legislative issues and candidates at state and federal levels. For those who did not have access to the Internet we provided written material and used telephone trees. We used the resources provides in Catholic Woman Magazine, NCCW Bulletin Board, and Speed Read to gather ideas on how best to educate our members. Members were encouraged to join the Florida Catholic Conference (FCC) Advocacy Network. This network provides via email information on current legislative issues that relate to areas of Church teaching. Members were encouraged to read the statement issued in November, 2007 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops entitled, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States and Archbishop Charles Chaput’s Render Unto Caesar. We cannot separate your faith from our political activities. As Carl Anderson states in his book A Civilization of Love, “Think about the interaction between your role as a religious believer and your role as a citizen…” Lastly, are we American Catholics or a Catholic Americans? There is a difference. Additional resources for use by members in living out their Catholic social consciences can be found at the following websites: · United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Websites Domestic and International - http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/takeaction.shtml Pro-Life - http://www.nchla.org Migration and Refugee Services - http://www.usccb.org/mrs/actionalerts.shtml Justice for Immigrants - http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/action.html Education - http://www.usccb.org/education/fedasst/interests.shtml#advocacy · Catholic Relief Services Action Center – http://actioncenter.crs.org · Florida Catholic Conference – http://flacathconf.org Respectfully Submitted By, Pam Dewey, Legislative Concerns Chair