Earth Day the Catholic Way: Things You Can Do at Home

The Catholic Climate Covenant calls for all of us to care for the poor and God's creation.  The poor get hit first and hardest when creation is polluted or when climate change worsens.

What can you do?  Check out these concrete, practical tips for the whole family:
http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/What-You-Can-Do.pdf

· Turn off lights and unplug appliances when you leave the room.
· Unplug your cell phone as soon as it is charged.
· Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs.
· Turn off water when shaving, brushing your teeth and take shorter showering.
· Ride a bike, walk, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible.
· Use biodegradable soap, shampoos.
· Buy Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate
· Reduce use of disposable products by using reusable containers; if you must buy disposable, buy paper or glass products instead of plastic.
· Bring reusable cloth bags when shopping instead of disposable plastic bags.
· Buy local, and/or organic food, and purchase recycled products whenever possible.
· Organize an environmental awareness day at your parish or school.
· Plant a garden and start a compost pile.
· Eat less meat: the UN concludes that “the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems"
· Dry your clothes outdoors when possible and use the dryer less.

Learn more about the St. Francis Pledge at: http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/

The Ruth Institute promotes and protects marriage

The Ruth Institute is a nice resource for promoting and protecting marriage.  They have a nice, multi-media website (blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc).  They seem to be an interfaith group but a quick surf through their pages showed me they are in concert with Roman Catholic teaching on marriage.

Website:
http://www.ruthinstitute.org/index.html

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheRuthInstitute?sk=wall

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/RuthInstitute

Father Barron's weekly homily is awesome

Ready for a joyful, insightful, enthusiastic, well crafted homily on the weekly Sunday Bible readings?

You're in luck: Father Barron has a podcast for you:

http://www.wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Sermons.aspx

I found Father Barron's sermons easily on iTunes under the title:

"Word on Fire Sermons"

Also available online, video, blog, etc., from his Word on Fire ministry website:

http://www.wordonfire.org/

Please write your Congressperson

Write Congress re:
Respect for Rights of Conscience Act:
http://actions.nchla.org/link/target/nchla/5yfycFN8.aspx

I just wrote my Senators to express disappointment that they voted to table this Act.

Please all Catholic voters: write in -- they can't ignore millions of us! Thanks!

Priests for Life Call for Your Prayers for Life

Fr. Frank Pavone (www.priestsforlife.org) says: "Abortion will end when local communities say it will end -- no sooner, and no later. We have the power to stop abortion, even while it remains legal. Now is the time to mobilize, sustained by prayer. Women and men who have lost children to abortion need to hear the witness of others who have experienced that pain and have found healing. 40 Days for Life is an opportunity for a local community to hear that witness. " 

To learn how you can participate in 40 Days for Life in the San Francisco Bay Area, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/sanfrancisco/

To participate nation-wide, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/

Please write your Representative today

Please write your Representative today (takes < 2 minutes).

http://www.capwiz.com/cacatholic/issues/?style=D

Our Bishops have 3 action alerts today for pending legislation on: protection of conscience, fighting human trafficking, sentencing of minors. The Bishops' website explains the legislation and the Church stance on the moral issue involved.

Please write your Senators now!

Write to your Senators at:
http://actions.nchla.org/link/target/nchla/598B7GRR.aspx


The National Committee for a Human Life Amendment sent this Action Alert:

On Thursday, March 1, the Senate is expected to vote on Sen. Blunt’s (R-MO) Respect for Rights of Conscience Act in the form of an amendment to the Transportation Authorization Bill. That amendment, also sponsored by Sen. Blunt, is Amendment 1520.

Senators should be urged to support the passage of Amendment 1520. This vote is expected to be very close. Especially if you have not yet contacted your Senators on the need to support the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, please act today! Please click on the link below to send a message.

Last August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a list of “preventive services for women” to be mandated in almost all private health plans under the new health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The mandated services include sterilization, all FDA-approved birth control (such as the IUD, Depo-Provera, ‘morning-after’ pills, and the abortion-inducing drug Ella), and “education and counseling” to promote these among all “women of reproductive capacity.” HHS’s rule allowed only a very narrow exemption for a “religious employer.” Catholic organizations providing education, health care and charitable services to all in need could not qualify for the exemption.

On February 10, despite a storm of protest, President Obama adopted this policy as a final rule “without change.” Religious organizations that cannot qualify for the exemption will have an extra year to comply; but before the end of that period, an additional rule will be issued to make sure that their employees receive the mandated coverage despite the employer’s objection.

The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179, S. 1467) will ensure that those who participate in the health care system “retain the right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs and moral convictions.”

Thanks for all you do in support of life!

Michael Taylor
Executive Director