Catholic Youth Advocacy Day, Sacramento, March 22

Come to a gathering of young people of faith raising their voices in “sincere dialogue and with anxious interest seeking the common good.”

The California Catholic Conference (CCC) invites Catholic youth from all over California who are interested in exercising their “faithful citizenship” in their state’s Capitol. The CCC welcomes all who are interested in meeting with elected officials to speak on behalf of those who are poor, vulnerable or voiceless.

This one-day event will include a Mass celebrated at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, information sessions, visits with legislators and a time to debrief with fellow students.

To register, visit: http://www.cacatholic.org, or contact Linda Wanner, 916-313-4017, lwanner@cacatholic.org

The full flyer is at: http://www.cacatholic.org/images/stories/pdfs/Youth-advocacy.pdf

If you live in a different state, check with the Catholic Conference of your own state bishops -- they should have an advocacy day at your state's capital.

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community, and Participation

"The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society in economics and politics, in law and policy directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable."

-- from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website:
http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/excerpt.shtml

I had a chance to put this Catholic teaching into practice by participating in California's Catholic Lobby Day this past Tuesday, April 28, 2009, in Sacramento. Catholics from across California learned about the issues, celebrated Mass (with 7 bishops!), processed to the State Capitol building, held a rally, and then broke into small groups to meet with the individual legislators (or their chiefs of staff) and explain our viewpoint as derived from Catholic morality. Learn more at the website of the California Catholic Conference (the organization of all California bishops that performs legislative advocacy): http://www.cacatholic.org/

Every state has a Catholic Conference. To find yours, go the the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website and find your diocese and bishop; the bishop's office will know: http://www.usccb.org