DIOCESAN NEWS
09/03/10
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Catholic Day at Capitol set Jan. 26, 2011
‘One Voice, One Church, One State’
JACKSON – Catholics from across the Diocese of Jackson and the Diocese of Biloxi are being invited to participate in a Catholic Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011. The theme is “One Voice, One Church, One State.”
Sponsored by Catholic Charities’ Poverty Task Force, the event will be a day of prayer, advocacy and education as participants share Catholic viewpoints with elected officials on the issues impacting the scourge of poverty, dignity and life of the human person.
To prepare participants in the Jackson diocese, convocations will be held in five deaneries to discuss issues facing the local communities. Specific details about Catholic Day at the Capitol will be explained.
The convocations are planned on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. until noon.
– Greenwood St. Francis of Assisi on Sept. 18
– Tupelo St. James on Oct. 2
– Meridian St. Patrick on Oct. 9
– Jackson St. Richard on Oct. 16
– Batesville St. Mary on Oct. 30
“The Poverty Task Force has planned these events as its participation in the national Catholic Charities USA campaign to reduce poverty in America by 50 percent by 2020,” according to George Evans, local chairman of the task force. “The task force hopes this event will develop, educate and organize Catholics to proactively respond to the most pressing challenges facing our communities,” he said.
Evans said, “In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. This obligation is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do.”
He said over 100,000 Catholics live in Mississippi, but not all are adequately informed about public affairs or know how to form their consciences in accordance with Catholic teaching.
“The voice of Catholics cannot be heard if they do not know what to say,” Evans said. “This effort – Catholic Day at the Capitol – is under way to increase the reach and efficiency of Catholic advocacy in Mississippi.”
Evans said this state-wide effort will facilitate opportunities for Catholics to become better informed about the Catholic perspective on public policy issues as well as engage them in dialogue regarding ways to improve local communities.
“The convocations will bring local Catholics together to discuss local issues and to comment, reflect and to shed the light of Catholic social teaching on the public debate,” he said.
Ed Sivak, another member of the Poverty Task Force, is the founding director of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center (MEPC). As director, he coordinates MEPC’s policy efforts to advance public policy issues that improve the quality of life for low-income and low-wealth Mississippians.
During the convocations, Sivak will give poverty statistics specific to each deanery so participants will have “talking points” to use in their discussion with state legislators.
Lay Catholics, priests, religious and all interested citizens are being encouraged to become active in this collaborative effort. “We hope as many Catholics as possible will join us at the convocations to learn more about the ‘Catholic Day at the Capitol,” Evans said.
Michael Ann Oropeza, coordinator of parish based ministries at Catholic Charities who is a member of the task force, said, “This year’s work is based on the concept ‘We are all the body of Christ.’ This is drawn from basic Catholic social teaching . . . human life is sacred and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.
“We hope Catholics in Mississippi will not miss this opportunity to express our faith at the State Capitol in Jackson and to exercise our baptismal call as advocates for public policy that protects those who are vulnerable and promotes the common good,” Oropeza said.
For more information or to register for one of the convocations contact Ben Russell, program specialist with the Office of Parish Social Ministry, Catholic Charities in Jackson, phone 601-326-3785, email ben.russell@catholiccharitiesjackson.org. On-line registration will be available in the near future.
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.” (St. Teresa of Avila)
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