The Texas Catholic Conference, representing the Roman Catholic Bishops of Texas, has issued a statement emphasizing their support for genuine, life-affirming reform to our nation's health care system, while also expressing concern that current health care proposals fail to guarantee fundamental rights and protections for humans at all stages of life.

"Health care reform is a vital concern to us in Texas, as our state has one of the highest numbers of uninsured persons in the nation," say the Texas Bishops in the statement. The Bishops also emphasize the varied health care offerings of Catholic facilities in Texas, stating, "the Catholic Church in Texas brings both everyday experience and strong convictions to the issue of health care reform."

The statements cites following key concerns:

• Reform must restrict funding for abortion and respect the consciences of health care providers;
• Cost structures must not impose excessive financial burdens on low and moderate income individuals and families;
• Measures must safeguard the heath of all of society, including the poor, the elderly, and immigrants;
• Legal immigrants and their families must be allowed timely access to comprehensive and affordable health care coverage; and
• An adequate safety net must be maintained for those who remain uncovered.

"Our work in Texas gives us multiple perspectives on the issue of health care reform," said Andrew Rivas, Texas Catholic Conference executive director. "We are employers and we are health care providers. We offer assistance to those who face hardship due to a lack of access to health care through our Catholic hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care, as well as ministries such as Catholic Charities, Respect Life, and Immigrant Outreach. "

The Texas Bishops, members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), have advocated for health care reform for decades. The Catholic approach to healthcare is shaped by the simple, but fundamental, principle that every person has a right to adequate healthcare and that health care is more than a commodity; it is a basic human right, an essential safeguard of human life and dignity.

Click here to download a PDF of the statement in English.

Click here to download a PDF of the statement in Spanish.

Click here to download a PDF of the press release.

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4/17/2009
For Immediate Release: Texas Bishops ask House Members to fund ethical, moral adult stem cell research

AUSTIN, Texas--­­In anticipation of today's debate on the General Appropriations bill in the House of Representatives, the Texas Catholic Conference has delivered a letter on the importance of funding adult stem cell research and banning stem cell research that encourages the destruction of human embryos.

"The Catholic Church teaches that each and every human being, at every moment of biological development from conception to natural death, has an inherent and fundamental right to life," the letter states. "Funding embryonic stem cell research diverts funds away from other avenues that are not only morally sound but also more immediately promising for helping patients and saving lives. All the safe and beneficial treatments emerging from stem cell research, now and in the foreseeable future, are coming from adult and cord blood stem cells. Hence it is not a matter of choosing between respect for embryonic human life and respect for born patients -- it is a matter of respecting BOTH by promoting cures and treatments that we can all live with."

The Texas Catholic Conference is the association of the 15 Roman Catholic dioceses of Texas.The Conference participates in public policy on behalf of the Bishops of Texas regarding institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic moral and social teachings. The Conference's legislative agenda covers five public policy areas: Life Issues, Immigration, Education, Health & Human Services, and Criminal Justice Reform.

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Jennifer A. Carr has been named associate director of the Texas Catholic Conference (TCC), the association of the 15 Catholic dioceses of Texas. The announcement was made by Andrew Rivas, Executive Director of the TCC, on behalf of the bishops of Texas.

Ms. Carr currently serves as the Advocacy Director for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. In this position she has been assisting in the development of public policy positions as well as the monitoring and response to local state and federal policies impacting Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese. Her work at Catholic Charities for the last six years has also included chastity education in parishes and Catholic schools as well as heading up the immediate hurricane relief project during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"With Jennifer's knowledge of church teaching, especially on social justice, and her experiences working with the Texas legislature and our diocesan network, I believe she will be a tremendous asset to the Bishops and the Church here at the TCC," stated Mr. Rivas.

Ms. Carr follows Msgr. William L. Broussard, who served as the associate director of the TCC since 1976. Ms. Carr earned her degree in secondary education from the University of St. Thomas and is a native of Houston.

3/8/2006

New Executive Director Named for Texas Catholic Conference

Andrew D. Rivas has been named executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference, the association of the 15 Catholic dioceses of Texas. The announcement was made by Bishop Gregory M. Aymond, chair of the search committee, on behalf of the bishops of Texas, including Archbishops Joseph A. Fiorenza, Daniel N. DiNardo and José H. Gomez.

"Mr. Rivas' gifts are in many ways unique and well suited for this position," Bishop Aymond said. "With a law degree from The Catholic University of America and having worked for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he is very knowledgeable of church teaching, especially on social justice. He is highly respected by his co-workers at USCCB and on Capitol Hill."

Rivas served as policy advisor for the USCCB for more than four years, concentrating on federal legislation that impacted criminal justice, agriculture and environmental issues. Prior to his position at the USCCB, he worked for Catholic Charities USA and the Senate Commerce Committee.

"I am very excited over the opportunity to serve as the new executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference, and to live in one of the most beautiful cities in America," Rivas said. "I have always considered working for the church a blessing because it has allowed me to serve my community in a meaningful way. Now my community will include the city of Austin and the state of Texas."
Rivas follows Holy Cross Brother Richard Daly, who served as executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference for 26 years. Rivas will be the fourth director for the Conference when he assumes the position on July 1.

The Texas Catholic Conference was founded in 1963 to encourage and foster cooperation and communication among the dioceses and the ministries of the Catholic Church in Texas. A major function is to be the public policy arm of the bishops of Texas before the Texas legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress, and state agencies. The public policy issues addressed by the Conference include institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic social teachings.

AUSTIN SUPERINTENDENT TO ASSUME TEXAS CATHOLIC CONFERENCE POSITION

Mrs. Margaret McGettrick, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Austin, will assume the position of Associate Director for Education at the Texas Catholic Conference on July 1, 2005 replacing Mr. George Solana who will retire after 24 years of service to Catholic education in Texas.

Mr. Solana has been Associate Director for Education since 1982. Initially responsible for implementation of federal programs in Catholic schools in Texas, Mr. Solana, working with the Catholic schools superintendents of the dioceses of Texas, established the accreditation system for Catholic school which is currently in use in the state.

Prior to assuming the position of superintendent, Mrs. McGettrick was an elementary and middle school principal and teacher in Corpus Christi, Texas and her hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Mrs. McGettrick and her husband Malachy immigrated to the United States in 1974. The McGettricks have four children and one grand child and reside in Buda, Texas.
Holy Cross Brother Richard Daly, Executive Director of the Texas Catholic Conference, stated "We are delighted that Mrs. McGettrick has agreed to join the staff of the TCC as Associate Director for Education. This means that the excellent work that has been accomplished by Mr. George Solana, his staff, and the school superintendents of Texas on behalf of the children who attend Catholic schools, will continue with no interruption."

There are currently approximately eighty thousand children attending two hundred seventy-five Catholic elementary and secondary schools in Texas.

TEXAS CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY

On Saturday, September 25, over thirty enthusiastic teachers and historians gathered at the Catholic Archives of Texas in Austin for the first workshop on "Teaching Texas Catholic History" sponsored by the Texas Catholic Historical Society. Open to all parochial school teachers in the state, the workshop was intended to bring teachers and scholars together for presentations and conversation concerning the history of the Church in Texas. The program included Ad�n Benavides (Benson Latin American Collection, UT-Austin): the Texas missions, friars and the secular clergy; Anthony Quiroz (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, History Department): Mexican American Catholicism; Patrick Foley (Editor, Catholic Southwest: a Journal of History and Culture): the Irish, French, and Polish in the building of Texas; and Steve Landregan (Archivist, Diocese of Dallas): a presentation regarding his new textbook, Catholic Texans: Our Family Album.

This first effort by the TCHS to encourage closer connections between parochial school teachers and the Society is a direct result of the Society's purpose: to foster the study and the preservation of the Catholic experience in Texas and the Southwest. A primary focus of the Society is the publication of articles and studies about Texas and the region, and its Catholic history, many of which appear in its journal, Catholic Southwest. In addition to offering more teachers' workshops, the TCHS will also provide certificates of achievement during Catholic Schools Week in January for student projects that treat Texas' Catholic heritage. Details on these initiatives will be made available through the diocesan school superintendents. More information about the TCHS and its activities (including a listing of speakers on Texas and American Catholic history) is available at its website (www.onr.com/user/cat/TCHS.htm) or from the current president, Thomas W. Jodziewicz, History Department, University of Dallas, Irving tjodz@udallas.edu.

Catholic Advocates for the Poor to Gather
April 1, 2004

BISHOPS CALL FOR THE RESTORATION OF FUNDING FOR CHILDRENS'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

A PASTORAL STATEMENT OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF TEXAS

CATHOLIC BISHOPS SUPPORT HEALTH CARE AND LEGALIZATION FOR PERSONS WITHOUT LAWFUL IMMIGRATION STATUS

TEXAS CATHOLIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL WINS THREE CATHOLIC PRESS ASSOCIATION AWARDS