Texas Catholic Voice August 2021
In this issue of the Texas Catholic Voice:
- Passage of Chemical Abortion Safety Protocols victory for women
- School year's begun
- Church's ministry to migrants
- And more! ...
A Message from Jennifer Allmon, Executive Director
As the second special session of the 87th Legislature draws to a close, we are very excited to report that today SB 4, the Chemical Abortion Safety Protocol bill, passed in the House and is headed to the governor’s desk. This law will protect women and girls by criminalizing the provision of abortion-inducing drugs without the common-sense safety requirement of an in-person visit and preventing mail order abortion. It also reduces the number of weeks at which a woman may obtain a chemical abortion from 10 to seven. The Food and Drug Administration stopped enforcing the in-person requirement during the pandemic and is poised to permanently remove this critical guardrail under pressure from the abortion industry and pro-abortion activists. This law will protect women and girls in Texas regardless of the FDA decision.
We are grateful to Senator Eddie Lucio and Rep. Chair Stephanie Klick for their unwavering commitment and support of this legislation. They filed bills in the regular session, during which SB 394 passed out of the Senate but unfortunately did not make it onto the final House calendar. They filed again in the first special session but the lack of a quorum in the House stalled movement of the Senate bill. This time they carried it across the finish line. In doing so, they have saved lives.
A Message from Lisette Allen, Director of Education
The 2021-2022 school year is well underway and accreditation visits are scheduled to begin in September. Robin Perry, our new associate director of accreditation, has been working assiduously to help prepare the schools and the teams conducting the on-site visits. I know we all hoped that by this time we would see more of a return to normalcy. Despite the persistent challenges of the pandemic, our Catholic schools continue to fulfill the educational mission of the Church, which has as its primary goal the Christian formation of the whole person made in the image and likeness of God. Administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students have persevered through a very turbulent time, and I am humbled by and proud of their unwavering commitment. I am praying for a safe and successful academic year and look forward to working with our schools to continuously improve Catholic education in Texas.
Toward an ever wider “we”
"Toward an ever wider 'we'” is the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), being held on Sept. 26. Resources in several languages, including English and Spanish, some of which highlight Texas, can be found on the Vatican's website.
On Aug. 12, Catholic Charities USA and the TCCB provided a statement on the important ministry of working with migrants.
Upcoming Texas Executions
John Ramirez - Sept. 8, 2021
Rick Rhoades Sept. 28, 2021
Stephen Barbee Oct. 12, 2021
Prayer for the Legislature
Please pray for all our public servants and elected officials, including our Governor, Lt. Governor, House Speaker, lawmakers, and their staff, that the Lord may grant them wisdom and prudence to work for the common good of all the people of Texas.
Pope Francis' prayer intention for September
Oceans contain the bulk of our planet’s water supply, and also most of the immense variety of living creatures, many of them are threatened for various reasons.
Creation is a project of love given by God to humanity.
Our solidarity with the “common home” is born from our faith.
Let us pray this month that politicians, scientists and economists work together to protect the world’s seas and oceans.
The Texas Catholic Voice is a publication of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. For more information, write news@txcatholic.org or call 512-339-9882.