Texas Catholic Voice January 29

The pandemic has dramatically affected the pace of the legislative cycle this year. We are seeing fewer bills filed and a near empty Capitol, as people take necessary precautions, help family and friends who are sick, and juggle the continued level of uncertainty.

As we await more legislation to come, we do want to highlight the upcoming Catholic Social Ministry Gathering which takes place Feb. 6 – 9, 2021. There is still time to register for this virtual conference organized by the USCCB and 18 national Catholic organizations. We will pray, learn and advocate together on the disparities revealed by COVID-19 and new models of justice and solidarity.  For more than 30 years, the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) has brought together hundreds of participants whose faith inspires them to address pressing current domestic and global challenges affecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at home and around the world. This year’s virtual gathering will include:

• Inspiring leading voices in Church and society
• Workshops with policy experts and grassroots community leaders
• Intentional opportunities for best practice-sharing among participants
• Resources from dozens of Catholic social ministry organizations
• Virtual advocacy visits with elected officials
• And much more!

Registration is only $50/person for this four-day event. Financial assistance is available. The program at CSMG 2021 is bilingual (English and Spanish), with translation available for plenary sessions and unique Spanish-only workshops.

We also want to take this as an opportunity to reach out to you, our Texas Catholic Network, and ask you to spread the word about what the TCCB does. Could you share this graphic on your social media, in any newsletters you might have, etc., to encourage others to join the Texas Catholic Network? They’ll get The Texas Catholic Voice each week and you and I will have more collaborators in our effort to serve the common good! If you'd like a print-ready version or another format, please email Helen Osman.