Texas Catholic Voice November 2022

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and now that Advent is upon us, wish you peace and joy. This time of year always seems to go by so quickly in large part due to the frenetic commercial holiday season and the demands of wrapping up school and work before Christmas break. It is my prayer that despite our endless list of things to do, we will find moments of stillness to contemplate the Incarnation of our Lord.

With the election over, legislators and legislators-elect have hit the ground running by filing more than 1,000 bills already. These early-filed bills, however, are generally not a priority for leadership in the House or Senate. Typically, the leadership bills are filed in January and February after committee chairs are announced, since the chairs have a great deal of power to move legislation.

Regardless of legislative priority, we review and analyze all the bills as the Church is concerned with everything that affects the human person from womb to tomb. The TCCB agenda includes eight areas: life and family life, immigration, restorative justice, education, healthcare, religious liberty, social concerns, and creation. This session, we anticipate robust discussion surrounding support for pregnant women and their families post-Roe, as well as religious liberty, and parental choice in education.

Catholic Advocacy Day: mark your calendar!

Planning for Catholic Advocacy Day, which is Tuesday, March 28, is well underway. Catholic school students from all over the state will participate in mock committee hearings on the issue of payday lending, and (arch)diocesan delegates will meet with elected officials on issues related to the TCCB legislative agenda. Please contact your diocese to sign up as an Advocacy Day delegate or just make plans to attend the rally with the Texas bishops on the south steps of the Capitol at 11:30 am. We would love to see a large turnout, especially since we were unable to host a rally in 2021 due to Covid.

The video below is a great way to share with others what Catholic Advocacy Day is. Feel free to forward this email and encourage others to join us on March 28!