“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 19, 2016 

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

As per the USCCB,

"The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage....The Act is needed because of growing intolerance toward religiously-minded individuals and organizations who want to live by their conviction that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage....it is vital that Congress act now to prevent similar intolerance at the federal level. 

How is the Pennsylvania Delegation in DC responding to the First Amendment Defense Act and other legislative advocacy from the USCCB and its partner agency? 

Pa’s Delegation in D.C. (checked on 6/11/16)	The 2016 Omnibus spending bill FAILED to include the Abortion Non-Discri-mina-tion Act, but passed  the   House and  Senate.	As per the USCCB’s “partner organi-zation,” Support the Con-science Protec-tion Act  (HR 4828/S 2927)	As per the USCCB, Support CWPIA (Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act; HR 1299/ S667)	“If passed, the [Maloney] amendments could infringe upon religious liberty of federal contractors, critics say” (CNA / EWTN News, 5/27/16).		As per the USCCB, Support FADA (First Amend-ment Defense Act; HR2802/ S1598)	As per the USCCB, Oppose “confi-scation of Christian lands in Cremisan Valley”	As per the USCCB, Oppose HR 4731
				See Final Vote Results for Roll Call 226	See Final Vote Results for Roll Call 258
1.    Bob Brady (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
2.    Chaka Fattah (D)	Voted Yea
3.    Mike Kelly (R)	Voted Noe		Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
4.    Scott Perry (R)	Voted Noe			Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
5.    Glenn Thompson (R)	Voted Yea		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
6.    Ryan Costello (R)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
7.    Pat Meehan  (R)	Voted Noe			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
8.    Mike  Fitzpatrick (R)	Voted Yea	Co- Sponsor	Co-Sponsor	Voted Yea	Voted Yea
9.    Bill Shuster (R)	Voted Noe			Voted Noe	Voted Noe
10.  Tom Marino  (R)	Voted Noe		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
11.  Lou Barletta  (R)	Voted Noe		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe
12.  Keith Rothfus (R)	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor	Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
13.  Brendan Boyle (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
14.  Michael Doyle (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
15.  Charlie Dent  (R)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
16.  Joseph Pitts   (R)	Voted Yea	Co- Sponsor	Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
17.  Matthew Cartwright (D)	Voted Yea			Voted Yea	Voted Yea
18.  Tim Murphy  (R)	Voted Yea		Co-Sponsor	Voted Noe	Voted Noe	Co- Sponsor
·     Bob Casey (D)	Voted Yea
·     Pat Toomey   (R)	Voted Noe

• "As debate continues on the floor of the U.S. House of Representative some seven decades later surrounding the issues of equity and fairness, and as we enact our 21st century path forward in the defense of our country’s freedom, we simply need to remember President Roosevelt’s words of 1941 as he addressed the Greatest Generation" (Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, When All Pulled Together to Defend Our Democracy, B.C. Courier Times, 6/1/16).  Huh?  Fitzpatrick was one of four Pa Republicans who twice crossed party lines in May to join with Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle, Michael Doyle, and Matthew Cartwright, in voting AGAINST religious freedom.

Click to Email U.S. Representatives Ryan Costello, Patrick Meehan, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Charlie Dent, specifically to express dismay at their ''Maloney Amendment'' votes and to ask for Co-Sponsorship/Support of the First Amendment Defense Act.

Click to Email Pa's entire Congressional Delegation, asking for Co-Sponsorship/Support of legislation backed by the USCCB and/or the NCHLA.

"I urge you to write or telephone your local state senator and members of the state Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against HB 1947, and especially to oppose any retroactivity provision in the civil statute of limitation covering sexual abuse....The problem with HB 1947 is its prejudicial content.  It covers both public and religious institutions — but in drastically different and unjust ways.  The bill fails to support all survivors of abuse equally, and it’s a clear attack on the Church, her parishes and her people" (Archbishop Chaput, 6/6/16)

How has the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg acted regarding HB 1947 and other pro life and pro marriage/family legislation?

The Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg (checked on 6/11/16)			As per the Pa Catholic Conference, “Please respect the concerns of all parties involved in adoption proceedings and vote no on HB 162 in its current form.”	As per the Pa Catholic Conference, "Ask your legislator to include the language of House Bill 1623 in the Fiscal Code.”	As per the Pa Catholic Conference,    “I am quite concerned that HB 1510/ SB 974 will run afoul of religious freedom and expose even more… to discrimination. Please  oppose the bill in its current form.”	As per the Pa Catholic Conference, “Please represent me by voting yes on House Bill 1948.” (SB 888)	As per the Pa Catholic Conference, HB 1947 “would not apply to public schools or government agencies....a legislative remedy must protect all children, not simply penalize some institutions” (i.e., Vote NO on HB 1947).
R	145	Rep Craig Staats	Voted Yea	Co-sponsor		Co-sponsor	Voted Yea
D	141	Rep Tina Davis	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	18	Rep Gene DiGirolamo	Voted Yea				------------
R	142	Rep Frank Farry	Voted Yea				Voted Yea
D	140	Rep John Galloway	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	29	Rep Bernie O’Neill	Voted Yea				Voted Yea
R	178	Rep Scott Petri	------------		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	143	Rep Marguerite Quinn	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
D	31	Rep Steve Santarsiero	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	144	Rep Kathy Watson	Voted Yea		Co-sponsor		Voted Yea
R	12	Sen Stewart Greenleaf
R	10	Sen Chuck McIlhinney			Co-sponsor
R	24	Sen Bob Mensch				Co-sponsor
R	6	Sen Robert Tomlinson

• As per Pa Pro Life Online News (6/1/16), "Representative Steven Santarsiero (D-Bucks County) is circulating a co-sponsorship memo for a bill that would repeal Act 13 of 2013....Act 13 is the common sense law that ensures that no taxpayer funding of abortion will occur in the health insurance exchange created in Pennsylvania under Obamacare."   
• The Pa Pro Life Federation encourages us to OPPOSE HB 1336, as it would take away your right to vote for judges.

Click to Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg on pro life and pro marriage/family matters.

• People of Life (USCCB, June 2016)
• Marriage Unique for a Reason (USCCB, June 2016)
• Friday Fax (C-Fam, 6/9/16)
• Call to Prayer (USCCB, 6/10/2016)
• "criminalizing poverty and homelessness is a growing national trend.  A report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty that surveyed 187 cities in 2014 shows that although most cities do not provide shelter for the homeless, 53 percent criminalize sitting or lying down in certain public places; 43 percent ban sleeping in a vehicle; and 9 percent even make it a crime to share food with homeless people.  Despite federal court decisions prohibiting the criminalization of such activities, these local laws are increasingly prevalent. Criminalizing poverty and homelessness doesn’t solve any underlying problem, and in fact makes the situation worse and wastes community public resources that could be used to address the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness" (Letter to the NY Times, 6/13/16).
  
• "An information overload is gradually leading to the 'naturalization' of extreme poverty.... We need to 'de-naturalize' extreme poverty, to stop seeing it as a statistic rather than a reality.... Food shortage is not something natural, it is not a given, something obvious or self-evident.... Whereas forms of aid and development projects are obstructed by involved and incomprehensible political decisions, skewed ideological visions and impenetrable customs barriers, weaponry is not.... wars are fed, not persons.... The Catholic Church, in fidelity to her mission, wishes to cooperate with every initiative that defends and protects the dignity of persons, especially of those whose rights are violated.  In implementing this urgent priority of 'zero hunger', I assure you of our complete support and encouragement for the efforts in course" (Pope Francis, 6/13/16).
• "The terrible massacre that has taken place in Orlando, with its dreadfully high number of innocent victims, has caused in Pope Francis, and in all of us, the deepest feelings of horror and condemnation, of pain and turmoil before this new manifestation of homicidal folly and senseless hatred. Pope Francis joins the families of the victims and all of the injured in prayer and in compassion. Sharing in their indescribable suffering he entrusts them to the Lord so they may find comfort. We all hope that ways may be found, as soon as possible, to effectively identify and contrast the causes of such terrible and absurd violence which so deeply upsets the desire for peace of the American people and of the whole of humanity" (Vatican Press Office, 6/13/16).
• Fortnight for Freedom: June 21 to July 4 (USCCB)
• March for Marriage 2016: June 25th (National Organization for Marriage)
• National NFP Awareness Week:  July 24 - July 30 (USCCB)
• Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Summit: Sept 29 - Oct 1 (National Center on Sexual Exploitation)