Faithful Citizenship in Pa's 1st Congressional District and the Central Garden State: “….Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart” (1 Samuel 16: 7)

Saturday, March 25, 2017

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (3/25/17)

House Pulls Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood After Conservatives Say Obamacare Not Repealed Enough (LifeNews, 3/24/17)

Good Friday collection supports Church in the Holy Land (CatholicHerald.co.uk, 3/22/17)

Click here to review the federal positions backed by our bishops. On the right side of the home page is a link to send a combined email to the offices of Pa's congressional delegation, regarding those positions.

Tell Bob Casey not to block the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court --corrected number (Pa Pro Life Federation, 3/17/17)

Click here to review state positions backed by the Pa Catholic Conference, the Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania and/or the Pa Pro Life Federation. On the right side of the home page is a link to send a combined email to Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg.

With regard to the dismemberment abortion ban [cf, Pa Catholic Conference, Pa Pro Life Federation], the Pro Life Coalition of Pa tells us that "Some progress has occurred in our attempts to persuade the Pa. House of Representatives leaders to pass S.B.3 rather than their own bill, H.B.77. Please urge Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai and Majority Leader Dave Reed to run S.B.3 as soon as possible. Their contact information is
Speaker Mike Turzai mturzai@pahousegop.com 717-772-9943

Majority Leader Dave Reed dreed@pahousegop.com 717-705-7173"

On the right side of the home page is a link to email USCCB President Cardinal DiNardo, USCCB Pro Life Chair Cardinal Dolan, USCCB Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth Chair Archbishop Chaput, and National Catholic Bioethics Center President John Haas, PhD, STL.

Surrogacy is Linked to Serious Worldwide Sex Trafficking Problems (LifeNews.com, 3/22/17)
"The confessor does not do his own will and he does not teach his own doctrine. He is called to do always and only the will of God, in full communion with the Church, of which he is minister, that is, servant....the Confessional is place of evangelization and, therefore, of formation....To hear confessions is a pastoral priority. Please, let there not be those notices: 'Confessions are heard only on Mondays and Wednesdays from this hour to that hour.' You hear confessions every time they are requested. And if you are there [in the Confessional] praying, keep the Confessional open, which is God’s open heart" (Pope Francis, 3/17/17)

Trafficking Survivors Tell UN: Strengthen Families To Protect Women and Girls (C-Fam, 3/17/17)

"I thank you for your presence here tonight, on the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the Treaties instituting the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community....As Saint John Paul II affirmed: 'Today too, the soul of Europe remains united, because, in addition to its common origins, those same Christian and human values are still alive. Respect for the dignity of the human person, a profound sense of justice, freedom, industriousness, the spirit of initiative, love of family, respect for life, tolerance, the desire for cooperation and peace: all these are its distinctive marks'.[13]....Ours is a time of discernment, one that invites us to determine what is essential and to build on it. It is a time of challenge and opportunity" (Pope Francis, 3/24/17).

Pope Francis says migrant crisis is ‘biggest tragedy’ since Second World War (CatholicHerald.co.uk, 3/23/17)

"I also offer a special welcome to the participants in the 'Watershed' Conference on replenishing water values for a thirsty world', co-hosted by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Argentinian Chapter of the Club of Rome. Today is World Water Day, instituted twenty-five years ago by the United Nations, while yesterday was the International Day of Forests. I am happy that this meeting is taking place, for it represents yet another stage in the joint commitment of various institutions to raising consciousness about the need to protect water as a treasure belonging to everyone, mindful too of its cultural and religious significance. I especially encourage your efforts in the area of education, through programmes directed to children and young people. Thank you for all that you do and may God bless you!" (Pope Francis, 3/22/17)

"The United States mustn’t cut foreign aid while conflicts, famines, and a worldwide refugee crisis rage, Catholic leaders are insisting" (EWTN News / CNA, 3/19/17)

On our duty to welcome the stranger (Archbishop Chaput, 3/17/17)
More organizations appeal to Trump – ‘Religious liberty is in crisis’ (LifeSite, 3/15/17)

"The Report of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as other sources, depict all too well the disastrous situation that continues to unfold after more than six years of violence: hundreds of thousands of victims and wounded; family-life disrupted; infrastructure, houses, schools, hospitals, and places of worship wrecked; entire cities ravaged; malnutrition and inadequate medical care. This is the grim reality that the Syrian people face every day....my delegation wishes to emphasize that the dignity inherent in every human person must take every precedence over power and revenge. The unjust suffering of the innocent victims of this senseless slaughter should motivate all involved parties to engage in a serious dialogue and to work towards a future of peace and justice" (Holy See to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations on Syria, 3/14/17).