“Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?” (Acts 2: 8)

6/4/17, Pentecost

PETITION TO HHS SECRETARY TOM PRICE
Protect your tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood abortionists!

March for Marriage

"The Church understands marriage as a unique relationship, with a unique definition. It’s a faithful covenant between one man and one woman for life. By its very nature, marriage is ordered not only to companionship and mutual support, but also – and even more fundamentally – to the procreation and education of children. This is why every child deserves a family where the father loves the mother, and the mother loves the father. For anyone to attempt to redefine marriage or
the family as something else undermines that goal. Thus it’s vital that the Church keep working to defend the integrity of marriage.  For this reason, I support the Marriage March that will take place in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2017. For more information, please contact the Office for Life and
Family [link added] or visit https://www.marriagemarch.org/. 
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia"

On the right side of the home page is a link to email the White House and the Pa Delegation in D.C. on federal/international matters, as well as a link to email the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg on state matters.

• Help Us Fight for Marriage and Religious Liberty (National Organization for Marriage, 5/26/17)
• RIP Senator Jim Bunning (10/23/31 - 5/26/17)
• Planned Parenthood: A Vile Rot (American Life League, 5/26/17)
  "....the current proposed budget from President Trump’s staff bars all Planned Parenthood funding across the span of federal programs. We can only hope that this ban remains after the politicians get involved....nearly all birth control pills can kill babies before they have had a chance to implant in their mother’s womb....We must work hard to educate our fellow Americans, to tell the truth everywhere and anywhere, and to push elected officials to be honest and to stop subsidizing the murder of innocent children with our tax dollars...."
• Letter to Congress on Regarding [sic] the Federal Budget (USCCB, 5/22/17)

Fw: Call to Prayer: May 26, 2017

---

From: USCCB <usccbweb@usccb.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2017 3:03 PM
To:
Subject: Call to Prayer: May 26, 2017

 

Join us in praying and fasting for our country!

Friday, May 26, 2017   Hi ______, Your one-day reminder for The Bishops' Call to Prayer Friday intention is here! Thank you for joining the USCCB and thousands of Catholics praying  and fasting every Friday for the renewal of a culture of life and marriage, and for the protection of religious liberty in our country. Your prayers matter! Your sacrifices make a difference! Happy and blessed Easter season! This week's intention Watch our Call to Prayer  promo video below.  Click links below to learn more! Call to Prayer Website (English) Llamado a la Oración (Español)     Join the Call to Prayer Facebook page. Sponsored by  Website: www.usccb.org/pray Contact: calltoprayer@usccb.org

USCCB, 3211 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC 20017-1194 SafeUnsubscribe™ _________________ Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by usccbweb@usccb.org in collaboration with Try it free today

"Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly." (7th Sunday of Easter).

PETITION TO HHS SECRETARY TOM PRICE
Protect your tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood abortionists!

March for Marriage

"The Church understands marriage as a unique relationship, with a unique definition. It’s a faithful covenant between one man and one woman for life. By its very nature, marriage is ordered not only to companionship and mutual support, but also – and even more fundamentally – to the procreation and education of children. This is why every child deserves a family where the father loves the mother, and the mother loves the father. For anyone to attempt to redefine marriage or
the family as something else undermines that goal. Thus it’s vital that the Church keep working to defend the integrity of marriage.  For this reason, I support the Marriage March that will take place in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2017. For more information, please contact the Office for Life and
Family [link added] or visit https://www.marriagemarch.org/. 
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia"

On the right side of the home page is a link to email the White House and the Pa Delegation in D.C. on federal/international matters, as well as a link to email the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg on state matters.

• Pope Francis: condolences for murder of Coptic Christians (News.VA, 5/27/17)
• Help Us Fight for Marriage and Religious Liberty (National Organization for Marriage, 5/26/17)
• Planned Parenthood: A Vile Rot (American Life League, 5/26/17)
  "....the current proposed budget from President Trump’s staff bars all Planned Parenthood funding across the span of federal programs. We can only hope that this ban remains after the politicians get involved....nearly all birth control pills can kill babies before they have had a chance to implant in their mother’s womb....We must work hard to educate our fellow Americans, to tell the truth everywhere and anywhere, and to push elected officials to be honest and to stop subsidizing the murder of innocent children with our tax dollars...."
• Priest says Egypt’s Christians feel they could be martyrs at any time (CNS, 5/26/17)
• Letter sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Holy Father to the President of the United Mexican States, President of the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction [Cancún, 22-26 May 2017] (5/25/17)
  
• Pope and Trump discuss peace, dialogue, support for immigrants (News.Va, 5/24/17)
  
• US bishops welcome Trump administration's reprieve for Haitian Migrants (CWN/EWTN, 5/23/17) 
• Jesus, Who Loves You, Warned Frequently About Hell (Msgr. Charles Pope, 5/24/17)
• US bishops welcome Trump administration's reprieve for Haitian Migrants (CWN/EWTN, 5/23/17)
• FW: Follow-up on violations at Harrisburg abortion center [Pa Pro Life Federation, 5/23/17]
• Deadly terror attack in Manchester, England (Vatican Radio, 5/23/17)
• Letter to Congress on Regarding [sic] the Federal Budget (USCCB, 5/22/17)
• Commission prods President Trump on international religious freedom (CWN, 5/19/17)
• St Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine (5/19/17 photos near the WTC)
• Spanish church desecrated (CWN, 5/17/17)
• Aleppo consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima (CWN, 5/17/17)

Federal/Interational Concerns (5/27/17 Update)

Human Life Action 

• Urge Congress to Enact the Conscience Protection Act of 2017

Pa Catholic Conference

• No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion
  "Urge our Senators to support H.R. 7 to permanently protect our tax dollars from paying for or promoting elective abortions."

USCCB

• Urge President Trump to Remain Committed to the Paris Climate Agreement!
• Urge Congress to Enact the Conscience Protection Act of 2017!
• Tell Your Representative to Insist on Changes to the American Health Care Act
  "While the AHCA, laudably, restricts funding which flows to abortion providers and prohibits federal funding for abortion or the purchase of plans that cover abortion, it also makes changes that would result in loss of affordable coverage for those on the margins....[While the USCCB acknowledges that we should] "Retain the AHCA's life protections for the unborn"...[it notes that Congress needs to] "Add conscience protections for those who participate in the delivery or coverage of health care services and against mandates like the contraception and sterilization regulatory requirement from the DHS."

• PLEASE NOTE: "'That the American Health Care Act limits Medicaid funds to entities that don’t kill people is entirely appropriate, not to mention a step that’s long overdue,' said Father Frank Pavone, national president of Priests for Life.  'Sending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to an organization that dismembers 320,000 unborn babies a year adds up to a travesty of justice,' he added. 'The Senate should approve the defunding legislation as soon as possible and send it to the president’s desk. The scam of using public money to prop up abortion businesses needs to be terminated" (Catholic Herald, 5/6/17)

• Urge Congress to press Israel to stop confiscation of Christian lands in Cremisan Valley

 

 

"Israelis should not have to live in fear of Hamas' indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilian areas. At the same time, Palestinians should not have to live in fear for their lives from air and ground attacks or to suffer the humiliations of occupation....In August 2015, Israel's Supreme Court granted approval for the building of a separation barrier through the pristine Cremisan Valley. The Cremisan Valley lies in the West Bank on the Palestinian side of the Green Line, adjacent to Beit Jala and Bethlehem. The separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley will have devastating effects for the local community, confiscating Palestinian agricultural and recreational lands of over 50 Christian families. This threatens the livelihoods of the remaining Christian community of Bethlehem....The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has long supported a two-state solution, secure and recognized Israel living in peace alongside a viable and independent Palestinian state. USCCB asks you to urge Congress to press Israeli authorities to stop the work on the Separation Wall in the Cremisan Valley."

(from "Photos: Activists Hold Mass at the Barrier Blocking Bethlehem" (12/11/14))

•  Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act: Contact your Representative and Senators today! 
  "The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (CWPIA) protects the religious liberties of child welfare service providers, including adoption and foster care agencies.  The Act would prohibit the federal government and any state that receives certain federal funding from discriminating against child welfare service providers on the basis that they decline to provide a child welfare service that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions....women and men who want to place their children for adoption should be free to choose from a diversity of adoption agencies, including those that share the parents' religious beliefs and moral convictions.  The Inclusion Act recognizes and respects this parental choice.  The Inclusion Act has been introduced in both the House (H.R. 1881) and the Senate (S. 811)."

USCCB's Catholics Confront Global Poverty 

We can ensure safety for refugees, including those from Syria, as well as their host communities.  As our noble efforts at assistance must not be hijacked, this blogger believes that our communications MUST specifically state that contraceptives/abortifacients MUST be excluded from "assistance."

• Speak up for the 1% that does a world of good
• Use Your Voice to Combat Human Trafficking
• Urge Congress to help Syrian refugees
• Urge Our Nation to Care for Our Common Home 

USCCB's Justice for Immigrants

• Action Alert to DHS: Extend TPS for Haitians
  PLEASE NOTE: "The Trump administration’s decision to allow 50,000 Haitian earthquake victims to remain in the United States prompted gratitude from the U.S. bishops’ conference, which stressed the need for continued work to aid Haitians here and in their home country.  'While this extension is helpful, it still leaves many Haitian families in the United States in an insecure and vulnerable position, particularly with respect to ensuring legal work authorization,' Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ migration committee, said May 23.  The Department of Homeland Security’s decision extended the Obama administration’s protections for Haitians who had arrived in the U.S. within a year of the massive 2010 earthquake. They may remain with work authorizations until January 2018....Temporary protected status may be provided to citizens of countries that are suffering from severe violence, disease and natural disasters. At present countries designated for that status include Sudan, Somalia, Syria, El Salvador, Nepal, and Yemen, Reuters reports" (CNA/EWTN, 5/23/17)
• Voice Your Support for Vulnerable Immigrants and Refugees
• Please Support the BRIDGE ACT and DACA Youth
• In Solidarity with Refugees

USCCB's Marriage Unique for a Reason

As per the June 2017 newsletter, "The USCCB supports the First Amendment Defense Act and the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act in Congress."

Help Us Fight for Marriage and Religious Liberty (NOM, 5/26/17)

http://www.nomblog.com/41351/

Federal/International Concerns (5/24/17 update)

Human Life Action 

• Urge Congress to Enact the Conscience Protection Act of 2017

Pa Catholic Conference

• No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion
  "Urge our Senators to support H.R. 7 to permanently protect our tax dollars from paying for or promoting elective abortions."

USCCB

• Urge President Trump to Remain Committed to the Paris Climate Agreement!
• Urge Congress to Enact the Conscience Protection Act of 2017!
• Tell Your Representative to Insist on Changes to the American Health Care Act
  "While the AHCA, laudably, restricts funding which flows to abortion providers and prohibits federal funding for abortion or the purchase of plans that cover abortion, it also makes changes that would result in loss of affordable coverage for those on the margins....[While the USCCB acknowledges that we should] "Retain the AHCA's life protections for the unborn"...[it notes that Congress needs to] "Add conscience protections for those who participate in the delivery or coverage of health care services and against mandates like the contraception and sterilization regulatory requirement from the DHS."

• PLEASE NOTE: "'That the American Health Care Act limits Medicaid funds to entities that don’t kill people is entirely appropriate, not to mention a step that’s long overdue,' said Father Frank Pavone, national president of Priests for Life.  'Sending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to an organization that dismembers 320,000 unborn babies a year adds up to a travesty of justice,' he added. 'The Senate should approve the defunding legislation as soon as possible and send it to the president’s desk. The scam of using public money to prop up abortion businesses needs to be terminated" (Catholic Herald, 5/6/17)

• Urge Congress to press Israel to stop confiscation of Christian lands in Cremisan Valley

 

 

"Israelis should not have to live in fear of Hamas' indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilian areas. At the same time, Palestinians should not have to live in fear for their lives from air and ground attacks or to suffer the humiliations of occupation....In August 2015, Israel's Supreme Court granted approval for the building of a separation barrier through the pristine Cremisan Valley. The Cremisan Valley lies in the West Bank on the Palestinian side of the Green Line, adjacent to Beit Jala and Bethlehem. The separation barrier through the Cremisan Valley will have devastating effects for the local community, confiscating Palestinian agricultural and recreational lands of over 50 Christian families. This threatens the livelihoods of the remaining Christian community of Bethlehem....The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has long supported a two-state solution, secure and recognized Israel living in peace alongside a viable and independent Palestinian state. USCCB asks you to urge Congress to press Israeli authorities to stop the work on the Separation Wall in the Cremisan Valley."

(from "Photos: Activists Hold Mass at the Barrier Blocking Bethlehem" (12/11/14))

•   Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act: Contact your Representative and Senators today! 
  "The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (CWPIA) protects the religious liberties of child welfare service providers, including adoption and foster care agencies.  The Act would prohibit the federal government and any state that receives certain federal funding from discriminating against child welfare service providers on the basis that they decline to provide a child welfare service that conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions....women and men who want to place their children for adoption should be free to choose from a diversity of adoption agencies, including those that share the parents' religious beliefs and moral convictions.  The Inclusion Act recognizes and respects this parental choice.  The Inclusion Act has been introduced in both the House (H.R. 1881) and the Senate (S. 811)."

USCCB's Catholics Confront Global Poverty 

We can ensure safety for refugees, including those from Syria, as well as their host communities.  As our noble efforts at assistance must not be hijacked, this blogger believes that our communications MUST specifically state that contraceptives/abortifacients MUST be excluded from "assistance."

• Speak up for the 1% that does a world of good
• Use Your Voice to Combat Human Trafficking
• Urge Congress to help Syrian refugees
• Urge Our Nation to Care for Our Common Home 

USCCB's Justice for Immigrants

• Action Alert to DHS: Extend TPS for Haitians
  PLEASE NOTE: "The Trump administration’s decision to allow 50,000 Haitian earthquake victims to remain in the United States prompted gratitude from the U.S. bishops’ conference, which stressed the need for continued work to aid Haitians here and in their home country.  'While this extension is helpful, it still leaves many Haitian families in the United States in an insecure and vulnerable position, particularly with respect to ensuring legal work authorization,' Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ migration committee, said May 23.  The Department of Homeland Security’s decision extended the Obama administration’s protections for Haitians who had arrived in the U.S. within a year of the massive 2010 earthquake. They may remain with work authorizations until January 2018....Temporary protected status may be provided to citizens of countries that are suffering from severe violence, disease and natural disasters. At present countries designated for that status include Sudan, Somalia, Syria, El Salvador, Nepal, and Yemen, Reuters reports" (CNA/EWTN, 5/23/17)
• Voice Your Support for Vulnerable Immigrants and Refugees
• Please Support the BRIDGE ACT and DACA Youth
• In Solidarity with Refugees

Making a Pilgrimage in Defense of Marriage

"March for Marriage 2017 Saturday, June 17th - 11:00 AM in Washington D.C."

As per Archbishop Chaput, "The Church understands marriage as a unique relationship, with a unique definition. It’s a faithful covenant between one man and one woman for life. By its very nature, marriage is ordered not only to companionship and mutual support, but also – and even more fundamentally – to the procreation and education of children. This is why every child deserves a family where the father loves the mother, and the mother loves the father. For anyone to attempt to redefine marriage or the family as something else undermines that goal. Thus it’s vital that the Church keep working to defend the integrity of marriage. For this reason, I support the Marriage March that will take place in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2017. For more information, please contact the Office for Life and Family [link added] or visit https://www.marriagemarch.org/."

After the first (2013) and second (2014) Marches for Marriage, there was great hope that this event would be growing, as part of a renewed appreciation for marriage/family.  Attendance at last year's event was very small and at least somewhat attributable to late scheduling and there being no transportation coordination from the Archdiocese (as there had been in other years).

Unfortunately, the Archdiocese will NOT be coordinating transportation to and from D.C. for the June 17 (11 am) March.

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Philadelphia/Washington

https://us.megabus.com/JourneyResults.aspx?originCode=127&destinationCode=142&outboundDepartureDate=6%2f17%2f2017&inboundDepartureDate=6%2f17%2f2017&passengerCount=1&transportType=0&concessionCount=0&nusCount=0&outboundWheelchairSeated=0&outboundOtherDisabilityCount=0&inboundWheelchairSeated=0&inboundOtherDisabilityCount=0&outboundPcaCount=0&inboundPcaCount=0&promotionCode=&withReturn=1

On the right side of the home page is a link to email the White House and the Pa Delegation in D.C. on federal/international matters, as well as a link to email the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg on state matters.

US bishops welcome Trump administration's reprieve for Haitian migrants (CNA/EWTN, 5/23/17)

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/us-bishops-welcome-trump-administrations-reprieve-for-haitian-migrants-78128/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20catholicnewsagency/dailynews%20%28CNA%20Daily%20News%29&utm_term=daily%20news

FW: Follow-up on violations at Harrisburg abortion center [Pa Pro Life Federation, 5/23/17]

---

From: Maria
Sent: ‎5/‎23/‎2017 4:38 PM
To: gallagher@paprolife.org
Subject: Follow-up on violations at Harrisburg abortion center

Dear Pro-Life Leaders,

 

ABC 27 News devoted part of its reporter roundtable podcast this week to the revelations about health and safety violations at the Hillcrest abortion facility in Harrisburg. The reporters also reference the Kermit Gosnell case, which ushered in a new era of inspections at Pennsylvania abortion facilities. The segment about abortion facilities begins about 14 minutes into the podcast and lasts around ten minutes. Here is the link that will take you to the page where you can listen to the podcast: http://abc27.com/2017/05/23/is-the-traditional-school-structure-hurting-your-family/ .

 

We will be giving you updates about the situation at Hillcrest as they become available.

 

Best regards,

 

Maria V. Gallagher

Legislative Director

Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

www.paprolife.org

717-541-0034

 

Deadly terror attack in Manchester, England (Vatican Radio, 5/23/17)

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/05/23/deadly_terror_attack_in_manchester,_england/1314087

U.S. extends Temporary Protected Status for Haitians for six months (CNS, 5/22/17)

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/us-extends-temporary-protected-status-for-haitians-for-six-months.cfm

Spanish church desecrated (CWN, 5/17/17)

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=31601

Aleppo consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima (CWN, 5/17/17)

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=31602

Commission prods President Trump on international religious freedom (CWN, 5/22/17)

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=31622

St Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine (5/19/17)

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter (May 22, St. Rita of Cascia)

"Saint Rita of Cascia (Born Margherita Lotti 1381 - May 22, 1457)....is remembered for her Christian values as a model wife and mother who made efforts to convert her husband from his abusive behavior. Upon the murder of her husband by another feuding family, she sought to dissuade her sons from revenge before their calamitous death. She subsequently joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters....Her body, which has remained incorrupt over the centuries, is venerated today in the shrine at Cascia, which bears her name" (Wikepedia).

Around St Rita's Shrine in beautiful Cascia in 2012:

"March for Marriage 2017 / Saturday, June 17th - 11:00 AM in Washington D.C."

 "March for Marriage 2017 Saturday, June 17th - 11:00 AM in Washington D.C."

As per Archbishop Chaput, "The Church understands marriage as a unique relationship, with a unique definition. It’s a faithful covenant between one man and one woman for life. By its very nature, marriage is ordered not only to companionship and mutual support, but also – and even more fundamentally – to the procreation and education of children. This is why every child deserves a family where the father loves the mother, and the mother loves the father. For anyone to attempt to redefine marriage or the family as something else undermines that goal. Thus it’s vital that the Church keep working to defend the integrity of marriage. For this reason, I support the Marriage March that will take place in Washington, D.C., on June 17, 2017. For more information, please contact the Office for Life and Family [link added] or visit https://www.marriagemarch.org/."

After the first (2013) and second (2014) Marches for Marriage, there was great hope that this event would be growing, as part of a renewed appreciation for marriage/family.  Attendance at last year's event was very small and at least somewhat attributable to late scheduling and there being no transportation coordination from the Archdiocese (as there had been in other years).


Please be certain to contact the Office for Life and Family, stressing the need for the Archdiocese to coordinate transportation:  

Steve Bozza, director
Phone: 215-587-5661
Email: sbozza@archphila.org

Mary Cullinan, program coordinator
Phone: 215-587-0500
Email: mcullinan@archphila.org

March for Marriage 2016 (6/25/16)

Young man from Heritage Foundation:

Archbishop Broglio

 March for Marriage 2015 (4/25/15)

"My friends, it's 1963 in the fight for marriage. And it is time we march.

"I can't promise you that we will have a historic speech like Dr. King's 'I have a dream' speech, nor can I promise you 250,000 people will come to Washington, but I can promise you this: we will march for a true and just cause, for the civil right of Americans to enjoy the benefits of natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman, the foundation of society and the cradle of civilization.

"And I can also promise that this year's march could be as important to the cause of marriage as the 1963 March on Washington was to the cause of civil rights....

"The March for Marriage is set for Saturday, April 25th which is within days of when the Supreme Court is expected to hear oral argument on the cases before them that will decide the legal status of marriage.

"This case could prove to be the Roe of marriage, or it could be a great win for us....

"Now is not the time to be timid or dissuaded by the doubters; now is the time to stand and be counted, and to march!....

"make plans to come to DC to join us on April 25th. Perhaps you can organize a busload of people from church to join you….

"It's my dream that you will stand with us at this critical hour, and that with God's help we will make a difference and help preserve marriage for our nation, and for future generations" (Brian Brown, National Organization for Marriage).

 

March for Marriage 2014

 

March for Marriage 2013

 

 Doug Mainwaring: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2013/03/9432/

On the right side of the home page is a link to email the White House and the Pa Delegation in D.C. on federal/international matters, as well as a link to email the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg on state matters.

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter (May 22, St. Rita of Cascia)

"....you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (from the 1st reading for Ascension Thursday)

Being His Witnesses to the Ends of the Earth: 

On the right side of the home page is a link to email the White House and the Pa Delegation in D.C. on federal/international matters, as well as a link to email the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg on state matters.

• Scenes from a [March for] Marriage (6/25/16)
  While the annual March for Marriage seemed to be growing in its 2nd year, last year's attendance was a big disappointment.  Much of this was certainly attributable to its last minute scheduling.  Though our Archdiocese had been among the extremely few coordinating transportation in other years, it did not do so last year.  Round trip on Amtrak was in excess of $200....

• "March for Marriage 2017 Saturday, June 17th - 11:00 AM in Washington D.C."
  Please encourage the Archdiocese to coordinate transportation for this year's event.