HARTFORD
-- The sixth annual Catholic Concerns Day, held this year on Monday,
March 29, gives Catholics throughout the state an opportunity
to make their voices heard.
The
day begins at 9:30 a.m. when Bishop William E. Lori joins his
five brother bishops, Connecticut legislators, and Catholic citizens
at a prayer service at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford,
followed by a procession to the State Capitol and meetings with
legislators.
The
Family Life/Respect Life Ministry of the diocese is organizing
buses to ferry concerned Catholics to Hartford for the day. Details
can be found in every parish.
Powerful
Statement
“When thousands of Catholics young and old from across the state
gather together in Hartford, it makes a powerful statement,” says
Dr. Marie Hilliard, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic
Conference. “We are expecting another strong turnout on March
29. It is imperative that we witness to our lawmakers of the vital
need to support issues of concern to Catholics, who represent
a majority of the voting public in Connecticut.”
To
increase awareness among Catholics, a list of issues of major
concern is presented below,
as well as the names and contact
information of all state legislators who represent Fairfield
County.
CAPTION:
“THERE’S ALWAYS A HELPING HAND. I’ve been truly blessed,” says
homebound quadriplegic Bob Kelemen, a member of Saint Ann Parish
in Bridgeport, who enjoys a conversation with Winnie Fensore and
Carol Moran. Vsits alone can’t erase Kelemen’s concern about the
rising cost of medical coverage, an issue Catholics can speak
about to their legislators. (PHOTO BY PAT HENNESSY)
Enduring
Spirit
“The spirit of Catholic Concerns Day should not diminish when
the buses leave Hartford, but continue throughout the year,” says
Edie Cassidy, director of Social Concerns for Catholic Charities
of Fairfield County. “Just as the Connecticut Catholic Conference
speaks in the Capitol, the Action for Justice Network (AJN) works
at the parish level to help Catholics become aware citizens.”
Cassidy coordinates the work of the AJN in about 20 parishes of
this diocese.
“We
all know someone who has lost a job, or has an elderly relative
who is worried about the price of medicine,” says Michele Pavlik,
AJN coordinator for Saint Ann Parish in the Black Rock section
of Bridgeport. The concerns go beyond those of our immediate families,
she adds. “There are working people who have no insurance, and
there are children in every town in the state who go to bed hungry
at night. Children suffer in these tough times more than anybody,
and you can’t get those years back.”
All
Facets of Life
Pavlik points out that all facets of life, from availability of
child care to the quality of the air we breathe, are the subject
of legislation. “Laws are passed concerning how these things are
governed, and they need to be done right,” she says.
At
Saint Ann’s, the Action for Justice Network falls under the parish’s
Vision Group, which offers its members a number of ways to assist
the needs of friends and neighbors. “It’s multi-faceted,” says
Carol Moran, head of the Vision Group. “We feed the hungry through
Saint Stephen’s food pantry, staff a Cherub Loft for little ones,
visit the sick and the elderly, and give seniors rides to Mass.”
Moran,
who recently attended hearings on development of nearby wetlands,
sees the need to move beyond purely parishbased activities. Like
Pavlik, she encourages Catholics to get involved with the political
process.
“When
you visit the homebound, you constantly see people considering
what they can give up to get the medical coverage they need,”
she says. “It’s a serious issue, and letting your representative
hear about these things from a Catholic point of view is very
important.”
Help
for Homebound
“For years, a home health aide was able to accompany me to the
doctor,” says Bob Kelemen, a quadriplegic who lives near Saint
Ann’s. “Now she’s not allowed to do that, and she’s not allowed
to pick up prescriptions or groceries either.”
Although
Kelemen enjoys frequent visits from parishioners at Saint Ann’s,
visits alone will not make up for the reduction in his assistance,
or compensate for the increased cost of the prescriptions he takes.
Those issues are controlled by lawmakers.
The Action for Justice Network gives Catholics information on
issues coming before the state legislature. There is no fee to
join. The network lets participants know of proposed legislation
in their area of interest, along with the names, phone numbers,
and e-mail addresses of legislators to contact.
“Marriage
is under attack, the seal of confession is under attack, the protection
of the unborn is under attack. When you sign up with the Action
for Justice Network, you let them know the areas you’re interested
in, whether it’s any of those or housing or medical protection
or the environment,” Pavlik explains. “It’s our duty to let our
representatives know how we feel as Catholics. Our voice might
change the direction of a vote.”
Hartford
Rally
While the Action for Justice Network assists Catholics in becoming
informed citizens, Catholic Concerns Day at the Capitol will connect
them firsthand with their senators and representatives, and give
them a forum to express concerns they experience in their own
families and neighborhoods.
“Catholic
Concerns Day is an opportunity for us to meet our legislators,
to hear what they have to say, and to tell them about your concerns,”
Pavlik says. “The louder our Catholic voice is, the better the
chance is of it being heard.”
(For
more information on the Action for Justice Network, or for information
about Catholic Concerns Day and transportation to Hartford,, contact
Edie Cassidy, director of social concerns: 372- 4301, ext. 386.)
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Issues
of concern to Catholics
Religious
Freedom
• Free exercise
of religion in all aspects of life, from healthcare delivery to
protecting confidential conversations of clergy with members of
their congregations.
• The equal application of the law to all persons and institutions,
regardless of their faith.
• The right of parents to have full authority over the education
of their children in faith, morals, and values.
• The rights of faith-based providers and all individuals to conscience
protections in the delivery of services.
Respect
for Family and Life
• The right
of an unborn baby to full protection of the law, including the
right to be protected from assaults in the womb by abortion or
violent attacks on the mother, and right to health care if born
alive.
• The protection of human embryos from being created for, and
killed by, embryonic stem-cell and cloning research.
• Parents’ rights to be informed and give consent for all health-care
decisions for their minor children.
• The protection of marriage from being redefined for all of society
as being equivalent to same-sex unions.
• Funding of “sexual abstinence” youth development programs in
our schools.
Education
• Parents’
rights to determine how their children are educated, and the right
to have government assistance to provide for the best educational
options for their children.
• Non-public school parents’ rights to funded resources available
to all other children, especially in the areas of textbooks, transportation,
and special education.
• Parents’ rights to determine what values concerning marriage,
the family, and human sexuality are taught to their children in
the public school classroom.
• The protection of religiously-sponsored health care from attacks
on their constitutionally-protected rights to the free exercise
of religion.
• The rights of the elderly to funding for the services they need
to maintain a quality of life, including prescriptive coverage
and adequate reimbursements for residential and home care.
• The allocation of adequate funding for hospitals and longterm
care facilities providing uncompensated care to the under-served.
• The creation of a government-supported continuum of care, from
residential to community-based, for those with mental and developmental
health care needs, including adequate funding of the Community
Mental Health Trust Fund.
• Funding through the State-Administered General Assistance program
for home health services, eye care and glasses, and podiatry,
chiropractic, and naturopathy services.
Social
Justice
• Protecting
the rights of Catholic Charities, which is the largest human service
agency in Connecticut, to non-biased consideration when applying
to deliver government-funded services.
• Policies that address in all towns and municipalities our mutual
responsibilities for urban sprawl.
• Continuing health care insurance coverage, general assistance,
and food stamps for legal immigrants.
• Increased funding for affordable housing, rental assistance,
shelter assistance, and the Beyond Shelter Program.
• Adequate funding of the anti-hunger program to relieve the catastrophic
needs that we in the voluntary sector are attempting to meet.
• Increased funding of programs that move families from Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families to work, with training, expanded
income eligibility for health insurance, and support services.
Environment
• A coordinated
and funded plan to address urban sprawl.
• Interventions to systematically address the occurrence of children’s
diseases linked to environmental exposures.
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