This is “appropriations season” on the Hill. That means Congressmust pass funding legislation for Fiscal Year 2018. As you know, we have been encouraging our members to include certain pro-life provisions – chief among them the Conscience Protection Act – in the “must-pass” bill. I am happy to report that we are one step closer to attaining that goal!

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives approved HR 3354,Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018. It includes the full text of the Conscience Protection Act (CPA) of 2017! It also includes other provisions which we have taken action on such as the nullification of the DC law that legalized assisted suicide and the DC Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA), a DC law that could force pro-life employers to hire people who disagree with their sincerely held beliefs about the sanctity of life. There are many other pro-life provisions (both longstanding and new) in the funding bill as well, such as a prohibition on funding elective abortions for detainees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and against funding for research involving human fetal tissue from abortions. While we expect all long-standing pro-life provisions to be retained in the year-end appropriations legislation, not all of the new provisions are likely to be retained.  Of the new provisions, our top priority is to ensure that the CPA is included.

Our voices are being heard, but we are not across the goal line yet. The passage of HR 3354 is good news, but it is only the first step of many. For example, rather than finalizing the FY 2018 appropriations legislation by the end of the fiscal year (September 30), both the House and the Senate passed a Continuing Resolution to fund the government at its current levels with current policies untilDecember 8, 2017.  This means that negotiations between the House and the Senate are underway between now and December on what policies will be included in the final year-end appropriations legislation. That is why I again urge you to continue contacting your members of Congress. It is particularly important that the Senate know that our top priority is inclusion of the Conscience Protection Act in the year-end appropriations legislation. Even if you have already sent a message, please do so again. The more of us who raise our voices, the more clearly our lawmakers will hear us calling them to protect our deeply cherished rights of life and freedom of conscience.

Thank you for continuing to stand with us. You are making a difference. Please, let’s keep the drive alive until every life is protected in law.

Together we will be heard!

Thank you to all who attended the first Youth Group meeting of the year on Sunday, September 17th.  The children gathered to enjoy some pizza, make decorations for the upcoming healing mass, made a craft for our home-bound parishioners and played some fun games to get to know each other!  Below are some pictures from the night:

I am sharing information on the “Share the Journey” campaign to be launched by Pope Francis in support of migrants and refugees later this month.

Sponsored by Caritas Internationalis, Share the Journey promotes the culture of encounter in communities where migrants and refugees leave and return to, where they travel through, and where they chose to make their homes. The campaign aims to dispel fear and inspire communities to build relationships with those forced to leave their native lands due to violence, oppression, famine, and other hardships. The campaign is set to run through September 2019.

In solidarity with the Holy Father, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will launch Share the Journey in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at an 11:00 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

All are welcome to attend the Mass which will include a procession of recent immigrants and refugees from local parishes and the Refugee Resettlement Program of Catholic Social Services. The Mass is being combined with the existing liturgy to celebrate religious jubilarians, as many of our men and women religious have a keen focus on matters related to immigrants and refugees.

In addition to the Mass, the Reach Out social media campaign will be launched on Archbishop Chaput’s Facebook page during the week of September 18th. One of the ways your parish can show support, is by taking a picture of you with your parishioners holding hands in a circle facing outward. The picture can be shared on social media using the hashtag #ReachOut. Reach Out symbolizes understanding and support for immigrants and refugee as well as the challenges they face.

Lastly, you can respond to the Holy Father’s call by joining in a “Week of Prayer and Action” for migrants and refugees, beginning at Masses on October 7th and 8ththough October 14th.

Yesterday, over 300 Catholic school students gathered on the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul to celebrate the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year in the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This celebration signaled the opening of the 234th consecutive year for Catholic education in the region.

You can view the full video here https://vimeo.com/catholicphilly/review/233422220/1f6a1d1c4a. Further details about the event are below.

The several hundred students in attendance represented young people from the 119 parish and regional Catholic elementary schools, 17 Archdiocesan high schools, and four Archdiocesan Schools of Special Education in the City of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties.

Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, who oversees the Office of Catholic Education, and Mr. Christopher Mominey, Chief Operating Officer and Secretary for Catholic Education, addressed students, parents, faculty, administrators, and staff members in the crowd.

The event concluded with a pep rally featuring the Conwell-Egan Catholic High School Cheerleading Squad, Fairless Hills (Bucks County), and the Cardinal O’Hara High School Marching Band and Color Guard, Springfield (Delaware County). In addition, mascots from many Archdiocesan high schools competed in a race judged by the Phillie Phanatic.

Please join  in praying for our students, school families, administrators, teachers, and staff members as they open the new school year. Thank you.