The following is a message from Amy McInerny, Executive Director of the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment:

I know this is one of the most hectic seasons of the year, but I am writing because I know you are never too busy to take a stand in defense of life and liberty. Even if you have recently sent a message, please urge Congress again to protect conscience rights for pro-life health care providers. Click here.

Congress has to pass funding for the 2016 Fiscal Year very soon. So our time to advocate for protections is limited. The Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) will close loopholes in existing law and provide a private right of action, so that health care providers, whose freedom of conscience is denied, can defend their rights in court. It is now part of the House of Representatives’ appropriations bill for funding HHS. The policy of ANDA has long had bi-partisan support and ANDA’s enactment will simply mean that existing law will be made stronger and easier to use in defense of conscience rights.

Please urge your members of Congress to make sure ANDA is enacted into law as part of the 2016 Fiscal Year funding legislation. Government must not force Americans to violate their religious and moral beliefs about respect for life when they provide health services.

Today, please

• Take action and then share this call to action
• Repost the alert across your social media platforms
• Follow us on Twitter @NCHLA then repost our tweets using #StandWithCathy
• Personalize your message. It will stand out if you add a phrase or sentence to personalize your email, i.e. As a medical professional; As a woman and a physician/nurse; As a patient who relies on a pro-life medical provider…

Remember, more detailed information is available on our website, NCHLA.org. Also, you can learn more about the real people and services whose freedoms have been denied by going to theConscience page of the USCCB.

We must speak up now to protect our cherished right of conscience.  Thank you for acting in defense of life and liberty. Tell everyone you know to join us in raising our voices. Together we will be heard!

Amy McInerny
Executive Director

As you may have seen in news reports, an act of desecration was committed against the Al Aqsa mosque in North Philadelphia earlier this week. Yesterday, the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia, of which Archbishop Chaput is a Co-Convener, released a statement regarding this matter.

The full text is provided for you here. As we continue our Advent journey, please pray for an end to acts of persecution and hatred in all forms and for the protection of religious liberty for all. Thank you.

Holy Family Regional Catholic School was featured on the front page of the Bucks County Courier Times.  You can view it HERE

Victory for Local Ministry Allows Them to Continue Sharing the Gospel to School Children

Joy El Ministries was within weeks of being forced to completely shutdown their ministry to over 3,000 children in Pennsylvania they serve every week through released time educational programming. But a court ruling this week changed everything.

Thanks to a favorable ruling by a Federal District Judge, Joy El Ministries can now continue to have its volunteer drivers and buses back on the road.

The Independence Law Center, the pro-bono legal ministry of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, is grateful for their partnership with the Smith Law Group in this matter.

“This ruling not only benefits Joy El and the children they serve, but we all benefit when our freedoms are protected.” – Randall Wenger, Chief Counsel – Independence Law Center. Full story.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

U.S. Senate votes to redirect funds away from Planned Parenthood – Toomey supports; Casey opposes

It’s evident that our elected officials are listening to us regarding Planned Parenthood and the plea to end taxpayer funding of the abortion giant. Last night, the U.S. Senate voted to defund Planned Parenthood – action the U.S. House of Representatives already agreed upon; making it the first time in history both chambers have agreed to defund Planned Parenthood.

This action redirects Federal money to women’s health care organizations that provide far greater health benefits to women than Planned Parenthood does.

Thousands of Pennsylvanians used our Citizen Action Center through pafamily.orgto tell both Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey to redirect funds away from Planned Parenthood.

Senator Toomey listened to those contacts and voted to defund Planned Parenthood. Please contact him to express your thanks: Phone: (202) 224-4254 | Email: Click here | Twitter: @SenToomey

Sadly, Senator Casey continued to side with abortion by voting with Planned Parenthood and to keep our taxdollars funding the abortion giant. Please contact him to express your disappointment with his vote: Phone: 202-224-6324 | Email: Click here | Twitter: @SenBobCasey

***The state of Pennsylvania should redirect State money away from Planned Parenthood as well. Several states have already taken action to stop state funding to Planned Parenthood. Pennsylvania has an opportunity to shift taxdollars away from the abortion giant and to give it to more comprehensive health care providers.

– Contact your state officials about redirecting our taxdollars away from Planned Parenthood by supporting the Whole Women’s Health Funding Priorities Act (HB 1623).

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To read the complete FAMILY UPDATE from the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Council , Click HERE.

Earlier today, the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program today held a Dedication Ceremony for the completed mural inspired by the World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 (WMOF) and the historic visit of Pope Francis.

The vibrant public artwork, titled The Sacred Now: Faith and Family in the 21st Century, has been on a journey unlike any mural in the world. Since the beginning of June, more than 2,700 people, from more than 100 countries, have contributed to the painting of the mural. Pope Francis graced the mural with his signature during the Festival of Families on Saturday, Sept. 26^th. A photo can be found here of the Holy Father signing the canvas.

The news release from the Office for Communications contains additional information. Please consider sharing this material with your parishioners and pray that the fruits of the World Meeting of Families and the Papal visit will be ongoing. Thank you for all of your continued dedication and generous service to those entrusted to your pastoral care.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Msgr. Daniel J. Sullivan

Vicar for Clergy

Click Here to watch Lincoln’s Thanksgiving address to the nation from American Family Studio.

The Sunday readings are full of inspiring and practical lessons for our lives, but often these lessons are not always easy for us to see. In Encountering the Word, Jeff Cavins shares his insights into the Sunday readings. Through this free weekly series, you will learn the meanings of the Sunday Scriptures as well as tips for putting what you have learned into practice.

The first video will cover the readings for the first Sunday of Advent!

SIGN UP HERE

Earlier this afternoon, Archbishop Chaput released a statement to the media regarding Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit.

These programs enable thousands of needy children to benefit from Catholic and private education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and their future is in jeopardy.

Please read the full text of the Archbishop’s statement (below and attached) and contact Governor Wolf’s office via the link provided to ask for his support. You are encouraged to share this information broadly with others. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP.

REGARDING EDUCATION TAX CREDITS

Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) are vital programs that assist many thousands of needy children.  They do it by enabling Pennsylvania businesses to donate to qualified scholarship organizations.  Donor companies then receive a tax credit, within specified limits, against their Pennsylvania tax liability. The resulting scholarships benefit children whose families meet certain low income criteria.

Unfortunately, the Department of Community and Economic Development is currently unwilling to issue authorizations to firms ready to make contributions to qualified scholarship organizations.

The real world result that flows from the refusal to issue contribution authorizations is to prevent companies from gaining the approvals they urgently need in order to make contributions and secure the resulting tax credits required for the current calendar year. This creates a very serious problem.  If these contributions are not made, then scholarships will not be available for thousands of students who attend Catholic and many other private schools. In the case of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, this immediately builds pressure for school closures as early as next year, because the EITC and OSTC scholarships are vital to parents’ ability to afford their children’s education. 

This situation is time sensitive, because the end of the year rapidly approaches.  The administrative details of the programs require authorizations for companies and actual contributions to the scholarship organizations before year end.

I ask Catholics and all persons who support good educational options for the poor to contact Governor Wolf today via this website – https://governor.pa.gov/contact/ — and to ask for his support in issuing these authorizations. 

+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Philadelphia