February 3, 2020 — Annapolis, MD
BOOST VIDEO SHARES HOW PROGRAM IS HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED
On Jan. 29, the Maryland BOOST Scholarship Coalition — of which Maryland Catholic Conference is a member — released a video sharing the stories of numerous BOOST scholarship recipient families, who, thanks to the program, have seen their children thrive in school.
Since it was enacted in 2016, the Maryland BOOST Scholarship Program has empowered low-income families to choose the best educational option for their children. BOOST has made Maryland a pioneer in narrowing the achievement gap for low-income students and has proven to help those students academically.
Read More... <[link removed]>
PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL INTRODUCED AGAIN
For the fifth time in six years, proponents of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have again introduced a bill (HB 643 <[link removed]> / SB 701 <[link removed]>) to legalize the dangerous practice in Maryland.
Last year, the PAS bill was narrowly defeated when it died in the Maryland Senate by way of a tie vote. Before defeating the bill on the floor, members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee amended the bill, attempting to fix many of its serious flaws.
The Maryland Catholic Conference and our allies in the Maryland Against Physician Assisted Suicide Coalition strongly believe that no amendments can make this bill acceptable for Maryland. However, proponents rejected changes made to the bill in 2019, and have introduced the same deeply flawed and predatory bill that our state has rightly rejected each time it's been introduced.
Read more... <[link removed]>
TAKE ACTION! STAND UP FOR SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Last week, the Maryland State Senate and House of Delegates heard testimony on the True Freedom Act of 2020.
This critical legislation will allow courts to review and remove convictions from the records of human trafficking survivors for the crimes they were forced to commit by their traffickers.
The Maryland Catholic Conference is asking you to speak up for victims of trafficking by writing legislators asking them to support the True Freedom Act of 2020.
Read more... <[link removed]>
PRAY WITH US AT THE START OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
<[link removed]>
This week's prayer for Maryland's elected officials is led by Sr. Rita Michelle Proctor, OSP, superior general of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. <[link removed]>
The Oblates are the first religious order for African-American women in the United States, and were founded in Baltimore in 1829 by Mother Mary Lange.
Mother Mary Lange was an African-Caribbean immigrant who cared deeply for the spiritual and educational well-being of her fellow African-Americans. She founded both the Oblates and St. Frances Academy <[link removed]> in Baltimore — the first Catholic school for African-American children in the United States, founded in 1828 — at a time when slavery was still legal and practiced in America.
The cause for canonization of Mother Mary has been opened.
In 2019, the Archdiocese of Baltimore broke ground on the first Catholic school to bear her name: Mother Mary Lange Catholic School. The downtown Baltimore elementary school will serve children from Holy Angels Catholic School, Saints James and John Catholic School, and the surrounding community when it opens in the fall of 2021.
Today, Feb. 3, marks the 138th anniversary of Mother Lange's passing.
To pray along with Sr. Rita Michelle at the start of Black History Month, visit our Facebook <[link removed]> page. Share the post and use the hashtag #WeAreCatholic.
To access the prayer: CLICK HERE. <[link removed]>
GET INVOLVED
JOIN THE CATHOLIC ADVOCACY NETWORK
Learn more about the Catholic Advocacy Network and how you can take action on important issues in Maryland: CLICK HERE. <[link removed]>
VOLUNTEER WITH US!
The Maryland Catholic Conference is still looking for volunteers to serve as Parish Legislative Ambassadors for some parishes. If you are passionate about the work we do and want to help us speak up on important issues in Maryland, please sign up to volunteer!
To sign-up to volunteer CLICK HERE. <[link removed]>
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
February 18, 2020: PAS talk at St. John Neumann (Gaithersburg)
February 19, 2020: Virtual Catholic Day of Action
February 24, 2020: Maryland March for Life in Annapolis
April 6, 2020: Sine Die (last day of 2020 legislative session)
STAY CONNECTED WITH US!
<[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]>
-=-=-
Maryland Catholic Conference - 10 Francis St, Annapolis, MD 21401, United States
This email was sent to
[email protected]. To stop receiving emails: [link removed]
-=-=-
Created with NationBuilder - [link removed]
