July 13, 2020 — Annapolis, MD



KEY SUPREME COURT DECISIONS 







The Supreme Court of the United States ended its session with a number of significant decisions that impact religious liberty in education, conscience in health care, stability for young immigrants brought to the United States as children, abortion regulations, and environmental protection. 



Click here <[link removed]> to see our round up of key Supreme Court decisions.



THIS WEEK:

TAXES, SCHOLARSHIPS & HEALTH CARE







Wednesday, July 15 is the deadline for:



- Filing your 2019 tax return,

- Enrolling in health care <[link removed]>(for uninsured Maryland residents), and

- Applying for a 2020-21 BOOST scholarship <[link removed]>.



The state will be awarding $7.5 million in need-based scholarships for students attending non-public schools this fall. The first scholarship awards are expected to be made later this month.



POLICE REFORM AND ACCOUNTABILITY







The bipartisan Workgroup to Address Police Reform and Accountability formed last month held its first meeting via Zoom on June 23. Please see the agenda <[link removed]> with background information, Zoom recording <[link removed]>, and some of the news coverage <[link removed]>. 



The Maryland Catholic Conference has been actively engaged on justice reform for many years and will be monitoring reform efforts this year. The next workgroup virtual meeting is July 16.



COVID-19 AND CATHOLIC SCHOOLS







When shut-down orders were announced, Catholic schools in Maryland quickly moved online and were up and running in two days. This impressive showing was not enough, though, to prevent the closing of at least two schools impacted deeply by the pandemic - the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore and Holy Family in Hillcrest Heights.



Meanwhile, construction on Mother Mary Lange Catholic School, the first new school to open in the City of Baltimore in over 60 years, continues and the first principal was just appointed <[link removed]>. The school will accommodate up to 400 students when it opens in 2021.



The Maryland Catholic Conference is working with the Maryland State Department of Education as MSDE manages distribution of state and federal school assistance funds.



ECUADOR COVID RELIEF







The Maryland Catholic Conference is part of a coalition of leaders working to send 20 tons of medical and cleaning supplies to help relieve the suffering from the coronavirus in our sister state of Ecuador.



Donation sites are located in the Archdiocese of Washington. Online donations also are being accepted. Donate by July 18! Click for details and links <[link removed]>.



IN MEMORIAM



This spring, St. Camillus parish and the affiliated St. Francis International School took the lead in organizing and providing 54,000 meals for low-income immigrants in Langley Park and Silver Spring.



Sadly, the 58-year-old pastor, Fr. Chris Posch, OFM, died in early July following a battle with pneumonia. He previously led Hispanic ministry in the Diocese of Wilmington for many years and is profiled here <[link removed]>. Please pray for the response of his soul and for the parish and local community.



JOIN THE CATHOLIC ADVOCACY NETWORK



Learn more about the Catholic Advocacy Network and how you can take action on important issues in Maryland: Join our network <[link removed]>



STAY CONNECTED WITH US!



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Maryland Catholic Conference - 10 Francis St, Annapolis, MD 21401, United States

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