Feb. 2, 2021 — Annapolis, MD
It's Catholic Schools Week!
We have so much to be grateful for this year in our Catholic
schools: the principals, teachers, staff, students, and families who
have continued to excel and adapt despite a worldwide pandemic. This
week is one of celebration for our 146 Catholic schools and early
learning centers in Maryland, which together save the state $710
million each year.
Learn more about these great schools in the Archdiocese
of Baltimore, Archdiocese
of Washington, and Diocese
of Wilmington.
Mother Mary Lange School
Mother
Mary Lange School will be the first new Catholic school in
Baltimore City in more than 60 years. Poised to be a community pillar
on Martin Luther King Boulevard, the school will open its doors to
students next fall!
Though no students are on campus yet, this week is special for the
school and its principal, Alisha Jordan. Feb. 3 is the feast day of Mother
Mary Lange, a day that happens to fall within Black History Month.
Mother Mary, one of several influential African-American Catholics
from Maryland, was a Caribbean immigrant who overcame many odds to
establish the first Catholic school for children of color in Baltimore
in the early 19th century and to found the Oblate Sisters
of Providence. Today she is a Servant of God, on the path to possible
canonization.
The school anticipates as many as 100 of its initial students will
be recipients of the Maryland State BOOST scholarship
program. The program helps low-income Maryland families have
the opportunity to send their children to a non-public school. Many
students have been relying on the scholarships to attend two Catholic
schools that will merge into Mother Mary Lange School.
This year, over 2,500 students, from 21 of Maryland’s 24 counties,
received BOOST scholarships, but the wait list is long. The governor
has proposed $10 million in BOOST funds in his budget this session. We
are hopeful the General Assembly will continue to support and even
expand this popular program.
Prayers for Elected Officials
In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, we invited students from
St.
John the Evangelist Catholic School in Clinton, Md., to lead our
prayer for elected officials, a weekly tradition during the
legislative session.
Located in District 25 (Prince George’s County), St. John’s has 212
students and has been educating with a hybrid approach this year, with
in-person instruction three days each week. Thank you to Principal Ann
Gillespie and our prayer leaders, Sophia Cuadra and Ninive
Ramirez.
Click above for their prayer or visit
our prayer page for the video and to read or download the prayer here (in English and
Spanish).
Are you
Ready for Catholic Advocacy Day?
Catholic Advocacy Day is just two weeks away! Mark Feb. 16 on your
calendar in our one-day advocacy push with the General Assembly.
“Over 1,550 bills have been introduced so far between the House of
Delegates and the Senate,” said Jenny Kraska, executive director of
the Maryland Catholic Conference, adding, “We expect more may be filed
this week. The deadline to file is Feb. 5 in the House of Delegates
and Feb. 8 in the Senate.”
“The Catholic Advocacy Day action alerts will focus on issues where
we really need the support of parishioners and students with the
delegates and senators. They are your representatives and a big
turnout says that people are paying attention and really care about
the issues,” she added.
Alerts will be prepared on education, respect for life, and social
and economic justice. Members of the Catholic Advocacy Network will
get them in their inboxes or via text, plus they will be posted at www.mdcatholic.org/advocacyday, on Twitter
and on Facebook.
Please use our parish tool kit to invite friends,
students and fellow parishioners! Thank you to everyone who has signed
up for the Advocacy Network and please keep inviting others to do so,
too.
Follow Our Testimony
We post our testimony before the General Assembly a couple of times
each week. Follow the bills you are interested in here.
St.
Bakhita, Patron of Human Trafficking Survivors
This week, during Black History Month, we are highlighting St.
Josephine Bakhita, who is inspiring our work to end human trafficking
in Maryland. Her feast day is on Feb. 8, which also is the
International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Trafficking.
Worldwide, 40 million people experience human trafficking. Sadly,
Maryland is considered a hotspot for trafficking, making prevention
and education one of our respect for life priorities.
St. Josephine Bakhita is the patron saint of trafficking survivors
because she herself was a survivor. She was born in Sudan in the 19th
century. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped and sold into slavery
as a domestic worker. Her enslavers tortured and branded her, selling
her multiple times. When one slaveholder brought her to Italy, the
Cannossian sisters took her in and helped her fight for her freedom
before a judge. She was educated by the sisters and later became a
Cannossian sister herself, growing famous throughout Europe for
courageously telling her story.
The Maryland Catholic Conference is supporting bills to educate
students about human trafficking prevention, and to help
hotels identify trafficking victims.
St. Josephine Bakhita, pray for us.
Maryland
Tax News
If you received a stimulus check under either the March CARES Act
or the December stimulus bill, those funds do not count as taxable
income and will not impact your tax return. Also, please note that the
tax filing date this year is back to April 15.
In addition, if you or someone you know is a lower-income taxpayer,
there are some important programs to keep in mind – and some updates
in light of COVID-19.
EITC and COVID-19
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides a tax break for low-
to moderate-income workers. The December coronavirus relief
package allows filers to use their 2019 earnings instead of 2020 to
determine their eligibility, raising the total amount of refundable
credits provided to lower-income earners.
Free tax assistance
A concern each year is unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of
taxpayers by overcharging them – or charging them for services that
they can get for free. The State of Maryland Comptroller’s Office
would like Marylanders to know that any taxpayer earning under $57,000
per year is eligible for free tax preparation through CASH
Campaign of Maryland (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope).
Individuals making over $57,000 can submit their state tax returns
for free (online or in person) on the Maryland Comptroller’s website. Maryland citizens
also can email [email protected] for additional
assistance or questions.
Of
Note
Thank you for praying for Most Reverend W. Francis
Malooly, Bishop of Wilmington and former auxiliary bishop of
Baltimore. The
Dialog reports the bishop’s surgeon is “pleased” with the outcome
of the cardiac bypass surgery. Recovery will take several weeks so
please keep praying!
Feb. 2 is the 25th annual World Day for
Consecrated Life and a great
day to pray for and thank religious brothers, priests and sisters
and all consecrated men and women for their vocation. If you are
interested in exploring a religious vocation or know someone who may
be, visit VocationMatch.com.
Pope Francis has established a World
Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to be held on the
4th Sunday of July, which is July 25 this year.
JOIN THE
CATHOLIC ADVOCACY NETWORK
The Catholic Advocacy Network gives you a voice on important issues
in Maryland. Learn more and join our network.
The Catholic Voice is now posted on our website, making it easy to
share.
STAY CONNECTED WITH US!
  
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