The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered this week in Baltimore for their Fall Plenary Assembly. The bishops elected a new president, vice-president, and secretary to lead the Conference. During their gathering, the body of bishops also elected new chairmen of seven standing committees. Six of the elected bishops will serve for one year as the committee chairman-elect before beginning a three-year term that begins after the bishops’ 2023 Plenary Assembly, and the new chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities assumes the chairmanship immediately, to complete the term of the previous chairman who was voted Conference vice president.

The assembly began with an address by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio, to the United States. Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles gave his final address as USCCB president upon completion of his three-year term. 

The bishops spent time in prayer and fraternal dialogue with one another throughout the gathering. In acknowledgment of twenty years since the drafting and passage of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the bishops were led in prayer and reflection by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR of Newark, and Mr. Mark Joseph Williams. 

The robust agenda for the bishops’ assembly included updates on the following items: the Synod of Bishops; the ongoing war in Ukraine; the bishops’ Eucharistic Revival initiative and national congress; the Church’s support for women and families in light of the Supreme Court’s decision this summer in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization; policy advocacy and ongoing work of Migration and Refugee Services; information on World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal; and the Journeying Together intercultural dialogue and encounter process. 

The bishops also discussed the approach to their teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, and its related materials to be executed over the next year. By an overwhelming majority, the bishops voted to reissue the teaching document without revisions but add supplemental materials and begin re-examining the teaching document following the 2024 election.

The bishops were also consulted on the causes of beatification and canonization for three lay persons: Mother Margaret Mary Healy-Murphy, Michelle Duppong, and Cora Louise Evans. By a voice vote, the bishops affirmed support for advancing all three causes of beatification and canonization on the diocesan level.

News updates, texts of addresses and presentations, and other materials from the 2022 plenary are posted to: www.usccb.org/meetings.

You have no doubt heard that Prop. 1 passed. While this is tremendously disappointing and not the outcome we have been working toward and praying for, there is still much to be proud of and thankful for. 

Our deepest heartfelt gratitude to every single person who generously answered the call to raise awareness against Prop. 1. Our Catholic dioceses and parishes participated in a way and at an intensity that cannot be denied, and the polling and the election results prove it. 

Though the measure succeeded, the number of Californians who identify as pro-life has increased by almost ten percent since this campaign began. In contrast, the number of Californians identifying as pro-choice has dropped seven percentage points, from 62% to 55%. We’ve shown that we can unite and be winsome in advocating against the extreme, expensive, and unnecessary push for late-term abortion. 

Thank you to our Bishops, who were vocal in their opposition to Prop. 1 and shepherded us through the contentious waters of abortion in California with a heart for Christ, proclaiming the dignity of every human life. 

Thank you to all priests and deacons who courageously brought the fight against Prop. 1 to parishioners through impassioned homilies and prayer events. 

Thank you to diocesan leaders and parish captains who poured so much time into organizing, creating materials, and communicating the truth about Prop. 1. 

Thank you to every parishioner who gave their precious time to our coalition, from holding voter drives to putting up yard signs and well beyond. 

Finally, thank you to every person who acts as the hands and feet of Christ, walking daily with women, children, and families in greatest need in our communities. 

At the beginning of this year, the CA bishops stated their resolve “To commit to our sisters that we, the Catholic community of California, will be by your side as you walk the journey of motherhood.” In our parishes, from baby showers to donations to awareness campaigns, the Catholic community is here for every mom and dad and family through our network of resource centers, pregnancy clinics, maternity homes, and call centers. Now is the time to reinvigorate our support for women, children, and families through We Were Born Ready.

We have responded to our Gospel call to serve on behalf of the most vulnerable and to share the love of Christ Jesus. And despite the passage of Prop. 1, we can rest knowing that the Lord sees our work and recognizes our struggle. For, the core of our mission as Christians is to evangelize, spreading the good news of Jesus to the world. We build up the kingdom of God here in our midst, but our mindset is eternal, with hope for the world to come.

“In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, for I have conquered the world.”  John 16:33

-The California Catholic Conference 

International Restorative Justice Week will take place Nov. 21-28 this year. International Restorative Justice Month is celebrated in November each year, and the CCC Restorative Justice Committee, through its advocacy in legislation, education, and pastoral care, is dedicated to the transformation of our criminal justice system. This includes the reconciliation and healing of victims of crime and their families, prisoners and their families, and those who serve in the criminal justice system.

Today, people worldwide are focusing on a biblical form of justice that seeks to heal and restore. As believers, we reach out to all those affected — victims, family members, children, and the community, rather than just punishing the perpetrators.

Restorative Justice:

• Holds offenders accountable and challenges them to change their lives
• Reaches out to the victims and rejects revenge
• Restores a sense of community
• Opposes the violence that has engulfed much of our culture

Take the opportunity during International Restorative Justice Month to:

• Learn more about restorative justice, what our Church teaches about it, and what is being done in your parish or diocese to address this issue.
• Pray for all those affected by our criminal justice system to heal and find hope and forgiveness.
• Pray for our legislators to enact laws that truly restore our communities, heal our divisions, and respect the dignity of all people.
• Work at the local, state, and national levels to bring healing to the places where it is needed most.

For additional information on restorative justice, available resources, and ways to make a difference, visit: www.restorejustice.com.

As part of Restorative Justice Month, please pray for those on death row with scheduled executions. Four executions have already occurred this month, and two more are scheduled. If six executions in a single month sounds unusual to you, that’s because it is. The last time six people were executed in one month was nearly eight years ago, in January 2015. 

You can find the names of the individuals here and other resources and ways to help via the Catholic Mobilizing Network. 

In March of 2021, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021. However, the U.S. Senate has yet to act on that legislation. As the United States grapples with labor shortages, supply chain challenges, and high inflation, now is the time for Congress to pass the reforms contained in H.R. 1603. Moreover, we know many of the men and women who cultivate our fields, work in food processing plants, and perform other vital roles within our food supply chain currently face mistreatment, exploitation, and dangerous conditions because they lack legal status, even though our very way of life has come to depend on them and, quite literally, we would not be able to live without the fruits of their labors.

H.R. 1603, as passed by the House, would:

• Establish a program for agricultural workers in the United States to earn legal status through continued agricultural employment and contributions to the U.S. agricultural economy;
• Reform the H-2A guest worker program to provide more flexibility for employers while ensuring critical protections for workers; and
• Establish an E-Verify employment eligibility verification system for all agricultural employment. 
   

As Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, stated following House passage of H.R. 1603, this bill “would help many hardworking immigrants reach their God-given potential, not only for their benefit but for that of the entire country.” 

Importantly, if the Senate does not act on H.R. 1603 by the time the current Congress ends on January 3, 2023, it will need to be reintroduced and the whole process begun anew in the 118th Congress, starting January 4, 2023. 

Complete this action alert to join others across the country in encouraging your senators to take up and pass bipartisan legislation that grants legal status to farm workers and reforms the agricultural guest worker program before the end of this Congress. 

Take Action Today!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you a Thanksgiving filled with an abundance of the Lord’s merciful blessings. 

“The spiritual state we call desolation can be an opportunity of growth. It provokes a ‘shaking of the soul,’ fosters vigilance and humility, and protects us from the winds of fancy.”  - Pope Francis