All newly elected and re-elected State Assemblymembers and Senators gathered at the Capitol last week to be sworn in and kick off the new two-year legislative session.

The week was short-lived, with a special session on gas prices lasting only minutes and some bills introduced, including one to extend abortion protections and another to re-zone churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions with unused land to potentially build affordable housing. 

California Democrats retain their supermajority in both houses of the Capitol. A deal has been made for Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D – Hollister) to assume the Assembly Speaker post currently held by Assemblymember Anthony Rendon (D – Lakewood).

Senator Toni Atkins (D – San Diego) continues her tenure as Senate Pro Tempore.

Legislators went to their home districts following the week's formalities and will return after the New Year.

The "Caring for the Whole Person" Initiative offers Spanish training on how to care for parishioners and support families facing a serious illness.

This training will be conducted in Spanish via Zoom and will take place on Thursdays from January 26 to February 23, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm PST. All active parish ministers/volunteers in California are invited, including pastoral and liturgical ministers such as Eucharistic Ministers, those who visit the sick and homebound, Stephen Ministers, Knights of Malta, nurses, and those involved with St. Vincent of Paul.

Topics include the Church's moral teaching on end-of-life care, advanced care planning, palliative care, and hospice, and the parish as a loving community.

The "Caring for the Whole Person" Initiative is a statewide partnership between the bishops and California's Catholic health systems, which seeks to ensure that parishioners and their families are accompanied, cared for, and supported during serious illness and on their journey at the end of life, or at other times when they need medical, moral, and spiritual support.

The cost is $50 (some scholarships are available), and registration is required by January 16. Sign up here.

For more information about the training in Spanish, click here.

Restorative Justice Retreat

Bishop David O’Connell, Chair of the CCC Restorative Justice Committee, and Fr. Stan Bosch facilitated a retreat at the state Catholic Chaplains at Villa Maria Del Mar, Santa Cruz, earlier this month.

The theme of the retreat was 'Discovering Jesus in the Present Reality.' A special thank you and Christmas blessing to all of the chaplains who selflessly give their time to bless the incarcerated.

Mark your calendars! The annual Walks for Life are happening throughout the state, and with the overturn of Roe and California’s extreme abortion policies now in place, it is more important than ever to show solidarity for life!

Click on the links below to learn more and how to register.

• The San Diego Walk for Life will take place on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Waterfront Park along Harbor Boulevard. The 2023 theme is “Changing Hearts, Saving Lives.”
• Walk for Life West Coast will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2023, in San Francisco. This year’s theme is “We Will Prevail.”
• OneLife LA will also hold its annual Walk for Life on January 21, 2023. This year’s theme is “Our Mission is Love.” Click here for more info.

As we honored Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas and Patroness of the Unborn this week, the CA Future of Abortion Council released an updated list of recommendations to prioritize and expand abortion even further. 

The first list of recommendations was released last year on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. For Catholics, these connections cannot go without notice. 

At this moment, CA needs a reawakening to the joy of life. While the CA Future of Abortion Council can only see violence and death as a solution to the challenges of women and families, the Bishops of CA envision a future that honors and serves women, children, and families. 

We invite you to three actions this Advent to honor the infant Jesus and his Mother, and to build a life-affirming future for CA families:

1. Send a note to your legislator, stating that you oppose the priorities of the CA Future of Abortion Council and support a future for CA that prioritizes strong, healthy families: 

We oppose increased tax-dollar funding for abortion. Already $200+ million was allocated in last year’s budget to fund abortion, abortion access, and the abortion workforce. We ask legislators to stop funding more abortion. Instead, we support prioritizing prenatal and postpartum health, reducing maternal mortality rates, and supporting the health of children throughout their lives.

We support Catholic and other religiously-affiliated hospitals and health systems. Catholic hospitals in CA provide one-third of the MediCal births and serve one-seventh of all patients, including many patients in the most underserved regions of our state.

We support community-based pregnancy resource centers and clinics. These local providers support women throughout pregnancy and beyond, helping at-risk women and families access housing, domestic violence resources, prenatal care, parenting classes, nutrition, baby items, and more.

2. Sign up for the We Were Born Ready campaign to learn how you can support pregnant and parenting families in your community.

3. Download and pray with the Our Lady of Guadalupe prayer card below. 

At the very heart of our faith is the mystery of the Word conceived in the womb of a young woman. Jesus chose to become man, to be born an infant, and to grace his mother with freedom from sin from the moment of her conception. Our faith teaches us to value the gift of every human life from the very beginning to the end—and, like Our Lady of Guadalupe, to spread the message of the joy of life to all those we meet.

We at the CCC hope you are enjoying a very happy Advent. We wish you a Christmas filled with the hope and joy that only the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, can bring, and abundant blessings in the New Year. Public Policy Insights will return in January.