Life & Dignity SundayDiocese of Sacramento

June 27 & 28, 2015

Grassroots advocacy and education Email system Educational website Partnership of arch/dioceses in the

state Respects the individual differences

and beliefs of members – prudential judgment

Easy to use, customize, localize

Catholic Legislative Network

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California Today

Safety net is in tatters Family planning dollars remains steady

Social and moral issues debated Life Marriage Assisted suicide

Politics is the search for ammunition not information

Catholics confused, angry, hurt yet demographically no different than society

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Faithful Citizenship…

“In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and a participation in political life is a moral obligation…rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness to all we do.” (¶ 4)

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Called to Work for Justice “People in every nation enhance the social dimension of their lives by acting as committed and responsible citizens, not as a mob swayed by the powers that be. Let us not forget that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation”.

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Called to Work for Justice

By our Civic tradition…“This nation is not ruled by the majority. It is ruled by the majority who participate.”

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Influencing Public Policy

Public

Policy

Lobbyist

Bishops/Faithful

Citizenship Catholic

Legislative

Network

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Partnership

Archdiocese of

Los Angeles

Archdiocese of San

Francisco

Diocese of Fresno

Diocese of Monterey

Diocese of Oakland

Diocese of Orange

Diocese of Sacramento

Diocese of San

Bernardino

Diocese of San Diego

Diocese of San Jose

Diocese of Santa Rosa

Diocese of Stockton

California Catholic

Conference

Catholic Social Teaching

• Life & Dignity of the Human Person• Call to family, community and

participation• Option for the poor and vulnerable

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Catholic Social Teaching

• Rights and responsibilities• Dignity of work and rights of workers• Solidarity• Caring for God’s creation

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Life & Dignity Sunday

Strong support of Bishops Opportunity for recruitment and

education Customized to the life of the

arch/diocese, region, and parish Training of Parish Champions In-pew sign-ups during the homily

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In the Manual…

Vision Statement Roles & Responsibilities Leading Up to L&D Sunday Bulletin & Pulpit Announcements Life & Dignity Sunday Procedure Sample Scripts FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions Parish Champion Role…

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Parish Champions Accepts role as the Champion of the Catholic Legislative

Network in his/her parish. Attends one of several training sessions to better

understand exactly what being a parish champion means. Registers for the CLN to get deeper firsthand knowledge

of the network and how it functions. Meets with pastor to go over all plans and assumes

responsibility for carrying out what is agreed to. Invites other parishioners to assist in the process [KCs,

young adult ministers, youth ministers, etc.]. Assures that bulletin announcements are included in

bulletins

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Parish Champions

Prior to Life & Dignity Sunday• Cards will be mailed to parishes approximately three weeks

prior to Life & Dignity Sunday. • If you have not received your cards ten days prior to the

event or you think you may need additional cards, contact your diocesan champion or contact the California Catholic Conference at 916-313-4000.

• In your package will be a self-addressed envelope in which to return the cards after Life & Dignity Sunday.

Before and during Mass on Life & Dignity Sunday• Make sure a sufficient number of cards and pencils/pens are

in every pew prior to each Mass. Ushers, hospitality ministers or others can be helpful.

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Parish Champions• Arrange for fellow parishioners to help you collect the cards after the

homily. Some parishes may prefer to have cards placed in the collection basket. Do whatever is standard for your parish.

• Parishioners that miss the event can mail cards in at any time to: California Catholic Conference, 1119 K Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. They can also register online at www.cacatholic.org.

Returning the Cards• Assemble all the cards and place them in the return envelope provided.

The envelope is prepaid and self-addressed. They can be returned at any UPS Office. For a list visit www.ups.com. Be sure to count the number or registrants before you send the package. You will want to report the number back to the parish on the following weekend.

• If it is more convenient, the return package can be returned to your Diocesan Champion.

• In either case, please call your Diocesan Champion to let him or her know you have mailed the package and the number of registrants.

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Remember

• Stress that people should print clearly

• No need to sign-up again if already a member

• Need more cards – call Diocese

• Call Diocese withyour results

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For more information

www.cacatholic.org916.313.4000

spehanich@cacatholic.orgspalacios@cacatholic.orgkmauro@cacatholic.org