Life & Dignity Sunday
Diocese of Sacramento
June 27 & 28, 2015
Catholic Legislative Network
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
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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
Bishops/
Faithful
Citizenship
Lobbyist
Catholic
Legislative
Network
Public
Policy
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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
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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…
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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 916313-4000.
• 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.
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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
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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.
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If it is more convenient, the return package can be returned to your Diocesan
Champion.
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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 with
your results
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For more information
www.cacatholic.org
916.313.4000
spehanich@cacatholic.org
spalacios@cacatholic.org
kmauro@cacatholic.org