Reading 1
First Peter 1:10-16

Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

Gospel
Mark 10:28-31

The parish of St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Archdiocese of Portland’s Department of Evangelization will hold the fifth annual “Blessing of the Bikes” at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 10, in the courtyard of the cathedral.  The parish, at the corner of NW 18th and Couch, is bordered by bike lanes.

Northeast Portland welcomed back 55 units of affordable housing last week. Catholic Charities renovated McCoy Village Apartments on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Shortly after Catholic Charities Caritas Housing Initiatives took over the project in June 2011, it was temporarily closed for a $13 million reconstruction.

The man who became Oregon governor in 1922 took an anti-Catholic stance he had not before taken — perhaps to get elected, a new historical study shows.  

Joe Sprug’s personal watchword is taken from a rare book in the library vault. Here are the last words of the book, translated from Latin, which the editor added after the last paragraph: “Truly while this author was here writing death took him by surprise.”

Students at Ron Russell Middle School were treated to a surprise visit from adventure host Jeremy McLaughlin in May, when his Comcast show "The Wild Life with Jeremy" visited the Catholic Charities El Programa Hispano Schools Uniting Neighborhoods program.

ST. BENEDICT — The 124th Mount Angel Seminary academic year ended with a joyous baccalaureate and graduation exercises earlier this month.

Vatican City, May 29, 2012 / 10:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Richard J. Malone has been appointed as the new head of the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y.

?I am most grateful to our Holy Father for his trust in appointing me Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo,? he said in a May 29 statement.

Although he is saddened to leave the faithful of his current diocese in Portland, Maine, Bishop Malone said he looks forward ?with enthusiasm? to taking up his responsibility in Buffalo.

Bishop Malone was installed as the 11th Bishop of Portland in March 2004. Prior to his assignment in Maine, he was ordained in 2000 as an auxiliary bishop for the Boston archdiocese.

The new appointment comes after Bishop Edward U. Kmiec of Buffalo submitted his letter of resignation on his 75th birthday this past June.

?Bishop Malone comes to Western New York with tremendous experience and a wonderful reputation for being a caring, pastoral bishop and a true shepherd to his people,? Bishop Kmiec said.

An active member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Malone recently completed a term as chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, which he continues to serve on.

He has also served two terms on the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People and is a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services, where he is chair of the U.S. Operations Committee.

Bishop Malone studied at St. John Seminary in Jamaica Plain, Mass. and earned his doctorate in theology from Boston University. He received his licentiate in sacred theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass.

Denver, Colo., May 29, 2012 / 06:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Archbishop-designate Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, N.D. assumes his role as Denver's new shepherd, the former Coloradan brings with him a love for the priesthood, a passion for pro-life advocacy and a heart for the youth.

?I never, ever dreamed that I would ever return here,? he told CNA. ?And now in the Father's providential plan and in his love, I'm now the archbishop.?

?It's amazing,? he said, overcome with emotion.

Filling a position left vacant for over eight months, Archbishop-designate Aquila was announced on May 29 as the Denver archdiocese?s new leader by apostolic nuncio Archbishop Carlo M. Vigano in Washington, D.C.

The 61-year-old will succeed Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who led the Denver archdiocese for 14 years and was installed as head of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in September 2011.

Denver's new archbishop said he was outdoors and gardening in Fargo when he received the news of his appointment from the nuncio.

?I heard my cell phone ring, and when I looked at the number I realized that it was from Washington, D.C.,? and he thought, ?I'd better step aside for this conversation.?

He recalled Archbishop Vigano on the other line telling him almost immediately that the ?Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has appointed you to be Archbishop of Denver.?

?Do you accept?? the nuncio asked.

After pausing briefly, Archbishop-designate Aquila responded, ?I very willingly accept.?

Although he said he is ?very excited? for the new post, he also reflected on how ?it's one of those moments where it's bittersweet.?

?I've been in Fargo for 11 years, it's become home and I've developed wonderful friendships with the priests and the laity there.?

Far from being a stranger in a new location, however, he will be returning to a placed that he called home for 25 years. Not only did the native Burbank, Californian study to become a priest in Denver, he served as the first rector of the local St. John Vianney Seminary.

He also ?vividly? remembers Pope John Paul II's trip to Denver 1993 for World Youth Day, when he served on the committee that helped to put the visit together and assisted as master of ceremonies.

Since Blessed John Paul II's historic visit, the Denver archdiocese has been the launch site for numerous ministries under the banner of the New Evangelization ? the late Pope's call for reaching formerly Christian societies with the Gospel.

These include initiatives such as the college campus ministry program FOCUS, the Catholic graduate school the Augustine Institute, and the women's educational organization ENDOW.

?It's been very exciting to see what's happened in terms of the New Evangelization,? the archbishop-designate noted. ?I want to continue all of the work that has been done by both my predecessors.?

One area of ministry close to his heart is priestly formation, he said, observing that the Denver archdiocese is ?blessed? to have such thriving seminaries.

?I plan on working closely with the priests of the diocese, and with the permanent deacons, and really focusing in on their spiritual life and to continue to build the fraternal relationship among the priests.?

?I am thoroughly convinced that the deeper the intimacy that priests have with the Father, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit -- in living in the communion of love -- the more will they return that love and serve their people better,? he said.

Another mission within the Church that's deeply important to him is pro-life advocacy ? an area he is known for in the Fargo diocese.

For the new archbishop, any questions surrounding the issues of abortion, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide all ?get back to the basic dignity of the human person.?

?Every human being, each one of us, began at the moment of conception,? he underscored. ?There is no human being that has not begun at the moment of conception.?

With that in mind, he said he's been unequivocally supportive of efforts such as the international 40 Days for Life campaign, a peaceful protest initiative that seeks to put an end to abortion.

?It's a great way to give witness to life, it's a great way to demonstrate prayer, it's peaceful,? he said. ?And then there's always the tremendous joy when you know you've saved an unborn child.?

Also high on the priority list for Archbishop-designate Aquila is the local young adult Catholic community, which is among the largest in the U.S.

?I want them to know I love them,? he stated. ?I look forward to working with them, to serving them, to bringing Christ to them.?

Archbishop-designate Aquila said he is also passionate about meeting and connecting with Northern Colorado's Latino population, who make up over 50 percent of the area's Catholics.

?I've always had a love? for the Hispanic community, he said.

?I want to certainly continue to support them, to enable them in their faith and their culture, in their family life to continue to strengthen that in Christ and also in their devotional practices.?

Those within the Catholic Latino population ?face different challenges within the society in which we live,? he observed.

Among the challenges that he hopes tackle are helping Latino Catholics ?continue to integrate into the United States and bring the tremendous gifts that they offer, especially in the area of family life and their faith.?

?I certainly need to brush up on my Spanish,? he said with a smile. 

Archbishop-designate Aquila will be installed as head of the archdiocese on July 18 at Denver?s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Vatican City, May 29, 2012 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Filling a post vacant for over eight months, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, N.D., as the new Archbishop of Denver.

Archbishop-designate Aquila was announced on May 29 as the Denver archdiocese's new leader by nuncio Archbishop Carlo M. Vigano, the Pope's representative to the U.S.

Archbishop-designate Aquila will succeed Archbishop CharlesJ. Chaput, who led Denver-area Catholics for 14 years and was installed as head of the Philadelphia archdiocese in September 2011.

The new archbishop of Denver was born in 1950, in Burbank, Calif., and was ordained to the priesthood in Denver in 1976. He went on to serve in parishes for 11 years. 

In 1987, he began graduate studies at San Anselmo University in Rome, earning a Sacramental Theology Licentiate in 1990.

He served as director for the Office of Liturgy and Master of Ceremonies in the Denver archdiocese from 1990 until 1995. He then served as the first Rector of St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver and chief executive officer of Our Lady of the New Advent Theological Institute. In 2000, he was named a monsignor by Pope John Paul II.

He was ordained as the Coadjutor Bishop of Fargo in August 2001 and succeeded Bishop James Sullivan as head of the diocese in March 2002.

After having served as Bishop of Fargo for 11 years, he will be installed as leader of the Denver archdiocese on July 18 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Since John Paul II's historic visit to Denver in 1993 for World Youth Day, the archdiocese has been the launch site for numerous evangelization-oriented ministries.

These include initiatives such as the college campus ministry program FOCUS, the Catholic graduate school the Augustine Institute, and the  women's educational organization ENDOW.

The Denver archdiocese is also home to one of the largest Catholic young adult communities in the country, and its St. John Vianney Seminary is known nationwide for its success in attracting vocations.

Belleville, Ill., May 28, 2012 / 07:00 am (CNA).- The yellowed newsprint was unfolded carefully. Its creases spoke of being handled many times over the years since it had been printed in the 1940s after the allies had claimed victory in the ?war to end all wars.?

Sgt. Carl Stadelbacher wouldn?t be home that spring or summer or any other time until his body was returned to his home in Cobden, Ill. where he would be buried at St. Joseph Church.

Like so many other soldiers, he was just a boy, really, had not quite begun to live before he was asked to defend and then die for his country in a foreign land.

Carl?s family loved him as the second of eight children of Leo and Geraldine Stadelbacher, a farm family in rural southern Illinois.

Carl?s older brother, Bob, was deferred because of the need to work on the family farm, but Carl decided he could best do his duty in the United States Army. From all accounts, he was a good friend to many of the young men in his company ? Company ?K? of the 112th Infantry, 28th Division ? and one friend he made visited the family in Cobden when he returned to the States.

Before Carl sailed into action in Europe, he went home on a furlough, his younger sister, Marjorie Stadelbacher said.

As the youngest girl, Marjorie kept all of the correspondence between family members and Carl. When he came home on that last furlough in the 1940s, she was only six years old, but she remembers going to Hicks Woods for a picnic with Carl and the family.

After he left, her older brother and parents wrote to Carl, but letters dated January 1945 were returned, never opened. First he was designated MIA ? Missing in Action ? but later reclassified as a POW. He was captured Dec. 20, 1944 in Clervaux in northern Luxembourg along with other American soldiers.

In retrospect, the war was almost over, less than a year to go, and yet it kept taking the lives of young Americans.

Carl was placed in one POW camp in Germany and then moved to another. He was liberated by American soldiers April 3, 1945 and taken to an evacuation hospital where he died 12 days later of malnutrition and pneumonia a little over a month before his 23rd birthday.

His family and friends were devastated. They believed, after these months in prison, their son would finally be home soon. He wrote to them from the hospital, saying he would regain his strength and be home in about six weeks. Then the telegram came.

As for so many other families, the mailbox played a pivotal role in their lives. At first, the return of the letters worried and discouraged them. Then word of his POW status gave them hope.

Their mother was ?so happy,? Marjorie said, when they received word he had been liberated. In May, the tragic news of his death was brought by the pastor and the mayor who brought the telegram to the house. He was buried temporarily in Germany but would eventually be brought home.

Two years later, his mother wrote about the life and death of her son that was published in a local newspaper.

It reads in part: ?Today, they have come the medals of honor my dear boy won on the battlefields over there. As I hold them in my trembling hands, a picture passes through my tears, of a boy entering manhood with the eager look of youth upon his face.?

Later in the piece, she writes: ?No letters from home to cheer him, no Red Cross aid, just hope to sustain him. Finally, starvation, with its grim hand of death, silence earth?s horror and war?s wild scream.?

In ending, she said: ?Give light to them that sit in darkness, and guide their feet in the way of peace. And as background for this prayer, come the silent voices of our sons beneath their crosses, row on row: Remember.?

Years later, the area where Carl had fought and was captured was still dangerous. Land mines and unexploded ordinance being removed sometimes killed the people whose job it was to clear the area of mines.

Their mother really never recovered from Carl?s death, Marjorie said.

His parents donated a stained glass window to St. Joseph?s in Carl?s memory. ?The window symbolized the sacrifice of God giving his son (to the world), and mom and dad gave their son,? Marjorie said. ?She always said she understood the pain the Blessed Mother had and knew her sorrow.?

Carl?s mother died at the age of 101 in 2001.

?I still think about Carl,? Marjorie said. A small insurance policy he left to his mother ?helped me get through college.? She taught kindergarten in East Alton, Ill., until returning to Cobden to live.

She planted roses at the family graves in Cobden a variety, she said ?would bloom all summer.?

Marjorie described Carl as a sensitive young man, always willing to help others. She remembers one day going out to the mailbox at the farm without her shoes. The gravel driveway was hard on her feet.  ?Carl came out and carried me back to the house,? she said and smiled at the memory.

His kindness was described through correspondence sent to the family after he died.

?God works in different ways,? Marjorie said. ?If Carl had lived, the tragedy he experienced in war may have haunted him for the rest of his life.?

She said she thinks about the young men who are serving in the military today, especially those in war torn countries.

With young men suffering through so much pain and loss, she hopes and prays they will receive the care they need to recover from their injuries ? both physical and emotional.

?I?m praying that a lot of young men with shattered nerves and injuries who do not receive solace from the world will turn to God and change this world through their spiritual battles.?

Posted with permission from The Messenger, official newspaper for the Diocese of Belleville, Ill.

Denver, Colo., May 27, 2012 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On June 2, the Catholic Church remembers two fourth-century martyrs, Saints Marcellinus and Peter, who were highly venerated after the discovery of their tomb and the conversion of their executioner.

Although the biographical details of the two martyrs are largely unknown, it is known that they lived and died during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. In 302, the ruler changed his tolerant stance and pursued a policy intended to eliminate the Church from the empire.

Diocletian and his subordinate ordered the burning of Catholic churches and their sacred texts, as well as the imprisonment and torture of clergy and laypersons. The goal was to force Christians to submit to the Roman pagan religion, including the worship of the emperor himself as divine.

It was at the mid-point of this persecution, around 303, that a Roman exorcist by the name of Peter was imprisoned for his faith. While in prison, tradition holds that Peter freed Paulina, the daughter of the prison-keeper Artemius, from demonic influence by his prayers.

This demonstration of Christ's power over demons is said to have brought about the conversion of Paulina, Artemius, his wife, and the entire household, all of whom were baptized by the Roman priest Marcellinus.

After this, both Marcellinus and Peter were called before a judge who was determined to enforce the emperor's decree against the Church. When Marcellinus testified courageously to his faith in Christ, he was beaten, stripped of his clothes, and deprived of food in a dark cell filled with broken glass shards.

Peter, too, was returned to his confinement. But neither man would deny Christ, and both preferred death over submission to the cult of pagan worship.

It was arranged for the two men to be executed secretly, in order to prevent the faithful from gathering in prayer and veneration at the place of their burial. Their executioner forced them to clear away a tangle of thorns and briars, which the two men did cheerfully, accepting their death with joy.

Both men were beheaded in the forest and buried in the clearing they had made. The location of the saints' bodies remained unknown for some time, until a devout woman named Lucilla received a revelation informing her where the priest and exorcist lay.

With the assistance of another woman, Firmina, Lucilla recovered the two saints' bodies and had them re-interred in the Roman Catacombs. Sts. Marcellinus and Peter are among the saints named in the Western Church's most traditional Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon.

Pope St. Damasus I, who was himself a great devotee of the Church's saints during his life, composed an epitaph to mark the tombs of the two martyrs. The source of his knowledge, he said, was the executioner himself, who had subsequently repented and joined the Catholic Church.

Anchorage, Alaska, May 26, 2012 / 01:11 pm (CNA).- Nineteen youth from St. Benedict Church in Anchorage flew to  balmy Jamaica during their recent spring break. But it wasn?t the warm weather and sandy beaches that drew the Alaska teens.

They were on a mission to work for a Catholic outreach known as Mustard Seed. The group coordinates missionary volunteers from the United States to work in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe.

The Alaskans traveled to Jamaica, since it is an English speaking country, where they ?could connect with the youth,? said Oriele Jones, one of the adults who helped lead the trip.

In Jamaica, Mustard Seed helps those living on the outskirts of the island?s capital city of Kingston. There the organization serves more than 500 disadvantaged children and young adults. These include orphans with AIDS, pregnant teens and others at 10 different locations.

SPIRITUAL MOTIVATION

From the beginning, the leadership team wanted to create a mission trip for the youth that incorporated social justice work into a deeper spiritual context.

?Before we went, we met on a monthly basis to not only get information but pray as a community,? Jones said. ?We held a 24-hour fasting retreat in the fall to prepare spiritually and learn about social justice.?

The group also raised money ahead of time both to finance their travel expenses and to bring medical supplies.

Once in Jamaica, the youth participated in daily prayer, Mass and community service.

?We prayed every morning before going to the work site, had adoration and went to Mass while we were there,? said Abby McCormick, a seventh-grader at Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage.

After 6 a.m. morning prayer, the youth headed off for various work sites. At some locations, like Sophie?s Place, the youth helped feed disabled orphan children who are unable to care for themselves.

?Helping the children, like those at Sophie?s place, was the best part of the trip,? said Katlin Bowers, a ninth-grader at Lumen Christi. ?To me it showed that people are struggling and trying to survive, and yet still have their faith.?

The Alaskans also performed manual labor to help improve Mustard Seed?s facilities.

?We weeded, planted seeds and made a pen for goats,? McCormick said. ?It was a lot of work!?

The labor, in hot, humid weather, proved to be the biggest challenge, according to South Anchorage High School senior David Novcaski.

?There was lots of work involved, from mixing and pouring cement, digging holes and painting to landscaping,? he said. ?But it was worth it to be able to help the people and see the gratitude and happiness in their own lives.?

SURPRISED BY JOY

Youth say they were struck by the joy of the Jamaican children.

At a location that ministers to children with AIDS, a boy who simply went by the name Donavon was especially memorable.

?He used a wheelchair and followed us everywhere,? Bowers said of the boy who was filled with joy. ?He couldn?t talk, but he liked to be around us.?

For adult leader Jones, the opportunity to sing and pray together brought the greatest joy.

?A memorable moment for me was praying and singing evening devotions with the residents of Sophie?s Place,? Jones said. ?They were so grateful for our singing ? they loved to praise God through song.?

Novcaski agreed.

?We grew closer to God and were able to see first-hand how some people live in poverty,? he said.

Jones said she believes it was the first time many of the Alaskan teens had ever seen true poverty.

According to a recent United Nations report, 23 percent of Jamaicans live in poverty in the southern and rural areas. For orphans, children with AIDS and pregnant teens, organizations like Mustard Seed are vital for survival.

Despite the living conditions, the vibrant faith of the locals ? in the midst of abject poverty, illness and disability ? inspired the Alaskan youth.

?They are more aware of their blessings,? Jones said. ?And I think they were inspired by the faith of many of the residents and how thankful they were.?

TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED

?It helped me to see that you shouldn?t take anything for granted,? McCormick said. ?Most of the kids at Sophie?s Place couldn?t even feed themselves, but yet they were still happy.?

Some like Bowers hope other teens take advantage of future opportunities to do mission work. St. Benedict Church plans to send more volunteers to Jamaica in a couple years.

?It shows people that there is another world out there,? Bowers said. ?It shows young people that life is not just about them and it provides an opportunity to be thankful for what we have here in America.?

Which is exactly what the adult leaders had hoped for.

?Missionary work is important for any Catholic,? Jones said. ?Through this experience we were able to encounter Christ in the poorest of the poor, and learn to see Christ in everyone.?

Posted with permission from Catholic Anchor, official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Anchorage.

Washington D.C., May 25, 2012 / 12:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, Calif. has clarified that he is united with his fellow bishops in their efforts to oppose the threat to religious freedom posed by the federal contraception mandate.

?I stand solidly with my brother bishops in our common resolve to overturn the unacceptable intrusion of government into the life of the Church by the HHS Mandate,? said Bishop Blaire in a May 24 statement. 

He explained that he wanted to ?clarify some misunderstandings? related to his earlier comments about the mandate.

A May 22 article in America magazine quoted Bishop Blaire as having concerns about an announcement the day before that 43 Catholic dioceses and organizations around the U.S. were filing lawsuits against the federal government.

Filed in 12 different jurisdictions across the country, the lawsuits challenge a federal mandate that will require employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

Bishops from every diocese in the U.S. have spoken out against the regulation, warning that it poses a serious threat to religious liberty and could force Catholic schools, hospitals and charitable organizations to close.

Several media outlets and commentators have used Bishop Blaire?s comments to suggest division among the bishops regarding the mandate.

However, Bishop Blaire said that his comments have been misunderstood. He stressed his full support for his brother bishops in their efforts to fight the mandate and protect religious freedom.

He noted that the bishops? administrative committee issued a statement in March committing to fight the mandate through appeals to the Obama administration, Congress or the courts.  

?I contributed to and voted for this statement, and continue to support it, including its call for legal action as was announced on Monday,? he said.

Some liberal commentators have also suggested divisions exist among the bishops because not every diocese in the country filed a lawsuit. 

However, individuals involved in the strategy discussions behind the legal action explained that the initiative did not intend to have each diocese file a suit. Rather, certain dioceses were chosen to represent a wide cross-section of the concerns and interests voiced by all the dioceses in the country.

Numerous bishops from dioceses that did not file a lawsuit have spoken out in support of the legal efforts, confirming that they are represented by the actions of their fellow bishops.

Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who leads the U.S. bishops? religious freedom committee, described the speculation about a lack of unity as ?elements of the media looking for what they perceive to be a little, small crack in the wall.?

Speaking on EWTN's ?The World Over? with Raymond Arroyo on May 24, the archbishop said that these media reports are ?missing the whole story.?

He explained that the bishops have held numerous discussions and ?no one disagrees about our need to defend our religious liberty.?

Bishop Blaire believes that the recent lawsuits share the same ?essential goal? as the discussions with the administration and congressional advocacy.

These efforts are all united in seeking ?to defend the right of the Church to define herself and to preserve the identity and integrity of the Catholic ministries exercised through her institutions,? he said.

The bishop said he recognizes that religious freedom is critical in allowing the Church to fulfill her God-given mission. It is ?totally unacceptable? for the federal government to force Catholic institutions to violate their core beliefs, he said. 

Bishop Blaire also urged efforts ?to persuade others to join us in this just cause through reasoned civil and respectful discussion.?  

He said that he looks forward to discussions at the upcoming meeting of the U.S. bishops? conference in Atlanta this June, which will provide ?an opportunity to agree on next steps to achieve our common and essential goal of ending this violation of religious freedom.?

Denver, Colo., May 25, 2012 / 04:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the presidential election draws closer, political expert Brian Burch is telling Catholics that if they turn out in slightly larger numbers at the polls, they will be ?the decisive vote this November.?

Although some Catholics tend to shy away from the political sphere with the mindset that it is unrelated to their faith, Burch said that due to recent developments, ?we no longer have the luxury of keeping politics separate from religion.?

?Politics in the state, in our federal government in particular, is coming into our religion and we need to stand up now before it gets any worse,? the founder and president of CatholicVote.org told CNA in a recent interview.

Burch noted that in light of the federal contraception mandate and the president's recent support of ?gay marriage,? Catholics have become increasingly aware of how politics are impacting their religion.

The federal contraception mandate, if enacted in its current form, will force employers to purchase insurance which covers sterilization, contraception and abortion-inducing drugs regardless of their deeply held religious beliefs.

On May 21, 43 Catholic organizations across the country, including dioceses, universities, hospitals and private businesses, filed lawsuits against the Obama administration, citing infringement of their First Amendment rights to religious freedom.

?We can't forget that religious freedom and the role of religion was what our founders built this country on,? Burch said, noting that the colonists originally fled England in order to practice their faith ?without the intrusion of the state.?

The Catholic vote is not so much about ?converting the Nancy Peolosis and the Joe Bidens of the world? as it is about making sure those who ?love our faith and want to see it protected? turn out in larger numbers to vote in November, Burch explained.

According to statistics, ?it's the people that don't vote that are actually the largest swing vote.? If Catholics turn out in a few percentage points of larger numbers, ?we can decide this election.?

Catholic Vote had endorsed Rick Santorum while he was still a contender for the GOP nomination.

The former Pennsylvania senator dropped his campaign on April 10, but has since endorsed his former rival, Mitt Romney, after a meeting in which both men agreed on many issues such as traditional marriage and reining in government spending.

Catholic Vote has yet to formally endorse any other candidate, but Burch said his movement is working with their volunteers and subscribers on the decision and will announce ?something very soon.?

Washington D.C., May 25, 2012 / 02:05 am (CNA).- A new survey shows that while more Americans are opposing the federal contraception mandate, the majority of voters also doubt that Catholic institutions would shut down rather than comply with the rule.

According to a May 22-23 Rasmussen poll, 51 percent of voters find it unlikely that Catholic organizations would shut down rather than buy insurance to cover abortifacients, sterilizations and contraceptives, as required by the Obama Administration's Health and Human Services mandate.

Although 43 Catholic institutions recently announced lawsuits against the federal government over the mandate, only 40 percent of voters believe it to be ?somewhat likely? that institutions would actually close their doors over the issue.

Sixteen percent believe such action to be ?very likely? while 17 percent think it would be ?not at all likely.?

Despite this doubt, 51 percent of voters disagree that the government should force religious organizations to provide contraception coverage if it violates their beliefs. Thirty-six percent of voters support this policy even if it violates religious beliefs.

Overall support of the mandate has fallen slightly when compared to those surveyed in a Feb. 7 poll. Of those questioned in the most recent poll, only 39 percent of voters favor the mandate as compared to the 43 percent who supported it in an earlier poll.

This new poll indicates a slight rise in women's opposition to the mandate, with female voters now evenly split over the issue. Men still overwhelmingly disagree with the mandate, with 52 percent in opposition and 34 percent in favor.

Washington D.C., May 24, 2012 / 04:12 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Advocates of religious liberty have announced plans to launch religious freedom caucuses in all 50 state legislatures in order to fight against the erosion of religious liberty at the local level.

The caucuses will be ?a focal point for those who are working on religious freedom in the states to direct and generate their efforts,? said Brian Walsh, executive director of the American Religious Freedom Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Working alongside a wide variety of faith communities and other groups, the American Religious Freedom Program is helping form and support the caucuses, which will allow state legislators to share information and connect with religious and public policy organizations as they focus on threats to religious liberty.

The caucus initiative was announced at the 2012 National Religious Freedom Conference in Washington, D.C. on May 24.

Concerns over religious freedom have escalated in recent months, reaching a peak with the Obama administration?s federal mandate that will require employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

The mandate has been widely criticized as an attack on religious liberty. Catholic bishops from every diocese in the U.S. have spoken out against it, warning that it could force Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable agencies to close their doors.

Organizers of the state caucus initiative said that many threats to religious freedom begin or are found at the state level.

These attacks include attempts to require individuals to perform health care procedures that violate their beliefs, censure of policy arguments that incorporate religious beliefs, and efforts to weaken religious groups? ability to choose their own leaders.

Concerns have also been voiced over the threat to religious freedom posed by a redefinition of marriage so that it includes homosexual couples. In states that have legalized ?gay marriage,? lawsuits have already been filed against those who object to cooperating with them, threatening the conscience rights of adoption agencies, church halls and photographers, as well as other individuals and organizations.

Walsh described the developing caucuses as ?a place for religious freedom expertise to reside.?

He explained that the creation process has already begun in a dozen states, including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Utah. 

Walsh expects these caucuses to be up and running soon. He said that a total of about 25 caucuses are anticipated by the end of this year, and nearly every state is expected to have a caucus by the end of 2013.

The effort has drawn praise from a diverse group of religious leaders, many of whom will be helping create and support the caucuses.

?Since the founding of our Nation, we have never before witnessed threats of this magnitude from all levels of government,? said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who chairs the U.S. bishops? religious freedom committee. ?Citizens who care about this fundamental American right must take action to protect it.?   

?Blessed by two centuries of First Amendment protections in the United States, Jews must speak up when the liberties of conscience afforded their fellow Americans are being threatened,? added Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University.

?The Religious Freedom Caucuses will be a central tool in addressing these threats to religious rights before the courts are left as the only recourse,? said Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Walsh explained that the effort to build caucuses has received strong support at the state level.

This is not ?a partisan issue,? but ?an American issue,? he said. ?Religious freedom is at the core of what it means to be American.?

Washington D.C., May 24, 2012 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As concerns over threats to religious liberty continue to mount, a growing Catholic organization aims to help lay men and women take action to protect conscience rights and religious freedom.

Maureen Ferguson, senior policy adviser for the newly launched Catholic Association, said the group serves as both ?a voice for Catholics in the public square? and a way to educate Catholics on important issues.

Ferguson told CNA on May 23 that the association is currently focused on the defense of conscience rights, which she believes are currently facing serious threats in America.

Chief among those threats is a federal mandate issued by the Obama administration to force employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

The mandate has been widely criticized by individuals and groups across the U.S., including bishops from every diocese in the country, who warned that it threatens religious freedom and could force Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable organizations to shut down.

Ferguson cautioned that the mandate will affect all Americans because the Church is the biggest non-government provider of education, health care and social services.

In discussing the mandate, the U.S. bishops ?have repeatedly called on lay Catholics to step up to the plate? and work to defend freedom of conscience, she said.

The Catholic Association is trying to respond to bishops? call by helping the lay faithful to speak out and act in support of religious liberty.

The organization is currently ?preparing a campaign? to support the ?Fortnight for Freedom? called for by the U.S. bishops from June 21 to July 4 in response to the current threats to religious liberty.

Dioceses across the country will launch initiatives aimed at prayer, education and public action for religious freedom during the fortnight.

Ferguson explained that The Catholic Association will be reaching out through television and internet efforts, as well as a social media campaign, to mobilize Catholics throughout the two-week period.

The campaign will ask the faithful to perform one simple act per day. These acts may include writing to their Congressional representative, sharing the importance of the cause with a friend or praying to St. Thomas More, the patron of religious freedom.

?This is not a conservative or a liberal organization, said Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow for the association.

She explained that the organization is about reaching Catholics ?in all walks of life,? encouraging ?grassroots action? and emphasizing the ?increasing need? for the lay faithful to take up their rightful place with the clergy in defending the most basic American freedoms.

McGuire pointed to a recent survey by D.C.-based public opinion firm QEV Analytics, which found that about half of Church-attending Catholics recall hearing a statement at Mass about the contraception mandate.

The majority of these people agreed with the bishops? objections to the mandate and its coercion of religious organizations and individuals, she said.

Recent polls show President Barack Obama losing support among Catholics, a voting group that he won in the 2008 election.

McGuire sees this as a sign that Catholics are realizing that his policies threaten their fundamental rights.

As people continue to see the danger of the mentality behind the mandate, they will continue ?rejecting this attack on religious freedom,? she said.

Princeton, N.J., May 24, 2012 / 12:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The number of pro-life Americans is near an all-time high, while those who self-identify as pro-choice are at a record low, according to a new Gallup survey.

Results from a poll taken in early May show that 50 percent of Americans say they are "pro-life," an increase of five percent since a 2009 survey.

Forty-one percent, however, identify as pro-choice ? down eight points since 2009.

The change is even more dramatic since 1995, when 56 percent of Americans told Gallup they were pro-choice while only 33 percent said they were pro-life.

In 2012, Republicans tend to be the most pro-life, with 72 percent identifying as such. About 34 percent of Democrats are pro-life, as are 47 percent of independents. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats say they are pro-choice, as do 22 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of independents.

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said that the results are "the tip of the iceberg."

"In fact, a growing number of Americans are uneasy with the unfettered, under-regulated and unsavory abortion industry as it exists today," she said May 23.

She pointed to surveys showing that 7 in 10 Americans do not want tax dollars to fund abortion. She said there is "tremendous support for commonsense limits on abortion" such as limits on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Gallup's analysis noted several abortion-related controversies in the past year, such as efforts to ban federal funding for the abortion provider Planned Parenthood to investigate its finances. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure anti-breast cancer foundation also became a newsmaker when it decided to suspend its grants to the organization, before retreating under intense pressure from abortion rights supporters.

The controversy over the HHS contraceptive coverage mandate and its effect on Catholic organizations may also be a factor, Gallup suggested, because it highlighted objections to the morning-after pill.

However, the pollster said it is unclear whether any of the controversies caused the shift in Americans' self-identification.

There are also questions about whether changes in Americans' self-labeling will have consequences.

"While Americans' identification as 'pro-choice' has waned over the past year, their fundamental views about the morality and legality of abortion have held steady," Gallup said.

The survey found that 51 percent of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong, while 38 percent say it is morally acceptable. These results are "nearly identical" to a May 2011 survey.

Only 20 percent of Americans said that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, 52 percent said it should be legal only under certain circumstances and 25 percent said it should be legal in all circumstances.

The Gallup poll surveyed 1,024 U.S. adults aged 18 and older from May 2-6. It claims a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

Washington D.C., May 23, 2012 / 04:18 pm (CNA).- Bishops nationwide have voiced support for a wave of recent lawsuits against the federal contraception mandate, explaining that the dioceses that did not take legal action are represented by those that did.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta explained that the lawsuits ?represent a concerted effort to exemplify the broad spectrum of Catholic institutions that are directly impacted by the HHS mandate.?

He said that while many other Catholic organizations ?would certainly seek to join this legal action,? the most important actions are prayer and support for initiatives to protect religious liberty.

In a May 23 statement, Archbishop Gregory emphasized his full support for several recent lawsuits challenging the Obama administration?s contraception mandate.

Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country announced legal action against the federal government on May 21.

The lawsuits, which are being filed in 12 dozen different jurisdictions across the country, challenge a federal regulation that will require employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

Bishops from every diocese in the U.S. have spoken out against the mandate, warning that it poses a serious threat to religious liberty and could force Catholic schools, hospitals and charitable organizations to shut down.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta is not one of the plaintiffs in the new lawsuits, but Archbishop Gregory made it clear that he supported the efforts of his brother bishops.

A member of the religious freedom committee for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he explained that the conference ?has tried negotiation with the Administration and legislation with the Congress. No resolution has been made as of this date.?

Now, he said, the bishops must turn to the court ?to protect our valuable ministries and fundamental right to practice religion without government interference.?

Known for his work in the African American community and for the critical leadership he provided in developing the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Archbishop Gregory served as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2001 to 2004.

As the archbishop of Atlanta, he will be hosting the bishops? upcoming Spring General Assembly in June.

Pat Chivers, communications director for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, explained that while the archdiocese is not being legally represented in the newest wave of lawsuits, its interests are being represented by the dioceses that are filing the suits.

Archbishop Gregory has written a letter that will be read at all Masses next weekend ?to show that we are in support? of the legal action taken by several dioceses across the country, she told CNA.

Chivers explained that Jones Day, the law firm that is filing the lawsuits, has an office in Atlanta, and the archdiocese has therefore been ?part of the legal strategy? behind the effort.

The goal was not to have every diocese in the U.S. to file a lawsuit, she said. Rather, the dioceses that did file them offer a broad and diverse representation of the concerns, situations and interests of dioceses across the country.

Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio agreed.

?The particular plaintiffs in this lawsuit were chosen by legal counsel at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,? he explained. ?They are representative of dioceses and Catholic institutions across the nation.?

Bishop Murry explained that his diocese ?unambiguously supports? the legal action to defend religious freedom, which ?is a cornerstone of basic human rights and is necessary for the flourishing of a just society.?

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati echoed his remarks. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has not filed a lawsuit, but it is unnecessary ?for every diocese to join the suits in order for them to be effective,? he said. 

?The various plaintiffs reflect a broad cross-section of Catholic institutions, and together they represent the wide variety of issues, impacts, economic consequences, and divergent facts that exist among Catholic organizations nationwide,? Archbishop Schnurr observed.

He voiced support for the recently-announced lawsuits, saying that litigation has become ?the only way left to fight for our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion.?

Naples, Fla., May 23, 2012 / 04:02 am (CNA).- Ave Maria University has become the second Catholic college to announce it will discontinue its student health insurance plan due to the Obama administration?s contraception mandate.

In a May 21 statement, university president Jim Towey called the mandate ?an affront to our core values.?

?Ave Maria University will not offer or pay for health insurance plans that violate our deeply-held religious beliefs,? he said.

The announcement comes amid continued controversy over a federal insurance mandate that will require employers and colleges to offer health care plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs.

The mandate has been widely criticized for the threat that it poses to religious freedom. Catholic schools, hospitals and charitable agencies have warned that they will be forced to consider closing their doors rather than comply with the mandate and act against the beliefs.

In choosing to cut its student health insurance plan, Ave Maria is following in the footsteps of Franciscan University of Steubenville, which also recently announced that it would be dropping its student policy to avoid participating in a plan that violated Catholic teaching.

Towey said it was ?regrettable? that the ?long-standing tradition? of protecting religious freedom was being fiercely attacked and that college students at religious institutions would be among the ?first victims.?

He explained that since its founding, Ave Maria University has offered its students an inexpensive health insurance policy, which specifically excludes coverage of products and procedures that violate Church teaching.

However, that changed when the university was recently notified by its insurance carrier that coverage of these objectionable ?preventive care services? would soon be required despite the school?s religious opposition to them.

In addition, the insurance carrier said that university students would face both a 66 percent increase in their premiums and an increase in their deductible as a result of requirements under the Affordable Care Act.

?It is a sad day when Ave Maria?s students are forced to choose between enrolling in a health insurance plan that is both costly and offers morally objectionable benefits, and having no coverage at all,? said Towey.

Ave Maria filed a lawsuit seeking relief from the mandate in February. Towey said he is confident in the favorable outcome of the suit and applauded the other Catholic groups that have joined in the effort of ?taking this battle to the courts.?

On May 21, a wave of new lawsuits against the mandate was announced. Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country are filing lawsuits in 12 different jurisdictions.

Bishops from dioceses across the country have warned that the contraception mandate could threaten the valuable contribution offered by Catholic education, health care and social services in the U.S.

Towey also addressed this point, explaining that Ave Maria University offers scholarships and strives to make its education as affordable as possible for students.

?At a time when the issue of the affordability of college education is at the forefront of the public debate, the Federal government?s mandate is hurting the cause, not helping,? he said.

Washington D.C., May 23, 2012 / 02:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The NAACP's recent endorsement of ?gay marriage? drew harsh criticism from within the African American community for misrepresenting civil rights and undermining families.

Pastor Derek McCoy, executive director of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, said that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's ?unfortunate? stance on the issue will contribute to the ?further demise of the family.?

McCoy told CNA on May 21 that the NAACP is ?endorsing an epidemic? of fatherless households, a ?tragic? phenomenon in the United States and particularly in the African American community.

On May 19, the association released a statement in support of redefining marriage to include gay couples. The announcement came ten days after President Barack Obama announced his unprecedented support for ?gay marriage.?

McCoy said that despite its long record of important work, however, the NAACP's latest move does not reflect the views of its constituents.

According to an April 2012 survey by Pew Research Center, only 39 percent of African Americans are in favor of redefining marriage. Voters across the country have consistently affirmed measures to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

McCoy said that redefining marriage is redefining the family in a way that is ?hazardous? for children. 

?Gay marriage? teaches that fathers and mothers are both dispensable, he explained, and ?this is absolutely going to harm the family.?

The absence of a father has been linked to higher rates of crime, poverty, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy throughout the U.S.

In his 2011 Father?s Day proclamation, President Obama noted the importance of fatherhood and said that his administration was making support of fathers a priority. ?A father's absence is felt by children, families, and communities in countless ways, leaving a hole that can have lasting effects,? he said.

Statistics show that more than half of black children live in single-parent households, often lacking the presence of a father.

Support for ?gay marriage,? McCoy underscored, reiterates the message that ?one of the parents is no longer valid.?

Both fathers and mothers become ?optional? in a society where having one father is viewed as no different from having two or none at all, he said.

The pastor explained that government has always recognized marriages in order to ?look out for the best interest of the child.? Studies clearly show that a family with a mother and a father ?is the best place for kids to be raised,? he noted.

McCoy also said that the effort to redefine marriage ?does not compare to civil rights.?

He dismissed attempts to compare people who reject ?gay marriage? to those who oppose interracial marriage.

?That?s not the same issue at all,? he said, reflecting that racial differences are irrelevant to marriage, but sexual complementarity is at the heart of marriage by its very nature.
 
?The core essence of a marriage is the two sexes coming together,? he said.

Other African American leaders have also criticized the NAACP?s endorsement of ?gay marriage? in recent days.

Dr. Alveda C. King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said that neither her grandfather nor her uncle ?embraced the homosexual agenda that the current NAACP is attempting to label as a civil rights agenda.?

?We who marched with Rev. King did not march one inch or one mile to promote same-sex marriage,? agreed Rev. William Owens, founder and president of the Coalition of African American Pastors.

He explained that redefining marriage is counter to Dr. King?s work because it is a political attempt to ?declare that an act contrary to God's law and to the natural law is a civil right.? 

?We call on all Americans to respect the legitimate civil rights of gay people to be free from violence, harassment, to vote, to hold jobs,? Owens said. ?But none of us has a moral or civil right to redefine marriage.?