Looking for volunteer advocates

“Advocacy is not just the responsibility of parents and teachers, but of all members of the Catholic community.” This call was issued by the U.S. bishops and the faithful heard that call.
Next April teams of Catholic advocates from the Diocese of Beaumont will board buses headed to the Texas state capitol in Austin.
The duties of an advocate are defined by Google as “to publicly support or recommend a particular cause or policy.” According to Coquese Williams, Parish Social Ministry coordinator at Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas, the causes and policies for these Catholic advocates are determined by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The last Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day, in 2015, was attended by over 3,500 Catholics from across the state, with 90 of those being from the Diocese of Beaumont.
That year the Texas Legislature passed laws that resulted in the closing of many abortion clinics state wide including Whole Woman’s Health of Beaumont. This shows the importance of advocacy for the faithful in Southeast Texas.
Carolyn Fernandez, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas, said “The USCCB publishes a document titled “The Two Feet of Love In Action” in which it is explained that part of the work of love (charity) is also doing the work of justice. And the work of justice entails people of faith giving a voice to those who feel they have no voice; who feel no one who is listening or paying attention to their needs.
“Doing the work of justice means participating in our civil governance process to help bring about change in the systematic injustices embedded in some of our laws. Attending Advocacy Day in Austin is just one aspect of doing the work of justice. It is an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ and to tell our legislators changes are needed to provide greater protection for them.”
The next Catholic Faith in Action Advocacy Day is April 4, 2017. This event is made even more critical because it only happens once every two years when the legislature is in session.
Next year’s teams will talk about issues important to Texans while using provided information like talking points and brochures. The advocates will be speaking with the legislators about five broad subjects.
Protection of human life is one of these subjects and will include discussion of Catholic bishops’ teaching on subjects like abortion, euthanasia, cloning and end of life care.
Children and families will also be discussed with legislators. This conversation will cover School Choice Tax Credit Scholarships to help children attend Catholic schools, supporting abstinence only education, conscious protection legislation and foster care issues.
The other broad subjects that will be discussed will be health and human services, justice for the incarcerated, including opposition to the death penalty. Protection for the poor and vulnerable will also be covered.
Catholics can get involved in advocacy in many different ways. Williams said that the advocacy group always needs “prayer warriors” to pray for the advocacy group’s safe travel and to pray for a successful session of the legislature before advocacy day, and until the legislative session ends.
Williams also needs Catholics to write letters and make phone calls to legislative members. It all starts Oct. 17, 2016, with registration at the Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas website at www.catholiccharitiesbmt.org. For more information or to become involved call (409) 924-4400.
Information will also be posted on the Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas Facebook page.
Once you have registered, you will receive email about advocacy activities. One of those activities is a special Advocacy Day prayer service on Dec. 7, at the Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas office at 2780 Eastex Freeway in Beaumont.
Catholic Faith in Advocacy Day is a collaborative effort by Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas, African American Ministry, Criminal Justice Ministry, Family Life Ministry, Evangelization and Catechesis, Stewardship and Communications, Catholic Schools and Worship.