News Release: Catholic Legislative Day Set for April 21 in Lansing

LANSING—The Michigan Catholic Conference announced today that Catholic Legislative Day and new Student Catholic Legislative Day will take place Wednesday, April 21 in Lansing at St. Mary Cathedral. The day’s events will include issue briefings by members of the state House of Representatives and Senate and Michigan Catholic Conference staff, and the opportunity for participants to visit one-on-one with their state legislators.

“For the last five years Catholics from across the state have come together for Catholic Legislative Day to witness first-hand state government and the public policy role of the Catholic Church,” said Sister Monica Kostielney, R.S.M., Michigan Catholic Conference President and C.E.O. “The Michigan Catholic Conference and the Catholic dioceses of Michigan are planning for this year to be the most engaging and active legislative day since the program’s inception.”

In accordance with the mandate set forth by the National Council of Catholic Bishops’ statement on faithful citizenship, participants of Catholic Legislative Day will be briefed on the role of Catholic involvement in the democratic process and the critical issues with which to become familiar. This year the Michigan Catholic Conference is actively involved in numerous issues that are of interest to citizens across the state, including legislation that:

• Seeks to reinstate the death penalty in Michigan,
• Protects the sacred bond of marriage,
• Ends the abhorrent procedure known as partial-birth abortion,
• Protects religious health care ministries, and
• Balances the fiscal year 2005 state budget.

Based on last year’s overwhelming student participation in Catholic Legislative Day, the Michigan Catholic Conference and the Catholic dioceses of Michigan will conduct new Student Catholic Legislative Day separate from Catholic Legislative Day and will be oriented towards high school students.

A downloadable registration form, background information on the tentative issues to be presented and diocesan contacts are available on the Michigan Catholic Conference’s Web site at www.micatholic.org.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

-- 30 --