Parish Resources
FOR
2014 General Elections
Also available online at www.mdcathcon.org
“We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is
not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics
by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern”.
~ Pope Francis, September 16, 2013
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PASTORS:
In order to ensure that your parish complies with tax and election laws, please observe the
following:
• Please do NOT distribute the "Key Election Issues" bulletin insert on the same
weekend that your parish holds a voter registration drive.
• Please do NOT distribute the candidates' responses to the Maryland Catholic
Conference's survey at the same time as, or together with, the “Key Election Issues”
bulletin insert.
PULPIT ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Suggested use: weekend of October 4-5 and 11-12)
You must be registered in order to vote in the general election on November 4. This fall’s
elections include races for governor, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Maryland
General Assembly. The deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday, October 14. Please see
today’s bulletin or contact your county Board of Elections to learn more.
(Suggested use: weekend of November 1-2)
This Tuesday is Maryland’s general election. It includes races for governor, the U.S. House of
Representatives and the Maryland General Assembly. Learn about the issues, pray for guidance,
and vote on Tuesday. To learn more about the candidates and key issues, contact the Maryland
Catholic Conference or go to www.adw.org/faithfulcitizenship.
BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS
Voting:
(Suggested use: weekend of October 4-5 and 11-12)
ACTivate Your Faith: Register Now to Vote in 2014 Elections
You must be registered in order to vote in the November 4 elections. This fall, Marylanders will
vote for governor, U.S. House of Representatives and the Maryland General Assembly. In order
to vote, you must be an American citizen, a Maryland resident, and at least 18 years old by
November 4. The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, October 14. Please visit
www.elections.state.md.us or www.mdcathcon.org/registertovote, or call the Maryland State
Board of Elections at 1-800-222-8683 to learn more.
(Suggested use: any October weekend)
Stand Strong in the Public Square: Vote Early or Absentee in Maryland
Can’t make it to the polls to vote on November 4? Any registered Maryland voter may vote early
in person or absentee by mail. Early voting will be held from October 23 through October 30 and
the deadline to request an absentee ballot online is Friday, October 31. Please visit
www.elections.state.md.us or www.mdcathcon.org/registertovote, or call the Maryland State
Board of Elections at 1-800-222-8683 to learn more.
(Suggested use: any weekend before November 1-2)
Overcome Apathy: Vote on November 4
Pope Francis says we need to “overcome apathy” and offer “a Christian response to the social
and political anxieties” around us. “Good Catholics immerse themselves in politics,” says our
Holy Father. Don’t miss your chance to vote, immerse yourself in politics and make a difference!
For information on the issues and elections, please visit www.adw.org/faithfulcitizenship.
Voter Education:
(Suggested use: any weekend before November 1-2)
You have an Active Faith Life. Now ACTivate Your Faith
Pope Francis says that “politics is the most important of the civil activities.” Do you have an
interest in politics or public policy? Contact the Maryland Catholic Conference on ways to
volunteer and link your faith to civic activism and to build up the common good in Maryland.
For information, please visit www.mdcathcon.org/CommonGood or call 410-269-1155 or 301261-1979.
(Suggested use: any weekend before November 1-2)
Put Your Faith into Action: Join the Catholic Advocacy Network
"Politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good," says Pope
Francis. Getting involved is easy - the Maryland Catholic Advocacy Network, an outreach of the
Maryland Catholic Conference, is an email network that keeps you informed on public policy
issues and puts you in direct contact with lawmakers to share your views. Visit
www.mdcathcon.org and click on the Catholic Advocacy Network button to join today.
(Suggested use: any weekend before November 1-2, excluding the weekend of parish voter registration drive)
Activated by Faith: Get the Facts
Critical elections will be held this fall. “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a
virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” (Faithful Citizenship, 13) Visit
www.adw.org/faithfulcitizenship to learn about the candidates and key issues.
HOMILY NOTES
(May be used anytime)
Our Responsibilities in the Public Square:
•
•
“No one can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal
life, without influence on societal and national life, without concern for the soundness of
civil institutions, without a right to offer an opinion on events affecting society.”
(Evangelii Gaudium, 2013)
“Continue to overcome apathy, offering a Christian response to the social and political
anxieties, which are arising in various parts of the world. I ask you to be builders of the
world, to work for a better world. Dear young people, please, don’t be observers of life,
but get involved. Jesus did not remain an observer, but he immersed himself. Don’t be
observers, but immerse yourself in the reality of life, as Jesus did.” (Pope Francis,
Address at Prayer Vigil with Young People in Brazil, 7/27/13)
•
“We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not
interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by
offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.” (Pope Francis, Morning
Meditation, 9/16/13)
•
The direct duty to build a just society through the political process belongs to the laity,
not to the institutional Church. (Deus Caritas Est, 29)
•
“It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting
the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1913)
•
“As far as possible citizens should take an active part in political life.” Citizens have the
right, and at times the duty, to speak up on policy issues that impact human dignity and
the common good. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1915 and 2238)
•
We have not only a right, but an obligation to vote. “Submission to authority and coresponsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory…to exercise the right to
vote.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2240)
•
“In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political
life is a moral obligation. This obligation is rooted in our baptismal commitment to
follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do.” (Faithful Citizenship, 13)
•
Participation in public life and public policy allows us to open up every corner of our
lives to Christ. “Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted. Only
when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to
the transforming power of the Gospel.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Address to U.S. Bishops,
2008)
(May be used anytime)
Faith in the Public Square:
•
With freedoms come responsibilities. Churches and people of faith belong in the public
square and have an obligation to express their views on day-to-day social and political
questions.
•
As Catholics and citizens, we have a right and duty to advocate for laws that uphold the
common good by protecting the poor, the dignity of life, the value of family, and
religious freedom of all.
•
We bring to the public square a voice that speaks especially for those who have no one to
speak for them – the unborn, the poor and those in need, newcomers to our country,
prisoners, those with physical and mental disabilities, the elderly and families struggling
to provide their children with a safe home, a good education, and adequate healthcare.
•
We speak from a uniform point of view, one that is accessible not only to Catholics, but
to all who recognize that a proper understanding of human nature must determine how we
fashion our society and the laws that govern it.
•
Unlike many advocacy groups, the Catholic Church’s voice does not fit neatly into
typical political distinctions, nor does it follow the dictates of popular opinion. We do not
speak as Republicans or Democrats; we are too liberal for conservatives and too
conservative for liberals. We are not a “single issue” advocacy group, but rather speak
out on a broad variety of topics considered by our lawmakers.
(May be used anytime)
Forming Our Consciences:
•
We have a responsibility to follow our conscience when voting and engaging in public
life, but we first have the responsibility to correctly form our consciences “in accord with
human reason and the teaching of the Church.” (Faithful Citizenship, 17)
•
Our conscience is not merely a “feeling” about what we should do, and should never be a
justification for doing whatever we want. Rather, “conscience is the voice of God
resounding in the human heart, revealing the truth to us.” (Faithful Citizenship, 17)
•
Forming our consciences is a 3-part process. First, we must genuinely seek the truth by
studying Scripture and the teachings of the Church. Second, we must educate ourselves
about the facts of a situation. Third, we must pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
(Faithful Citizenship, 18)
•
“There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are
always incompatible with love of God and neighbor.” (Faithful Citizenship, 22)
•
“Such actions are so deeply flawed that they are always opposed to the authentic good of
persons. These are called ‘intrinsically evil’ actions. They must always be rejected and
opposed and must never be supported or condoned.” (Faithful Citizenship, 22)
•
Among the intrinsically evil actions that must always be opposed are those that
intentionally destroy or assault innocent human life and dignity. These include abortion,
euthanasia, human cloning, research on human embryos, genocide, torture, and racism.
(Faithful Citizenship, 23)
•
At the same time, respect for the dignity of human life compels us to respond to our
neighbors’ basic needs, including food, shelter, health care, education, and work. We
must never dismiss or ignore these issues. (Faithful Citizenship, 25 and 29)
(May be used anytime)
History of Religious Freedom in Our State, Nation, and World:
•
As Marylanders, we have a proud history of religious freedom. While Europe was
engulfed in religious wars, Maryland was expressly chartered as a place of religious
toleration where people of different faiths could live together peacefully. It was founded
by a Catholic, Lord Baltimore, who had been given a land grant by a Protestant, King
Charles I of England.
•
Religious liberty was so important to Maryland’s first settlers that, in 1649, Maryland
approved the first law in the New World to protect an individual’s right to freedom of
conscience (the “Toleration Act”).
•
Maryland’s early history teaches us that religious freedom must be protected, or it will be
lost. Within several decades of the Toleration Act, the colony’s dedication to religious
freedom was lost. The Church of England became the established religion in Maryland
and Catholics and others were the victims of official discrimination. Penal laws were
enacted that forbade Catholics from worshipping publicly, closed Catholic chapels, and
restricted Catholics to practicing their religion in their homes. Catholics lost the right to
vote and were barred from holding public office.
•
Our nation’s founding fathers recognized that religious freedom was a necessary
component of a healthy democracy, and so guaranteed it in the First Amendment to the
Constitution.
•
Maryland expressly protects religious freedom in our state constitution, and the United
Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights does so as well.
•
Allowing individuals to exercise religious freedom has yielded great public benefit. For
example, it allowed the Quakers to call for an end to slavery, for the Church to stand up
for the rights of workers and those with disabilities, and for Rev. Martin Luther King to
lead the civil rights movement. Today, we see the public good of religious freedom in the
numerous schools, hospitals, and social service organizations run by churches and
religious organizations.
(From the U.S. Bishops’ Faithful Citizenship materials. May be used throughout the year.)
Prayers of the Faithful
•
For the people of the United States, that we may be united in building a society in which
everyone can have the opportunity to live with dignity and hope, we pray to the Lord. …
•
For the Church, that we may be a witness to Christ’s love by practicing charity and
promoting justice and peace throughout the world, we pray to the Lord. …
•
For Catholics throughout Maryland, that the values of our faith may guide us as we
exercise our responsibility as voters, we pray to the Lord. …
•
For the members of this community, that we may find ways to help build a world of
greater respect for human life and human dignity, we pray to the Lord. …
•
For those who serve in elected office, that they may lead with courage and wisdom,
reflecting the Church’s teaching that the moral test of our society is how the weak, the
poor, and the vulnerable are faring, we pray to the Lord. …