Posted on 03/08/2009 8:30:59 AM PDT by Oakleaf
Catholic Family News • March 7, 2009
Write to the Senator and Representative - Show Up for the Rally on March 11!
See below:
• Urgent letter from Brideport Diocese Webpage • Information on March 11 Rally • Contact information for CT Senator and Representative • Statement from Father Greg J. Markey
(More details also at http://wdtprs.com/blog/2009/03/connecticut-state-legislature-introduced-bill-10982009/)
(Text of bill at http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/TOB/S/2009SB-01098-R00-SB.htm)
This past Thursday, March 5, the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut State Legislature, which is chaired by Sen. Andrew McDonald of Stamford and Rep. Michael Lawlor of East Haven, introduced a bill that directly attacks the Roman Catholic Church and our Faith.
This bill violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It forces a radical reorganization of the legal, financial, and administrative structure of our parishes. This is contrary to the Apostolic nature of the Catholic Church because it disconnects parishes from their Pastors and their Bishop. Parishes would be run by boards from which Pastors and the Bishop would be effectively excluded.
This bill, moreover, is a thinly-veiled attempt to silence the Catholic Church on the important issues of the day, such as same-sex marriage.
The State has no right to interfere in the internal affairs and structure of the Catholic Church. This bill is directed only at the Catholic Church but could someday be forced on other denominations. The State has no business controlling religion.
The Pastors of our Diocese are doing an exemplary job of sound stewardship and financial accountability, in full cooperation with their parishioners.
For the State Legislature — which has not reversed a $1 billion deficit in this fiscal year — to try to manage the Catholic Church makes no sense. The Catholic Church not only lives within her means but stretches her resources to provide more social, charitable, and educational services than any other private institution in the State. This bill threatens those services at a time when the State is cutting services. The Catholic Church is needed now more than ever.
We reject this irrational, unlawful, and bigoted bill that jeopardizes the religious liberty of our Church.
We urge you to call and e-mail Sen. McDonald and Rep. Lawlor:
Senator Andrew McDonald: Capitol phone: (800) 842-1420; Home phone: (203) 348-7439 E-mail: McDonald@senatedems.ct.gov
Representative Michael Lawlor: Capitol phone: (800) 842-8267; Home phone: (203) 469-9725 E-mail: MLawlor99@juno.com
We also ask you to come to Hartford this Wednesday, March 11, to be present at the public hearing. Details on bus transportation will be available on Monday. If you would like to attend, contact your Pastor.
It is up to us to stop this unbridled abuse of governmental power
It is time for us to defend our First Amendment rights.
It is time for us to defend our Church!
- From Bridgeport Diocese webpage ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH FROM Diocesean webpage
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Statement of Father Greg J. Markey
Dear Members of the Gospel of Life Society,
Just when you thought it could not get any worse up in Hartford, it has happened.
Yesterday, Connecticut Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut State Legislature introduced bill #1098/2009 that directly attacks the Roman Catholic Church .Should it pass, the bishop and pastors will be deprived of any administrative, financial and legal power over their parishes.
The Bishop is asking for statements to be read at all the Masses this weekend, and to organize a rally in Hartford on Wednesday. Each parish is to send 5 representatives. I will be leading a group from St. Mary Church in Norwalk. Most likely there will be diocesan buses.
We are asked to contact our legislators, and especially the Judiciary Committee list. Now is the time to act! Stay tuned.
In Christ,
Fr. Greg J. Markey St. Mary Church, • Norwalk, CT
Just Wow! Maybe this will get the liberal priests off the butts!
5.56mm
Ping to you.
I think these 2 insane red sons of bitches are owed a lot more than phone calls and e-mail.
Boiling alive in hot oil, now yer talking.
Phone:
1-800-842-1420 (Capitol)
203-348-7439 (Home)
In the District:
P.O. Box 120537
East Haven, CT 06512
(203) 469-9725
How Chavez like.
I saw this yesterday on another blog and I was stunned. It sets up a lay board to take over all activities and decision-making in the parish, and limits the priests or bishops to “religious matters” only (however those may be defined).
This is not a general law for all churches in Connecticut (and even so it would be appalling and a gross intrusion into religious affairs), but is specifically aimed at the Catholic Church.
I don’t see how it can stand, but anything is possible in the Obama New World Order.
A little more information about this is that both McDonald and Lawlor were very involved in the “gay marriage” push in CT, which was resisted by the Church. McDonald in particular (who “married” his boyfriend) really has it in for the Church and this is pay-back.
Ridiculous!! Under the Constitution, they have NO right whatsoever to do this. This will not pass. Amazing how many ignorant people are politicians these days...
It’s about time Christians in this country stood up and fought back for the decades of ridicule and scorn heaped on em!
This is not about FOCA (expanding abortion in all cases). This is about Catholic Bishops controlling the Catholic schools. This bill would strip them of this power in CT.
Private schools and home schooling are the 2 biggest threats to the forced indoctrination of our youth.
Bishops have been in the news a lot lately about stopping schools from honoring pro-abortion, pro-homosexual marriage, etc- speakers and politicians.
This bill will allow the local liberal Catholics to do as they please without direction from the Bishops.
We haven’t even begun to see how Christians COULD be persecuted yet. Thank God for the Constitution!
He s obviously as queer as a three dollar bill.
So imbeciles from Stamford elect a homosexual who proceeds to reinforce every stereotype about homosexual politicians by promptly introducing unconstitutional legislation to regulate not just any religion but the Catholic Church in particular.
He is such a little bitch.
That being said, it should be fought vigorously as a proposed bill.
More evidence that both local, state, and the federal government(s) are all out of control.
Catholics had a chance to stop this in November 07. The church was warned but failed to heed the warnings that were made. Perhaps the church must suffer a little in order to get their priorities right.
Nov 08, sorry
Can someone from Connecticut answer something for me? I’ve read that about 41% of CT’s population is Catholic. If this is so, I would imagine a fairly significant percentage of the CT state legislature is also Catholic. Add to that CT’s contribution to national politics by giving us (time after time after time) hardcore pro-abort “Catholic” Chris Dodd in the U.S. Senate and Rosa DeLauro and John Larson is the U.S. House. How did this happen? If that 41% had been voting according to the faith, CT Catholics wouldn’t be having to worry about this legislation, because they would have had legislators that would not have encroached upon the 1st Amendment right to freedom of religion. They wouldn’t have helped to elect men and women who oppose the right to life of the unborn, support gay marriage/civil unions, and all the other depravity that is bound to bring this country down if we don’t get it turned around.
Perhaps the old saying, “We get the leaders we deserve,” applies here. I say this as a very faithful, orthodox Catholic that believes this legislation is terribly anti-Catholic, anti-Christian. However, again, the question that needs answering is, “How did we get here?”
The majority of those who voted for Obama were CINOs -- Catholics in Name Only -- who may have grown up Catholic, but don't really know or understand or practice what the Church teaches. They usually only attend Mass at Christmas and Easter -- if at all -- but call themselves Catholic anyway. The vast majority of church-attending, full-believing Cathoics who voted in November voted for McCain.
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