Join Fight for Life This Month
The new year is bringing several opportunities to join other Catholics and demonstrate the value of all human life during several events taking place this month.
Starting Jan. 14, thousands of Catholics across the country will join in prayer for “9 Days for Life.” The novena and day of prayer are a time of recollection and reparation in observation of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade—the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal throughout the United States. The novena will end on the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.
Since 2013, more than 100,000 Catholics have joined together to pray this annual novena for the respect and protection of human life. It is sponsored by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Participants can subscribe to receive the daily prayers at www.9daysforlife.com.
The fifth annual Walk for Life hosted by OneLife LA will take place on Jan. 19. The walk will commence at La Placita Olvera and end at LA Historic Park, followed by a festival, live music, food trucks and inspiring testimonies.
OneLife LA celebrates the beauty and dignity of every human life from conception to natural death. Visit OneLifeLA.org for more info or to register.
Walk for Life West Coast will take place in San Francisco on Jan. 26. The walk starts at Civic Center Plaza and ends at Embarcadero Plaza/Ferry Building. For convenience purposes, there are BART stations at both locations. There are also masses, adorations, and other events surrounding the walk. Visit WalkforLifeWC.com to register.
San Diego also has a march beginning in Balboa Park.
Other dioceses and organizations also organizes events or buses to one of these larger gatherings. Check your diocesan website for more information.
Newsom Takes the Reins in Sacramento
Gavin Newsom became the 40th governor of California this week as he took the oath of office on the west steps of the Capitol.
The 51-year-old father of four succeeds Governor Jerry Brown, a four-term governor and fixture of California politics since the 1970s. Brown steered the Golden State out of the depths of the Great Recession and leaves California with a sizeable rainy-day fund but otherwise discounts any talk of his “legacy.”
For many, the biggest question about the new governor is whether he will he follow the relative fiscal restraint of his predecessor or spend the surplus on the “bold ideas” he outlined in this week’s speech and on the campaign trail last year.
What became clearer at the inaugural, however, is that Newsom seems to be focusing on health care, education and housing as the first of his priorities.
The new Governor directed all California agencies, including the massive Medi-Cal system, to collaborate in ordering prescription drugs. This will make California the largest single purchaser in the nation in an attempt to lower prices. (Coincidentally, the Trump Administration is also gathering information on drug price increases announced at the beginning of the year.)
January is Poverty Awareness Month
During Poverty Awareness Month, join the U.S. Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Catholic community in the United States in taking up Pope Francis’ challenge to live in solidarity with the poor.
In addition to the calendar featuring ways to participate each day during the month of January, longer daily reflections are also available. There is a liturgical aid so parish leaders can incorporate Poverty Awareness Month into the liturgy. All of these resources are also en Español. You can sign up to have the daily reflections emailed to you during Poverty Awareness Month.
Click here for more information.
A Reflection on Migration
During National Migration Week, the Church asks us to reflect on the conditions faced by migrants around the world. Traditionally, the Pope issues a statement for World Day of Migrants and Refugees but this year, at the request of bishops around the world, that day has been moved to September 29, the feast of the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
Until then, here is a brief thought from Pope Francis’ 2018 message:
“Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age (Matthew 25:35-43). The Lord entrusts to the Church’s motherly love every person forced to leave their homeland in search of a better future. [1] This solidarity must be concretely expressed at every stage of the migratory experience – from departure through journey to arrival and return. This is a great responsibility, which the Church intends to share with all believers and men and women of good will, who are called to respond to the many challenges of contemporary migration with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight, each according to their own abilities.
“In this regard, I wish to reaffirm that “our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate”
Read the entire message.
New Legislative Session Begins
A new two-year legislative session in now in full gear, welcoming with it a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Legislature.
The CalChamber has published a pictorial roster of the new state leadership that includes all California constitutional and statewide officers.
New leadership positions and committee assignments have also been handed out. San Diego State Senator Toni Atkins (D) will continue as President pro Tempore of the Senate. Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D-La Cañada-Flintridge), will chair the Senate Appropriations Committee. Click here for a comprehensive list of State Senate committee assignments.
On the Assembly side, Speaker Anthony Rendon has also delegated committee assignments. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) retains her position as Chair of Assembly Appropriations. Click here for a full list of State Assembly committee assignments.
Follow the CCC and visit the legislation page for the latest, which will be expanded as legislation is introduced.
January 11, 2019
Vol. 12, No. 1