Oct. 23rd Defend Marriage Lobby Day in Illinois

In his homily during the Holy Mass yesterday morning, His Holiness Pope Francis spoke of the obligation of Catholics to participate in the political life, saying:

None of us can say, "I have nothing to do with this, they govern. . . ." No, no, I am responsible for their governance, and I have to do the best so that they govern well, and I have to do my best by participating in politics according to my ability. Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good. I cannot wash my hands, eh? We all have to give something!

Each of us has a moral obligation to be involved in politics; we must not forget this!

With the return of the Illinois General Assembly October 22-24 and November 5-7, the possibility looms before us of the calling of Senate Bill 10, the "Nursing Home Care Act" to which an amendment has been added that would create the misnamed "Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act" (notice that it is not a bill in its own right).  SB 10 passed the Illinois Senate in the last session but did not have enough votes to be called to the floor of the House.

If you have forgotten how this amendment came to pass and how deceptive it is as proven by the passage of the so-called Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, please refresh your memory by catching up here.  Be sure to watch the questioning from Senator Righter to understand the danger this bill poses to religious liberty in Illinois.

While Senate Bill 10 is not presently being discussed in the open, there is every reason to believe that when it is called for a vote it will be done quickly and quietly so the Representatives and Senators will not be able to hear from their constituents.

With this in mind, the Catholic Conference of Illinois is sponsoring a "Defend Marriage Lobby Day" at the Capitol on October 23rd from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.  A similar day was held last February when more than 3,500 Illinois visited with their elected officials or their representatives to speak out against this proposed legislation.  Will you join their numbers in a few short weeks?  If you attended the day in February, I urge you to do so again.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.     Prayer rally outside at the Lincoln statue

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.            Marriage rally in the Rotunda - Msgr. Carl Kemme, V.F. will speak.

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.             Prayer rally in the Rotunda

1 p.m.                            Jericho prayer walk around the Capitol from the Lincoln statue

All day                           Lobby your state representative

Please, mark this important day on your calendar and make every effort to attend.  Spread the word to your family and friends.  Let us defend authentic marriage and our religious liberty!

Same-sex "marriages" to be voted on as amendment to nursing home bill

The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act is far more devious and deceptive than I ever imagined.

Today the Illinois Senate Executive Committee will hear the testimony (live feed here) of His Excellency the Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki concerning the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, but this piece of legislation seems not to be an Act in its own right.

Today the Senate is expected to hear and vote on House Bill 5655, the Nursing Home Care Act, which was reassigned to the Executive Committee.

On January 2, 2013, Senator Heather A. Stearns (D-Chicago) proposed an amendment to the Nursing Home Care Act, which, according to the language of the amendment, "may be cited as the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act."

So...the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act will be voted on as an amendment to the Nursing Home Care Act.  The way in which Stearns and company is going about this is nothing short of nefarious and deceitful.

It clearly shows that they are not really convinced of the moral rightness of their claims or else they would be proceeding in the full light of day.

I'm really quite dumbfounded at all of this.