With Lawmakers Cracking Down on Parental Rights, California Families Weigh Options Amid Looming ‘Impasse’
“What we are seeing is a very well-organized and quick-moving effort in the legislature to prioritize gender-transition-affirming policies at every step of the way. What we’re also seeing is a really concerted effort to remove parents from [making decisions about their child’s welfare and believe] parents cannot be trusted [to exercise good judgment] and avoid harming their children, and so the Legislature needs to step in to protect children from their parents. These bills remove parents from conversations with health care professionals and with educators.”
-CCC Executive Director Kathleen Domingo
The following was published in the National Catholic Register on August 22, 2203
As LGBTQ themes surface across school curriculum, Kathleen Domingo of the California Catholic Conference explains why opting-out may no longer be possible for Catholic families that want to safeguard their children.
Hundreds of parental rights activists gathered at the California Statehouse in Sacramento on Aug. 21 to register their opposition to proposed legislation that would curtail the rights of parents in public schools and restrict the power of local school boards to chart their own course on the culture wars.
The large rally, organized in part by California Family Council, marked an escalating battle between the Democrat-controlled state government and several conservative-leaning local school boards that are sounding the alarm on policies that embrace and promote a gender-transition-affirming model for children struggling with gender dysphoria and celebrate LGBTQ trailblazers as state heroes.
Continue reading at NationalCatholicRegister.com
Christians Join in Prayer and Action for the Season of Creation
September 1 marked the beginning of a month-long ecumenical awareness initiative known as the “Season of Creation,” which concludes on October 4 with the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.
The theme chosen for this year’s Season of Creation is “Let Justice and Peace Flow,” and it calls on the faithful to reflect on the relationship between justice and creation.
This “time for creation” offers, in the words of Pope Francis, “individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.”
This is a wonderful time to enroll your family, parish, school, or organization in the Laudato Sí Action Platform.
You can also find resources to deepen your Season of Creation here.
The Catholic Climate Covenant has resources for various audiences, including teachers. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has put together suggestions for families and Communities on how they live out Pope Francis’ call to Care for Our Common Home. And in God Calls Us All to Care for Our Common Home, the California Bishops challenge the people of California to appreciate the state’s beauty and apply– individually and collectively – the teachings of Laudato Si’ in safeguarding our natural gifts.
September is Suicide Prevention Month
September is Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 – 34. According to Children Now, 16 percent of teenagers considered suicide last year.
Resources are available to accompany others as they struggle with the impacts of suicide, including Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Jose, and Stockton.
Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix has co-edited a pastoral handbook, “Responding to Suicide,” to assist Catholic ministry leaders. Bishop Dolan’s own life story includes the suicide of three siblings and the suicide of one of the spouses of one of his siblings.
The California Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral statement on Hope and Healing in 2018, calling the “ministering to those who suffer from mental illness is an essential part of the pastoral care of the Church.”
The Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers also offers training, resources, and prayers.
Alerts!
As the end of the legislative session nears, visit the CCC Action Alerts page!
With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can send a letter to your lawmaker on several vital issues.
Be sure to look for action alert emails! These emails are sent out as developments and movement on bills take place, and your voice must be heard immediately.