Don't Miss It!

Calling all Catholics, calling all Catholics!

It’s not too late to think about taking part in the 2008 Annual Assembly of the Missouri Catholic Conference  (MCC) here in Jefferson City on the grounds of the State Capitol.

It will take place a week from this Saturday: Oct. 4. It will open with a keynote address by Archbishop José Gomez, the archbishop of San Antonio, Texas. The rest of the day will consist of interesting workshops and activities for young and old alike. All of the Catholic bishops of Missouri are scheduled to take part in the events of the day, too.

Even if you haven’t gotten around to signing up for this year’s Assembly, you will be most welcome to come join Catholics from all across the state of Missouri as we ponder “Decision 2008 — Where Faith Meets the Issues.” Especially in this election year, it is important for us to see the many ways in which we can help influence public policy and build a better society for all of us in our communities, our state and our country.

A while back, Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote a column reminding us of the importance of faith and freedom in the lives of Catholics:

“Faith is a free assent of mind and will and heart to a God who loves us and who transforms every dimension of our lives. There is no area of a believer’s life separate from his or her faith. A compartmentalized faith is not faith, certainly not Catholic faith, which begins with the proclamation that Jesus is risen from the dead and then works out the implications of that assertion in every area of our life.”

He goes on to say that even though we have separation of Church and state we can’t have separation of faith and life:

“The particular form of institutional separation of Church and state that we enjoy in the United States limits the state from imposing a particular church on anyone; but it also permits a religious body to have a public life. Freedom of religion cannot be reduced to freedom of self-expression for believers of freedom to worship quietly as long as faith exercises no influence on the public conversation which shapes society. Rather, the Church serves society and cooperates with the state and other public institutions by being herself: a witness to God’s ways among His human creatures. The message of Christ and His promise of eternal life carries judgments about all dimensions of this life including cultural, economic and political.”

After the afternoon workshops at the MCC Annual Assembly, there will be a general session at which the MCC gives recognition to individuals who have worked at influencing public policy in our state. Everyone then will be invited to join Archbishop Gomez and the bishops of Missouri in a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at St. Peter Church, located right across the street from the Capitol.

This will be the 13th year for the Annual Assembly. Especially if you have never taken part in one of these assemblies, I invite to you to consider doing so this year. Before attending, you may be thinking that you simply don’t feel like giving up a perfectly good Saturday when so many other opportunities beckon. But if you do take the time and make the effort, I promise you will enjoy not only the information from a wide variety of experts, but also the opportunity to talk and have conversations with other Catholic men and women from across the state who, just like you, are trying to live out their faith according to God’s will for them.