ARTICLES

Catholic Advocacy Day has record turnout

By Steve Neill
Of The Catholic Virginian

With the largest crowd ever, 250 people from around the diocese gathered for Catholic Advocacy Day in Richmond Jan. 29 to speak to state legislators and seek their help in promoting legislation which supports Catholic social teachings.

The legislators listened and most Catholic advocates felt their time was well spent.

Before they set out for the General Assembly to meet with the legislators, the advocates gathered at St. Peter’s Church for a prayer service and a briefing by Jeff Caruso, director of the Virginia Catholic Conference.

Both Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond and Bishop Paul S. Loverde of the Diocese of Arlington thanked the crowd — 25 percent more than gathered last year — for taking the time and effort to help raise awareness of the issues.

“This isn’t easy when you have a culture that no longer supports the dignity of the human person,” Bishop DiLorenzo said.

He said that the laws being made today “will tell future generations how we handled human beings.”

“You should not be brushed aside or allow yourself to be brushed aside,” Bishop DiLorenzo asserted. “You have a voice and don’t let anyone discourage you... Go get ‘em!”

Bishop Loverde reminded the advocates that they had gathered first in prayer.

“We begin our work here in the Lord’s presence and we go forth from here to be light and salt — light for the world and salt for the earth,” he said.

A group of 20 from three Richmond West End parishes — St. Bridget’s, St. Mary’s and St. Michael’s — met in a conference room with three delegates and one state senator for a period of an hour and a half, with another group coming in immediately after one had finished. Delegate William Janis arranged the gathering and spoke with the group along with Delegates John M. O’Bannon and John S. Reid and Senator Walter A. Stosch.

“We were able to bring forth the issues of social justice such as minimum wage, payday lending and justice for immigrants,” said Rebecca Oxenreider, Human Concerns Minister at St. Mary’s.

“They met with us, listened to our concerns and shared their appreciation for our being advocates and encouraged us to continue to be what we’re about as people of faith.”

Raising the minimum wage seemed to be a major concern of many of the advocates.

“We have a free clinic at St. Mary’s and we see people who work at two full-time jobs and they still can’t make ends meet,” Mrs. Oxenreider continued. “They have no health coverage in their jobs.

“We have for years advocated for an increase in the minimum wage.”

Fortunately, their voices were heard. Later that day the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill which would raise the minimum wage to $6.50 an hour.

A similar issue which was viewed as important by the Virginia Catholic Conference was legislation that would repeal the Payday Lending Act. The Conference supports requiring payday lenders to charge no more than 26 percent APR.

“Payday lenders frequently prey on those of low income and on persons facing unexpected financial challenges,” according to a fact sheet issued to the advocates.

“These people often end up trapped in a cycle of debt caused by repeated payday loans while still facing unpaid debt.”

Advocates were urged to speak to legislators on stem cell research, asserting they support stem cell research as long as the cells are not obtained by destroying human embryos or derived from aborted babies.

On another matter, Father Kenneth Shuping, pastor of Church of the Transfiguration in Fincastle and St. John’s in Craig County, visited the office of Del. Lacey Putney to urge his support of Governor Tim Kaine’s budget amendment which will give $100,000 in funding for the St. Mary’s Health Wagon which is seen as a vital health safety net for thousands of residents of southwest Virginia.

“Where I am in Craig County, there is no resident doctor,” Father Shuping told The Catholic Virginian. “St. John’s has been supporting the Craig County Rural Health Care Corporation, trying to get medical care in the county.”

Sister Jackie Hanrahan, director of the diocesan Office of Appalachian Justice and Peace, and Teresa Gardner, both from the diocese’s Region 10, met with Sen. William Wampler, urging similar support for the Health Wagon funding.

“He gave us encouragement,” Sister Jackie said. “He said he was a long-time supporter of the Health Wagon.”

Although all the advocates asked by The Catholic Virginian felt their time was well spent in meeting with the legislators or their aides, some admitted that the legislators saw things differently than what they wanted. This was the case with a large group of about 20 people from Chesterfield County who met with Sen. Stephen Martin of the county.

“We appreciated his meeting with us and giving us time to express our views,” said Molly Smith, Human Concerns Minister from Epiphany parish.

“We didn’t agree on some issues and one of those was payday lending.”

According to a fact sheet from the Virginia Catholic Conference, payday lenders offer short-term loans with high fees secured by a personal check from the borrower. As a result, payday lenders can charge an annual percentage rate of up to 390 percent. In 2002 the Virginia General Assembly carved out a special exemption for the payday lending industry that exempts it from the Consumer Finance Act which has a APR cap at 36 percent.

“We were trying to say that payday lenders charge a high interest rate, but Senator Martin contended that it was not interest, but a processing fee,” Mrs. Smith said.

Many in the group were Hispanics who had come to speak to Sen. Martin about immigration issues. They opposed legislation which would make children of undocumented immigrants ineligible to receive in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. “These children did not choose to enter the country unlawfully and simply accompanied their parents,” the VCC statement said.

“He didn’t seem to make a strong commitment on that issue,” Mrs. Smith said.

The same group also met with Del. Sam Nixon of Chesterfield County, a meeting she described as “very cordial.”

A veteran of at least 10 experiences with Catholic Advocacy Day, Mrs. Smith said this year’s experience was particularly impressive.

“We were able to meet with more of the legislators themselves as opposed to meeting with their aides or simply leaving information with other staff members,” she said.

Mr. Caruso was pleased with the day and the good turnout of Virginia Catholics.

“Today was a day for Catholics throughout Virginia’s two dioceses to stand in solidarity with their bishops on issues vital to human life, human dignity, and the well-being of children and families,” he said.

“The large number of participants in Catholic Advocacy Day, many of whom traveled long distances to be a voice for the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society, certainly shows that faithful citizenship is alive and well in our Commonwealth.”

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