Living out our Catholic faith calls us to work for justice.  Catholic Advocacy Day, 2010 invites us to have “Compassion and Courage for the Common Good”.  On February 9th, parish members, staff, and leadership along with Catholic service and justice organizations will gather in Olympia to advocate for the most poor and vulnerable people in our communities. 

This year’s legislative session is particularly daunting due to the $2.6 billion deficit.  In December, in order to balance the budget as required by law, the Governor proposed a budget that either eliminated or decreased programs and services desperately needed during this economic recession.  However, the Governor has proposed a second budget that reinstated many of these services, but only if there is revenue to fund them.

The Washington State Catholic Conference will focus on restoring vital human services on Catholic Advocacy Day.  The day will feature Michael Reichert, President of Catholic Community Services Western Washington, as keynote speaker and a presentation of legislative priorities by Senate Majority Leader, Senator Lisa Brown.

Legislative briefings will advise participants on Economic Justice (Spanish), Housing (Spanish), Health Care (Spanish) and Environmental (Spanish) issues.  Personal testimonials will be given by a member of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center’s “Justice Circle” in Centralia, and by a volunteer who assists seniors through the Volunteer Chore Service program.

In the afternoon, participants will visit their legislative district Senator and Representatives to call them to “Compassion and Courage for the Common Good”.