Catholics at the Capitol draws 4,000, many from our diocese

By Jennifer Willems

SPRINGFIELD — More than 4,000 Catholics accepted an invitation from the Catholic Conference of Illinois to join their bishops for a day of education, advocacy and networking that included a rally of 3,500 students at the Capitol rotunda.

“We’re very pleased with the turnout,” said Zach Wichmann, associate director of education for the Catholic Conference of Illinois. “I think it made a real impact, but time will tell on whether the agenda moves forward.”

While Catholic schools had rallied in Springfield before, “Catholics at the Capitol” was the first time the conference had organized a gathering of leaders of church ministries from across the state. In addition to Catholic school students, educators and parents, the Capitol complex was filled with priests and members of religious communities, representatives of social service agencies like Catholic Charities, diocesan and parish staff members and church volunteers.

The bishops and school superintendents from the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield also used the occasion for meetings, as did the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI) and the Catholic Health Association. In addition, the Councils of Catholic Women in Illinois came together earlier in the week to learn more about issues facing the Illinois General Assembly and what they can do to advance the CCI agenda.

Speaking to The Catholic Post before a CCI briefing in the Hall of Flags at the Howlett Building on March 4, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, said some of the bishops would be meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn, while others were planning to fan out and greet the people who had come great distances to make their voices heard.

He said he saw the day as “an awakening of the church” and an opportunity for Catholics to shake off their passivity in order to safeguard their institutions.

He sounded a warning about HB 2354, the Reproductive Health and Access Act that was supposed to have its first hearing on Wednesday morning. That was postponed.

Noting that the CCI agenda includes a variety of other issues, Bishop Jenky expressed an interest in SB 183 and HB 643, which seek to expand the Education Expense Tax Credit from $500 to $1,000.

“And it’s great for the kids to see the State Capitol and democracy in action,” he said. “This is a good thing to do.”

“It looks like the Catholic Church is alive and well in the state of Illinois,” said Bob Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, as he was about to start the CCI briefing.

“The legislators need to see our faces and hear our voices,” he said, noting that day was not about partisanship — Republicans vs. Democrats — but about advocating for the common good.

“One thing that unites us all is the truth,” Gilligan told the standing-room-only crowd. “What unites us is our faith.”

The conference’s legislative agenda recently grew from seven to eight items with the introduction of HB 2354.

The bill, which is being compared to the national Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), would eliminate the restrictions on abortion in state law that already exist, he explained. It would also eliminate the right of conscience for health care workers while using public funding for abortion and emergency contraception and mandating comprehensive sex education in public schools.

“This is something we cannot allow to happen,” Gilligan said.

The CCI agenda also includes the following issues:

• Addressing the Medicaid crisis by ensuring timely payment of bills. CCI supports HB 237, which would mandate payment within 30 days.

• Expanding the Education Expense Tax Credit. Catholic schools save the public school system about $1.6 billion and that’s a conservative estimate, according to Gilligan, who asked those present to encourage their legislators to support SB 183 and HB 643.

• Opposing an effort to redefine marriage through HB 2234, which concerns civil unions, and HB 178, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. Gilligan anticipated that HB 2234 could be heard as early as March 5.

• Support for SB 1338 and HB 3700, the Ultrasound Opportunity Act. Gilligan called this a commonsense proposal that would allow a woman to see an ultrasound image of her child before an abortion. “We feel if they had an opportunity to see this it would decrease the incidence of abortion in the state,” he said.

• Funding for community-based English language classes. This is a budget item that would provide funding for these programs to community centers and parishes, which would draw more of the new immigrants and give them a chance to “become part of the American dream,” Gilligan said.

• Support of prompt payments for social service providers and HB 749, which would give them a cost of doing business increase. Peggy Arizzi, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria, said there has only been one increase in the cost of doing business in the last nine years.

• Support for HB 262, which would abolish the death penalty. “A civil society such as ours does not need this,” Gilligan said. “We feel this is a pro-life issue.”

Gilligan encouraged those present to make an effort to see their representatives and senators as soon as they could after leaving the Hall of Flags, since the legislators were facing a full day of hearings and debate.

“But if you don’t contact them today, that’s OK,” Gilligan said. “This is the beginning of a relationship.”

What is important is to let the legislators know that people took the time to come to Springfield, he said, adding that they should follow up with a phone call or a visit the next time their representatives and senators are back in the district.

“The fact that they know you’re here is very, very important,” Gilligan told them. “The fact that you’re Catholic and you’re advocating for the common good means a lot.”

They also received encouragement from several legislators. Among them was Sen. William Haine of Alton, who said that often the church is perceived as being obstructionist and comprised of the hierarchy alone, not as the people sitting before him.

“It’s up to you to convey why this is for the common good, the Judeo-Christian way . . . to support these efforts,” he said. “It has to be argued from a people to a legislator.”

Rep. Jim Durkin, a Catholic legislator from Countryside who is also the assistant Republican leader in the House, said there are many Catholics in the general assembly and they should be reminded that they are Catholic first.

“Thank you down here,” he said. “Be active. Stay active. The other groups who come down here are heard.

“This needs to be done on a regular basis. Today is a good start,” Durkin said.