1. Life & Dignity Sunday Diocese of Sacramento June 27 & 28, 2015

2.  Grassroots advocacy and education  Email system  Educational website  Partnership of arch/dioceses in the state  Respects the individual differences and beliefs of members – prudential judgment  Easy to use, customize, localize Catholic Legislative Network 22

3. California Today  Safety net is in tatters  Family planning dollars remains steady  Social and moral issues debated  Life  Marriage  Assisted suicide  Politics is the search for ammunition not information  Catholics confused, angry, hurt yet demographically no different than society 33

4. Faithful Citizenship… “In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and a participation in political life is a moral obligation…rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness to all we do.” (¶ 4) 44

5. Called to Work for Justice “People in every nation enhance the social dimension of their lives by acting as committed and responsible citizens, not as a mob swayed by the powers that be. Let us not forget that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation”. 55

6. Called to Work for Justice By our Civic tradition… “This nation is not ruled by the majority. It is ruled by the majority who participate.” 66

7. Influencing Public Policy Public Policy Lobbyist Bishops/ Faithful Citizenship Catholic Legislative Network 77

8. Partnership Archdiocese of Los Angeles Archdiocese of San Francisco Diocese of Fresno Diocese of Monterey Diocese of Oakland Diocese of Orange Diocese of Sacramento Diocese of San Bernardino Diocese of San Diego Diocese of San Jose Diocese of Santa Rosa Diocese of Stockton California Catholic Conference

9. Catholic Social Teaching Life & Dignity of the Human Person Call to family, community and participation Option for the poor and vulnerable 99

10. Catholic Social Teaching Rights and responsibilities Dignity of work and rights of workers Solidarity Caring for God’s creation  10

11.  11

12.  12

13. Life & Dignity Sunday  Strong support of Bishops  Opportunity for recruitment and education  Customized to the life of the arch/diocese, region, and parish  Training of Parish Champions  In-pew sign-ups during the homily  13

14. In the Manual…  Vision Statement  Roles & Responsibilities  Leading Up to L&D Sunday  Bulletin & Pulpit Announcements  Life & Dignity Sunday Procedure  Sample Scripts  FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions  Parish Champion Role…  14

15. Parish Champions  Accepts role as the Champion of the Catholic Legislative Network in his/her parish.  Attends one of several training sessions to better understand exactly what being a parish champion means.  Registers for the CLN to get deeper firsthand knowledge of the network and how it functions.  Meets with pastor to go over all plans and assumes responsibility for carrying out what is agreed to.  Invites other parishioners to assist in the process [KCs, young adult ministers, youth ministers, etc.].  Assures that bulletin announcements are included in bulletins  15

16. Parish Champions Prior to Life & Dignity Sunday Cards will be mailed to parishes approximately three weeks prior to Life & Dignity Sunday. If you have not received your cards ten days prior to the event or you think you may need additional cards, contact your diocesan champion or contact the California Catholic Conference at 916- 313-4000. In your package will be a self-addressed envelope in which to return the cards after Life & Dignity Sunday. Before and during Mass on Life & Dignity Sunday Make sure a sufficient number of cards and pencils/pens are in every pew prior to each Mass. Ushers, hospitality ministers or others can be helpful.  16

17. Parish Champions Arrange for fellow parishioners to help you collect the cards after the homily. Some parishes may prefer to have cards placed in the collection basket. Do whatever is standard for your parish. Parishioners that miss the event can mail cards in at any time to: California Catholic Conference, 1119 K Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. They can also register online at www.cacatholic.org.www.cacatholic.org Returning the Cards Assemble all the cards and place them in the return envelope provided. The envelope is prepaid and self-addressed. They can be returned at any UPS Office. For a list visit www.ups.com. Be sure to count the number or registrants before you send the package. You will want to report the number back to the parish on the following weekend.www.ups.com If it is more convenient, the return package can be returned to your Diocesan Champion. In either case, please call your Diocesan Champion to let him or her know you have mailed the package and the number of registrants.  17

18. Remember Stress that people should print clearly No need to sign-up again if already a member Need more cards – call Diocese Call Diocese with your results  18

19. For more information www.cacatholic.org 916.313.4000 spehanich@cacatholic.org spalacios@cacatholic.org kmauro@cacatholic.org