Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid and recognized as a marriage in this Commonwealth.

By word of caution, at times during the legislative process bills are listed for consideration, but the committee does not always get to them. If you are a constituent in one of the Judiciary Committee members, please visit, call, fax, or e-mail him or her. Ask your Senator to support the marriage protection amendment when it comes up for a vote in the Judiciary Committee.

Marriage is a key concern of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. Learn more about the Catholic perspective on marriage at www.pacatholic.org/current_issues/marriage

Advocates can also use PCC’s system to send an e-mail message directly.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:

http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/pacc/c4JyNRrP.aspx

In addition to the election, in 2010 all Pennsylvanians (not just registered voters) will have a different kind of opportunity to shape the future of public policy in our state – the U.S. Census.

The Census counts every resident in the United States. It is required by the U.S. Constitution to take place every 10 years. The Census shows state population then those counts determine representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pennsylvania has been considered a key player in several high profile legislative issues recently. An accurate Census means Pennsylvania will have the correct number of Representatives in Congress and they will represent districts that really reflect the character of the people who live there. This is important for making sure our voice is heard.

Furthermore, funding for critical community services and the location of schools, hospitals, senior centers and other facilities all depend on accurate Census data. Each year, up to $400 billion in federal funding is distributed to the states based on formulas derived from Census numbers. These needs cannot be met if Pennsylvania does not receive its fair share.

In March of 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States. Residents are asked to answer the questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If the form is not mailed back, a census taker will visit the house to ask the questions from the form in person.

Every question provides valuable information for shaping the future. But, it is important to note that any personal data you provide is protected under federal law. Title 13 of the U.S. Code protects the confidentiality of all the information. In addition, other federal laws, including the Confidential Statistical Efficiency Act and the Privacy Act reinforce these protections. It is against the law for the Census to publish names, addresses or phone numbers. Violating this law is a crime with severe penalties.

The 2010 Census form is just 10 questions, such as name, gender, age, date of birth, race, household relationship, if you own or rent your home, and whether you are of Hispanic origin. The Census wants to know who is living in your house on April 1, 2010.

The Census does not ask about the legal status of respondents or their Social Security numbers. The Census does not share the information it collects with other federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

More information about the 2010 Census is available at www.2010Census.gov.

PCC Column March 2010 by A.B. Hill, Communications Director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference – the public affairs arm of Pennsylvania’s Catholic bishops and the Catholic dioceses of Pennsylvania.

en Espanol

Además de las elecciones, en 2010 todos los ciudadanos de Pennsylvania (no sólo los votantes registrados) tendrán una oportunidad distinta de moldear el futuro de la política pública en nuestro estado: el censo de los EE.UU.

El censo cuenta a cada uno de los residentes de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. La Constitución de los EE.UU. exige que se realice un censo cada 10 años. El censo indica cuál es la población del estado y, con posterioridad, ese recuento determina la representación en la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. Recientemente, se ha considerado a Pennsylvania un actor clave en diversas cuestiones legislativas que han tenido notoriedad. Un censo preciso implica que Pennsylvania tendrá la cantidad correcta de Representantes en el Congreso, y ellos representarán distritos que en verdad reflejan el carácter de las personas que viven en ellos. Esto es importante para garantizar que se nos escuche.

Asimismo, la financiación de servicios de la comunidad esenciales y la ubicación de escuelas, hospitales, centros para personas mayores y otras instalaciones dependen de la precisión de los datos del censo. Cada año, se distribuyen a los estados US$ 400,000 millones en concepto de financiamiento federal basándose en fórmulas que provienen de las cifras que arroja el censo. Si Pennsylvania no recibe la parte que le corresponde, estas necesidades no se podrán satisfacer.

En marzo de 2010, se entregarán los formularios del censo en cada vivienda de los EE.UU. Se pide a los residentes que respondan las preguntas y envíen el formulario por correo en el sobre con franqueo pagado por adelantado que se proporciona. Si no se devuelve el formulario por correo, un censista visitará el domicilio y hará las preguntas del formulario en persona.

Cada pregunta brinda valiosa información para delinear el futuro. Es importante tener en cuenta que cualquier información personal que usted proporcione estará protegida en virtud de las leyes federales. El Titulo 13 del Código de los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica protege la confidencialidad de toda la información. Además, otras leyes federales refuerzan estas protecciones, como por ejemplo la Ley de Eficiencia de Confidencialidad Estadística (Confidential Statistical Efficiency Act) y la Ley de Privacidad (Privacy Act). La publicación de nombres, direcciones o números de teléfono por parte del censo es contraria a las leyes. La infracción de estas leyes es un delito que incluye graves sanciones.

El formulario del censo 2010 tiene sólo 10 preguntas, tales como nombre, sexo, edad, fecha de nacimiento, raza, relación en el hogar, si usted es propietario de su hogar o alquila y si es de origen hispano. El censo desea saber quién está viviendo en su hogar el 1 de abril de 2010.

El censo no pregunta acerca de la situación legal de las personas que lo responden, como así tampoco su número de seguro social. El censo no comparte la información que recopila con otros organismos federales como por ejemplo el Servicio de Impuestos Internos (IRS por sus siglas en inglés) o el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de los Estados Unidos (ICE por sus siglas en inglés).

Puede encontrar más información acerca del censo 2010 en http://2010.census.gov/espanol/

in English

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is grateful for the outpouring of love and support for the people of Haiti. As CRS moves towards assisting the Haitian people with reconstruction and rehabilitation be assured your prayers and support are still needed.

Here is the latest update to the Special Report on how CRS and the Catholic Community in the U.S. are responding to the needs of the people of Haiti and a Special Bulletin Announcement for more information about how you can help.

In addition, CRS has an advocacy Action Alert and a new flyer to promote events concerning Haiti. The flyer is available in several versions: English 4- color and black and white as well as Spanish 4-color and black and white.

The letter was signed by Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairs of the bishops’ committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Pro-Life Activities and Migration, respectively.

The bishops urged the House and Senate to adopt legislation that ensures access to quality, affordable, life-giving health care for all; retains longstanding requirements that federal funds not be used for elective abortions or plans that include them; effectively protects conscience rights; and protects the access to health care that immigrants currently have and removes current barriers to access.

“We hope and pray that the Congress and the country will come together around genuine health care reform that protects the life, dignity, consciences and health of all,” said the bishops.

For more information about the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ teaching on health care reform, visit www.usccb.org/healthcare.

NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE 2010-2011 EDUCATION BUDGET

This month, all the talk in Harrisburg is about Governor Rendell’s proposed 2010-2011 state budget. Here are the dollars proposed for education:

* The figures above identify the state portions spent on that individual line item. It does not show the Federal Stimulus allocations that were used to increase public education. Last year the public subsidy received about $629 million from the Stimulus.

* The figures shown above depict the actual budget numbers without any cuts that occurred during the year.

This is just the start of the long budget process, so all figures above can be modified before the final budget allocation. The state legislature will break from session for a series of hearings on the state budget. As negotiations develop, ACE-PA will keep you informed of action. Together we will work to ensure that non-public school students are treated fairly and equitably in the state budget. Stay tuned!

CATHOLIC EDUCATION PRIORITIES

In addition to achieving equity in education funding for all students in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference has several other priorities in 2010. One is to restore the $75 million for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The EITC program is the largest education scholarship program offered to Catholic school students in Pennsylvania. EITC received a $15 million (20%) cut in the 2009-2010 budget cycle; it is scheduled to receive an additional $10 million cut in the 2010-2011 budget cycle. We need to stop the cuts and restore the funding to the EITC program.

Another priority is to monitor the American Recovery and Relief Act (ARRA), or federal stimulus package, in Pennsylvania. The second and final installment of the federal stimulus dollars will be released to Pennsylvania this year. We must ensure that the proportionate share of those funds for non-public schools is allotted.

Finally, to achieve any of our goals we must build the ACE-PA advocacy network.

GET INVOLVED, HELP US GROW

ACE-PA is one of the most important tools we have to influence public policy. With your participation, we can truly change Catholic education in Pennsylvania. Thank you to coordinators and active advocates for your time and attention, and welcome to all our new ACE-PA members. We added 52 new members to the network this month, which is fantastic! Help us grow by inviting fellow parents, teachers, pastors, young adults, family members and anyone who cares about Catholic education to join our effort. Forward this update to them and encourage them to follow this link to sign up.

You can also provide a link and special graphic to Catholic school administrators, so they can place the link on their schools website. For download instructions, go to http://www.pacatholic.org/current_issues/catholic-advocacy-network/ace-pa/

To check to see if your contact information is accurate please click here. In the Quick Login Screen, type in your e-mail address and zip code and check the View/Edit box. The next screen will allow you to update our record of your information. Catholic education is among the many issues with which the PCC gets involved. Are you interested in other Catholic public policy issues? PCC also advocates on issues of religious liberty, life and the dignity of the human person, marriage and family, social justice, health care, and faith and politics during the election cycle. Check any and all of the categories on the sign-up screen to receive updates on each of them.

The future of Catholic education in Pennsylvania depends on all of us. If you have any suggestions on improving ACE-PA or increasing our membership, please contact me at smcaleer@pacatholic.org

The statistics, from the end of 2008, were presented along with the new Vatican yearbook Feb. 20.

The Vatican said the number of Catholics reached 1.166 billion, an increase of 19 million, or 1.7 percent, from the end of 2007. During the same period, Catholics as a percentage of the global population grew from 17.33 percent to 17.4 percent, it said.

The number of priests stood at 409,166, an increase of 1,142 from the end of 2007. Since the year 2000, the Vatican said, the number of priests has increased by nearly 4,000, or about 1 percent.

Looking at the way priests are distributed around the world, it said: 47.1 percent were in Europe, 30 percent in the Americas, 13.2 percent in Asia, 8.7 percent in Africa and 1.2 percent in Oceania.

The number of seminarians around the world rose from 115,919 at the end of 2007 to 117,024 at the end of 2008, an increase of more than 1 percent, it said.

Read the rest of the story at www.catholicnews.com.

Learn more about Catholic statistics in Pennsylvania at www.pacatholic.org/resources/pa-catholic-statistics/.

Please contact your U.S. Congressperson and ask him or her to vote no for HR 4247.
Below is a link provided by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE).
This link will allow you to contact your congressperson directly.
Legislative Action Center.  To learn more about the bill’s troubling provisions, visit
CAPE’s Web site.

Thank you for conveying to Congress your views on this legislation and for inviting
friends, family, and members of your community to do the same.

New fears loom about the oncoming rainy season and the critical needs for emergency shelter and sanitation. “It’s going to turn into Woodstock out there,” says Lane Hartill of Catholic Relief Services, as he explains that the grass has all but worn away under the tents in Pétionville at the former golf course turned into a CRS-led organized camp that attracts as many as 50,000 people during the day and up to 80,000 at night. To help prepare for the coming rains, CRS and partner, Caritas Haiti, have ordered materials for 20,000 temporary shelter kits, and are planning for more.

Nevertheless, they are making strides daily and reaching more people than ever. CRS and Caritas Haiti are distributing an average of 62 metric tons of food per day. In addition to Pétionville, CRS has been designated as lead agency for coordinating relief efforts in the town of Léogâne, as well as for serving around 50 smaller church-identified sites. As a result, CRS and Caritas are anticipating helping hundreds of thousands of people in the next few months.

CRS and Caritas Haiti medical teams are treating an estimated 300 people per day. They are seeing a gradual change in needs from acute wounds to more waterborne illnesses, such as diarrhea and typhoid, so a public health campaign has been created to encourage better sanitary health practices to limit these outbreaks. Additionally, CRS is working with a team from the University of Maryland shock trauma unit, which will be performing round-the-clock surgeries and saving many more lives. The 22-person team brought 8,000 pounds of donated and purchased medical supplies, equipment and medications.

How to Help:

Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS

Donate via text: Text RELIEF to 25383 to add $10 to your cell phone bill*

Donate online: www.crs.org

Write a check: Catholic Relief Services

P.O. Box 17090

Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090

Money orders: Make payable to CRS/Haiti

Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 100 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. For more information, please visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org.