Faith, action shine at Advocacy Day in Austin

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, at left at lectern, leads the invocation prayer for the Texas State Senate session on March 28 during Texas Catholic Advocacy Day at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

AUSTIN — An estimated 2,500 Catholics, including Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, brought prayer and faithful citizenship to the Texas State Capitol in Austin on March 28 for the biannual Texas Catholic Advocacy Day.

Ahead of the crowded rally on the southern steps of the State Capitol, Cardinal DiNardo led the invocation for the Texas State Senate in the Senate chamber, with several other Texas bishops attending.

In his prayer, Cardinal DiNardo thanked the God of “justice and mercy” for the “gift of life,” and asked for God’s blessing upon all the members of the legislature, including judges, elected officials and others who “guard our political welfare.”

With Catholic school students, clergy, consecrated men and women religious, parishioners and lay faithful joining him in prayer above in the Senate gallery, Cardinal DiNardo also prayed for the “humility to better listen to You and to one another, seeking to hear and not just be heard” and “to act boldly in the pursuit of justice and integrity, and to promote them and protect the fullness of human dignity.”

He closed his invocation with a reminder of being “generous and dedicated” in service towards the common good.”

Quickly after greeting members of the Texas Senate, Cardinal DiNardo joined the other bishops from the 14 other dioceses of Texas on the southern steps of the Capitol for a rally gathering with thousands, the first Catholic gathering with all the bishops from Texas for the 2023 biannual Texas legislative season.

At the rally, the bishops welcomed their dioceses, with signs advocating for Catholic policies and values on healthcare, education, immigration and death penalty issues waving high above and around the crowd.

The Archdiocesan delegation led by Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP, director of the Archdiocesan Secretariat for Social Concerns, met with elected state representatives and their staff to highlight these issues.

Jennifer Carr Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, said many attendees visited with legislators to advocate for parental choice, child protection, expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage and abolishing the death penalty for the severely mentally ill.

Ahead of Advocacy Day, Galveston-Houston Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, joined Cardinal DiNardo in concelebrating a special Mass with other Texas bishops on March 27 at St. Mary’s Cathedral just blocks away from the Capitol.

Advocacy Day also brings hundreds of Catholic school students from around the state to the Capitol for an in-person experience of the Texas legislature, both in visiting the Capitol, the House and Senate chambers, and a special mock hearing experience, where junior and high school students witness or lead the entire session on payday lending.

Dressed in school uniforms or wearing blue Advocacy Day shirts, they streamed through the halls of the State Capitol before filling the Capitol extension’s auditorium.

Students from Duchesne Academy, Frassati High School, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima in Galena Park, St. Ambrose, St. Francis de Sales, Resurrection, Sacred Heart in Crosby, St. Anne in Houston, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Augustine, St. Laurence and St. Mary in League City schools attended sessions, as well as the rally. Some also shared prepared testimonies or served on the mock hearing’s panel.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to come to Austin, learn about Texas legislation and see how their voice can make a difference in the future of our state,” said Dr. Debra Haney, superintendent of Catholic schools. “Their voice matters, and the voices of their parents matter.”

Dr. Mazie McCoy, assistant superintendent of governance and leadership with the Archdiocesan Catholic schools office, not only attended Advocacy Day, but she testified at a March 21 Texas Senate committee hearing on education to advocate for parental choice in education.
As a former Catholic school principal and parent of Catholic school students, McCoy said it was important that senators hear from people like them and understand that Catholic schools provide a good education.

“It was important to come here and just speak my voice on behalf of the Archdiocese as a parent,” she said. “And that’s why I’m here [at Advocacy Day] to support our students and again, to make my voice be heard among the thousands of Catholics here today.”