After thousands of grassroots messages sent to lawmakers, the House amended its proposed budget to restore two critical funding sources for nonpublic schools. Plus, the Church this week remembers the dignity of work and workers by celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1. Read more in this week’s Lansing Update.
The Catholic Church calls for honoring and protecting the dignity of human life at all stages until natural death, which makes assisted suicide a direct contrast to the respect for life. It not only threatens the lives of the sick and dying, but also the lives of other vulnerable people. As efforts to legalize or expand assisted suicide continue to surface both in Michigan and elsewhere, this edition of Focus addresses why assisted suicide should be opposed and shows what true compassion for the suffering and dying looks like.
Not a single penny for school safety or mental health service funding was proposed for nonpublic schools in the House’s first draft of next year’s school spending plan. While nonpublic schools didn’t receive any of MCC’s requested funding, it’s not over yet. Also this week, MCC supported important legislation that builds on the implementation of safe storage requirements for keeping guns at home and away from kids. Read more in this week’s Lansing Update.
After more than 4,000 messages sent to lawmakers from grassroots advocates, lawmakers proposed a school spending budget this week that restored some funding cuts to nonpublic schools that were proposed by the Governor—but not everything. Plus, MCC testified in support of capping predatory payday lending rates, and is calling on Catholics to urge their representatives to do the same. Read more in this week’s Lansing Update.
As nonpublic schools face $18 million in funding cuts for school safety improvements and mental health services in next year’s proposed state budget, grassroots advocates have been called upon to contact their lawmakers to change course. Read more in this week’s Lansing Update.
These nine advocacy principles originate from Catholic social teaching and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Within each principle are specific policy priorities MCC brings to dialogue that occurs at the state Capitol.
Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.
All people must have access to basic human needs to ensure they can live in a dignified manner, with a particular concern for the poor, the vulnerable, and anyone who goes without those basic needs.
Faith-based organizations provide services to the needy and contribute to the common welfare of society through institutions like schools and hospitals. Faith is what animates these providers to serve and is the foundational dimension of their identity.
The human dignity of both the crime victim and the offender should be acknowledged within the criminal justice system when considering punishment and the capacity for rehabilitation.
The human dignity of the immigrant, the refugee and the asylee—regardless of personal circumstances, background, or even legal status—must not be forgotten when considering how to manage immigration practices.
Environmental stewardship has a moral dimension, particularly in the recognition of the impact that environmental deterioration has on people, families, and the poor.
The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. In these brief reflections, we wish to highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.