| Faithful Gather in Charleston for Catholic Diocese Day at the Legislature |
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By Martina Hart
CHARLESTON—Exhibits of various diocesan ministries were on display around the rotunda at the West Virginia State Capitol Feb. 3—their representatives providing information to legislators and visitors.
Catholic Diocese Day at the Legislature was sponsored by the Catholic Conference of West Virginia. Bishop Michael J. Bransfield gave the customary invocation at the beginning of the daily floor session in the Senate, asking God’s blessing and guidance on the state of West Virginia and its lawmakers in their devotion to the common good.
Those who attended had the chance to learn more about the many diocesan and Catholic Charities West Virginia (CCWVa) organizations that had displays highlighting their ministries.
“I was glad that the legislators of West Virginia had an opportunity to see some visual aids showing the work of the Catholic Church in West Virginia, especially the work of our Catholic Schools and the work of Catholic Charities,” said Msgr. P. Edward Sadie, rector of the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston and executive director of the Catholic Conference of West Virginia.
“I am thrilled,” said Traci Kinney, director of the CCWVa Child Care Resource Center. “I think we have been able to talk to so many people, educate them on what programs operate under Catholic Charities West Virginia, the need for additional programs, for additional funding and to support the programs that we currently have.”
Other CCWVa services represented were Right from the Start, serving pregnant women and newborns; Birth to Three, focusing on child development issues; the Child and Adult Food Program, assisting care providers with reimbursement for meals; the Migration and Refugee Services Office; as well as Disaster and Emergency Support.
The diocesan Office of Prison Ministry was also present, as well as a display by diocesan Archives and Records. Mary Haftmann-Moses, coordinator of Parish Social Ministry for CCWVa whose goal is to assist the Catholic faithful to better understand the principles of Catholic social teaching, combining charity and justice and how to put these principles into action in their daily lives, was also present.
Sister of Charity May Louise Lisowski, executive director of CCWVa, stressed the importance of cooperation among all the agencies.
“When you work in charities you get lost in your area, get lost in your program, but when you put it all together and you have a display, you can get a better picture of the impact that you can have and you get a better picture of what’s possible for us in the future,” she said. “Particularly in social services, you network, network, network and build connections and forge relationships while you learn how you can work together. Today is a good day to do that.”
Several Catholic schools were present to showcase their programs while some of their students took the opportunity to tour the Capitol, witness the floor session or serve as pages to their legislative representatives.
“Catholic Day at the Legislature is a wonderful opportunity for people to see what a very small percentage of the population can make such a dramatic impact on the rest of the state,” said Bryan Minor, executive director of the diocesan Office of Stewardship and Development, explaining that while Catholics only make up 5 percent of West Virginia’s population, they provide one of the largest service systems in the state, one of the largest school districts and a network of parishes whose outreach efforts touch the lives of tens of thousands of West Virginians each day. For more information about the Catholic Conference of West Virginia, visit www.catholicconference wv.org.
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