Thank you for signing our petition
Thanks to the hundreds that signed the Iowa Catholic Conference’s petition in support of dignity and opportunity for immigrants. In other migration-related news:
ICC staff occasionally hears of false claims about why Catholic organizations serve newcomers. Learn more here.
A federal Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis is hearing arguments on Sept. 26 regarding SF 2340, Iowa’s “illegal reentry” law. Arguments start at 9 a.m. and the SF 2340 case is the last of four cases on the calendar that morning. You can listen in by using the public access number: 888-363-4749 with an access code of 5800357.
You may have seen some discussion about Haitian nationals in Ohio. Here’s some information about why some Haitians have received temporary protected status in the United States.
Pope Francis’ letter for World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sept. 25 can be found here.
Lt. Gov. Gregg resigns
Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg resigned earlier this month to become the head of the Iowa Bankers Association. Gov. Reynolds said that she intends to appoint a new Lieutenant Governor later this fall to serve out the balance of the unexpired term. Until she makes the appointment, the president of the Senate, Amy Sinclair, will be next in line of succession.
Schools receive grants for local food purchases
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) has announced it is providing $2,000 grants to 113 public schools and 24 Catholic and Christian schools to purchase meat, eggs, produce, dairy and other local foods from area farmers. Launched in 2022, Local Food for Schools (LFS) pairs school lunch programs with a local food hub to connect to area farmers. This latest and final round of Iowa LFS will run from August through December of 2024. The schools are participants in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs.
Eucharist Inspires Hope and Action during the Season of Creation
Catholics are called to hope and action to protect creation, instilled in us by Jesus in the Eucharist, Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan wrote earlier this month in a statement for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
Inspired by this year’s theme of “Hope and Act with Creation,” and drawing on the National Eucharistic Revival’s Year of Mission, the bishops reflect: “A true Eucharistic experience will also recommit us to the task to protect creation, ‘one that is eminently theological, for it is the point where the mystery of man and the mystery of God intersect.’ The care for creation is constitutive of the Christian life.”
Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued the reflection which may be found here.
National school choice bill passes out of committee
The Educational Choice for Children Act (H.R. 531), supported by the U.S. bishops, passed the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on Sept. 11. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA4) voted for the bill in committee. All four Iowa representatives are co-sponsors.
The bill would provide for a federal tax credit for contributions to private school scholarship funds, very similar to Iowa’s School Tuition Organization program.
Comments