September 2019
September 2019

Continuing the U.S. Bishops' work of promoting and defending marriage.
The beginning of the June letter from the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education has been added to the MUR collection of teaching resources on gender theory/ gender ideology. Please continue to use this resource and share it!
Made for Love Podcast
Last month's Made for Love episodes were on family vacations, Catholic-style, and the gift of multiples!

Catholic families are found all around the world getting some rest from the “workaday” world. Listen to a few stories from families on vacation. This episode features the Hadley family, Shemaiah Gonzalez, and David Spasia.


Surprise! You aren’t expecting one child; you’re expecting two… no, three…! How do Catholic families adjust to taking care of multiples? This episode features Paul Gondreau of Providence College, Stefan and Valeri Syski and Matt and Jill Kerr (triplets!). 

In September, Made for Love will discuss hospitality and families affected by incarceration.
USCCB Action Center
All the USCCB's action alerts for legislative priorities are available at one website. There you can contact your representatives and make your voice heard. Check it out!
USCCB Chairmen Applaud Proposed Regulations
Recently, the Administration offered proposed regulations that would prevent government discrimination against faith-based federal contractors. Three USCCB Chairmen issued the following statement:

“Faith-based groups should have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field as they seek to partner with the federal government to provide critical social services. These proposed rules protect religious liberty, a core constitutional right, by clarifying existing religious exemptions consistent with federal law and recent Supreme Court precedent. We are grateful to the Administration for taking this step, and we look forward to filing more detailed public comments with OFCCP.”

This proposed regulation would protect religious entities from having to support same-sex marriage or gender ideology in order to participate in federal contracts. Members of the public – like you – should register their support with the agency here to strengthen its chances of success.
Legal/ Policy Updates
Leveling the Field – On August 7, the Dept. of Education announced it would investigate the complaint of three female high school athletes against Connecticut’s policy that has allowed “transgender” males to dominate women’s track.

Alaska – On August 9, the Downtown Soup Kitchen / Hope Center in Anchorage won a preliminary injunction against the city, allowing them to continue offering overnight accommodations to women without being forced to admit biological men or shut down.

Courts of Appeal – August 23 was a big day in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. The 6 th Circuit allowed former Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, who declined to personally issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, to be sued for her refusals. The 8 th Circuit gave a resounding victory to Christian videographers, however, holding that the First Amendment protects Carl and Angel Larsen from being forced by the State of Minnesota to make same-sex wedding videos. And the 9 th Circuit ruled against Idaho, requiring the state to provide “gender transition” surgery to, and relocate to a women’s prison, a convicted sex offender. The state will appeal.

Virginia – On August 8, upon years of continuing litigation and a trip back from the Supreme Court, a federal court in Virginia ruled that “transgender” graduate Gavin Grimm had a legal right to use the Gloucester County Schools’ restrooms of her choice. The school board will appeal.

Uruguay – Uruguay’s referendum to repeal a national law that enshrines “transgender” legal status failed to garner enough support on August 4 th to advance to the next stage.
Made for Love | USCCB | (202) 541-3000 | [email protected]| www.marriageuniqueforareason.org