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America Stands with France
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 France, our oldest ally and the country that helped America win its independence, has once again been attacked in a devastating manner. As of Friday morning, French officials say 84 people are dead and many more are injured. The attack took place in Nice as the French celebrated Bastille Day, their version of our Fourth of July.
President Obama issued a statement after the attack that included these comments:
"I have directed my team to be in touch with French officials, and we have offered any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice. We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.
On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life."
Keep France and the French people in your prayers, and let us especially pray for the victims, their families and loved ones. |
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Missouri Senate's Review of Planned Parenthood Documents Publicized
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 The Missouri Senate has issued a report following the Sanctity of Life Committee's review of Planned Parenthood documents. The documents were produced by the abortion giant after they were threatened with contempt proceedings for refusal to comply with a Senate subpoena.
Senators and their staff reviewed the documents at the Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis. What documents were made available reveal disturbing "gaps in the record of what has become of fetal tissue from aborted babies at Planned Parenthood's St. Louis clinic."
Specifically, the review revealed that Planned Parenthood "does not follow state statute and regulations for the disposal of human remains." Furthermore, they stated "the findings of this investigation provide compelling evidence that Missouri's laws on inspections, medical malpractice, transparency and whistleblower protections, as they relate to the abortion industry, need to be strengthened."
The MCC will be working with lawmakers in the coming legislative session to address these issues and others relating to abortion in Missouri. Stay tuned! |
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Register for the 2016 Annual Assembly!
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 Registration is now open for the 2016 Annual Assembly! Join us for this FREE event as we celebrate the Jubilee Year of Mercy on Saturday, October 8 at the Missouri State Capitol. The Keynote Speaker is the newly-installed Bishop of Springfield/Cape Girardeau, Bishop Edward Rice.
Bishop Rice believes in using prayer and a pastoral approach to best reach the people of his diocese. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson calls him, "A pastor first, one who carries the joy of the resurrected Christ into his daily ministry." Since his ordination in 1987, Bishop Rice served the Archdiocese of St. Louis in many roles: as a priest, teacher, and most recently an auxiliary bishop. He spends much of his time praying in the chapel, and another good portion of his days helping others, whether it be a young man on his journey of discernment or a homeless man on his journey to find his next meal. As he transitions to his new role in the Diocese of Springfield/Cape Girardeau, hear Bishop Rice tell of the importance of mercy in the lives of Catholics, and how he incorporates mercy into his priesthood.
We'll also have nine engaging workshops that maintain focus around the importance of mercy, with topics ranging from the challenges of being a Catholic voter in the 2016 election to the struggles of refugee families resettling in Missouri. A special schedule just for youth 6th grade and up includes a mock legislature and a tour of the Capitol. A free lunch is included and an afternoon Mass at St. Peter church will conclude the event. For more information and to register, please visit our website or call us at 1-800-456-1679. We're looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 8! |
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Juvenile Sentencing Bill Signed into Law
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 Another bill signed by Gov. Nixon this week was a juvenile sentencing bill that brought Missouri into compliance with several recent Supreme Court rulings. Under SB 590, sponsored by Sen. Bob Dixon (R-Springfield), the mandatory life without parole sentence (LWOP) for juveniles who commit first degree murder was eliminated from Missouri law. Instead, juveniles below the age of 18 could be sentenced to LWOP, life with parole or a sentence of at least 30-40 years. For a youth to receive a sentence of LWOP certain criteria must be met and the jury must unanimously support that option. Juveniles who were previously sentenced to LWOP will have the opportunity for parole after 25 years.
For several years the MCC advocated for a sentencing bill that reflected the immaturity of youth as well as their potential to change. The final version of SB 590 represents a compromise between various stakeholders involved in the issue. |
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Governor Nixon Signs Expungement Bill
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 Under a bill signed by Gov. Nixon this week, Missourians with a criminal record will have an easier time sealing those records. According to SB 588, a person may petition the court to seal a criminal record after three years if the offense was a misdemeanor or an infraction. For a felony, the person could petition to seal after seven years. Current law requires a person to wait 10 years for a misdemeanor and 20 years for felony. Violent felonies, sex offenses, domestic assaults and other dangerous felonies would not be eligible for expungement under the new bill. The bill also streamlines the expungement process while still allowing law enforcement and prosecutors to have access to the records.
SB 588 passed the General Assembly with large majorities and was billed as "jobs" bill to help reformed offenders find employment. The MCC actively supported the bill that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. |
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Who Said These Words?
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 "I have saved this one opportunity to speak briefly to you about this mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.
It is not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. No one - no matter where he lives or what he does - can be certain who will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on and on.
Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily - whether it is done in the name of the law or in the defiance of law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence, the whole nation is degraded.
Yet we seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and call it entertainment. We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire weapons and ammunition they desire.
I have not come here to propose a set of specific remedies nor is there a single set. When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies.
We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled nor enriched by hatred or revenge.
Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanish it with a program, nor with a resolution.
But we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can."
These words were spoken by Robert F. Kennedy on April 5, 1968 - the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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The Contagion of Fear Can Threaten Liberty
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Fear, fear of the enemy within, constitutes one of the gravest threats to individual liberty. Even American patriots can overreact to perceived threats to the nation. When John Adams assumed the presidency in 1796, bitter political divisions had emerged. A Republican faction was sharply critical of Adams and other Federalists, deeming their backing of a national bank and other fiscal policies as tools to enrich the few at the expense of the many. Even worse, from the Federalist's perspective, many Republicans glorified the French Revolution, ignoring its violent excesses.
Adams, however, wanted to avoid war. He sent envoys to France to see if peace could be maintained, but French officials responded by asking for a bribe. When the president released the diplomatic dispatches revealing this French chicanery Americans were outraged. War fever gripped the nation and even Adams got caught up in it. He took to wearing military regalia with a sword strapped to his side. The federalists in Congress were even more exercised and promptly passed four laws collectively known as the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The new laws made it harder for immigrants to become citizens, changing the residency requirement from five to fourteen years, authorized a registry and surveillance system for foreign nationals, empowered the president to deport aliens deemed a threat and made it a crime to make statements bringing "into contempt or disrepute" members of Congress or the president. Tellingly, no crime was created for criticizing the Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, a supporter of the Republican cause. Indictments and jailings of Republican opponents soon followed.
In time it became clear that the Federalists had overplayed their hand. There was a strong push back with two states, Kentucky and Virginia, passing resolutions denouncing the new laws. In the end the laws were repealed. Lady Liberty had survived her first major test and America remained a land that cherished freedom of the press and vigorous democratic debate.
Catholic teaching also commends democratic forms of government and observes that: "An authentic democracy is not merely the result of a formal observation of a set of rules but is the fruit of a convinced acceptance of the values that inspire democratic procedures: the dignity of every human person, the respect of human rights, commitment to the common good as the purpose and guiding criterion for political life." (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, par. 407) |
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Water Diversion/El Niño Droughts Evaporate Bolivian Lake
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 Lake Poopó, a large lake in the dry high plains of Bolivia supporting the livelihood of numerous indigenous peoples, has nearly disappeared due to the effects of water diversion and El Niño droughts. Click here to see an article that includes an interactive map showing the slow but steady loss of this important resource.
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Southeast Missouri State will host a celebration of the 10th anniversary of its river campus in March, during which St. Vincent's seminary will also be recognized. This seminary was established in Cape Girardeau in 1838, and for close to a century educated thousands of students, including many young men aspiring to the priesthood. You can purchase tickets to attend the celebration by calling