Synopsis of Catholic Caucus Meeting of  
September 17th 2007   

Meeting was held for the first time at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.
Presentation by Jacques Pasquier on the history of Catholic Caucus and the challenges faced by Catholic Caucus:
                                      Fidelity to our Mission,
                             Issue of leadership and
                             Financial sustainability.

Catholic Caucus celebrated its 16th birthday, recognizing the founding members of  Catholic Caucus.

Table discussions took place around three questions:
1.        What keeps you coming?
2.        What are you willing and able to do to support the Mission?
3.        What do you need from Catholic Caucus?

Reports to these questions are attached to this document.  In general participants reinforced the value of speakers and
discussions around critical issues.  Participants want to help Catholic Caucus in any way they can (leadership, finances) and want
to work more closely with parishes, AOD, and Christian Services commissions.  Participants also asked the steering committee to
make better use of the website for legislative alerts, asked for more organization regarding lobby days.

Report on table discussion


Question 1 :
What keeps you coming to Catholic Caucus?
  • Speakers and learning about issues.
  • Being with like minded people
  • Strengthening relationship with institutional Church
  • Moral support
  • Information and education
  • Formation of one’s conscience
  • A sense of Mission, sometimes not existing in parishes
  • Wanting to make a difference on State issues
  • Create opportunities to do advocacy
  • Concrete information to bring back to parishes
  • Opportunity to create dialogue
  • Reinforce passion about justice
  • Opportunity to share best practices
  • Reinforce commitment
  • Appreciate not only information but analysis of issues.
  • Help in challenging parishes


Question 2:
What are you able and willing to do to support the Mission of Catholic  Caucus?
  • Write scripture reflections
  • Be on the steering committee
  • Willing to support financially (basket at meetings)
  • Publish in parish bulletins articles about immigration and racism
  • Be the connection with other groups in parishes
  • Attend meetings
  • Willing to talk and involve Vicariates
  • Raffling off “one week” in Florida – ways of increasing finances.
  • Commit to bring one person with me to each meeting
  • Contact State reps on issues
  • Commit to bring people to a legislative day.
  • Approach local parishes not involved with Catholic Caucus
  • Use Catholic Social Teaching in our discussion with other people
  • Willing to serve in any way.
  • Take information back to Christian Services commission(s)
  • Approach pastor for support
  • Do more formal lobbying in Lansing
  • Work more in coordination with AOD (Archdiocese of Detroit)
  • Work in a more sophisticated way with the media

Question 3:
What help do you need from Catholic Caucus to continue to support its mission?

  • Need synopsis after each meeting on web site
  • Communicate more regularly parishes involved and liaison persons
  • Keep us informed of critical issues
  • Organize speaker series on evenings
  • Be more focus on specific issues Survey membership about issues which are important.
  • Keep to the Mission
  • Provide help to engage other people who feel differently on issues
  • Are inner city issues forgotten due to membership increase from the suburbs?
  • Organize field trips to Detroit
  • Organize more lobby days in Lansing
  • Reinforce use of technology (action alerts on Web)
  • Help develop local groups to carry the mission of CC. (Vicariate level?)
  • More consistency in our approach
  • Provide summary of speakers’ presentation
  • Work with AOD to get more support from parishes and pastors.
  • Develop legislative alerts on website
  • Emphasize Michigan’s needs
  • Develop coalitions.


Next meeting on October 22nd, 2007.
Speaker: Mary Anne Udow, former Director of Human Services in the Governor Granholm cabinet. Mary Ann will address
the issue of Needs in the State of Michigan and what can be done.