MCC from the Capitol

Curt Wichmer, Legislative Analyst at the MCC, recently spoke with Mary Varni, Director of the Respect Life Apostolate for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Deb Sheppard, Director of the Life and Justice Office for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and Sister Janine Tran, Respect Life Director for the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, about the dangerous and misleading language in Amendment 3. They discuss how miscarriage care will still be provided, that the amendment would prohibit any type of penalty for someone who assists a person in “exercising their right to reproductive freedom,” and how it would open the door to taxpayer funding of abortion.

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https://gabrielsretreat.org/

Msgr. Robert Kurwicki, Vicar General of the Diocese of Jefferson City, talks about his experiences as the Chaplain to the Missouri House of Representatives.

The Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Fr. Brad Berhorst, JCL, JV, discusses annulments on the MCC from the Capitol podcast. Many Catholics confuse civil divorce with the Catholic Church’s declaration of annulment. Fr. Berhorst discusses the differences, what constitutes a valid marriage, reasons that create an impediment to a valid marriage, and the annulment process. 

If you have questions or comments about this subject, please contact [email protected].

Chuck and Linda Raymond discuss the lingering pain and guilt felt by women and men after an abortion. This podcast covers how to find healing and hope as individuals and couples and what resources are available through the Catholic church to help those who are wounded by abortion.

You can view a list of resources available by diocese on the Missouri Catholic Conference website at https://mocatholic.org/women-and-families-resources/

Bishop Edward M. Rice, of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, gave an impassioned homily during Mass at the Proto-Cathedral of St. Peter. The Mass was celebrated at the end of the Midwest March for Life on May 1, 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Jamie Morris, the MCC’s Executive Director and General Counsel, recently spoke to Jimmy Akin about the lack of civility in politics for our MCC from the Capitol podcast.

Mr. Akin is a senior apologist at Catholic Answers and the host of Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. He is the author of several books including The Bible is A Catholic Book and Teaching with Authority: How to Cut Through Doctrinal Confusion & Understand What the Church Really Says.

Visit Jimmy Akin at:

jimmyakin.com

mysterious.fm

catholic.com

Missouri Catholic Conference Executive Director and General Counsel, Jamie Morris, talks with Rev. Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. about the ethical concerns and Church teaching on In Vitro Fertilization.

Fr. Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and serves as Senior Ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

https://www.youtube.com/@FatherTad/videos

https://www.ncbcenter.org/

https://www.fathertad.com/

Jamie Morris, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Missouri Catholic Conference, talks with Sam Lee of Campaign Life about the status of the Abortion Initiative Petition. Jamie and Sam discuss in depth how the petition would enshrine abortion in the Missouri Constitution, allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, allow any healthcare provider, such as a dentist or doula, to perform an abortion, and eliminate protections for women who have an abortion.