Led by the bishops of Arlington and Richmond, 260 Virginians converged this week on Capitol Square for Catholic Advocacy Day, urging state legislators to heed the concerns of Virginia's Catholic dioceses regarding immigration, justice and other issues.

"Why bother?'" Richmond Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo asked Catholics from across the state who gathered Monday at St. Peter's Catholic Church.

"We bother (with politics) because of the fact that you and I have an intimate relationship with Jesus. … I thank all of you … for continuing to push against a whole other set of cultural values that would not have us pay attention to our brothers (in need)."

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde also participated in the day's activities, which highlighted the 2008 legislative agenda of the Virginia Catholic Conference. The conference includes the Richmond and Arlington dioceses.

The legislative agenda covered six major topics: abortion and conscience protection, justice for immigrants, the death penalty, economic justice, education and family life, and the state budget.

The hundreds of constituents present wanted their legislators to hear more than a broad agenda. So attendees met in small groups with their senators and delegates, sharing personal testimonies and concerns. They sought to ensure that the proposals they were lobbying for or against were not just another bill on a committee's docket.

Natalia Ocampo of Arlington was one of the constituents. She was especially concerned about House Bill 14, which would bar illegal immigrants from any type of higher education in Virginia.

Ocampo said she knows people who would be hurt by such a law. She said many illegal immigrants did not bring the problem upon themselves: They were brought to the United States by their parents. Now, Ocampo said, some legislators want to penalize those immigrants for their parents' decisions.

Ocampo was among 12 people brought to Richmond by Father Gerry Creedon, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington. They spoke to numerous Northern Virginia legislators about immigration issues, payday lending and affordable housing.

Ocampo and several other constituents are members of Latinos Unidos de San Carlos, a group formed two years ago by various people, including Creedon.

Creedon said the organization was established "to empower our Latin community to work on social justice issues." He said the group also has an "interest in reaching out to other Latin communities throughout the diocese."

Kathy Neilson, legislative assistant to Sen. J. Chapman Petersen, D-Fairfax, listened to Creedon's parishioners.
Neilson said the senator's in-laws "were born in Korea, so he has full understanding of this subject (of immigration)." She said Peterson is supportive of the group's perspective on immigration.

Aida Arias, also from Arlington, said some members of the General Assembly are not supportive. "They are not looking at us like we are human beings. I don't like being treated that way. … I want to be treated fairly."

Immigration was not the only topic that Catholic Advocacy Day participants were interested in. The Catholic Conference also is concerned about family life education.

Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, has proposed Senate Bill 155, which would add contraceptive education to the family-life classes in public schools. The Virginia Catholic Conference opposes the bill, said Jeff Caruso, the organization's executive director.

He said the bill "sends a very mixed message" to students. "The uncompromised abstinence message is something we hope that you bring to your legislators," Caruso told attendees.

McEachin said his bill promotes health for teens and families.

"While we have a strong responsibility to encourage our adolescents to practice abstinence; unfortunately, they sometimes make other choices," McEachin said. "When that happens, we need to be certain they have had access to extensive information about family planning and how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases."

Abortion and conscience protection was another hot topic for Catholic constituents. Caruso brought to the attendees' attention Senate Bill 631, sponsored by Sen. Patricia S. Ticer, D-Alexandria. It would require health care plans to include coverage for infertility treatments including artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization.

"Right now, we don't have health care for everybody, but this bill would make health care much more expensive," said Eric Adcock, associate director of the Virginia Catholic Conference.

Ticer sees it differently. She said that she submitted the bill at the request of a constituent and that she can appreciate the heartbreak of not being able to have children. While Ticer says she endorses adoption, she also supports other alternatives for having children.

Caruso said that of the 260 people attending Catholic Advocacy Day, there was a wide spectrum of interest on political topics. People came for a variety of issues.

Maria Eugenia Garza, who lives in Springfield and attends St. Philip Catholic Church, attended the annual advocacy event for the first time. She felt it was her job as a citizen.

"We think as a church it's our responsibility to advocate for rights … to be part of this community," Garza said. "We have to raise our voices to let them know our point of view."

Caruso said he was extremely pleased with how the day went.

"People turned out in record numbers to exercise faithful citizenship on behalf of human life and dignity," he said.

Bethany Emerson is a reporter with Capital News Service.