Are you ready to vote?

Voting has begun in the state of Iowa. To make sure you’re registered and “ready to vote,” go to voterready.iowa.gov. Let’s also remember the importance of participating in the public life of our country with a well-informed conscience. Take a moment to read the new Introductory Note for the bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”

U.S. bishops’ president calls on fervent prayer to open pathway to peace

“Our Catholic faith teaches us to hope even amidst the darkest of circumstances, for Christ is risen from the dead,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a letter inviting the bishops to pray for an end to the violence in the Holy Land. At a time of warfare in the Holy Land and in the face of a dramatic rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents here in the United States, Archbishop Broglio called on the bishops to seek ways to express solidarity with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, and commit to combatting all forms of hatred.

Refugee resettlement number set

Earlier this month, President Biden signed the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025, setting the number of people who can be resettled through the official U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) at 125,000. The United Nations estimates there are over 120 million forcibly displaced persons in the world, up from 24 million at the end of the twentieth century. 

Through its Department of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is one of ten national resettlement agencies partnering with the federal government on USRAP. At the local level, dioceses and their Catholic Charities agencies play an essential role in helping refugees to integrate successfully into their new communities. Catholic Charities of Des Moines is one of many resettlement programs in Iowa.