Earlier today, I posted this on the Catholic Vote Action blog:

Participants Carry American Flag at Immigration Rally

This Thursday, July 29th, the controversial Arizona immigration law is set to take effect. While the majority of Americans agree with the passage and enactment of this law, the Church has opposed it from the beginning.

In the most recent show of opposition, Bishop Gerald Kicanas testified before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law on July 14th. In his testimony, the bishop of Tuscon remarked on the Arizona law, calling it an example of the frustration the American people have with Congress for the legislature’s laxity in passing immigration reform…

To read the full post, click here.

WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI has named Msgr. Timothy Doherty, 59, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, in Dundee, Illinois, as Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana, and accepted the resignation of Bishop William Higi, 76, from pastoral governance of the diocese.

The appointment and resignation were publicized in Washington, May 12, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Timothy L. Doherty was born in Rockford, Illinois, September 29, 1950. He attended St. Mary’s Minor Seminary, Crystal Lake, Illinois, 1964-1968; St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Iowa; 1968-1972; North American College, Rome, 1972-1976; and the Pontifical Lateran University (Academia Alfonsiana), where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1982.

He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Rockford, in 1976.

He earned a Ph.D., in Christian Ethics, from Loyola University, Chicago, in 1995.

Assignments after ordination included Associate Pastor, St. Peter Cathedral, Rockford, 1976-1981; Chairman, Religious Studies, Boylan Central Catholic High School, Rockford, 1982-1986; Assistant Principal, Marian Central Catholic High School, Woodstock, Illinois, 1986-1991.

In just a few hours, the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will meet their new Coadjutor-Archbishop, Archbishop Jose Gomez from the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Below is the announcement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop José H. Gomez of San Antonio, 58, as Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles.

The appointment was made public in Washington, April 6, by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. As coadjutor bishop, Archbishop Gomez is in line to succeed the current diocesan archbishop, Cardinal Roger Mahony, 74, upon his retirement.

José Horacio Gomez was born in Monterrey, Mexico, December 26, 1951. He attended the National University of Mexico where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. In college he joined Opus Dei, an institution founded by Saint Josemaria Escrivá to help people turn their work and daily activities into occasions for growing closer to God, serving other and improving society. Opus Dei became a personal prelature in 1982. Archbishop Gomez studied theology in Rome and at the University of Navarre in Spain, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and a doctorate in moral theology. He was ordained a priest of Opus Dei, August 15, 1978, in Torreciudad, Spain.

After ordination he pursued pastoral work with college and high school students in Spain and Mexico. In 1987, he was sent to what was then the Diocese of Galveston-Houston to minister for Opus Dei in several capacities in Texas. He became a U.S. citizen in 1995.

As a priest, Father Gomez held positions with several U.S. Catholic organizations. Between 1995-1999, he was president of the National Association of Hispanic Priests (ANSH) and its executive director, 1999-2001. He was treasurer of the National Catholic Council of Hispanic Ministry, 1998-2001.

This past weekend, members of the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Health Care Reform (HCR) Bill. Even before the bill was passed, the stance of the people was being heard around the country, many of whom were in opposition to the landmark legislation. However, some of those who opposed the bill took to name calling and slander; members of Congress who were in support of the bill were being called dehumanizing names. After the bill was passed, the jeering and name calling erupted into instances of violence. Many people who were opposed to the legislation and upset with its passage began making death threats to our elected representatives, throwing bricks through windows of district offices of the representatives and protesting outside the homes of the family members of the representatives.

Shortly after President Obama signed the legislation into law on Wednesday, I made the following statement on my Twitter page because I was completely dumbfounded that Americans had stooped to this level of immaturity: “People have been sending death threats to those in Congress who voted for the HCR bill?!?!? Needs to stop!!!” When did we begin viewing our fellow Americans, our brothers and sisters in Christ, as enemies. Well, I was not the only one experiencing that disappointment in my fellow Americans.

Although the health care reform bill has been the main news maker in the United States over the past several weeks, we need not to forget about what the Church is doing in Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. Today, the USCCB Media Blog updated us on what the church in the United States is doing in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from Catholics across the U.S. in response to the needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti. So far, the special collection from U.S. dioceses raised over $55 million for emergency help, and other contributions have brought in an additional $50 million. The USCCB Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America is partnering with CRS in the response. CRS is focusing now on rebuilding efforts—such as moving people from makeshift camps to temporary housing as the rainy station draws near—while the Bishops’ Advisory Group for Haiti of the Church in Latin America Committee will help rebuild the Church’s fabric and infrastructure in the Caribbean nation. This video shows how CRS put those donations to action in the days immediately following the quake.