Lansing Update: MCC Announces Faithful Citizenship Webinar
Posted September 25, 2026
Save The Date: MCC’s Faithful Citizenship Webinar is October 19
Join us for MCC’s Faithful Citizenship Webinar on Monday, October 19 beginning at 6:30 pm Register for the Zoom event here.
During election seasons, MCC staff are often invited to parishes to present on the Church’s teachings regarding faithful citizenship and how to approach voting with the Catholic faith. To make those discussions available to more Catholics, MCC is again offering a webinar open to Catholics across the state who are interested but unable to make it to an in-person parish event.
Learn what the Catholic bishops teach when it comes to evaluating the candidates and their public policy stances, what it means to have a well-formed conscience, and how to navigate the challenges of comparing candidate positions to Church teachings.
Both the webinar and in-person talks are meant to be engaging, with questions and discussion encouraged. To reserve your spot for the webinar, click or tap here.
There are still several in-person MCC faithful citizenship presentations scheduled across the state. Here is the schedule as it stands below. If more talks are scheduled, they will be added to the presentation list at MCC’s election website.
- Thursday, October 1 at 6:30 pm
- St. James Church of All Saints Parish, Bay City
- Thursday, October 8 at 6:30 pm
- St. Mary Student Parish in Ann Arbor
- Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00 pm
- St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Brighton
- Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 pm
- St. James the Greater in Houghton Lake
MCC Election Resources Include Handouts on Statewide Proposals
The upcoming November election will feature two statewide ballot proposals for voters to decide.
Proposal 1 asks voters if they wish to convene a constitutional convention to revise the state’s governing document. Following a decision made by the Catholic bishops in Michigan, MCC is urging Catholics to vote no on Proposal 1 to avoid national political organizations and actors from flooding into the state to influence the convention.
Proposal 2 would initiate new legislation related to the regulation of political campaign contributions. MCC does not have a position on the proposal. However, MCC does encourage Catholic voters to take time to study the initiative and vote yes or no based on their individual conscience.
For more information on both proposals, MCC has prepared and distributed one-page handouts to parishes across the state. The online versions of these handouts are available at the links below:
Absentee Voting in Michigan Begins; View Your Ballot and Prepare for the Election
As of this week, absentee ballots are now officially available in Michigan and are being sent to voters 40 days before the election.
By now, voters may obtain or see a preview of every race and issue on their ballots by visiting the Michigan Voter Information Center and providing the requested information.
The availability of the general election ballots means voters can begin evaluating the candidates to prepare to cast well-informed votes. Starting earlier is ideal, as many voters must also consider numerous local candidates and issues in addition to the statewide races and legislative seats.
For tips related to voting, faithful citizenship, conscience formation, how to research candidates and more, MCC’s election resources website is a helpful link to keep bookmarked throughout the election season, which can be accessed at micatholic.org/electionresources.
Election Resources Website for Catholics Now Available
MCC Opposes Bill Leaving Homeless, Runaway Youth to Manage Health Decisions Alone
Legislation that would allow homeless or runaway youth to consent to a wide range of non-emergency health care indefinitely without parental or guardian involvement was approved by a Senate committee this week despite MCC opposition.
MCC expressed concerns regarding Senate Bill 1124, sponsored by Sen. John Cherry (D-Flint), because it would effectively allow homeless and runaway children to be left alone to navigate health care or other decisions without requiring a legally responsible adult to provide care and guidance.
The bill would allow children 14 or older who are homeless or runaways to consent to non-emergency health care, including physical, mental, and behavioral health services, without their parents’ knowledge or consent. There is concern this policy may provide a way around the requirement for parental consent prior to an abortion or allow a minor to consent to transgender procedures and medication against their parents’ wishes.
In a memo submitted to lawmakers, MCC listed several current state laws that already allow minors to receive medical care in emergency situations as well as in other circumstances. MCC, in working with and representing a Catholic Charities agency that serves as a significant service provider to homeless and runaway youth in southwest Michigan, also shared with lawmakers the process by which shelters obtain parental consent for care when a youth shows up at a shelter.
The legislation is intended as an effort to help homeless and runaway children obtain care if a parent cannot be reached. MCC suggested the committee instead consider the existing procedure for allowing a guardian to be appointed to ensure the care of the child.
Regardless of the scenario, MCC’s advocacy related to the bill is intended to preserve parental rights regarding the health care decisions of their children, or ensuring a legally responsible adult can step in to help make those decisions, rather than allowing young children to make these choices on their own.
The bill that passed the Senate Housing and Human Services Committee on a party-line vote did not adopt this approach. It is now on the Senate floor for further consideration.
Students Warned About Tobacco, Vapes, & High-Potency THC Products Under Bill
Public and nonpublic schools would receive information from the state to distribute regarding the health dangers associated with abusing tobacco, vapes, and high-potency THC products, under MCC-backed legislation approved by the House in a bipartisan vote this week.
Senate Bill 433, sponsored by Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Canton), requires the state to provide both public and nonpublic schools information about the health risks of those products, as well as treatment and prevention information. Schools are then required to provide the notice to parents or legal guardians of their students.
The House passed the bill on a bipartisan 99–4 vote after it had cleared the Senate 35–0 earlier this summer. If the Senate approves the House version of the bill, it will head to the Governor’s desk for her consideration to be signed into law.
MCC frequently works with lawmakers to include nonpublic schools in legislation like this to ensure nonpublic students and schools have access to the same beneficial resources that public schools have.
Bills to Better Protect Vulnerable Adults in Foster Facilities Earns MCC Support
MCC offered support this week for bipartisan bills to better protect vulnerable adults who reside in adult foster care facilities by strengthening accountability and transparency measures.
The three-bill package would create what would be called “Theresa’s Law,” named after the mother of Patricia Skrabis, who died as a result of injuries sustained during her short stay at a residential adult foster care facility. MCC staff have worked with Ms. Skrabis in her efforts to bring the policies forward through legislation.
The bills would require enhanced training and qualifications for staff who work with residents in adult foster care settings, particularly related to the administration of medicine to residents by unlicensed staff. The legislation would also enact improved accountability and oversight of the facilities through the state’s licensing process.
Additionally, the bills would require an internal complaint process and provide for annual satisfaction surveys for residents and staff, which would serve to inform prospective and current residents and their families, as well as identify both areas of satisfaction and those in need of improvement. The proposed policy seeks to protect the vulnerable seniors living in adult foster care settings and ensure they are being treated with dignity and respect.
The legislation considered by the House Families and Veterans Committee is a reintroduced version of legislation MCC supported last session in 2023, and consists of House Bills 6320, 6321, and 6322, sponsored by Reps. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit), Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Twp.), and Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield), respectively.
The committee took testimony only on the package and did not vote on it.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen is America’s Newest Blessed
On Thursday, the Catholic Church in America celebrated a historic event when Archbishop Fulton Sheen was elevated to the title of Blessed during a beatification Mass held in St. Louis.
Blessed Fulton Sheen is the first U.S.-born bishop to be beatified, which is one step away from being recognized as a canonized saint in the Church. Archbishop Sheen joins a list of canonized or blessed Americans that includes Blessed Solanus Casey of Detroit.
Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois and later serving as an auxiliary bishop and bishop in the state of New York, Blessed Fulton Sheen was best known for his evangelization and outreach efforts through his radio program beginning in 1930 and later his television program in 1951.
His life and witness serve as a particularly relevant example for the Church and her people to find ways to embrace and use the current available technology of our day to preach and spread the Gospel.
Earlier this week, Detroit Catholic, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s digital publication, highlighted a Michigan connection to Archbishop Sheen, who as a Monsignor delivered a commencement address to the 1937 graduates of Detroit Catholic Central High School.
For more information about Blessed Fulton Sheen, see the website for the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation. The following is a prayer asking for the canonization of Blessed Fulton Sheen:
Heavenly Father, source of all holiness, You raise up within the Church in every age men and women who serve with heroic love and dedication.
You have blessed Your Church through the life and ministry of Your faithful servant, Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. He has written and spoken well of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and was a true instrument of the Holy Spirit in touching the hearts of countless people.
If it be according to Your Will, for the honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for the salvation of souls, we ask You to move the Church to proclaim him a saint.
We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.