Kerry Puts His Catholic Faith into Action

This article is adapted, with permission, from a speech given at a Catholics for Kerry rally in Ohio on Sunday, October 24, 2004.

I'm the pastor of The Paulist Center where Senator Kerry and Mrs. Heinz-Kerry worship when they are home in Boston.

For the past ten years, when Senator Kerry and Mrs. Heinz-Kerry have been in town, they have come to Mass at the Holy Spirit Chapel. Although close to their home in Boston, the Paulist Center is not their geographic parish; rather it's an intentional worship community. I believe that the Kerrys choose to come to our chapel for Mass because they find there a faith-filled and faithful community of Catholics who are motivated by the principles of compassion.

Throughout the years, at Sunday liturgy, the Kerrys have never sought special consideration or attention. (And even now with the required Secret Service protection and the press that follows them, the Kerrys do all they can to minimize the impact that their attendance at one of our Sunday liturgies has on the members of our community and on the Mass.) As long as I've been the pastor at the Center, I've observed that both the Senator and Mrs. Heinz-Kerry have joined in the prayer of our church and devoutly participated in the Mass through their spoken, sung, and silent prayer.

Being attentive to the many ways that Paulist Center members live out their faith, I am able to see how the faith life of our church is lived out in the work that John Kerry does as our U.S. Senator. The values of faith and family, strength and service, responsibility and opportunity for all that John Kerry outlines in his speeches and that are found in his voting record reflect his deep and ongoing faith as a Catholic. John Kerry's platform indicates his desire that all individuals will be heard and their needs addressed. This reflects paragraph #1738 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states: "Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect."

I offer just a few examples of Senator Kerry putting his faith into action:

John Kerry has voted for every major Civil Rights bill to come before the Congress since 1985, including the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Equal Rights Amendment. He has also voted to include sexual orientation in non-discrimination laws.

The Psalms have been powerful inspiration to people of faith for thousands of years. In Psalm 34, we hear: The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Faithful followers also need to be attentive to the poor. John Kerry's pledge to increase the minimum wage is evidence of his desire to assist people in lifting themselves from the lowest levels of poverty. He continues to seek tax relief for the middle class. In 2003, the Senator sponsored a bill to establish a National Housing Trust Fund to promote the construction of new, affordable rental units for low-income, working families. In 2000, he also supported the Global Debt Relief bill, which approved $225 million for third world debt relief.

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