As we prepare for Election Day, more and more alleged pundits are telling us that a vote for this one or that one is the correct moral choice. Many of those pundits have their own political agenda or simply don’t know what they are talking about. It is up to each of us to make our choices according to our consciences. But here’s the part that often gets overlooked. We need to have informed consciences. We catechists should remind ourselves and others of this.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has a section on formation of conscience that is well worth reading. In addition, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offers a very informative website, called Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. It addresses just about any issue one could think of. I intend to make use of this resource in the coming weeks and I hope you will, too.
Finally, I offer you thisarticle on Catholic Social Teaching, which Sr. Patricia McCarthy, CND, provincial for the Congregation on Notre Dame, published recently in her monthly Rhode Island Catholic column. Sister Patricia has a gift for analyzing and explaining a great deal of very important information in a readable format. The church’s teaching on issues of social justice doesn’t always please some people, but it is official teaching and should not be ignored or dismissed.
Now you could carry your Smartphone into the voting booth and browse all these resources but, to be honest, I wouldn’t want to be the person behind you on the line. So please check out them out ahead of time.
However your informed conscience leads you to vote, please use the coming weeks to make sure you are properly registered and that you know the location of your polling place. I mention this because my polling place gets moved every few years. If you know that you are going to be out of town on Election Day, be sure to obtain and cast an absentee ballot. Please encourage your friends and loved ones, especially children away at college, to do the same.
Tags: Archdiocesan Catechetical Office, Catechism of the Catholic Church, catechists, Catholic Social Teaching, conscience, coordinators of religious education, director of religious education, Election Day, voting
