In the spirit and inspiration of our blessed sister, St. Clare, make a Commitment to Contact Congress.
Just as St. Clare steadfastly devoted her daily life to prayer within the convent, letting herself be enfolded by Love which enabled her to say “…It is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me. I am secure in the Lord. I can look out, now, through the Lord’s eyes. I can see the world as he created it, in his mercy, I can see my sisters and brothers with his love…”, we too can grow to be enfolded by Love to see the world and our brothers and sisters through Christ’s eyes.
As part of our prayer, we can add on a simple phone call from within our “convent”/home, to our representatives in Congress interceding in favor of our God’s divine family and creation. Aside from personal visits, constituent calls are the most effective way of influencing our policy makers who work for us and are happy to hear from us. With steadfastness, like St. Clare’s, our weekly 5 minute extension of prayer can make a difference for Peace and Goodness in this sacred space and time God has invited us to be a part of.
We invite you to sign on to the St. Clare Pledge and commit to contacting Congress each week.
Start by combing your heart and finding a topic or issue that touches you. What keeps you up at night? Where do you see injustice in your life or in society? Find that passion that will spur you to action.
In the chart below are some suggestions of current legislation you could promote if you would like. For more information on each bill, as well as to find more environmental legislation, please click on the links below.
For more information on each of the bills in the following chart, please click here.
To find more legislation relating to the environment, please find additional environmental legislation listed here.
(H.R.= House Resolution; S.=Senate Bill. House Resolutions and Senate Bills are companions)
| Issue | Bill Number | Bill Name | Status |
| Gun Violence | H.R. 8 | Bipartisan Background Checks Act | Passed House – In Senate |
| Gun Violence, Good Governance | H.R. 1280 | George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 | Passed House – In Senate |
| Immigration | H.R. 6 | American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 | Passed House – In Senate |
| Immigration | H.R. 1603 | Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021 | Passed House – In Senate |
| Consistent Ethic of Life | H.R. 1620 | Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 | Passed House – In Senate |
| Consistent Ethic of Life | H.R. 7 S. 205 | Paycheck Fairness Act | In both House and Senate |
| Consistent Ethic of Life | S. 322 | Protect Act | In Senate |
| Good Governance | H.R. 1 S. 1 | For the People Act | Passed House – In Senate |
| Good Governance | H.R. 51 | Washington, D.C. Admission Act | In House |
| Good Governance | John Lewis Voting Rights Act | Not Yet Introduced | |
| Care for Creation, Human Rights | H.R. 2021 S. 872 | Environmental Justice for All Act | In House and Senate |
| Care for Creation, Human Rights | H.R. 1352 S. 916 | Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability (WATER) Act | In House and Senate |
To make a Phone Call:
Download and print this call script by clicking here.
Step 1. To find out who your three members of Congress are (2 senators and 1 representative) on the internet, you can go to: usa.gov/elected-officials where you can also find their full contact information.
Step 2. With that information, call their local offices directly, OR call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 and ask for the senator/representative’s office you want to reach.
Step 3. When the staff person answers, follow the basic script provided below or write your own.
Step 4. If you are calling regarding a Senate Bill or action in the Senate, please REPEAT steps 2 and 3 with your second senator.
Here is a sample suggested script that can be adapted to fit your issue. Please review this carefully BEFORE you call. It will make your call flow easier.
You:
Hello, my name is _________, and I’m part of __________ (important to identify yourself as Franciscan), from [Hometown]. May I please speak with the staffer who handles [Issue] for [Representative/Senator _______]?
Receptionist:
Sure, his/her name is [Staffer’s name]. I’ll connect you. [**TIP: Write down name]
In the case that there is no staff member who handles the issue, ask for someone who handles similar issues. If you are sent to voicemail, make necessary changes to your script, and call back at another time to follow up.
You, when you are connected with the correct party:
Hello, my name is _________, and I’m part of __________ (to identify yourself as Franciscan), from [Hometown]. I’m calling today to ask [Representative/Senator _______] to support/not support [Issue] because [Reasons it’s important to support/not support]. The effects of [Issue] being supported/not supported could be [List of possible, factual effects].
I’d appreciate hearing back from [Representative/Senator _______] on how he/she plans to act on [Issue]. When do you think you will be able to speak with your boss about this? When am I able to follow up with you?
[Note response and make plans to follow up.]
Thank you for your time and please contact me at [phone number] and again, my name is ______ if you have any questions about [Issue or what you talked about in your conversation]. Peace and all good.
If you prefer, you can adapt the above and send an email to your elected officials. Both calls and emails to our Members of Congress are recorded and deemed valuable communication on all issues.