Five Things To Remember On Jan. 28

1. Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the USCCB, urged support for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7) when it comes before the U.S. House of Representatives. In a January 28 letter to the House, Cardinal O’Malley called the bill “one small step toward a society that promotes life and not death for unborn children and their mothers.”

2. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will travel with a delegation to the Philippines, February 2-7. Over the course of the trip, U.S. Church officials will see recovery efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck November 8, 2013. The trip is organized and sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, the international relief and humanitarian agency of the U.S. bishops, who mounted an emergency response within hours of the typhoon. Read Archbishop Kurtz's blog on why he is going to the Philippines as well.

3. Bishop Richard Pates wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. should urge the government of Israel to cease and desist in efforts to unnecessarily confiscate Palestinian lands in the Occupied West Bank. Bishop Pates, of Des Moines, Iowa, is the chairman of the Committee of International Justice and Peace of the USCCB and wrote  a January 28 letter that specifically addressed the situation in the CremisanValley, which he visited earlier this month.

4. The Super Bowl is this Sunday and Catholic youth across the country will be participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring. Over the years, Christian churches have raised $90 million for soup kitchens, food banks and other charities in communities across the country.

5. God loves you.