WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404). The bill, which first passed the U.S. House of Representatives in July, will codify the nationwide redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples in federal statute for the first time.

WASHINGTON – In advance of Monday’s Senate vote on H.R. 8404, the “Respect for Marriage Act” (RMA), Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, issued a joint letter and analysis urging Congress to oppose the measure.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), the original faith based marriage enrichment program, recently selected a new United States leadership team. The new United States leadership team is Peter & Sheila Oprysko from Oakland, NJ and Fr. Dennis O’Brien from Pensacola, FL.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced on November 15 the schools across the state that will be designated as Florida’s first class of Purple Star campuses. St. John Evangelist School in Pensacola was one of 114 schools selected in 10 counties — one of only two Catholic schools in the state to earn this status.