More than 60 religious leaders of all faith traditions from throughout New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District convened in Washington, D.C. Oct. 22 at the invitation of U.S. Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12) to attend a “D.C. Day” on Capitol Hill. There they met with members of Congress, executive branch staff, including the White House, and national leaders, to discuss a variety of issues affecting the religious community in central New Jersey and across the nation.

Among the religious leaders journeying to Washington from the Diocese of Trenton were Patrick Brannigan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, and Father Javier Diaz, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Trenton, and director of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Apostolate.

The “D.C. Days,” developed by Congressman Holt, offer residents from New Jersey a chance to discuss the latest in federal policies with Holt and other leaders in Washington, and where those in Washington can learn about the concerns and initiatives of those in attendance.

The day was based on the three recent Faith Walks that Holt helped to initiate in Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties. 

“These religious leaders have a unique perspective on the challenges facing our communities,” Holt said. “Hearing their ideas on issues affecting Central New Jersey and the nation is vital, and I’m glad they had the opportunity to have a frank discussion with policy-makers in Washington. I look forward to continuing the dialogue in coming months.”

At the day-long meeting, the religious leaders heard presentations on topics such as funding for faith-based programs, the balancing of faith, politics and civil rights, and hunger and homeless issues. They also learned how to connect with federal agencies to access resources and participate in existing programs that would benefit their respective communities. They also had the opportunity to view rare religious texts at the Library of Congress

The roster of speakers included New Jersey native Joshua Dubois, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; U.S. Representatives John Lewis (GA.), Keith Ellison (MN), David Price (N.C.), Tom Perriello (VA) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (SC).

Additional speakers included a number of officials representing various faith-based and social service organizations. Among them were Rev. Daniel Coughlin, House chaplain; Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life; Father Clete Kiley, president of the Faith and Policy Institute; Mark Linton, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Cedric Grant, Department of Commerce; Alexia Kelley, Department of Health and Human Services, and Rabbi David Saberstein Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Father Kiley and Alexia Kelley have previous affiliation with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Prior to joining the Faith & Politics Institute, Kiley was executive director for the USCCB’s Secretariat for Priestly Life and Ministry where he was a member of the crisis management team assisting in the Church’s response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

Kelley has served for more than 20 years in faith-based and non-profit organizations dedicated to community organizing and development, poverty reduction and social and economic justice. Most recently she was the founding executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a non-profit faith-based organization that works to advance social justice issues and the common good in the public square. Prior to that, she worked at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the U.S. Catholic community’s national anti-poverty grant-making program.

Reflecting on his experience at the D.C. Day, Brannigan called it a “great success” then commended the congressman for his initiation of the “D.C. Day.”

Of the topics, Brannigan made particular note of Congressman Clyburn’s “most interesting talk” about his decision during the Civil Rights movement to pursue a career in politics rather than follow in his father’s footsteps and become a minister.

Brannigan also said he was impressed with the afternoon session with the faith-based and community partnership directors from five executive departments and the session with Dubois, director of the White House Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnership. Brannigan said he appreciated the opportunity to talk with Dubois about healthcare reform and the Church’s position on no federal funding for abortion and the need to protect the conscience rights of healthcare workers.