Missouri is now one of just 10 states in the country with a correctional nursery program.  Before the program’s launch, incarcerated mothers were typically separated from their newborns within 24 to 48 hours after delivery. Infants were usually placed with relatives or sometimes were placed into the foster care system.  This program offers a different path—one grounded in dignity, healing, and the belief in second chances. 

MCC talks with Kim Perkins, nursery program manager at  the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (WERDCC) in Vandalia. Kim discusses the challenges and successes of the program.

The Missouri Catholic Conference’s Legislative Counsel, Curt Wichmer, recently met with Emmjolee Mendoza-Waters, Director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network’s (CMN) Death Penalty Abolition Program, on the MCC from the Capitol Podcast. Topics of discussion included an outline of CMN’s mission and various efforts to curb the prevalence of capital punishment in the United States, as well as how Missouri stands apart from virtually every other state in the country in its use of judicial override at death penalty sentencing trials.

Recently, Dr. Guillermo Villa-Trueba, Hispanic Outreach Manager at the MCC, spoke with Dr. Javier Orozco, Executive Director of Human Dignity and Intercultural Affairs for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and Sister Tracey Horan, Associate Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative, about the different ways in which Catholics can serve our immigrant brothers and sisters.

They shared their experiences at the Southern Border, in pastoral ministry at the archdiocesan level, and in the political arena through lobbying, to provide a broad picture of how the Church advocates for immigrants and refugees in our country.

Judy Henderson is a prominent advocate for criminal justice
reform and women’s rights. She was wrongfully convicted
of murder in 1983 and spent over thirty years in the
Missouri prison system before her release in 2017.
While incarcerated, Judy became a dedicated activist
and outspoken critic of abuses within the prison system.
She led campaigns for legislation to recognize battered
woman syndrome as a legal defense, and she spearheaded
programs to help mothers in prison maintain connections
with their children. Her courageous work earned Judy
broad respect among policymakers, attorneys, and fellow
inmates.

Since her release, Judy has continued her justice reform
advocacy beyond prison walls. She frequently speaks on
panels, gives media interviews, and meets with legislators
to provide insights only possible from her firsthand
experience. Judy also volunteers with groups that support
former inmates’ successful reentry to society.

Her book "When the Light Finds Us: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed," can be purchased on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

The Missouri Catholic Conference reviews the 2025 Missouri legislative session. Discussion includes the passage of HJR 73, the demise of the immigration bounty hunter bill, and the passage of safe baby boxes.

With the Missouri General Assembly’s 2025 legislative session ending last week, the MCC is pleased to announce that SB 72 (better known as the Bounty Hunter Bill), SB 58, and other measures that posed a threat to the dignity of immigrants in the state, did not pass and thus will not become laws. The only bill related to immigration that will become a law makes translation and interpretation services for criminal, civil, and juvenile proceedings, payable from state-allocated funds. We thank lawmakers from both parties for listening to the concerns of the Catholic Church and ultimately protecting the dignity of every person in the state of Missouri.

In this video, Dr. Guillermo Villa-Trueba gives a brief recap of the immigration bills of the 2025 legislative session in Spanish (en español).

Visit https://mocatholic.org/podcasts/ for more podcasts and information.

The MCC discusses the latest bills and upcoming 2025 legislative session focusing on immigration, criminal justice, child tax credits and abortion.

Curt Wichmer, Legislative Analyst at the MCC, recently spoke with Mary Varni, Director of the Respect Life Apostolate for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Deb Sheppard, Director of the Life and Justice Office for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and Sister Janine Tran, Respect Life Director for the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, about the dangerous and misleading language in Amendment 3. They discuss how miscarriage care will still be provided, that the amendment would prohibit any type of penalty for someone who assists a person in “exercising their right to reproductive freedom,” and how it would open the door to taxpayer funding of abortion.

Gabriel's Retreat Ministries helps women find love and support when expecting the unexpected. By meeting women where they are, Gabriel's Retreat provides love and support for them and their families to bring hope and peace in a time of unexpectedness. Participation in their retreats and programs will help women to nurture their faith as beloved daughters of God, grow in community with others, and find joy in motherhood.

https://gabrielsretreat.org/

Msgr. Robert Kurwicki, Vicar General of the Diocese of Jefferson City, talks about his experiences as the Chaplain to the Missouri House of Representatives.

The Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Fr. Brad Berhorst, JCL, JV, discusses annulments on the MCC from the Capitol podcast. Many Catholics confuse civil divorce with the Catholic Church’s declaration of annulment. Fr. Berhorst discusses the differences, what constitutes a valid marriage, reasons that create an impediment to a valid marriage, and the annulment process. 

If you have questions or comments about this subject, please contact communications@mocatholic.org.

Chuck and Linda Raymond discuss the lingering pain and guilt felt by women and men after an abortion. This podcast covers how to find healing and hope as individuals and couples and what resources are available through the Catholic church to help those who are wounded by abortion.

You can view a list of resources available by diocese on the Missouri Catholic Conference website at https://mocatholic.org/women-and-families-resources/

Bishop Edward M. Rice, of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, gave an impassioned homily during Mass at the Proto-Cathedral of St. Peter. The Mass was celebrated at the end of the Midwest March for Life on May 1, 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Jamie Morris, the MCC’s Executive Director and General Counsel, recently spoke to Jimmy Akin about the lack of civility in politics for our MCC from the Capitol podcast.

Mr. Akin is a senior apologist at Catholic Answers and the host of Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. He is the author of several books including The Bible is A Catholic Book and Teaching with Authority: How to Cut Through Doctrinal Confusion & Understand What the Church Really Says.

Visit Jimmy Akin at:

jimmyakin.com

mysterious.fm

catholic.com

Missouri Catholic Conference Executive Director and General Counsel, Jamie Morris, talks with Rev. Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. about the ethical concerns and Church teaching on In Vitro Fertilization.

Fr. Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and serves as Senior Ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

https://www.youtube.com/@FatherTad/videos

https://www.ncbcenter.org/

https://www.fathertad.com/

Jamie Morris, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Missouri Catholic Conference, talks with Sam Lee of Campaign Life about the status of the Abortion Initiative Petition. Jamie and Sam discuss in depth how the petition would enshrine abortion in the Missouri Constitution, allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, allow any healthcare provider, such as a dentist or doula, to perform an abortion, and eliminate protections for women who have an abortion.

Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa talks with MCC, Executive Director, Jamie Morris, about New Wave Feminists and their advocacy for the vulnerable. New Wave Feminists is a pro-(all) Life feminist organization, that believe every human being should live a life free from violence, from the womb to the tomb.

Bishop Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph discusses the importance of the real presence of Jesus Christ being truly present in the Holy Eucharisst.

MCC Executive Director Jamie Morris sits down with Jessica Woolbright, Executive Director of the Saint Martha’s domestic violence center in St. Louis, and Deacon Tyler McClay, Director of Advocacy at Catholic Charities of St. Louis, to discuss the impact of guns in domestic violence situations, federal and state legislation, and the upcoming gun violence summit.

MCC Executive Director Jamie Morris sits down to discuss which MCC priority bills passed during the 2023 legislative session and which did not. To see the complete MCC 2023 End of Session report, click here.

In this episode of MCC from the Capitol, the Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) lobbyists give an update on the first half of the Missouri legislative session. We discuss child care and adoption tax credits, postpartum care, campus religious liberty, and more.

In this episode of MCC from the Capitol, the Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) lobbyists discuss the happenings of the early 2023 Missouri legislative session. The team converses school choice, postpartum care, and criminal justice reform.

Dr. Michael Meehan is the CEO of Marygrove, a child welfare agency near St. Louis that helps children, teens and young adults learn how to transcend an abusive past or overcome other life challenges and move toward a brighter future. In this episode, he discusses how individuals and parishes can get involved in supporting youth and foster families.