News/Events

July 7, 2005 - Edward F. Saunders, Jr. Esq. Named To Head Massachusetts Catholic Conference

(Brighton, MA) July 7, 2005… The Board of Governors for the Massachusetts Catholic Conference (MCC) announced today that Edward F. Saunders, Jr. Esq., of Quincy, Massachusetts, has been appointed to the position of Executive Director. Saunders begins his new duties on Monday, July 25, 2005. The Board of Governors of MCC includes the Archbishop of Boston, and the Bishops of the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester.

Archbishop Sean O’Malley, Chair of the Board of Governors, in making today’s announcement said, “On behalf of the four ordinaries of Massachusetts I welcome Mr. Saunders as he assumes the position of Executive Director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. He brings to this crucial post an extensive legislative background and knowledge of the public life of the Commonwealth. Both the Church and the Commonwealth face broad complex issues directly affecting the protection of human life, human dignity and human rights. Issues of social and economic justice, immigration and capital punishment are at stake in the legislative and executive branches of government. It is imperative that the Church's voice on this range of moral issues be competent, always civil and consistently faithful to a moral vision protecting and supporting the life and welfare of our citizens, especially the poor and vulnerable. Life at every stage of its existence deserves our moral and legal protection. The Bishops and Board of the Mass. Catholic Conference look forward to working with Ed Saunders to meet the objectives.”

Saunders said, “I am honored to assume the position of the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. The Church and government together are facing important public policy issues that will have long-term effects. The manner in which these issues are addressed will have a major impact not only on the lives of the members of the Catholic faith, but also on the lives of all the citizens of the Commonwealth. I look forward to working with the members of the legislature on behalf of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference and being able to provide our lawmakers with the information that they need to make informed decisions. I am grateful to Archbishop O'Malley, Bishop Coleman of Fall River, Bishop McManus of Worcester and Bishop McDonnell of Springfield for this opportunity."

About Ed Saunders

Saunders has extensive experience in the public policy and legislative arenas. For the past sixteen years, Saunders has served as Senior Vice President and Legislative Counsel for the Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island Credit Union Leagues and as the General Counsel and Clerk of the Credit Union League of Massachusetts. For nearly a decade he was Resident Counsel for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. He served as an attorney for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1977 and previously practiced law in the Greater Boston area.

A 1967 graduate of Boston College High School, he earned his Bachelors degree from Boston College in 1971 and was awarded his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1974. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1975 and the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Supreme Court in 1979.

Saunders is active in a number of organizations and public causes. This includes the establishment of the Robert F. Saunders ’35 and Edward F. Saunders ’35 Scholarship at Boston College High School. His cousin, the late Reverend John A. Saunders, a priest with the Archdiocese for over sixty years, co-founded the scholarship.

About the Massachusetts Catholic Conference

The staff of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference (MCC) assists the bishops of the four Roman Catholic Dioceses in the Commonwealth by giving witness to spiritual values in public affairs. Under the direction of the Archbishop of Boston, and the Bishops of the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester, the MCC will:

• Apply Church teaching to any public policies and programs affecting the common good of all Massachusetts citizens and the interests of Catholics;
• Speak for the Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts before all branches of government and before all groups concerned with social policy:
• Identify needs in the areas of morality, health, welfare, education, human and civil rights, and determine ways to meet those needs;
• Foster public understanding of the Church's teaching on social issues.

Since 1969, the MCC has served as the official representative of the four Catholic dioceses in the Commonwealth on public policy issues. The MCC speaks not only to specific legislative proposals and administrative procedures, but reflects also on the major human and social moral issues of the day.

From its very beginning, the MCC has concerned itself with foundational social issues affecting the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of all human lives. In the face of threats posed by the legalization of abortion and euthanasia, the reinstatement of the death penalty, the redefinition of marriage and the family, and economic injustice, the involvement of all Catholics in the public policy arena is absolutely crucial.

The MCC serves as an informational resource, and encourages the active participation of all Catholics in these important public debates. For more information about the Mass. Catholic Conference please go to http://www.macathconf.org/.

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