TMO Assembly of 1,300+ Engages Harris Co. Sheriff on SB4

More than 1,300 leaders from TMO assembled at Assumption Catholic Church to clarify the impact of anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez responded to questions and concerns raised by leaders, as did Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Lori Bender and Carolina Ortuzar-Diaz, an immigration attorney from Manny Ramirez Law Firm.
Read moreTMO & Houston Religious Declare: We Must Link Arms
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." These are foundational words upon which this country was built and the creed which Americans are to believe and live by. There is no room for hate and bigotry with these words. These words are inclusive of all men — white, black, brown, educated, uneducated, rich and poor, people of faith and of no faith.
Read moreTMO, Religious Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

In the face of increased deportations and growing fears of family separation, TMO clergy and Texas Bishops held a joint press conference calling on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path towards citizenship. Catholic Cardinal Daniel DiNardo stood with United Methodist Bishop Scott Jones, Lutheran Bishop Michael Rinehart, Presbyterian pastor Rev. Lynne Hargrove, Episcopal pastor Rev. Uriel Osnaya, Baptist pastor Rev. John Ogletree and other clergy in a public stand against the deportation and separation of immigrant families.
Read moreTMO Celebrates its Past to Shape the Future of Houston

In photo, Cardinal DiNardo stands with past and present leaders of TMO.
Read moreTMO Puts Law Enforcement Candidates Under the Spotlight

TMO leaders held an accountability session with candidates for Sheriff Ron Hickman and Ed Gonzalez, and District Attorney candidate Kim Ogg. The candidates agreed to work with TMO to create a plan to reduce jail overcrowding, enhance deputy training, institute new bail reform measures, and oppose legislation forcing law enforcement officers to act as immigration agents.
TMO Fights Off Gentrification in Houston Neighborhood

TMO leaders of Resurrection Catholic Church won the first of two council votes to protect the Denver Harbor neighborhood from predatory development. This council vote established Chapter 42 Minimum Lot Size protection for 100 properties in the Denver Harbor area, preventing the lots from being subdivided below the minimum prevailing lot size, as is often the practice when developers build multiple townhomes on what was originally a single residence.
Read moreTexas IAF 40+ Anniversary In Texas Press
IAF Celebrates 40 Years Making Texas Better, El Paso Times [pdf]
Grassroots Grows Up, Texas Observer [pdf]
Ordinary People Acting Extraordinarily, San Antonio Express News [pdf]
Austin Interfaith, COPS and the Big Bang, Austin American Statesman [pdf]
Austin Interfaith Celebrates 30 Years of Building Power, Austin American Statesman [pdf]
De los Santos: My Life-Changing Work with Valley Interfaith, Rio Grande Guardian [pdf]
Organizacion Que Ayuda a la Comunidad Inmigrante en Texas Cumple 40 Anos y se Marca Nuevos Objetivos, La Voz [pdf]
Interfaith Dialogue: Austin Group Celebrates 30 Years of Faith in Action, Catholic Spirit
TMO Focuses on ‘People Power’, Houston Chronicle
Faith Groups Joining in Larger Networks Celebrate 40 Years of Reducing Poverty in Texas, National Catholic Reporter
Grassroots Grows Up by the Texas Observer, Quorum Report
Archbishop Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston Lauds Texas IAF

TMO Parent Leaders Defeat Unpopular Rezoning Plan

TMO Lyons Elementary parents won an 8 - 1 Houston Independent School District board vote against proposed boundary changes to their school. The changes would have sent students from one of the top ranked schools in the state to one ranked in the lowest 18% statewide. Parent leaders signed up 600 petitioners opposed to the change to convince board members that this was a bad idea.
Read more