Catholic social ministry leaders from across the country met in Washington, D.C., Jan. 25 to 28 for the 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering titled “Missionaries of Hope, Advocates for Justice.” Organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with 20 national Catholic organizations, several of the presentations centered on bridge-building in community outreach and organizing as well as equipping participants with tools to transform their communities.
Kateri Mancini, diocesan director of Social Concerns, attended the annual event aimed at bringing together “hundreds of participants whose faith inspires them to address pressing current domestic and global challenges affecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at home and around the world.”

“Each time I do these visits, I am reminded of the humanity behind those who represent us and the importance of building relationships with them, hearing other perspectives and finding common ground, Mancini said. “We, too, can get stuck in our ideas and even our judgements of what elected officials may or may not support — sitting down with them allows us to hear their stories as well, and can help us better bridge ‘divides.’ These visits came at a critical and frightening time for many in our nation. Being able to share our concerns and wishes with folks ‘on the hill’ offered a sense of hope, a small light in the darkness.”
As part of the gathering, Mancini was one of four Minnesota delegates who visited with state senators and representatives to advocate for issues important both to the USCCB and Minnesota Catholics. Advocacy focused on the poor and vulnerable in the U.S. and abroad and included legislative areas from tax and budget reconciliation to humanitarian aid and migration concerns.
Mancini’s son, Adrian Gallagher-Mancini, also attended the conference and accompanied her in visiting the legislative offices. He is a ninth-grader at Saint John’s Prep in Collegeville.
“It was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had,” Gallagher-Mancini said. “Getting to see all the history and politics in DC in person and getting to share what is important to me was really cool.”
Get involved locally
Mancini encourages Catholics from around the diocese to get involved at the local level through attending the Day on the Hill on Thursday, Feb. 27. Hosted by the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, the bi-partisan event begins at 8 a.m. at Central Presbyterian Church, 500 Cedar St., St. Paul.
The JRLC is an interfaith advocacy organization that works with the Minnesota Catholic Conference, along with other religious councils in the state, to determine needed change and legislative approaches for a greater impact in the state. People from various faith traditions come together each year at the event, to learn, pray, encounter and advocate for agreed-upon legislative agenda items.

“We’ll gather for fellowship, hear from speakers, learn about JRLC’s policy priorities and get advocacy tips before heading up the hill to the Capitol for more programming in the Rotunda and visits with lawmakers,” Mancini said.
“As important as it is to advocate for what is important to us, you don’t go into a legislative visit to win an argument; you go to build a relationship,” she continued. “It is those relationships that will help inform how we approach those with different perspectives more effectively in the future, and hopefully will inform those whose perspective differs on the goodness of working with us for the common good, as well.”
An optional donation of $50 is requested to assist with event costs. After registering for the event on the JRLC website, participants will be redirected to a donation page but if unable to donate, may exit out of this page and their registration will still be recorded. For more information or to register, visit https://www.jrlc.org/day_on_the_hill_2025. To request or offer a ride share, contact Kateri.Mancini@gw.stcdio.org or fill out this form: https://forms.office.com/r/xU2JTBdKz6.
Very good article! Kateri represents our diocese wonderfully, also educating and informing us as to how we can actively participate in God’s call toward social justice in an area the Spirit invites.