Who We Are

The New York State Catholic Conference represents the Bishops of the state in working with government to shape laws and policies that pursue social justice, respect for life and the common good. We provide a unified voice for the eight dioceses of the state to speak on such issues as education, poverty, family life, abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia, social services, health care, criminal justice and the environment. We apply the principles of Catholic social teaching to critical issues of the day and encourage citizen involvement in the legislative process.

The Catholic Action Network (CAN), an arm of the Catholic Conference, gives us all a larger voice in the halls of government. Through our email and social media alerts, CAN reaches tens of thousands of Catholics like you to provide educational updates on the important issues being debated and to provide the tools to simplify the process of contacting your elected officials.