The Committee for Religious Liberty of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops seeks to strengthen and sustain religious freedom by assisting the U.S. bishops, individually and collectively, to teach about religious freedom to the faithful and the broader public, and to promote and defend religious freedom in law and policy.

To this end we:

• Collaborate with other USCCB committees on religious liberty issues
• Develop educational materials
• Sponsor the annual Religious Freedom Week (June 22 - 29)
• Provide materials for the Solemnity of Christ the King
• Circulate fact sheets and other information on critical issues
• Publish First Freedom newsletter
• Provide dioceses with religious liberty liturgical resources
• Coordinate/advise on public policy efforts concerning these issues

Chairman

Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample
Archbishop of Portland, Oregon

Committee Members

Most Reverend Edward J. Burns
Bishop of Dallas

Most Reverend Brendan J. Cahill
Bishop of Victoria

Most Reverend James D. Conley
Bishop of Lincoln 

Most Reverend James Massa
Bishop of Brooklyn

Most Reverend Robert J. McClory 
Bishop of Gary 

Most Reverend David M. O'Connell
Bishop of Trenton

Most Reverend Daniel E. Thomas
Bishop of Toledo

Most Reverend A. Elias Zaidan, MLM 
Bishop of Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon

Consultants

Most Reverend William E. Lori 
Archbishop of Baltimore 

Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades
Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

Maria Montserrat (“Montse”) Alvarado 
President and COO of EWTN News 

Richard W. Garnett 
University of Notre Dame Paul J. Schierl / Fort Howard Corporation Professor of Law; Concurrent Professor of Political Science; Faculty Director, Notre Dame Program on Church, State & Society  

Mary Rice Hasson 
Kate O’Beirne Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Co-founder and Director of the Person and Identity Project 

Patrick E. Kelly 
Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus 

L. Martin Nussbaum 
Partner, First & Fourteenth PLLC; General Counsel, Catholic Benefits Association

Staff

Aaron M. Weldon, Ph.D.
Assistant Director

Elizabeth Dietz
Administrator Assistant

Emily Schumacher-Novak
Associate Director, Education and Outreach