Who We Are

 

    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 Kevin C. Rhoades, Chairman
    Bishop of Ft. Wayne-South Bend

      Committee Members

      Most Reverend Robert E. Barron 
      Bishop of Winona-Rochester

      Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge 
      Bishop of Arlington

      Most Reverend James D. Conley 
      Bishop of Lincoln 

      Most Reverend Thomas A. Daly 
      Bishop of Spokane

      Most Reverend Robert J. McClory 
      Bishop of Gary 

      Most Reverend Michael F. Olson 
      Bishop of Fort Worth

      Most Reverend Mark J. Seitz 
      Bishop of El Paso

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

      Consultants

      Most Reverend Timothy Cardinal Dolan 
      Archbishop of New York 

      Most Reverend William E. Lori 
      Archbishop of Baltimore 

      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 

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

      Staff

      Richard Coll
      Executive Director, Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development

      Dan Balserak
      Religious Liberty Director & Assistant General Counsel

      Aaron M. Weldon, Ph.D.
      Program Specialist

      Kyle Burkhart
      Executive Assistant, Office of the General Counsel