Archbishop Timothy Dolan and the state’s Catholic bishops will join about 1,000 New York State Catholics for the 2010 public policy day, “Catholics at the Capitol,” to be held Tuesday, March 9, in Albany at the state Capitol complex.

The event is free and every diocese (with the exception of Albany and Ogdensburg) will be providing bus service to Albany. Register HERE.

Participants will meet with their legislators or hand out materials in the hallways of the Capitol to advocate for issues of concern to the Church.

This full list of issues for the day is as follows:

• Oppose the radical “Reproductive Health Act” abortion bill
• Ensure accessibility to Catholic schools and equity for all school children
• Maintain supports for low-income families
• Ensure appropriate institutional and home and community-based care for the frail elderly and people with disabilities
• Restore funding for the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation
• Support community re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. Legislative visits will begin at 9 a.m. Archbishop Dolan will lead a workshop on Catholic Social Teaching at 9:30 a.m. and Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, will follow with a 10:30 a.m. workshop on that organization’s campaign to eradicate poverty. A 1:30 p.m. workshop will focus on creating a parish-based public policy network.

Archbishop Dolan and the Bishops of New York State will celebrate Mass for participants in the convention center at 11:45 a.m. Lunch will follow.

Edward Cardinal Egan, archbishop emeritus of New York, will be honored for his contributions to advancing the legislative agenda of the New York State bishops during his nine years as archbishop of New York, particularly his establishment of the statewide Catholic Advocacy Network, which today has more than 65,000 members. Sister Maureen Joyce, RSM, the long-time director of Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese, will be honored for her lifetime of service to the poor and vulnerable.