Deacon (and attorney) Keith Fournier, together with the founders of "Catholic Online", Michael and Sandy Galloway, is announcing a movement to foster "a new Catholic Action" in the US, or rather, a pair of movements: one educational in nature, the other activist. It looks like they're good people doing a good work.
I'm not sure they've picked the right man to head the political side of the movement, though. Ex-Boston mayor and ex-Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn's an OK guy in my book (we crossed paths one day outside a confessional), but I don't see any evidence that he's been effective in his US political work since coming home from Rome.
I don't think he's ever really recovered his standing among pro-lifers since he gave his support to the sleazy Bill Clinton, and his image tends toward adjectives like "peevish", "whiny", and "self-promoting", in addition to local papers' portrayal of him as a habitual imbiber. But there are plenty of second acts in American life, and maybe this is Ray's.
It looks interesting, but I don't know if I want to jump on the bandwagon just yet. I too have a few concerns about Ambassador Flynn's involvement. It would be good to have a strong lay Catholic lobbying organization in the U.S. other than the Church hierarchy's lobbyists working alone. Keep us updated on this group, will you?
I would have preferred to see Phil Lawler head it up ... although he might not have quite the national political experience Flynn has.