The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast is an annual lay prayer event and banquet that takes place in Washington, D.C. It was created in response to Pope John Paul II's call for a new evangelization, and involves a keynote speaker each year.
According to progressive Catholic commentator Fr Thomas J. Reese SJ "The conservative tilt of the NCPB has led some Catholics to call on it to change its name to the National Republican Prayer Breakfast." [1]
It was established in 2004 and its "founding circle" members included Joseph Cella, Leonard Leo, and Rick Santorum, among others. It connected prominent Catholic politicians and representatives of the Catholic clergy, businessmen, political and religious activists. [2]
Similar to the more established National Prayer Breakfast, it has attracted notable political speakers to discuss the issues of the day facing modern Christians. It featured President George W. Bush as a keynote speaker in the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 assemblies. [2] [3]
Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke delivered the keynote address at the 2009 prayer breakfast, which also featured Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as guest speaker. House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke at the 2016 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast event. [4]
The 2020 event was held virtually, and honored US Attorney General William Barr with the organization's Christifideles Laici Award. [5] The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet; and the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe were among a number of Catholic organizations protesting the award to Barr, who reinstated the federal death penalty. A federal execution was conducted the day before the breakfast, and another scheduled on the day after. [6] Others who opposed the group's honoring Barr included representatives of Pax Christi [7] and the Franciscan Action Network. The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests "accused Barr of showing “disrespect for sacred space when he was party to a recent show of force to enable the President to use the grounds and building of an Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square to hold up a bible in front of the church as a prop for a political photo op.” [1]
The 2021 event is set to feature Bishop Steven J. Lopes, head of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
Paul Davis Ryan is an American politician who served as the 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was the vice presidential nominee in the 2012 election with Mitt Romney, losing to incumbent President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. According to the General Roman Calendar since 1969, it is formally known as the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and celebrated on the second Friday after Trinity Sunday. Some Anglican Franciscans keep the feast under the name of the Divine Compassion of Christ.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) is a movement within the Catholic Church that is part of the wider charismatic movement across historic Christian churches.
The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU). The first CPAC took place in 1974.
The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance designated by the United States Congress and held on the first Thursday of May, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". The president is required by law to sign a proclamation each year, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day.
Pax Christi International is an international Catholic peace movement. The Pax Christi International website declares its mission is "to transform a world shaken by violence, terrorism, deepening inequalities, and global insecurity".
Leonard Anthony Leo is an American lawyer and conservative legal activist. He was the longtime vice president of the Federalist Society and is currently, along with Steven Calabresi, the co-chairman of the organization's board of directors.
The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., usually on the first Thursday in February. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide. The event—which is actually a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—has taken place since 1953 and has been held at least since the 1980s at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue NW.
Catholic Democrats is an American not-for-profit organization of Catholics to support the Democratic Party, based in Boston, United States. The Catholic Democrats have more than 60,000 members in all 50 American states and Puerto Rico. It claims no authorization from the Catholic Church, or any Catholic bishop, Catholic diocese, candidate or candidate committee.
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The Parliamentary Christian Fellowship, also known as the Parliamentary prayer group, involves a number of gatherings of Christian politicians in the Australian parliament, from small informal prayer gatherings to the annual National Prayer Breakfast.
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The Robin Toner Program in Political Reporting was established in 2009 to celebrate the life and work of Robin Toner, the late New York Times political correspondent. It is awarded by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications of Syracuse University.
Joseph James Cella is an American diplomat and political advisor, who served concurrently as the United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu from 2019 to 2021. A prominent Roman Catholic, Cella co-founded the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
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Leo Dennis Lefebure is an American Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, university professor, and author. He is the inaugural Matteo Ricci S. J. Chair of Theology at Georgetown University. He is vice president of the American Theological Society, and president-elect, with his term as president beginning in 2025.