The first round of voting in CatholicVote’s second annual HERO OF THE YEAR tournament opened on November 30.
Every month, the Catholic Accountability Project names three Catholic heroes who have stood up for the faith in America. Of those contenders, the CatholicVote team chose 16 to compete for the title “Hero of the Year.”
Here are this year’s Sweet 16 contenders:
Bishops Michael Burbidge (Arlington) and Earl Fernandes (Columbus), and Archbishops Timothy Broglio (Military) and José Gómez (Los Angeles) shone as shepherds of the flock in 2023, exhorting American Catholics to take their place in the public square in defense of the unborn, the Catholic faith, and religious liberty.
In the political sphere, Governor Greg Abbott, R-TX, and Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, also stood up to leftist hegemony in the spheres of education and foreign aid, while Judge William Montgomery refused to abandon his post under pressure.
Catholic women made a strong showing in 2023: Lila Rose took on OnlyFans and toxic masculinity, Mary Hasson and Paula Scanlan risked everything to resist trans ideology, and Dr. Monique Chireau Wubbenhorst schooled Congress on women’s health.
Superstar pitcher Trevor Williams spoke out against anti-Catholic bigotry in the woke MLB, and Peter Wolfgang (once again) defeated the culture of death in woke Connecticut.
Regular Catholic dad Brian Arlinghaus sacrificed his business to stand for life in Ohio, and Kyle Seraphin blew the whistle on systematic anti-Catholicism in the FBI. Not to be outdone, Mark Houck was not only acquitted of unjust charges from the Biden administration… but also turned right around and brought the fight back to them.
>>> CLICK HERE TO READ WHO WON IN 2022 <<<
What in particular helped these Catholics make the cut this year?
CatholicVote Vice President Josh Mercer said:
In the end, it came down to those who took the greatest risk – to personal safety, reputation, and livelihood – and raised the bar for all Catholics in public life. We were inspired by each of them, but in the end, only one can hold the championship title.
The tournament will run through December, and CatholicVote will announce the winner ahead of the New Year.
>> CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE <<
