House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, wants Catholics on the Hill to be able to recognize one another by more than a cross they may wear or Ash Wednesday ashes on their foreheads.
Emmer’s office has spearheaded a new group called “Catholic Connections,” dedicated to fostering a faith-based community among Catholics working on Capitol Hill.
“This is a huge Catholic community around here,” Emmer told EWTN News in an interview at the group’s latest event on March 6, which centered on a Lenten reflection delivered by the pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish on Capitol Hill.
“They don’t have anything like this,” he said.
The Friday morning event, hosted in the Members’ Dining Room on the House side of the Capitol, drew roughly 50 participants, including several members of Congress.
Emmer told EWTN News he was inspired to start the group this past January after witnessing a surge of young people on the Hill attending Mass in the wake of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September 2025.
“All of a sudden, we started to see a lot of young people showing up for daily Mass,” he said. “It dawned on me that they’re looking for something that’s bigger
