As a JPII Catholic, myself, (or, at least, someone who really wants to be such - pray for me on that, ok?), I can't see a thing wrong with getting as many of these as we can:

Tom Rooney is Catholic and pro-life, and he is running for the Republican nomination in Florida’s 16th Congressional District. Rooney comes from a football family; his grandfather, Art Rooney Sr., founded the Pittsburg Steelers in 1933. Former Army captain and JAG (Judge Advocate General), Rooney will need all his experience — football, military, and legal — to navigate the rough-and-tumble of a congressional campaign.

The 16th District was in the news in September ‘06 when Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned after allegations he had sent sexually suggestive e-mails and text messages to teenage boys who were serving, or had served, as congressional pages.

In the aftermath of the scandal, this traditionally Republican congressional seat was won by pro-abortion Democrat Tim Mahoney, a Methodist.

Rooney is running for the GOP nomination against two present officeholders, but in spite of his newcomer status, he was named by Roll Call as an early favorite to win the nomination. Thus far, Rooney has raised far more money than his Republican opponents.

I asked Rooney what kinds of difficulties face a pro-life, pro-family Catholic running for public office.

“I look at it exactly the opposite,” he responded. “I don’t think I could run for office without my faith. It’s very difficult to put yourself out there. Going to Mass on Sunday is a time for me to get stronger.”

Rooney is married to Tara, who was also an Army captain and JAG, and they have three small boys, ages six, four, and one. He told me his Catholic faith is something he has never doubted, never been tempted to fall away from. The Rooney family was always devout in its religious practices.

“My grandfather [Art Rooney Sr.] attended daily Mass, and everywhere he went there was at least one priest walking with him. Any picture of him always had a priest in it. Whenever we went on road trips we would say the rosary all the way — it was just the way it was, and it didn’t feel weird at all.”

As a man who drifted away from the Church for decades, I can only look with admiration upon this - to keep a strong faith in the face of all the temptations of the world takes exceptional character, and that is just the sort of thing we need in Congress: men and women who cannot be swayed from doing the right thing, no matter how difficult it might be at times.

I'll say my prayers for the success of Rooney's effort...and watch carefully, in order to see if, just perhaps, we might be able to get a JPII Catholic into the Senate in 2010.

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