Four weeks from tonight, America will decide who'll be the next President of the United States, but how are religious institutions helping the faithful decide who to vote for come Election Day?

Of course U.S. law prohibits religious institutions from endorsing a candidate or political party, but the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls joins a long list of religious organizations helping the faithful think about how they should vote. Deacon John Devlin is preparing to lecture on that very topic at the Parish of St. Michael in Sioux Falls next week. He hopes to help guide voters by examining their Catholic faith.

"We would like people to just be informed of those moral issues that are important to their faith; important to Jesus Christ and what they know from following him," said Devlin. In his discussion, he'll ask the faithful what candidate would best address four main areas of moral concern, including:

• Human Life -- from conception to natural death.
• Family Life -- how marriage is defined.
• Global Solidarity -- issues like war and immigration.
• Social Justice -- including welfare and poverty.

"It would be unusual for one candidate to fulfill everything, but we look for that candidate that best matches up with our well formed conscience, that moral law that we know in our mind and in our heart," said Devlin.

It seems that kind soul-searching will play a big part in the decision-making of many church-goers, like 28-year-old Dan Aesoph of Sioux Falls. He said, "Faith should play a very big part in the voting process because it's... you've got to vote for the moral grounds and if you don't have morality or truth, you know, what do you have?"

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published a document called 'Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,' which spells out issues important for voting Catholics. That document can be found here.

How is your church helping you to decide who to vote for?
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