By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Diocese of Honolulu has named Attorney Kelly M. Rosati as the new spokesperson and lobbyist for the Hawaii Catholic Conference, the public policy office of the Diocese of Honolulu.
She started on Jan. 3, the same day she stepped back into her former position as the executive director of Hawaii Family Forum.
Rosati will work in a part time capacity with deacon Walter Yoshimitsu, acting director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference, in addressing such legislative issues as physician assisted suicide, affordable housing, education, adoption, bus transportation for private school students, and parental notification when minors seek abortions.
The conference has also fought recurring proposed legislation that would force Catholic hospitals to dispense emergency contraceptives and another that would permit civil unions for homosexual couples.
As director for Hawaii Family Forum, a non-profit, non-denominational, pro-family education organization, from 1997 to 2003, Rosati had been a close partner with the Catholic Conference in supporting or opposing public initiatives of a common interest, beginning with the local campaign against same-sex “marriage” about eight years ago.
A more recent joint effort successfully opposed the legalization of doctor-assisted suicide in Hawaii. The issue is expected to return this year.
Father Marc Alexander, who worked with Rosati when he was director of the Hawaii Catholic Conference several years ago, says she has “a rare combination of profession competency and Christian charity.”
“She really is an outstanding representative for public policy issues,” he said.
“She brings with her expertise and the ability to articulate clear positions on complicated issues,” he said, while demonstrating “great charity and compassion for the people impacted by those issues.”
Rosati received her undergraduate degree from Marquette University, Milwaukee. In 1993, she graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
She came to Hawaii in 1997 when her husband John, who was in the Air Force, was assigned here.
After working a short time for HMSA, she joined the newly formed Hawaii Family Forum as its executive director. She had worked in pro-family public policy on the mainland.
When she joined Hawaii Family Forum, Hawaii was embroiled in the same-sex “marriage” issue. Within its first 60 days, her organization was running television, radio and print ads on the topic.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin named Rosati as one of the 10 people in Hawaii who “made a difference” in 2001 for her role in raising the state’s age of consent to age 16 from age 14, the lowest in the nation. The law was changed despite strong opposition from law enforcement and a veto by Governor Ben Cayetano.
She and her husband and their two children, Daniel and Anna Grace, moved back to Wisconsin in 2003, so she could be a full-time mother and to care for her aging grandparents.
She and her family returned to Hawaii in December.