Still more than four months until Election Day, but one thing is certain - every vote will be pursued.

I was reminded of this last week when a friend of mine who co-hosts a program on an all-sports radio station in South Dakota told me that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama was a guest on the program prior to that state's presidential primary. I knew the race was close, but it's the first time I had heard of a candidate reaching out to the sports-talk part of the electorate.

We'd better get used to it. Between now and Nov. 4, all of us in our different roles are going to be targets. Catholics and other people of faith are definitely going to be the focus of each campaign. There are already Catholics for Obama and Catholics for Sen. John McCain organizations.

There will be no shortage of "Catholic" in the campaign. We've already gotten a large dose of it in the story involving the Rev. Michael Pfleger, Obama, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and Cardinal Francis George.

Recently, Douglas Kmiec, a former dean of the law school at The Catholic University of America, was criticized from the pulpit and refused Communion because a priest in California didn't like his endorsement of Obama. The spokesman for the archbishop of Los Angeles noted that the priest's action "was absolutely indefensible" in church law and the policies of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Then there's Msgr. Jim Lisante, a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Center, N.Y., who endorsed the candidacy of U.S. Sen. John McCain during the invocation he gave at a state Republican Party event. The priest later admitted his error, but, due to YouTube, others heard his remarks.

All of this is fodder for talk shows and the basis for calls to chancery offices. And it's going to be with us at least until Nov. 4. Even though Catholics don't vote as a bloc, despite what analysts say, these stories are going to polarize Catholics. Add the term "pro-life" to the discussion about candidates and their parties, and the divide among Catholics is going to be wide and deep.When Catholics vote, they rarely cite their religious beliefs as the determining factor. To change that, the U.S. bishops have written their quadrennial political responsibility statement. I mention "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States" again because this summer is a good time to go through it, to think about and pray about what the bishops have written.

It is definitely not one of those voter's guides that highlights three or four points. This document is more than 11,000 words and forces readers/voters to dig deep when making up their minds. In other words, don't wait until you're standing in line at the polls to read it.

When you consider the material with which you will be bombarded in the months ahead, a well-formed conscience is going to be necessary in making certain that the faith you proclaim and live is at the heart of how you make your electoral decisions. If you're registered to vote, you will be targeted. Be ready.

Brian Olszewski writes from Milwaukee. You can contact him at olszewskib@archmil.org