💜 Catholic Social Action - May Newsletter 💜

Hail Mary, Full of Grace

Greetings folks, and Happy Easter!

We hope you had a wonderful Holy Week and a beautiful Triduum, and we trust that your Easter season is filled with joy and hope. As we enter the month of May, we turn our hearts and prayers to Mary and ask that she guide us to say 'yes' to all that God is asking of us, especially as we are given the opportunities to love the marginalized, abused, forgotten, and poor.

We want to send a special prayer up for all of the mothers, grandmothers, and those who mother us. Happy Mother's Day!

We also want to send up prayers for all those in our rural communities as the planting season is under way. We thank God for the gifts of the earth and for all the hands that work so hard to provide us with our food.

Speaking of our rural communities, the Northwest-region Rural-Urban Farm Mass is coming up on Thursday, July 20th. You can find all of the details below.

On a related note, our learn and advocate events (offered live and online) about the Farm Bill are here - Cincinnati area this Thursday 5/4 (Star Wars Day!) and Columbus area this coming Wednesday 5/10. Details below!

We continue to pray for all of you and your families of parishes, hopeful that the Beacons of Light process is going as well as possible. We've heard from many of you that there have been significant challenges, and for that we are deeply sorry. Please know that we stand ready to support you, walking in solidarity on this journey as your families discern how you will commit to Love in Action. Let us know how we can help!

On that note, we just sent out our first Love in Action newsletter. If you're helping (or will be helping) with Love in Action in your family of parishes and didn't receive the newsletter, please let Tammie know so she can add you to the mailing list.

We humbly ask that you continue to pray for us. There's a lot going on this year, and while we're excited to get (or keep) things moving, your prayers -and engagement! - will make our success all the more likely. God help us!

If there's anything that we can do to support the work happening in your community, please let us know. We're trying to be more present to parishes, especially during the Beacons of Light process, and we'd love to (re)connect with you and work to build up God's kingdom of peace, justice, and kinship in your corner of the kingdom.

We will continue to send out Regional Updates with time-sensitive reminders and Action Alerts encouraging everyone to bring their voice and power to bear on important issues.

We wish you a wonderful rest of the Easter season, and - as always - we look forward to seeing you soon as we continue to stand up for justice, solidarity, and equity.

Peace and all good,

Sara, Tammie, Sr. Christine, & Andrew

Farm Bill Education & Advocacy

Every five years, the Farm Bill - a massive piece of legislation which addresses farms, food, and foreign aid - is up for reauthorization. The amount of good this money does is almost immeasurable, and as our office has a special focus on rural life, poverty, and global solidarity, we are especially interested in what happens with this process, i.e. how much money is allocated and how it will be used.

This year, we are partnering with the Catholic Conference of Ohio, the dioceses of Columbus and Cleveland, and Bread for the World to offer events in each of these areas of Ohio. Each of the events will be held from 7:00-9:00pm and will be offered in person and streamed online.

Cincinnati’s presentation will be held at the Community of the Good Shepherd in Cincinnati (8815 E Kemper Road) on Thursday 5/4.

Columbus’s presentation will be held at the Martin de Porres Center in Columbus on Wednesday 5/10.

Registration to attend in person is requested, and it's required to join virtually. If you have any questions, please let Andrew know.

Death Penalty Advocacy

We’re thrilled to share with you the exciting news that a new Senate bill has been filed to repeal the death penalty in Ohio. This bill is a significant milestone for our movement, and we are excited to take this step forward in our efforts to end capital punishment in our Ohio.

As someone who is committed to a just legal system, we wanted to share this news with you first. We are grateful for your continued support and collaboration in this effort to repeal the death penalty. This new Senate bill is the result of our collective efforts and shows the momentum and excitement around this important issue.

[Click here to thank our bill sponsors!]

With this bill, we aim to build a better, more just, and equitable justice system that values human life and provides alternatives to the death penalty. We believe that no one should have to face the ultimate punishment of death, and we are committed to fighting for a fair and just system for all.

No Death Penalty Ohio Presentation

Thou Shall Not Kill: A Conversation with Sister Helen Prejean about Faith and the Death Penalty - YouTube

Addressing Gun Violence

Quite horrifically, school (and other mass) shootings continue to occur in our country. The #1 cause of death for young people is now firearms. Community after community is decimated by these tragic acts, and families are forced to faced the worst nightmare imaginable. We stand in solidarity with these communities and call on all people to demand changes that will protect our children and all lives.

Last year, the USCCB strongly supported the Safer Communities Act. Upon it's passage, Archbishop Paul Coakley, chair of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said, "I commend members of Congress for their work thus far and encourage them to continue working to confront the plague of gun violence in our nation.”

They have also spoken out in support of extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), banning assault weapons and bump stocks, limiting civilian access to high-capacity weapons and magazines, criminalizing gun trafficking, a more appropriate minimum age for gun ownership, and in favor of improvements on background checks.*

We offer this call to action issued by Archbishop Schnurr last year after the Uvalde shooting.

"There have been too many school shootings, too much killing of the innocent. Our Catholic faith calls us to pray for those who have died and to bind the wounds of others, and we join our prayers along with the (broader) community... As we do so, each of us also needs to search our souls for ways that we can do more to understand this epidemic of evil and violence and implore our elected officials to help us take action.”

We strongly encourage you to join this effort: seek out groups in the community who are mobilizing to protect children and all people and join their work. We must ALL step up and raise our voices for peace.

(*https://www.usccb.org/resources/letter-congress-gun-violence-june-3-2022)

COMMUNITY HOMICIDE PRAYER VIGILS

(Where two or three are gathered in my name...)

With roots going back to 1993, the Sisters of the Precious Blood held prayer vigils for homicide victims at the site of the homicides. During COVID restrictions, the on-site vigils were replaced by monthly e-mail notices. Aware of the continued violence in Montgomery County, community members from diverse faith congregations are now gathering monthly to pray for victims of violence, their loved ones, the perpetrators, and law enforcement. The prayer vigils take place at 12:00 noon on the second Saturday of each month at Mcintosh Park, 882 West Riverview (near the Peace Bridge). Please join in the mission of being a visible presence witnessing to the sacredness of all life. E-mail notification: Visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/CHPVDayton

2023 Rural-Urban Farm Mass (Northwest)

The St. Augustine deaneries Catholic Rural Life Committee would like invite all to celebrate and give thanksgiving for faith, farm, and family. During the mass Catholic families who have farmed and nurtured the same land for 100 years or more will be recognized through the Catholic Century Farm Awards. The Farm Mass will be held at the Buck & Fran Siefring Farm at 3598 State Route 705, New Weston, Ohio on Thursday, July 20^th at 7:00 PM. with Archbishop Schnurr presiding. Stay after Mass for refreshments, music, and square dancing! All are welcome.

Catholic Century Awards application - Northwest

Apply to have your family farm recognized. This award is to recognize Catholic families who have farmed the same land for 100 years or more and has not already been recognized. Please call Roger Hoying 419-733-4543 for an application. Must respond by June 1. Award to be given on July 20^th at the Rural-Urban Farm Mass.

Our LSAP conference on March 4 at UD was an amazing success. Almost 200 people joined us for a day of prayer, reflection, learning, connecting, and mobilizing. Everyone left with a renewed spirit and commitment to caring for all of God's creation.

We're looking now for folks to join this invigorated effort. If you, your family, your family of parishes, or your community are interested in partnering with us, please let us know. There are so many great resources available and great people eager to welcome you.

You can learn more about our work here or contact Andrew Musgrave with any questions.

CRS Rice Bowl

Through CRS Rice Bowl, we journeyed with members of our human family around the world, and committed our Lenten prayers, fasting, and almsgiving to deepening our faith and serving those in need.

CRS RICE BOWLS - TURN IN

Designate a date, time and location for your community to turn in their CRS Rice Bowl donations. Send all collected funds to Catholic Relief Services, Attn: CRS Rice Bowl, PO Box 5200, Harlan, IA 51593-0700. Email Sara Seligmann sseligmann@catholicaoc.org with any questions or concerns.

Love in Action

If you're wondering how your family of parishes might go about engaging in the Love in Action principle, we encourage you to check out the Love in Action page on the Pathways platform - https://pathway.catholicaoc.org/love-in-action. There you'll find a great introductory video, as well as further explanation of the breadth of the principle. Over time, you'll find more resources and support, and of course you know you can always reach out to our office for support. If you're looking for the first tool we created - the parish inventory - you can find it here (along with the inventories from the other principles) - https://pathway.catholicaoc.org/pathway-tools. If you work for a parish or are involved in parish leadership, we'd love to talk with you through the Forums. Don't hesitate to reach out!

Breaking Open the Sin of Racism

Engage your community in dialogue

This video series and discussion guide was prepared for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for use by organizations in a 4-part workshop. Check out the Breaking Open the Sin of Racism site to see how your parish, school, or organization can host workshops or use the resources in other ways.

Questions? Contact Sara Seligmann | 513-546-3143

From the Respect Life Office

Three Things to Tell Your Pro-Choice Friends

We know about the ballot initiative coming to the state of Ohio to instill a right to abortion with virtually no restrictions until birth. The bad news is that the majority of Ohioans, upon hearing of an initiative to protect “reproductive rights” for women, will support it. The good news is, if people understand what the amendment actually says, the vast majority would not support it. So, I want to boil it down to three simple points you can share with anyone, including your pro-choice family and friends.

First, by using the word “individual” with no reference to age, any laws requiring parental notification can be struck down as unconstitutional for restricting the rights of anyone, of any age, to access abortion.

Second, by using the word “burden” to prohibit restriction to abortion, typical safety standards will be eliminated. Typical examples of this include requirements such as: an in-person visit to determine location of pregnancy before receiving a chemical abortion; ambulatory privileges to care for a woman in an emergency; or a licensed physician must perform the abortion. Putting “burden” in the constitution threatens any safety laws for women.

Finally, the amendment specifically says abortion may not be prohibited if “necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health”. Health has been historically defined in law related to abortion as not only physical, but also emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age. Is there any reason for abortion that does NOT fall under any of those categories?

We can easily use these three points to open up caring and respectful dialog at any upcoming gatherings, e.g. Memorial Day grill out, graduation parties, or parish festivals. If we let people know what the language actually does, they are already on our side, and we can defeat this initiative!

From the Office for Persons with Disabilities

The Office for Persons with Disabilities held an Adults with Special Needs Retreat hosted by NET (National Evangelization Team) Ministries at St. Albert the Great Parish. The theme of the retreat was “Free Indeed” and focused on the gospel of Luke 3: 21-22 After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Retreatants watched skits, shared stories, and joined in praise and worship. Fr. Kyle Schnipple offered the sacrament of reconciliation and Mass to close the day. It was a beautiful day!

Coming up: Mental Health First Aid for Youth Training on June 5^th at St. John the Evangelist, West Chester in the Pavilion. More details TBA. For more information contact Lisa L. Averion, Associate Director Office for Persons with Disabilities.