Spring is officially here and brings with it light, blooms, and, for some, warmer days. For those of us who are gardeners or farmers, this new season is shaped by germination and cultivation, the necessary preparation for growth. There is a lesson here for our justice and peace work, too.
As Kayla Jacobs remarks in the homily reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, “When we allow ourselves to be cultivated by God’s love and being ‘His people’ (Jeremiah 31:33) we are in the right condition to serve the poor, comfort the afflicted, bury the dead, visit the sick and imprisoned, and to bear wrongs patiently.”
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Changes to the Title X Family Planning Program proposed, public comments open
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a proposed rule to reverse “The Protect Life Rule,” a regulation issued by the Trump Administration in 2019 to clearly separate abortion from family planning in the federal Title X family planning program. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement expressing profound disappointment over this action:
“This policy change will allow the Title X program to become an indirect funding avenue for abortion providers. In spite of explicit prohibitions in Federal law and clear congressional intent that abortion may not be a part of this program, it has repeatedly been coopted by abortion supporters as a funding stream for organizations, programs, and facilities that directly promote and provide abortions.”
As is the process with changes to these kinds of regulations, there is now a public comment period of 30 days that will be followed by a Department of Health and Human Services review to consider comments, and publication of the final rule by early fall 2021. Read the full USCCB statement here. Make a public comment on the proposed rule change here.
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Disappointment with historically low rate of refugee admissions
The Biden Administration announced Friday afternoon that it will not increase the historically low number of refugees who can be resettled in the United States for the current fiscal year. However, it will restore the long-time practice of allocating refugees from every region of the world, thus opening resettlement to some who were not included in the more restricted categories of the previous Administration.
Later in the day, the Administration stated that it expects to increase the refugee cap in mid-May for the remaining fiscal year. In response to the announcements, Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, expressed disappointment that the refugee admissions number for the fiscal year will continue to be at a historic low but appreciation that a number of persecuted refugee families who could not previously travel will finally be permitted resettlement in the United States.
Read a more detailed statement from the committee here.
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Catholic organizations promoted global vaccine equity as an act of charity and solidarity
A coalition of 31 U.S. Catholic organizations marked World Health Day by announcing unified support to encourage constituents and faith communities to accept vaccination as an act of charity and solidarity with others that will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and build immunity against the virus.
“In this Easter season we remember that the immediate effects of Jesus' resurrection on the first Christians included a profound sense of community and concern for those in need,” remarked Sister Donna Markham, OP, president and CEO, Catholic Charities USA and a supporter of the effort. She went on to say:
“These are the very traits that continue to animate our encounters with each other and those in the wider community, especially during this challenging moment as we seek to emerge from the pandemic. Each of us plays a part by getting vaccinated and practicing safety measures for the good of all, and by doing everything we can to ensure that those who are most in need have access to the vaccine and protective equipment.”
The coalition is promoting vaccine equity in the U.S. and around the world, drawing on Catholic social teaching, for people who are underserved or marginalized. This includes communities of color, rural areas, and others with limited vaccine availability in the U.S., as well as access for developing countries and among refugees and other displaced people who may not be citizens in their current home. To learn more, visit https://catholiccares.org
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Report finds wage theft and other workplace violations affecting laborers
The Catholic Labor Network recently released a study documenting extensive wage theft at Washington DC’s largest construction sites. For most of one year, CLN field representative Ernesto Galeas visited major DC construction sites and interviewed 79 workers from various construction trades. The study found cases where workers were paid less than the DC minimum wage, those who were not paid required overtime rates when they worked more than 40 hours per week, and many who were part of the underground economy, either paid with a check without required payroll tax deductions or paid in cash.
About half the interview participants employed by electrical contractors, and a majority of workers employed by mechanical contractors (plumbing and HVAC) and drywall contractors, participated in the underground economy.
A well-developed system of “labor brokers” – employers of record who pay employees on behalf of specialty contractors – has sprung up in these segments between the established firms and their workforce to facilitate payroll violations. Most of the workers recruited by these labor brokers were immigrants unfamiliar with their rights or hesitant to exercise them, suggesting that there is organizing and advocacy work to do. Read the full report here.
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TAKE ACTION: FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY
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Sign petition to end the federal death penalty
In the wake of an unprecedented number of federal executions under the previous Administration, the momentum and urgency behind abolishing the federal death penalty has never been stronger. Over the past few months, Catholic Mobilizing Network has circulated a petition targeted to President Biden, urging him to take the concrete steps at his disposal to end the death penalty. Already more than 5,500 Catholics and people of goodwill have signed.
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Website banner, St. Alphonsus Parish, Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis
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Responding to violence and hate
As the nation continues to reel from hate-filled actions and gun violence, including shootings by police, congregations and communities are gathering to publicly stand up for Black, Asian, and Latino/a lives. The Redemptorist parish of St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center, MN, responded immediately to the death of Duante Wright on April 12 by sending a message to all parishioners.
In a news story published soon after, Fr. John Schmidt, C.Ss.R. was quoted as saying, "[I asked that] we pray for peace, and we also pray to help understand one another, and to support each other. And to look for ways to eliminate racism in our own personal lives, then our parish, and then hopefully, in the wider community."
In response to the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a statement was released by the leadership of six provinces belonging to the Order of Friars Minor in the United States.
The friars asserted, “Hate speech and attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are a deplorable part of the history of the United States.” They go on to remark that, “The sad legacy of this evil is that such prejudice, a form of racism, has been tolerated within our country. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there has been a dramatic uptick in violence against the AAPI community, with instances increasing by over 150% between February 2020 and March 2021. Perpetrators of this type of hatred have used Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as scapegoats for their unjust bias.”
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JPIC Coordinator Online Community is Live!
CMSM justice and peace coordinators are reminded to contact our Justice and Peace Fellow, Dr. Bethany Welch, if you have not yet activated your Higher Logic account to access the JPIC Community digital platform.
Our JPIC coordinator community offers updates on events, calls to action, networking space, and a library of shared resources. Email bwelch@cmsm.org to walk through the process of logging in and setting up your profile.
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Solidarity and Prison Ministry (April 21)
Dr. Kathryn Getek Soltis, director of the Center for Peace and Justice Education and assistant professor of Christian Ethics at Villanova University, will discuss Catholic Social Teaching and how it applies to mass incarceration. Dr. Getek Soltis has years of experience and knowledge in prison ministry. This April 21, 7:30 p.m. webinar is hosted by the Justice and Peace outreach of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova. Register here to attend.
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Catholic Investment Services Webinar Invite - Perspectives on Impact Investing for Catholic Institutions (April 28)
Catholic institutions can incorporate Laudato Si' and Fratelli Tutti into their investing. In this webinar on April 28, 2021, 2 p.m. ET, you also will learn how leading Catholic foundations deploy their investments and philanthropy more strategically. This event will reveal impact investing best practices from industry experts: Alexia Kelley, CEO of FADICA; Mike Barry, CIO of Georgetown University; and Tim Connors, a prominent lay Catholic leader and private equity investor. Register in advance for this webinar here.
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We Are Called - Confronting Racism to Achieve Health Equity Conversation Series (April 28 and additional dates)
The disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color and the events leading to the racial justice protests of the past summer shone a bright light on the devastating effects that systemic racism has always had on the lives of many people in this country. While legal segregation has been abolished, its legacy is still present in the institutions that form the foundations of society, including media, government, education, housing, health care and the political and legal systems.
Colleagues from across Catholic health ministries are invited to convene for a four-part conversation series where Catholic Health Association members will share how their organizations are working to meet the goals of the ministry's new collective initiative to confront racism, Confronting Racism to Achieve Health Equity. The live 30-minute conversations will take place once a month through a Zoom meeting (April 28, May 26, June 30 and July 28). Visit here to see the full list of topics and to register for individual sessions. Open to CHA members and non-members.
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Owning Slavery, Pursuing Justice, Seeking Reconciliation: Lessons from Georgetown and the U.S. Jesuits (April 29)
The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University will host a dialogue on Thursday, April 29, 12:30 p.m. ET, that explores the human, moral, and spiritual consequences of U.S. Jesuit participation in chattel slavery, religious and institutional responsibilities, and possible paths forward. Participants include
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Joseph Ferrara, vice president and chief of staff to the president of Georgetown University and a leader in the university’s efforts on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation
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Rev. Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States and a leader in establishing the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation (and a CMSM board member)
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Joseph M. Stewart, acting president of the newly created Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation and a descendent of Isaac Hawkins, an enslaved person who was sold by the Jesuits in 1838
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Shannen Dee Williams, an assistant professor of history at Villanova University and a leading historian of African American Catholicism in the United States.
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You can access the lectionary reflections each week at csmsm.org/homilyresources. These resources are posted as they are available.
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