Social Justice

By Cynthia Perez Roberson, CCHD Intern

“He put all things beneath His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” (Ephesians 1: 22-23)

The moral principles outlined in Catholic social teaching invite us to reflect on the central and fundamental teachings of our faith. Reports of God’s special love for the poorest among us were initially introduced by the Hebrew prophets. These teachings on God’s love and justice paved the way for Jesus’ declarations “to bring glad tidings to the poor...liberty to captives...recovery of sight to the blind” (Lk 4:18-19). The social mission of our Church is committed to the poor and most vulnerable. In our current circumstances, Catholic social teaching calls us to respond to the human suffering caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, especially those who are on the margins in our country and world.

The Church from the beginning has emphasized how humanity is made in the “image and likeness of God.” We are called to bear fruit and to build up the Body of Christ. To continually welcome Jesus into our ordinary life in this month of May, the liturgy calls us to celebrate two significant feast days, the Solemnity of Pentecost and St. Joseph the Worker. We read in the book of Acts, that on the day of Pentecost, the early Church marked this day as the start of the Messianic Age, an age where the Holy Spirit will guide the Christian faith to manifest God’s creative and royal power. The feast of St. Joseph was established to give workers a model and a protector in St. Joseph, whose vocation gave dignity to the drudgeries of work, which contributed to the care of his Holy Family. Meanwhile, the socio-economic strain that has emerged from our current global health crisis requires a valuing of human life and dignity over economic concerns. The US Bishops remind us that “the economy must serve the people, not the other way around.” To address the personal and economic uncertainties presented by the global pandemic, Catholics turn to the Church’s moral principles to overcome the hardships caused by this pandemic. Human dignity, solidarity, priority for the poor, concern for the common good and dignity of workers are principles that guide us in these times. These principles help ensure strong societal bonds and just actions in a time when many are suffering. In the face of the pandemic, the primary moral commitment of the social mission of the Church is human solidarity. In solidarity, we recognize that we are brothers and sisters in one human family, and that we are called to truly love one another as God has loved us.

If you are interested introducing Catholic social teaching you may contact me, Cynthia Roberson, at croberson@archdiosf.org or 505.440.1962 to schedule an interactive presentation (in English or Spanish) through Zoom on how our faith calls us to respond to root causes of poverty! Catholic Social Teaching: A Moral Guide in Uncertain Times

By Carol Feeney, Project Rachel Coordinator

Heroic Mothers

To all of our heroic mothers: parenting mothers, pregnant mothers, grandmothers, adoptive mothers, mothers who have lost a child, mothers with empty nests, godmothers, spiritual mothers, aunties and mentors who mother us; all kinds of mothers who labor and strive to bring loving people into our world, thank you for choosing life!

The Catholic Church is compassionate toward mothers who chose life despite challenging circumstances such as poverty and singleness. Motherhood for such women can mean social isolation. They may not have the loving support of family and friends, or other resources they need to successfully raise a healthy family. Thankfully, our parishes are full of life-loving people who can welcome and befriend moms who are pregnant or who are parenting young children, provide them support and help guide them toward self-sufficiency.

During the month of May, in celebration of mothers, in what way can you, your friends, family and parish bless a pregnant or parenting mother in need?

May our Blessed Mother Mary grant protection to all pregnant mothers facing difficulties.

May the angels safeguard them in their vulnerability.

May our merciful Father, the Creator of Life, magnify our efforts to become instruments of His love and compassion.

May St. Joseph, the patron saint of families, pray for us as we strive to build a culture of life and a civilization of love.

Proverbs 31:25: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and laughs at the days to come.”

“All it takes is one good person to restore hope!” (Laudato Si’ #71)

Catholic Climate Covenant invites you to submit prayers, meditations, stories, essays,

statements, reflections, arta, poems, songs, photos, videos, etc. that lift up your love and hope for God’s creation!

What?

Hope for Creation is a virtual creative celebration of love, solidarity, and hope for God’s creation. Rather than hosting and attending events this year, we call on you to submit prayers, meditations, reflections, essays, stories, statements, art, poems, songs, videos, etc. that lift up our love and hope for God’s great creation. You may submit original work or something that you found inspiring or moving. If not original, please give the source or attribution.

Why?

At the beginning of 2020, the world was preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the 5th anniversary of Laudato Si’ with a multitude of local, national, and international events. Now, most planned events are cancelled or postponed. Yet, even in the midst

of these uncertain and difficult times, the work

to protect our common home continues. We

need creative outlets where we can express and share our fears and anxiety, and where we can come together to pave the road with hope and light.

Who?

This virtual campaign is for everyone, but we particularly would like to invite Catholic youth and young adults to participate. Students, this is your time to show your energy, creativity and your commitment to God’s creation!

How?

Please use this form for your submission: https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/program/

hope-creation/submit In your description of your submission, include an action you pledge to take to care for creation. For ideas go here: https:// catholicclimatecovenant.org/program/hopecreation/submit

Hope for Creation submissions are listed here: https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/program/ hope-creation/submissions and may (with permission) be used during the time between Earth Day (April 22) and Laudato Si’ week (May 16-24) in a social media campaign lifting Catholic climate action. For privacy reasons, if under 18, your submission will appear with only your first name and state. Hope for Creation: A Virtual Celebration of Earth Day and Laudato Si’

How Can You Promote the Census During Time of “Stay at Home?”

Census Day was April 1, and the 2020 Census count continues through the Summer. Response is

easy: on line, by phone or by mail is the best. It is still very important for all ministers to promote participation in the Census. In these days of “Stay at Home” due to COVID-19, here are some suggestions as to how and when you can promote participation in the Census. Remember items can be found and downloaded from https://archdiosf.org/census-2020-1

1. Distribute Census materials at Meal/Supply Distribution sites (if your church has them). Census 101 (bilingual) flyer can be found here: https://archdiosf.org/census-2020-1

2. Phone calls to encourage parishioners to respond online and over the phone using the following message:

“It has never been easier to respond to the Census on your own, whether online, over the phone, or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker. Visit 2020Census.govto complete the Census online or call (844) 330-2020 to talk to a live Census employee who can help you fill out your form over the phone.”

The number for Spanish-speakers is (844) 468-2020. There are a total of 13 phone numbers for different languages. To see the list of numbers, visithttps://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-byphone.html

3. Text messages using the wording above.

4. Social media posts encouraging people to participate. Suggested social media posts for your use are on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Census web page: https://archdiosf.org/census-2020-1 Archbishop Wester has filmed two great YouTube videos (in English and Spanish) you can use on your social media pages. Those can also be found on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Census web page.

5. FB LIVE Masses and Prayers. Encourage people to complete the Census during your FB LIVE services Masses and prayers using the messaging above. Dr. Mercy Alarid, Senior Partnership Specialist with the Census Bureau, is available to speak during your services virtually if you need support. See her contact info below.

6. E-learning at Home: Teachers/Parents can use our Statistics in Schools materials with their students online. There are activities that do not need a classroom setting and you can access those lessons on Google Classroom by using the Google Classroom code: oqm32yo. To learn how to access Google Classroom, follow this link: https://youtu.be/nN4pHCsIgrE

7. Census Bureau Local Help. If you need to reach her, Dr. Mercy Alarid, Senior Partnership Specialist with the Census Bureau, is here to help if you need support. Office: (505) 715-3275, email: mercy.n.alarid@2020census.gov Let Dr. Alarid know if she can do anything to make some of this virtual outreach easier on you and your parishioners.

Virtual CRS Rice Bowl Contributions: Empty your CRS Rice Bowl, and GIVE Online!

Don’t worry that you cannot return your CRS Rice Bowl to your parish or school.

We have another way you can give!

Through CRS Rice Bowl, our Catholic community in the United States does something amazing each Lent. We come together to practice prayer, fasting and almsgiving—and by doing so we help lift families and communities out of poverty. Rice Bowl helps us to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need.

Give your 2020 Lenten Rice Bowl Contribution here:

https://archdiocesesantafegiving.org/virtual-crs-rice-bowl

Where Does Our Lenten Rice Bowl Money Go?

100% of CRS Rice Bowl contributions support projects for the poor both overseas and here in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. 25% of the contributions fund local poverty and hunger alleviation programs in dioceses across the United States.

From the Rice Bowl money collected from 82 parishes, schools and other organizations during Lent 2019, $19,160.00 went to 18 local organizations that work to alleviate hunger and homelessness in our Archdiocese: Where Does Our Lenten Rice Bowl Money Go?

Click here to watch a Thank You Video from CRS Rice Bowl.

For more information about CRS Rice Bowl: www.crsricebowl.org

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe entered into Chapter 11 Reorganization during the first week of December, 2018. The utmost concern is for the victims of abuse. Our prayers are with them. The CRS Rice Bowl is NOT part of the Chapter 11 filing. 100% of your donations go to people in need in our Archdiocese and across the globe where CRS works. Christ’s loving work must endure through this. Thank you for continuing to support these efforts.