Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry - Archdiocese of Hartford
Para espaņol haga clic aqui.                                                              Summer/2015
Advancing Catholic social teaching by educating and preparing parishes 
to work for social justice
This issue is dedicated in loving memory of Stephanie Holden.
STEPHANIE HOLDEN
August 18, 1959 - June 26, 2015

Stephanie Holden, long-time employee and most recently Office Manager at OCSJM, died suddenly on June 26, 2015. Stephanie was the "voice" behind OCSJM/OUA, always responding to phone calls with courtesy, kindness, patience and whatever help she was able to offer. If you attended any of our programs over the years, it is likely that you encountered Stephanie over the phone when you registered or behind the registration table when you arrived. She played an instrumental part in making events run smoothly and participants feel welcome.

Stephanie devoted most of her adult life to the mission of the Office. She was kind and soft-spoken, and it was her steady background support that allowed the rest of us to do our work. She was so skilled, and competent at so many things, and she grew as the challenges of office technology changed over the years, from a typewriter to ever more complicated computer systems and other equipment. Without fuss, Steph mastered the newest machine or upgrade and dealt with the inevitable, frustrating glitches and bugs. 

Perhaps most of all, Stephanie will be remembered for the kindness and concern she shared with others. She would always ask: How is your family? How are you feeling? How was your weekend? Although faced with her own life challenges, she would much rather be a listener than a complainer. 

We shared a few laughs over the years, like when I asked about her frequent haircuts, not realizing that it was a hairpiece she was switching each day. Our fond memories bring us comfort, and our faith upholds us. Rest in God's peace, Stephanie -- we miss you greatly. 


On behalf of the entire staff, I thank you for your prayers and kind words of comfort.
Lynn Campbell
Lynn Campbell, Executive Director
In This Issue
In Memory
CCHD Grants
UACT Celebrates Honorees
Organizing for Mission
Job Opening
Prison Reform Forum
Action Alert
Supporting Dilley Mothers
Service Saturdays
Annual Social Justice Dinner
Resources and Opportunities
CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER

September 17

Prison Reform in CT, St. Patrick-St. Anthony, Hartford, 7-8:30 pm. All are Welcome.

 

September 20

Catechetical Sunday "Human Dignity"

 

September 26

Service Saturday: Give Drink to the Thirsty, Collinsville, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

 

OCTOBER

October 3

The Light Offered by Faith: Organizing for Mission in CT, Holy Angels Church, Meriden, 9 am - 3 pm.

 

October 27

Annual Social Justice Dinner and Awards, Aqua Turf Club, Plantsville

 

October 31

Service Saturday: Feed the Hungry, Hartford, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

 

NOVEMBER

November 5

Climate Stewardship Summit

 

DECEMBER

December 5

Service Saturday: Heal the Sick, TBD, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

 

APRIL

April 20

Climate Retreat with Patrick Carolan, Holy Family Retreat Center

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VISIT OUR 
TODAY
for resources on current
social justice issues.
OCSJM Announces CCHD Grants 
The USCCB domestic anti-poverty program, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), has awarded national grants to two organizations located in the Archdiocese of Hartford: Naugatuck Valley Project (NVP), and United Connecticut Action for Neighborhoods (UCAN).
 
NVP builds community, develops leaders and helps them organize to save, create and strengthen jobs, affordable housing and critical public and private services. A major current focus is organizing to win better home healthcare through better home healthcare jobs.

UCAN is known for its ability to build communities that work effectively to change structures that adversely affect their lives, focusing most recently on health care reform through its Caring Families Coalition.  

In addition to these national grants, OCSJM will award smaller local grants to three orgainizations, Teach Our Children (TOC) in New Haven; Publicly-assisted Housing Residents Network (PHRN) and United Action for Connecticut (UACT), drawing on funds designated for local use by the annual CCHD appeal.

TOC continues its advocacy on behalf of disenfranchised children in New Haven, while involving those children in its membership. PHRN, a resident-led group, works to improve public housing in Connecticut. UACT will work with immigrant communities on economic issues such as a domestic workers' bill of rights and a minimum wage for tipped workers.
 
Each funded organization participates in CCHD's mission to break the cycle of poverty. OCSJM is proud to support each CCHD-funded group in the Archdiocese of Hartford as they directly address unjust systems causing poverty.
OCSJM Staff Honored
 At its annual dinner earlier this summer, United Action Connecticut recognized two individuals from OCSJM as their Social Justice Honorees for 2015.
We are proud of Arturo Iriarte, Parish Social Ministry Coordinator, and Mary O'Brien, Global Solidarity Coordinator, for their outstanding and dedicated work on behalf of social justice, including but not limited to leadership development, community organizing, immigration reform and community empowerment to address pressing local issues.

Congratulations, Mary and Arturo!
Organizing for Mission in CT
Please join us on Saturday, October 3 for a day of reflection and action, "The Light Offered by Faith- Organizing for Mission in CT."

The day, scheduled from 9 am - 3 pm at Holy Angels Church in Meriden, will explore the vision of Pope Francis, as expressed in his new encyclical, Laudato Si, and offer hands-on practical tools for strengthening ministry through relationship building. 

Presenters will include: Kevin M. Johnson- Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology at Sacred Heart University & President of The Inner Room; Arturo Iriarte and Mary O'Brien - community organizers and staff, Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry. The day is free and open to all; free-will donations accepted.  Download the flyer here.

Coffee and sign-in begin at 8:30, with the program starting promptly at 9 am. Lunch is included. Please RSVP by Sept. 26th to info.ocsjm.org or call 203-777-7279! 
"There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature
without a renewal of humanity itself."
Pope Francis
OCSJM Posts Job Opportunity
OCSJM is accepting applications for a new Administrative Assistant position.
  
Reporting to the Director, this full-time position will be responsible for, but not limited to providing routine clerical support, electronic and mailing communications, as well as database documentation. By using a variety of communication tools, the administrative assistant will collaborate with a dedicated team to support the social mission of the Church.  Qualified candidates must have three to five years of secretarial and word processing experience and possess good analytical skills. In addition, this position will require computer skills utilizing the internet, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This position will also be responsible for updating content on social media venues, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, as well as updating the office's website.

To view a complete job description and application instructions, visit the Archdiocesan website. (Scroll down to view the listing for Administrative Assistant posted on July 21st.)
St. Patrick-St. Anthony to Host Forum on Prison Reform in CT
How Hyper-Incarceration is Hijacking the American Dream

When Governor Malloy visited a Hartford jail in July, he highlighted Connecticut's new "Second Chance" law. The same day President Obama became the first sitting president to visit a prison. While at the Reno Correctional Institution in Oklahoma, he expressed hopes that prison reform legislation would extend nation-wide. With these announcements, some people express opinions like, "Every dollar we spend on incarceration is worth it," or "If there's a second chance, how will the prison experience 'scare people straight'?" 

On Thursday evening, September 17 from 7 - 8:30 pm, the Committees for Social Justice and Adult Faith Formation at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford will host a presentation to help form responses to these and other questions and concerns about the effectiveness of the current criminal justice system. The evening event, a collaboration between the Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry and St. Patrick-St. Anthony, will offer guest speakers from the Malta Justice Initiative, including testimony by a former inmate.
Beyond responding to opinions and concerns, the presentation is designed to offer practical guidelines for sentencing and prison reform that conform to Catholic social teaching.
ACTION ALERT:  NOW is the Time for Criminal Justice Reform!
Most members of Congress will be home during the summer recess between August 3 and September 7. Take this opportunity to write your Senators and Representative and tell them to pass effective sentencing and criminal justice reform, including the restoration of sentencing proportionality and support of recidivism reduction and reentry programs.
Learn more here.

Congress has the opportunity to pass substantive legislation to reform of our nation's broken criminal justice system. There is bi-partisan support and agreement among a diverse body of advocates spanning the philosophical spectrum for reform. In September, as part of his trip to the United States, Pope Francis will visit a prison outside Philadelphia reflecting his consistent support for prisoners and for justice and mercy. What could be a better message from our government than to show Pope Francis our own commitment to these principles as reflected in our criminal justice system?

Visit this link to send an email or a personal message to your representative TODAY.
Solidarity with Dilley Mothers and Children

Hundreds of immigrant women and children of all ages are being held, often for months, in the expanding South Texas Detention Center. It is operated by the U.S. Department of homeland Security near the small town of Dilley, 85 miles from the Texas-Mexico border between Laredo and San Antonio. Often fleeing from violence in their home countries, they now are detained without criminal charges, uncertain of their rights, and with few resources.

 

CLINIC, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, has extended an invitation to caring individuals and communities to join them in writing letters to the women and children, letting them know that they are not alone.

 

In response, adults and children gathered recently at St. Augustine Church in Hartford for an evening of letter writing, invited by OCSJM's Arturo Iriarte and other Hispanic PSM leaders. The group composed over 30 letters, which will be sent to CLINIC for distribution.

 

Visit the CLINIC website to learn how you and your community can participate in this show of support and encouragement, and to learn more about the situation. 

Serve to Learn - Learn to Serve
The Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry and the Office for Religious Education and Evangelization invite youth groups and their leaders to learn about the Corporal Works of Mercy this fall by participating in Service Saturdays.  Three Saturdays have been scheduled tooffer both learning about service and a hands-on service activity to increase awareness of the needs of the less fortunate, and our call as Catholics to respond.

Each Saturday will have a different theme; groups are invited to participate in one, two or all three service days. Space for each event is limited, so reserve your space or call for more information as quickly as possible. A $10/person fee will cover the cost of materials; participants must bring their own lunch.

Check out the dates below, and click here to download a flyer/registration form.
Saturday, September 26 - Give Drink to the Thirsty
Saturday, October 31 - Feed the Hungry
Saturday, December 5 - Heal the Sick

For more information contact Sarah (sarah.hillier@aohct.org; (203) 777-7279) or Shawnee Baldwin (shawnee.baldwin@aohct.org; (860) 242-5573).
SAVE THE DATE:  Annual Dinner and Awards
Mark your calendars now for the Annual Social Justice Dinner and Awards night, Tuesday, October 27, 2015. The guest speaker for the evening will be Dr. Carolyn Woo, President & CEO of Catholic Relief Services, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Dr. Woo will share her experiences, and insights on the importance and effectiveness of CRS work around the world.

The Joseph F. Donnelly Memorial Awards for distinguished work in the area of social justice will be presented to the Malta House of Care mobile medical clinic (group) and to Mrs. Nancy Kiely, from Corpus Christi Church in Wethersfield (individual). We congratulate them on their achievements.

Plan now to join us for an evening of celebration and inspiration, as we gather to strengthen one another to move forward in the important work of social justice.
Resources and Opportunities - Plan Ahead!
CRS Resources for the End of the Summer
As August begins, many of us take this transitional time to do things we cannot find time for during the rest of the year.  Advocacy may be something that you can do now. Members of Congress are usually home in their local offices during the month of August; it is a perfect time to make an appointment.  If you are looking for resources, click here for the Advocacy Tool Kit.  If you are a CCD teacher and looking for additional resources introducing the themes of Catholic social teaching through stories of CRS' work overseas, click here for lessons plans for grades 1-8.

End Hunger with Bread 
As the 2016 presidential election heats up, Bread for the World wants to make sure hunger and poverty are part of the national conversation.  To that end, Bread, as part of the Circle of Protection coalition, has disseminated videos in which presidential candidates explain how they would work to address hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world as president. Read more about the campaign here, or go straight to the videos here. 

IREJN - November 5, 2015 - Climate Stewardship Summit
8:30 am - 5:30 pm at Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford. Building on the Pope's call for an moral response to climate change in his recent encyclical, this year's Climate Stewardship Summit will emphasize an action-oriented agenda that addresses environmental injustice related to climate change and the consumption of fossil fuels. (Register here today) Suggested donation is $30 and includes breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and materials. Sliding scale is available of $10 - $100.
 
Holy Family Retreat Center - April 20, 2016 - Evening Retreat
The new encyclical, Laudato Si, mi Signore is, perhaps, the most important document written in our lifetime.  The Holy Father writes, "Many things have to change course, but it is we humans above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and a future to be shared by everyone."  Pope Francis challenges us to rethink who we are in relation to all of creation and gives us hope for a shared future.  Patrick Carolan, from the Franciscan Action Network, will discuss what Pope Francis' groundbreaking encyclical means to us as individuals, as a church, and as a global family. This evening retreat includes an engaging presentation, discussion, and a prayer service for peace with musicians from Holy Family's music ministry. Offering:  $40, includes dinner.
  
A Year of Encounter with Pope Francis
Inspired by the urging of Pope Francis to "encounter" one another, especially those of us that society typically ignores, undervalues or "excludes," PICO, a faith-based community organizing network, has developed a 6-session study guide to both challenge and encourage you, your family, and friends as you seek to encounter and be transformed by your community across race, faith, gender, and economic class. The guide is intended for use in parishes, in all of their diversity, across the United States. Its goal is to start a conversation that leads participants into deeper relationship - with one another and with all people in a parish and community who feel the pain of exclusion. To review the sessions, which include a discussion process as well as videos and resources, click here.