JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS
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January 6, 2010
USCCB launch's new Justice for Immigrants website, postcard campaign
During a telephonic press event, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) outlined plans to work to enact comprehensive immigration reform in 2010.
New JFI website
To visit the new Justice for Immigrants website, visit: www.usccb.org/jfi
Postcard Campaign
A national postcard campaign has been initiated to urge Congress to pass reform legislation. Several dioceses are participating in this campaign. There is also an option to complete the postcard electronically. > Click here to send a completed postcard to your federal lawmakers
Download the postcard in English and Spanish
Or order postcards for your parish |
> National Migration Week Resources
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HEALTH CARE BULLETIN INSERT
January Urgent Alert! Stop Abortion Funding in Health Care;
Reform; Protect Conscience; Ensure Affordable Health Coverage;
Allow Legal Immigrants to Purchase Private Health Insurance. Click here to download the Health Care bulletin insert in pdf.
OFFICE OF ADVOCACY AND JUSTICE UPDATES
Please adapt and use the
following items for parish bulletins, announcements and homilies.
“Just Like You” Young Adult Fair Trade Retreat **RESCHEDULED** April 30 – May 2
Join us in a weekend of prayer, reflection, and Catholic social teaching where you will become commissioned as a Catholic Relief Services fair trader! The retreat will be held at the Open Gate Retreat Center, Williston Florida (near Gainesville) on Friday April 30 through Sunday May 2. The cost to attend is $40 per person and includes all lodging and food. Call or email Stephanie Bosse for more information - 407-246-4822 or rlointern@orlandodiocese.org.
Fair Trade Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day spread your love around the world by purchasing Fair Trade items such as chocolate, nuts, and coffee. Items may be ordered through Catholic Relief Services: click here or a selection of items are available through the Office of Advocacy and Justice; contact eclayton@orlandodiocese.org or call 407-246-4819.
Caring for Creation
Lenten Carbon Fast Calendar: Opportunity to Examine Lifestyle During Lent
The Archdiocese of Washington's Environmental Outreach Committee produced a calendar listing 40 carbon fasting actions everyone can consider as a part of Lenten preparations. Each of these actions challenges us to reflect on our consumption habits, reduce our production of climate change pollution and help to preserve God's great gift of Creation. As Pope Benedict reminded us in his World Day of Peace Message: "Our present crises … require us to rethink the path which we are travelling together. Specifically, they call for a lifestyle marked by sobriety and solidarity…" What better time than Lent to begin practicing such a lifestyle. Download the Carbon Fast Calendar for your parish, school, or individual use. ACTION: INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN THIS CARBON FAST.
From the Vatican: New Head of Pontifical Council of Justice & Peace to Focus on Environment
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the newly installed head of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, said that among his priorities will be a new expansive notion of solidarity that includes the environment: "Now it is solidarity: that our life on earth depends as much on the earth as our life on the earth depends on us. So it's like a symbiotic type of relationship which we need to appreciate more now than we've ever done." For a press account of his installation, go here.
Advocacy Efforts
Urge your Senators to support Senate Resolution 404 for a peaceful and stable Sudan - Take Action Now! Contact your Senators now and urge them to co-sponsor the bipartisan Senate Resolution 404 that supports full implementation of the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement and efforts to promote peace and stability in Sudan.
Why is action important now? The volatile situation in Sudan – not just in the Darfur region, but also the tenuous peace between the North and South brought about by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) – is becoming more serious. The country is bracing for national elections in April 2010 and a referendum on whether the South should secede from the North in January 2011. The potential for increased violence, death, and displacement at the hands of a renewed North-South war is real. Therefore, significant steps must be taken to avert such a disaster.
What does S. Res. 404 do? Senators Feingold (D-WI), Brownback (R-KS), and Wicker (R-MS) among others recently introduced S. Res. 404 that signals the United States’ strong commitment to prevent increased violence and promote peace and stability in all of Sudan. The resolution specifically calls on President Obama to strengthen engagement on this issue and on the international community to coordinate their efforts closely. It urges the responsible actors in Sudan to comply with the provisions of the CPA, resolve outstanding issues, and avoid actions that escalate tensions.
What is the Church’s position? The Catholic bishops of Sudan have raised serious concerns about the situation in their country. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) share their concerns regarding the potential for increased violence and are taking action to avert conflict, assist people in need and promote reconciliation. Therefore, we support S. Res. 404 and thank co-sponsoring Senators for their support. We ask that all Senators, especially members of the Foreign Relations Committee, also co-sponsor this important resolution.
What does the situation in Sudan have to do with my Catholic faith? Our Catholic faith calls on us to uphold the life and dignity of all human life and to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters everywhere. Conflict in Sudan has already cost millions of lives, displaced millions more, and deepened widespread poverty. As Catholics, we must take action to prevent violence and save lives as well as assist our neighbors in need.
How is the Catholic Church promoting peace and stability in Sudan? CRS has worked in Sudan since 1972 and is currently active in Darfur, South Sudan and in the capital, Khartoum. Working in partnership with the Catholic Church in Sudan and with affected communities, our focus in Darfur is to provide humanitarian assistance such as food and essential household items as well as establishment of shelters for people displaced by the violence. We also promote development assistance through education, agriculture, water and sanitation and health care initiatives and support peace efforts that strengthen civil society and civic education.
The USCCB has been working closely with the Catholic Church in Sudan, with delegations repeatedly visiting the country, including Darfur, and playing an active role in the U.S. policy debate.
Senate Moves Forward on Jobs Creation Package -
Last week, Senate leaders announced their intentions to introduce several bills to promote job growth. These announcements came after President Obama called on Congress to quickly pass legislation to create more jobs. The President outlined a set of proposals in his State of the Union address to improve the sluggish job market. Among the proposals was a plan to provide tax incentives to small businesses to hire new workers. Businesses will receive a $5,000 tax credit for every net new employee they hire in 2010. The total amount of the credit will be capped at $500,000 per firm to ensure that the majority of the benefit goes to small businesses. According to Congressional Quarterly, Senate leaders are planning to introduce a number of bills that will focus on both short term and long term job growth. Details on these proposals or potential funding sources were not released.
Advocates for low-income families continue to urge Congress to provide a safety net for dislocated workers by extending unemployment benefits. This idea received additional support on Thursday from Douglas Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, during his testimony before the Senate Budget Committee. Mr. Elmendorf suggested that providing payment to unemployed workers continues to be a viable policy for strengthening the economy and creating jobs. He also expressed support for a tax incentive to employers as an effective way to quickly create jobs.
Administration Issues New Rule on Mental Health Parity -
On January 29, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury jointly issued new rules requiring parity in treatment of mental and substance abuse disorders. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) advisory, the new rules prohibit group health insurance plans-typically offered by employers-from restricting access to care by limiting benefits and requiring higher patient costs than those that apply to general medical or surgical benefits. The new rules implement the Paul Wellstone and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) which requires that any group health plan that includes mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits along with standard medical and surgical coverage must treat them equally in terms of out-of-pocket cost, benefit limits, and practices such as prior authorization and utilization review.
The new rules on the MHPAEA, effective July 1, 2010, apply to employers with 50 or more employees that offer mental health or substance abuse disorder benefits as part of their group health plan. Comments on the interim final rule can be made up to 90 days and should be emailed to the federal rulemaking portal at click here.
Now announcing the 2010 CCHD Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest!
As the school year begins, please consider participating in the CCHD Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest and Program. The Multi-Media Youth Arts Contest is an annual contest organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). It is designed as a tool for schools and parishes to engage Catholics in grades 7 through 12 in learning about the causes of poverty, Catholic social teaching, and CCHD.
The 2010 contest theme is: “Empowering Communities, Uprooting Poverty.” Please note that all types of art (e.g. video, song, painting, acting, writing, etc.) are welcome. Entries must be turned into the Office of Advocacy and Justice by March 1, 2010 and awards will be distributed by Bishop Wenski at the World Communications Day celebration and reception on May 17 at St. Margaret Mary Church.
The Arts Contest Program offers almost 100 pages of lesson plans and activities that can be used across disciplines—by theology, art, English, social studies, government, music, and other teachers—as well as in youth ministry and catechetical programs, to educate the entire school or parish. As part of the program, young people are equipped to become educators of their peers, families, and the wider community about what they have learned. For contest information and rules see: www.advocacyjustice.org or www.usccb.org/cchd/contestmaterials.shtml.
Download the entire contest packet here: http://usccb.org/cchd/mmac/2010-MMAC-Contest_Packet.pdf |
