One Action

We suggest you identify one action you will do this week to help support the Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) invite Catholics throughout the U.S. to join this campaign as we advocate for U.S. policies that foster economic and social development for people living in poverty throughout the world.

The campaign focuses on three areas of U.S. economic policy:

* Trade: Shaping U.S. trade policies so that overcoming poverty and promoting human development are central priorities;

* Aid: Supporting effective programs that foster long-term development and empowerment of the poor.

* Debt: Eliminating the debt of the poorest countries in ways that reduce poverty and promote human dignity.

Learn more here.

Justice for Immigrants

Justice for Immigrants is the Catholic campaign for immigration reform. Their website

is designed to help achieve the goals of the Justice for Immigrants Campaign. It provides tools and information for diocesan and community-based organizing, education, and advocacy efforts. You will find information about Catholic teachings that underpin this Campaign, as well as proposals from the Catholic Bishops to achieve reforms in our nation’s immigration laws and policies that better reflect our values as a nation of immigrants.

You can find the website here.

Operation Rice Bowl in Niger

Operation Rice Bowl (ORB) is the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services, and calls Catholics in the United States to reach out in solidarity with the poor around the world through the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, learning, and giving. By participating in these four activities, we come to understand our call to be a part of one global community. This is from the latest ORB e-mail.

In this fifth week of Lent we visit a community in Niger that finds that with a combination of faith and technology, water can be restored to a long-dry well. Located southeast of Algeria in West Africa, Niger is one of the world's poorest countries. As much as 63 percent of the population lives below the poverty line in this arid country, which is often beset by extended drought. In 2005 a severe locust infestation on top of drought caused food shortages for more than 2.5 million people.

Pray

" Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not. See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? ... For I put water in the desert and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink." Sunday's reading from Isaiah (43:16-21) resounds with the impossible reversals that accompany Easter hope. God is doing something new, even in the midst of thirst and hunger. Those who have committed to following the risen Christ know that they are commissioned to bring that "something new" to a thirsty world. In your prayer this week seek the ways that God might do something new in you. Examine the dry, desert places in your life and ask God to show you how they might be channels for Christ's hope and grace.

Fast

Without water we die, much sooner than if we lack food. More than 50 percent of the human body is composed of the stuff. It covers more than 70 percent of our planet. As part of your Lenten fast, consider skipping a meal today and drinking only water. Prayerfully reflect on the source of the water you drink. How far did it travel to get to you? What structures are in place to ensure that it arrives clean? What resources go into its delivery and its packaging? Pray for those who do not have the benefits of such a purification and delivery system. Let the hunger pangs of a missed meal remind you of the global cry for "something new."
Learn

The people of the Nigerien village of Marmari were sure they had been cursed. Long ago, the story went, when water was plentiful a stranger had visited the region and asked a villager for a drink. The villager, who was on his way to the field, refused, saying he had no time to do women's work for a stranger. Offended, the visitor said that one day the village would have greater sympathy for his thirst. After that the water became steadily less plentiful. Wells had to be dug deeper and deeper, until they could no longer reach the water table below. The people could not remember a time when water was plentiful. In 1994, CRS secured funding for the village to dig a new well. The skepticism of the villagers mounted as months went by and the workers were forced to drill deeper and deeper. CRS secured more funding, the villagers contributed to the labor, and finally the masons hit water. Mamari now boasts the deepest well in the region. While the old women of the village admitted they had doubted the project would succeed, the masons reminded them that as the men labored in the hot sun day after day, the women had never allowed their water bowls to go empty.

Give

This week, instead of buying a bottle of water or a soda, fill a container from the tap and place the money you would have spent into the Rice Bowl.

Reduce Povery in America

We hope you will endorse Catholic Charities USA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America. The goals of the Campaign are:

* To reduce poverty in the United States by 50 percent by the year 2020.

* To call upon the government to do more to serve those who are poor, and to improve public policies that strengthen and support families.

* To educate policymakers and the public about the struggles of those living in poverty and the good work of those who serve them in local communities.

* To engage those who are most impacted by government policies to be active participants in developing solutions to reducing poverty.

* To work with individuals and organizations across the country to address poverty in our country.

Please join us in this fight to reduce poverty and support those in our communities with limited resources. Go to www.Catholiccharitiesusa.org. Below the menu on the left side, click on Poverty in America.

Trauma Awareness and Healing

A Workshop for Family and Friends Affected by Murder

Friday, April 13: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday, April 14: 9:00am - 5:00pm

At the Pastoral Center of the Albany Diocese, Room 7, 40 North Main Avenue, Albany, New York

(Entrance and parking in the rear of the building)

Cost is Free. Registration Required (Registration deadline is April 6th)

The journey of healing from trauma is a process. It is an individual process. No two people are alike, no two traumas are alike. There are many steps to this journey, and we are each at our own place on that path of healing.

This workshop is designed to provide a basic understanding of the effects of trauma as well as create a safe space for participants to recognize their personal journey of healing trauma, thus offering them an opportunity to take a next step.

Friday’s session will educate participants on trauma theory and will also involve a group activity.

On Saturday, participants will go more deeply into their healing journey and work with their process both individually and as a group.

We ask participants to register for this workshop only if they are able attend both sessions.

More information is available here.

Talk about Darfur Tonight

Former Ambassador Lawrence Rossin will deliver a lecture called, "Darfur: Genocide that Demands Action." at 7:30 p.m. today (March 27) at The College of Saint Rose Thelma P. Lally School of Education, 1009 Madison Avenue, Albany.

The lecture is free and open to the public. More information is available here.

Divestment Legislation

We received the following e-mail from the Save Darfur Coalition regarding Divestment Legislation in New York State.

Senator Joe Robach and Assemblyman Darryl Towns have written targeted divestment legislation that will take back New York State's dollars from companies that fund the genocide in Darfur.

However, this bill has not been introduced because the New York State Comptroller has not released a "Fiscal Note" which is needed to allow the legislation to go to a vote.

You can help today by calling New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli:

1. Dial (518) 474-4044

2. Please use the talking points below:

I'm a New York resident who cares about ending the genocide in Darfur. It is important that New York divest from foreign companies that contribute to the genocide in Darfur where over 400,000 have died and 2.5 million have been displaced since 2003.

I urge you to release the "Fiscal Note" and allow the legislation to be introduced by Senator Robach and Assemblyman Towns. This action will be vital in helping us stop the genocide.

What is targeted divestment?

Targeted divestment calls for the accelerated engagement of companies that are directly or indirectly helping the Sudanese government perpetuate genocide. If a company refuses to change its behavior in response to pressure from shareholders, the targeted divestment model calls for the removal of invested money from that company.

Please forward this message to your friends and family who live in New York. Working together we can move this legislation forward and help the people of Darfur

You can learn more at www.SaveDarfur.org

Building peace with justice

Building Peace with Justice is a brief, weekly bulletin reflection written by members of a Diocese of Rochester Public Policy sub-committee that links the Sunday readings to Catholic social teaching.  Many parishes publish them as space allows.

For Sunday Bulletins on Palm Sunday

Mass begins today with a joyful procession recalling Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Picture yourself among the crowd in Jerusalem that day.  You are surrounded by the poor and marginalized of the city; people who had been previously afraid to come forward now bravely welcome the one who brings them hope.  You have this feeling that society is on the verge of change.  However, just a few days later as Jesus hung on the cross, with the crowds gone, you feel that fear has won.

Justice and Peace work can be fearful; at times we may feel alone or overwhelmed.  However we must remember that the joy of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was not lost on Good Friday rather it led to the ultimate victory over fear on Easter.  

Reflection:  How have I let fear prevent me from taking action?  How can I take comfort in the promise of Easter?

March for peace on Sunday

Long before the war in Iraq began, Pope John Paul II and our own U.S. Catholic Bishops spoke out strongly against both the wisdom and the morality of a pre-emptive attack.

Four years later we are embroiled in a war that has provided a training ground for terrorists and taken a disastrous toll in lives and suffering among our own young men and women as well as the Iraqi people.

There are no obvious solutions and, as people of faith, we will have differing opinions on the appropriate strategy for solving this quagmire. But the one unacceptable response is no response. We cannot go about our lives as if a war were not being fought on the premise of ensuring our safety and American way of life. A war in which all of the sacrifice is born by the combatants and the innocents who surround them, is the most immoral war of all. How will you and your parish commemorate this sad anniversary? A prayer service for peace? A community vigil?

We’ll be at the east side of the Capitol (facing the Hudson River) at 2 p.m. If you'd like to join us, here are the details:

We will meet on the sidewalk where Washington Avenue, State Street and Eagle Street come together. Picture yourself standing on the sidewalk next to the street directly east of the staircase and looking down State Street.

We'll carry 2 banners: Commission on Peace and Justice, and Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. We need 3 people for each banner, and replacements who will walk along with the banner bearers and will replace them when they get tired.

The march will end at the Federal Building on North Pearl Street.

There will be a special contingent for youth. They'll start at 1 PM at Townsend Park, the little triangle bounded by Henry Johnson Blvd., Washington Ave. and Central Ave. If you have teens in your family and/or neighborhood, please let them know about this.

We hope you can come.

Remember Iran?

The editors at the magazine Commonweal remind us that, as the administration talks about possible conflict with Iran:

[i]t is now easy to forget that America’s relations with Iran were improving after September 11. Iran condemned the terrorist attacks and lent its support to the U.S. effort to overthrow the Taliban in Afghanistan. In 2003, Iran’s National Security Council approved a proposal for comprehensive talks with the United States, but the White House never followed up. By then President Bush had decided to include Iran in his “Axis of Evil,” partly in order to keep his critics from claiming he had unfairly singled out Iraq. Now there is the temptation to find some other country to blame for our failure in Iraq. The president seems to have chosen Iran and firmly refuses to meet with its leaders. “This is a world in which people say, ‘Meet! Sit down and meet!’” the president has said. “And my answer is, if it yields results, that’s what I’m interested in.” But he has it backward: he will have to show he’s interested before he can reasonably expect results. The president should not try to convince himself, and us, that he already knows what talks with Iran could accomplish.

You can read the entire editorial here.

Centering Prayer Morning Retreat

Centering Prayer Morning Retreat
Saturday, March 17th – at the Hubbard Interfaith Sanctuary
959 Western Avenue, Albany

8:30 – Coffee and…plus a brief overview for people new to Centering Prayaer
9:00 – Chair Yoga & Two Periods of Centering Prayer
10:00 – Break
10:15 – Video Fr. Thomas Keating and Abbot Joseph Boyle from the 2006 Contemplative Outreach Conference
11:15 – Discussion of Video
11:40 – Centering Prayer
12:00 – Closing Prayer and Adjourn

Free will offering. Coffee and refreshments provided.

Operation Rice Bowl

You probably already know that Operation Rice Bowl is the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services, and calls Catholics in the United States to reach out in solidarity with the poor around the world through the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, learning, and giving. By participating in these four activities, we come to understand our call to be a part of one global community. The latest e-mail from CRS recommends, among other things:

Instead of giving something up this week, take something on. Set aside some time to understand and act upon the root causes of global poverty. CRS campaigns such as the Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty and the Africa Campaign provide ways to stand in solidarity with some of the world's poorest people. Securing the foreign assistance that funds development programs, increasing food aid to struggling countries, ending conflict in war-torn regions all are areas where citizens can urge their elected officials to act. Learn how by signing up for the CRS Legislative Network.

Chocolate and Catholic Social Teaching

Since Halloween, Catholic Relief Services has encouraged students and teachers to explore Fair Trade through chocolate and Catholic Social Teaching. Now is the time to test your knowledge!

From March 1, 2007 to March 31, 2007 CRS is conducting conduct this on-line quiz. If you answer all of the questions correctly, you will be entered into a random drawing for a $100 gift certificate to the Greater Gift catalog or website. There will be one winner from each of the six CRS regions in the United States. No purchase or payment is required to participate.

You can learn more about to Fair Trade and Catholic Social Teaching here. To take the quiz, go here.

Peacebuilders Initiative

Peacebuilders Initiative is an innovative program of the Bernardin Center that prepares Catholic high school youth for leadership roles in peacemaking, reconciliation, and conflict transformation, and inspires them to consider ministry as a life choice. The following is from their most recent newsletter.

"When war, as in these days in Iraq, threatens the fate of humanity, it is ever more urgent to proclaim, with a strong and decisive voice that only peace is the road to follow to construct a more just and united society. Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men."
--Pope John Paul II, March 22, 2003. Address to television broadcaster Telepace in first public remarks following start of Iraq war.

A study by Johns Hopkins University and Al Mustansiriya University researchers finds that between 420,000 and 790,000 Iraqis have died as a result of war and political violence since the beginning of the US invasion in March 2003. It was published in The Lancet medical journal on October 11, 2006.

Remembering Adele

Anyone who ever attended St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar knew Adele, quietly sitting up front in her wheel chair, or wheeling herself in or out of the church to her residence next door. She had an infectious smile. Her passing was recorded in The Tablet, the newspaper of the archdiocese of New York.

Everyone at our parish knew Adele. Maybe they didn't know her up close and personal, but they knew of her. She was a visible and ever-present fixture at St. Thomas. Her wheelchair with the "Got Jesus?" bumper sticker on the back was parked in front of the first row of pews at every Mass every weekend. When she wasn't in church, she was praying in front of the statue of Mary outside our school or in front of the tabernacle in our chapel or at any number of vigils around the peace pole.

Noah and I got to know Adele when we volunteered to help at the birthday parties our parish sponsored at Reilly House, a residence for people with physical disabilities next door to our church. Once a month we would go over and help residents with their bingo cards or give them a hand with their cake and ice cream. I thought it would be a good opportunity for Noah to learn about serving others, but it turned out to be a good opportunity for both of us to learn about being strong and courageous and joyful in the face of adversity.

Adele was all of those things. Unable to walk and with very limited speech because of cerebral palsy, she never let her physical limitations keep her from doing the things she wanted to do. Through her quiet witness and deep faith—not to mention an unflappable determination to get the rest of us to slow down long enough to figure out what she was trying to tell us—she taught young and old alike what it means to trust in God and keep on keeping on, no matter how much we might want to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves. Adele never seemed to feel sorry for herself, even if others may have felt sorry for her.

Many people in our society—a society bent on creating perfect babies who we assume will grow into perfect adults—probably looked at Adele's circumstances and figured that hers was not a life worth living, but if you knew Adele, you would also know that her life, with all of its limitations and struggles, was a rare gift.

The rest of the story is here.

Kathy Kelly
Eyewitness to War, Witness for Peace


Saturday March 24 spend an inspiring evening with international peace activist, author and three time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly.

When the first American Marines battled their way into Baghdad in March of 2003 they were met by Kathy Kelly and a small band of peace witnesses. From Baghdad to Beirut, Haiti to Ft Benning, from a maximum security prison cell to the Washington DC office of Hilary Clinton, Kathy Kelly has courageously put her life on the line to serve as a witness for peace in a war-ravaged world.

Join Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, Women Against War, Veterans for Peace, and the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady Social Action Council, as we welcome Kathy back from her recent stay in Jordan, documenting the plight of Iraqi war refugees stranded there.

Her moving accounts of ordinary people caught up in violent conflict will sometimes shock, but will also leave you in awe of the power of human compassion.

Saturday March 24, 2007 at 6:30 PM
Bethlehem Town Hall
445 Delaware Avenue
Delmar, New York

For more info contact: Bob Alft info4co@yahoo.com
518-765-4386

Or
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace www.bethlehemforpeace.org
518-439-8262

Kathy Kelly
Eyewitness to War, Witness for Peace


Saturday March 24 spend an inspiring evening with
international peace activist, author and three time Nobel Peace Prize nominee
Kathy Kelly.

When the first American Marines battled their way into Baghdad in March of 2003 they were met by Kathy Kelly and a small band of peace witnesses. From Baghdad to Beirut, Haiti to Ft Benning, from a maximum security prison cell to the Washington DC office of Hilary Clinton, Kathy Kelly has courageously put her life on the line to serve as a witness for peace in a war-ravaged world.

Join Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, Women Against War, Veterans for Peace, and the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady Social Action Council, as we welcome Kathy back from her recent stay in Jordan, documenting the plight of Iraqi war refugees stranded there.

Her moving accounts of ordinary people caught up in violent conflict will sometimes shock , but will also leave you in awe of the power of human compassion.

Saturday March 24, 2007 at 6:30 PM
Bethlehem Town Hall
445 Delaware Avenue
Delmar, New York

For more info contact: Bob Alft info4co@yahoo.com
518-765-4386

Or
Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace www.bethlehemforpeace.org http://www.bethlehemforpeace.org
518-439-8262

Chrocheting in prison

The Tablet, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, has an interesting story about women in prison and how you can help:

Sharon, Tiana and Emily crocheted beautiful matching scarf and hat sets for people like Marcia and her daughter Samantha who wait outside C.H.I.P.S., a soup kitchen in Park Slope.

But the three women, who are imprisoned in the Metropolitan Detention Center, did not get to deliver the warm colorful scarves, hats and ponchos personally to Sister Mary Maloney, S.F.P., who runs C.H.I.P.S. (Park Slope Christian Help).

Instead, Father James McDevitt, chaplain at the MDC, along with Justin Andrews, an associate warden, delivered several large bags overflowing with crocheted items, which will be distributed to the poor and to pregnant women and women with infants housed in C.H.I.P.S.’ Frances Residency program.
. . .
But, as a rule, women inmates don’t get many visitors, Father McDevitt says. These women, who in many cases tried to keep things going for everyone else on the outside, often receive little support for themselves.

About 90% of the women inmates have suffered physical or sexual abuse at some time in their lives, he said. And yet, some continue “to try to manage their families from here,” Father McDevitt said.
. . .
One of the reasons Father McDevitt started the crocheting project was to help the women fill their time productively. For Valerie, the activity “takes off the stress” of long hours in the MDC’s East Building.

With donations of yarn from local parishes, about 28 women at the detention center have been crocheting warm scarves and hats for the homeless for about a year. Sixty other women are on a waiting list, waiting for more yarn and plastic crochet needles.
. . .
Donations of yarn in all colors can be sent to St. John the Evangelist Church, 250 21st St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215. Federal regulations require that the yarn be sent to a church and not directly to the prison.

You can read more here.

More on the 40-Hour Fast

In Saturday’s Times Union, Sister Marianne Comfort writes about the Labor-Religion Coalition’s 40-Hour Fast, which begins at 8 p.m. Monday and runs through noon Wednesday, and which we first told you about here.

As a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, I recalled how our congregation was founded in 17th-century France by a group of women committed to meeting the needs of widows, orphans and others left destitute in that war-torn society. That same spirit is alive now in Los Angeles, where one of our sisters is providing services to victims of human trafficking who have passed through her program for homeless women and children. While visiting 1 years ago, I was horrified as I listened to some of these women tell their stories. One was locked up in a sweatshop for 24 hours a day after being lured to the United States with promises of a good seamstress job. Two others were virtually imprisoned as round-the-clock maids.

A few years ago, the newspapers were full of the story of Mexican farm laborers who were being housed in appalling conditions and forced to work for very little or no pay in agricultural fields near Rochester. Workers from Peru, placed in fast-food restaurants and other mainstream businesses on Long Island, were having their wages taken by those who had brought them into the country.

The Labor-Religion Coalition is giving New Yorkers an opportunity to share our concern for these and other, hidden victims of human trafficking through the time-honored religious practice of fasting. As we fast, we will be praying that lawmakers open their hearts to the gut-wrenching stories that we have heard and respond by passing comprehensive, effective legislation that includes felony-level penalties for perpetrators and immigration and social services for victims. True justice demands nothing less.

The rest of the article is here. More information on the Fast is here.

Ash Wednesday Call to Confess Error in Iraq

America magazine reports on Baltimore religious leaders speaking out on the Iraq war:

Christian leaders in Baltimore, Md., used the backdrop of Ash Wednesday and props of a dead soldier’s combat boots as they called President George W. Bush’s Iraq War policies immoral and urged Marylanders to take part in an organized antiwar rally in Washington, D.C. The 13 religious leaders from varying Christian faiths—including Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden of Baltimore—chose Feb. 21, the first day of Lent, to launch their collective antiwar platform, because Lent is a penitential season. “The time has come to confess our mistakes and wrongdoing and withdraw our troops” from Iraq, said the Rev. Peter K. Nord, head of the Presbytery of Baltimore, part of the national Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “The Jesus we follow prays for peace and so do we,” Rev. Nord said at the news conference at City Temple Baptist Church in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. “I’m troubled that our commander in chief neither shares this prayer nor listens to his people.”

Catholics, Visible

This week's issue of The Evangelist contains a front page article on the upcoming Public Policy Day in Albany.

When 1,000 Catholics from across New York State descend on the State Capitol in Albany on March 13, they want to make sure lawmakers know about it.

The annual Public Policy Forum, at which Catholics lobby elected officials on issues of concern, has a new twist: Participants will wear "Catholic voter" buttons, bring cameras to have their pictures taken with legislators and generally make extra efforts to be noticed.

"We're changing the focus of the day to one of visibility and presence in the Capitol," noted Dennis Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference, which sponsors the event. The Catholic Conference represents the state's bishops in public policy matters.
. . .
The agenda for the day focuses on seven issues of concern to Catholic voters:

* enacting tuition tax deductions for parents of students in independent and religious schools;

* opposing funding for human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research;

* expanding supports for low-income working families;

* boosting access to health care for the uninsured;

* protecting religious freedoms for healthcare and human service providers;

* increasing funding for education and treatment programs in the criminal justice system; and

* ending human trafficking and supporting its victims.

You can read more here.

The 40-Hour Fast

The Twelfth Annual 40-Hour Fast, sponsored by the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition, begins Monday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m. and ends on Wednesday, March 7 at noon.

This has been described by the New York Times as “one of the country's largest fasts, this one to protest low wages and abuses in the workplace.”

To many, the power of fasting, personal and political, feels especially strong in New York, where many of the streets, beginning with Wall Street and extending deep into the suburbs, seem to be awash in money and an obsession with wealth and excess.

Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany said New York's religious and labor leaders came up with the idea of a 40-hour fast because they were upset that the problems of poor workers were drawing so little attention, while high-tech billionaires were getting all the publicity. Fasting, he said, is a way to make an unmistakable moral statement when so much of the populace is preoccupied with stock options and sybaritic consumerism. And what better time to do it, he said, than during the Christian penitential season of Lent?

''Everybody is mesmerized these days by the soaring stock market and how people seem to be doing so well economically, yet the gap between the richest and the poorest is wider than it's been in decades,'' said Bishop Hubbard, co-chairman of the New York State Labor-Religion Coalition, which organized the fast. ''Very often those not participating cannot speak for themselves, and we feel as religious leaders and members of the labor movement that we have to be a voice for the voiceless.''

You can read more here and here.