Immigration funding

Several Catholic organizations are circulating a letter asking Congress “to invest in programs that support immigrants and communities and divest from programs that militarize the border and criminalize immigrants.” 

NETWORK, the Catholic Lobby for Social Justice; the St. Columban Mission for Justice, Peace and Ecology; the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers; and the Maryknoll Sisters are a few of the groups asking Catholics to urge Congress to assist border communities by them with robust critical funding for shelter, transportation, and emergency services.
 
They also want Congress to shift decisively away from a punitive response to migration and to reject any attempts to direct further funding for immigration militarization programs outside of regular appropriations this year.
 
They hope to collect 10,000 signatures by the end of the week. To learn more, or to sign the letter, click here.

Season of Creation 2023

The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration that begins September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and ends October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

This year, the Catholic Climate Covenant, Laudato Si' Movement, Pax Christi USA, and the Ignatian Solidarity Network are using the time to explore the theme “Let justice and peace flow” and how the call to creation care and integral ecology is also a call to nonviolence. 
 
Participants can participate by receiving a piece of the Vow of Nonviolence each week, and join a live Zoom session where they can make the vow in community on Oct. 2, 2023 – Gandhi’s birthday.  
 
Each week during the Season of Creation you will receive an email with a:
 - short video exploring the weekly theme;
 - scripture quote;
 - practical invitation to practice nonviolence in your daily life;
 - set of reflection questions.
 
To sign up for the weekly emails, or participate via the website click here.  #SeasonOfCreation2023 

Respect Life Month Webinar

Staff of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops will hold a webinar at 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 17, to help parishes celebrate Respect Life Month in October. According to the announcement: “USCCB staff will walk through this year's new materials, as well as the perennial Respect Life Month action guide. This introductory-level webinar is perfect for parish staff and volunteers, but anyone is welcome to join.”

Although developed with parishes in mind, the materials are adaptable to a variety of settings, such as Catholic schools, youth ministry, and more.

 

To register, click here.