World Day of Migrants and Refugees

This Sunday, September 29, is the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which the Church has been celebrating since 1914. It is “always an occasion to express concern for different vulnerable people on the move; to pray for them as they face many challenges; and to increase awareness about the opportunities that migration offers.”

Here is a link with more information. 

Pope's monthly prayer intentions

Since1890, Popes have entrusted their monthly prayer intentions to the Apostleship of Prayer, now known as the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. It is a service of the Holy See, under the care of the Society of Jesus.

The intention for August is for political leaders:
 
We pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and for the common good, especially caring for the poor and those who have lost their jobs.

Council of Churches Awards Dinner

The Annual Fall Dinner and Awards Celebration of the Capital Area Council of Churches in September will recognize “five individuals whom with their collaborative spirit and willingness to go the extra mile have made a significant impact on our community.”

 

Those individuals are:

 

Rev. Antonio Booth - Rev. Booth was Co-Pastor at Riverview Missionary Baptist Church for many years and is currently an Associate Pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church.

 

Rev. Dr. Roxanne Jones-Booth – Dr. Booth was Co-Pastor at Riverview Missionary Baptist Church and is currently an Associate Pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church.

 

Rob Kovach - Rob is the President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York.

 

Natasha Pernicka - Natasha is the Executive Director of The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York and the Food Pantries for the Capital District.

 

Rev. James Kane - Father Kane is the longtime Director of the Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

 

To join the Honorary Committee of this year’s event, click here. The cost is $120 for individuals and $200 for couples. All members of the committee will be acknowledged. Join by August 15 to be included in the program. Please note that joining the Honorary Committee includes dinner.

 

The event is September 25 at the Italian American Community Center in Albany.

Gun violence déjà vu

Another mass shooting in America, this time at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. And, as often is the case, the weapon was an assault rifle.

Surveys show that almost six-in-ten adults in American favor stricter gun laws. Here, once again, are proposals supported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They include:

-       A total ban on assault weapons, which the USCCB supported when the ban passed in 1994 and when Congress failed to renew it in 2004. 

-       Measures that control the sale and use of firearms, such as universal background checks for all gun purchases; 

-       Limitations on civilian access to high-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines; 

-       A federal law to criminalize gun trafficking; 

-       Improved access to and increased resources for mental health care and earlier interventions; 

-       Regulations and limitations on the purchasing of handguns; 

-       Measures that make guns safer, such as locks that prevent children and anyone other than the owner from using the gun without permission and supervision; and 

-       An honest assessment of the toll of violent images and experiences which inundate people, particularly our youth. 

You can contact your House Representative or Senators by phone by calling the Capitol Switchboard. Simply dial 202-224-3121, give the operator your zip code, and he/she will connect you with your elected officials' office. Let your representatives that you support these reasonable measures to address gun violence.

USCCB Budget Comments

The heads of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development; International Justice and Peace; and Migration have written to Congress to express their views on the Biden Administration’s August 10, 2023, request for emergency Fiscal Year 2024 supplemental funding.

Among the programs they support are requests for rural housing rental assistance, the Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) “in order for these critical programs to continue meeting basic nutrition and housing needs. It is especially important to address WIC funding to ensure all mothers, infants, and young children in need have access to life-saving nutrition and health services. Ensuring the WIC program is strong and effective is vital to building a truly life-affirming society.”

Among the proposals they oppose the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2), which they describe as “a divisive border and immigration bill that the House narrowly passed earlier this year. We believe that such provisions would severely weaken humanitarian protections long enshrined in U.S. and international law. Catholic social teaching clearly recognizes a country’s right to secure its borders in accordance with the common good. However, the USCCB opposes measures that seriously contradict our nation’s fundamental commitment to humanitarian protection, especially those that would undermine protection for the sanctity of human life.”

The full letter is here.

Catholic Relief Service Action Campaigns

Catholic Relief Services has an on-line mobilization calendar that provides information about their various campaign to help us act throughout the year and create lasting change for our global family. Content is updated monthly.

Here are two upcoming events:

September 24 -- World Day of Migrants and Refugees

October 4 -- Email Congress Day. Email your members of Congress to fund international development and humanitarian aid, especially within the Green Climate Fund and Development Assistance.

More information and the downloadable calendar are here.

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.