Ames RLSJ Regional Gathering 10/15/2015 Notes. St. Cecilia Church Food at first do a soup kitchen- helped staff, that along with other churches. St. Thomas works with housing and tries to advocate for affordable housing. Both offer trips nationally & internationally. St. Henry s Charity projects, Human trafficking education, tithing from the parish goes to local, national & international groups (4 th Sunday Collection). Marshalltown- St. Henry End Human Trafficking Working with Police, Hospitals, Schools > Parish members brought to a mtg, chief of police not Catholic but comes to meetings. Mission group > went to El Salvador 2006; New Orleans during flood (see a need) Christmas Tree- Garage Sale_ Many Parishes- doing work to end human trafficking. Carol Nelson- St. Cecilia Gabriel Project- unborn help; Receive calls; take women to appointments Starting to start 2 pregnancy house possible family issues @ home; no money Informed choices accredited medical clinic - Do ultra sounds, provide clinical care - Normally ultrasounds will help parents decide to keep their child Tom (Holy Trinity) - Social Justice committee went away - Charities > Ministry in DSM host homeless people different churches rotate hosting. - Respect Life committee - Fundraising for a variety of social issues. - Take out from tithing for social justice issues. John ( Marshalltown/St. Henry s) - Pro-life committee (6 yrs) - When Marshalltown identified to have a Planned Parenthood Facility (ramped up) - Interest level has been winning; numbers are dwindling
- Looking for ways to energize; see same people for each event; mostly same, yet older people. Alan (St. Cecilia) - Four plex for transitional housing- 300 kids called it home over the last several years (15yrs) - Adopting a unit > to volunteer labor - Involve more churches > 8 churches (various denominations) - $73,600 budget - 6 months - Work around homeless - Family shelter next to transitional housing shelter - 80 businesses - 2000 ISU students involved Stephen Ministry Alph2 2 nd collection every third Sunday > donations to social Justice Committee fuels Social Justice causes. Hispanic Ministry Table #5 - Black Bag once a month (money collection for needs) - Emergency fund/ international fund/support dental clinic/free clinic - Bulletin board posted- Anyone who needs help w/resume writing when jobs are hard to find & to post social justice events, to let parishioners know what sj committee does. - Hygiene Kits for teens in Africa - Ecumenical efforts to pick up expired produce(i.e. Bread)& food goes to free market - Backpack buddies - Certain allocation - Love your neighbor fund (endowment)71/2% tithe (emergency situations for requests as well as grants designated for larger community & overseas) - Ethiopian Hospital (grant)
- Justice Walking for High School Youth after they are confirmed to keep them engaged. - Lenten Speaker Series Speaker educates us on topics that we are not aware of i.e. human trafficking (5 Tuesdays) - Haiti- doctors & Dentists go to Haiti & work @ clinic there(they also send sewing machines to Haiti) Cluster sister parish to parish in Haiti - House of Compassion (Soup Kitchen) Parishioners serve evening meal - Go to Uganda (Youth builds Homes) - Sending Thanksgiving to Africa (Meal packing event that starts as parish event & grows to country wide) 90% Africa 10% local food pantries in the country. - College student going to Tanzania (as part of her college study) & asked for help with building water wells. We said yes and asked her to talk to parish before her trip & then again after her trip. Because of college students trip greater awareness of third world counties. Table#6 Sharing St. Cecilia -Ames - Sponsors ISU students for life - Sanctity of Human Life calendar of events St. Henry & St. Mary Marshalltown - Human trafficking meetings for community consisted of a panel. 100 people attended - Set up trainings - Committee set up meetings with hotels, motels so they know what to look for. - Other churches have joined - Resource Teresa @ Iowa State Iowa Falls- St. Marks - Soup Supper with speaker on human trafficking - Lighthouse for pregnant teens Ames 40 days for life needs a coordinator in Ames St. John s Clarion
- Support Haiti missions - Provide meals, uniforms - Is providing a bond w/other churches - Human trafficking speaker - Safe homes for Hispanics - Rape & abuse is happening to Hispanic women. St. Mark s - Provided CNA program free for older women, provided daycare - No one signed up St. Michaels Belle Plaine (listen) not Catholic not involved yet - Most parishes have a social justice committee. St. Patrick s does not St. Patrick Nevada - No organized committee, but individuals take up onetime events, Angel Tree, back pack buddies, operation Xmas stocking, Catholic heart work camps. St. Cecilia - Black bag - A 2 nd collection once a month for social justice St. Thomas Ames - Lots of activity, but not in touch with what s going on What you do for right to life - Octobe baby movie(beginning of life) St. Cecilia - Malachai movie (end of Life Table #7 St. Cecilia - Archbishop Jackels his remarks developed from a talk with high school students. - Concept of seamless garment of the 2 topics - Voting, crucial part of Social Justice a. Simple act of voting b. Reminder CCC emphasizes this right & privilege c. Felt a duty that is grave it is our duty unless phys/mental impossible
- Hopefully our votes are guided by the teachings of our faith/church. - Our faith should impact our lives. a. It should also impact others by our actions in society. - 2 Principles of Social Justice both are a hinge a. Common good > Consumption more dangerous than over population b. Respect for human life & dignity productive work & fair wage. - Basic needs right to food, education, health care & respect of life. a. These items are good for society b. Example of 2 events 11/5-1/16 rally for feeding respect life c. Example of both/and theme these 2 topics are great examples of this - We have a responsibility to care for those less fortunate, be it due to youth aged, health mental ability - Voting reality no one candidate fits the teachings of CCC a. We still need to vote to pick a candidate who offers most good / least harm - Be wary of judging/condemning others - Social Justice is not putting me above we 2 nd Speaker John Donahay - From Ames St. Cecilia move to South America/Honduras & now works in a mission parish - Quoted Pope Francis- culture of encounter with both God & others - Spoken From/in Hebrew scriptures early church fathers & medieval times - 1891 was when a Pope 1 st spoke of Social Justice - Pope Francis spoke of Social Justice long before he became Pope a. Preaches a culture of encounters b. Not who we are but what we do.
- How is Catholic social teaching supposed to work? - See, Judge & Act these 3 themes are in Pope Francis s writings - Human Dignity started in Genesis - Solidarity being there for others a. What affects you affects me - 1 st & 2 nd chapters of Genesis contain bulk /most of Catholic Church teaching of Social Justice - Subsidiary as a pair with solidarity - Call to participate USCCB wrote dignity can only be protected in community - Dignity to work & that of the work a. Each has dignity if it contributes to the common good - Care of Creation embraces all of creation a. Peace of Christ & reconciliation - A question how do we react to the question of Social Justice? a. 3 legged table of Social Justice see, judge & act b. Caring c. Action d. Solidarity - Voting is important but only 1 part of democracy - Baptism priest prophet & King - King as servant not ruler Breakout Sessions - Activities of Social Justice in parishes a. Back packs of food/basic needs to public schools to supplement Sat/Sun needs. b. Lenten Meals 5 themes that vary i.e. money, food stamps, retirement, minimum wage, health care - 30 year program tithing part of church plate/envelope of SJ in community emergency needs - Individuals & also Honduras, homeless shelter - 1 x month special collection goes to SJ only - Poverty simulation
- Christmas giving tree, families/mothers in need, Homeless Shelter - Parish match skills with needs (parishioners & no parishioners) Additional Table notes - Martha s House of Hope a. Want a home for young women who unexpectedly get pregnant b. Nuns from Ghana coming to facilitate need staff Ex Dir 7 at least one house couple - Cluster of 4 parishes function on their own Colo, Nevada, Zearing & State Center a. Colo clothing drives b. Nevada & others cooperate w. other churches Food bank at St. Patrick s - Churches are not the only place to find Social Justice work - American Legion & America legion Riders does Social Justice work Work with veterans in need - Black bag collection at St. Cecilia every month Food at First different churches - St. Thomas interviews people Love your Neighbor - Gospel from last weekend - Home for a while transitional housing - Friendship Ark Homes - Habitat for Humanity - Hispanic Ministry How We Share - 1. Working w/nicaragua (Not associated With Parish) - 2. Food @ First - 3. Love your Neighbor Fund - @ STA help w/finances - 4. Steven s Ministry @ STC & STA - 5. Opening House for Pregnant women( not associated w/parish)
- 6. Matthew 25 House/ Butterfly Freedom House (outside the parish) - 7. Christian Family Movement (CFM) - 8. Honduras Ministry Commission a. Education of kids b. Sister Parish - 9. Gabriel Project - 10. Men s Group - 11. Knights of Columbus - 12. Ladies Circle - 13. Social Justice Grants Discussion: - We seem to do better on Charity vs Being Personally involved. a. Food @ First Being w/people eating with them b. Changes in people after they experience Honduras c. Homilies on Social Justice d. Have to get people together in small groups (CFM) Tears of Our Lady e. Discover your gifts or charisms & use them f. Be a witness through actions not words g. KC s charity, fraternity, community patriotism h. Steven s Ministry Listening, caring i. Need to step out of comfort zone j. Need to INVITE people.