FIGHT POVERTY--VOTE A VOICE OF THE POOR COMMITTEE INITIATIVE OF THE SOCIETY OF ST VINCENT DE PAUL JANUARY 2016
Opening Prayer L: In the Name of the Father, etc. All: Amen. L: Come, Holy Spirit, live within our lives. All: And strengthen us by Your Love. L: Send forth your spirit and new life will be created. All: And the whole face of the earth will be renewed. L: Our Father, etc. All: Give us this day our daily bread, etc. L: Let us reflect on the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ, recalling His unity and presence among us: Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them. (Silence)
Opening Prayer All: Lord Jesus, deepen our Vincentian spirit of friendship during this meeting and make us responsive to the Christian calling to seek and find the forgotten, the suffering, or the deprived so that we may bring them your love. Help us to be generous with our time, our possessions, and ourselves in this mission of charity. Perfect in us your love and teach us to share more fully in the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered for all. L: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, All: Have mercy on us. L: Immaculate Heart of Mary, All: Pray for us. L: St. Vincent de Paul, All: Pray for us. L: St. Louise de Marillac, All: Pray for us. L: Blessed Frederic Ozanam, All: Pray for us. L: Blessed Rosalie Rendu, All: Pray for us.
Agenda Opening Prayer Why are they poor? Faithful Citizenship and Vincentian Social principles Candidate Videos Voter Registration Resources
Vincentian Civil Discourse Let us learn, first of all, to defend our belief without hating our adversaries, to appreciate those who do not think as we do, to recognize that there are Christians in every camp, and that God can be served now as always! Let us complain less of our times and more of ourselves. Let us not be discouraged, let us be better. Blessed Frederic Ozanam (Baunard, Correspondence, p.304)
VOP Advocacy Foundational Principles Dignity Life Solidarity- Based On Home Visits Common Good Subsidiarity
National SVDP Position Statements Solidarity/Subsidiarity Hunger Healthcare Human Trafficking Affordable Housing Homelessness Immigration Wages Education Predatory Loans Restorative Justices Life Dignity Common Good
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist. Dom Hélder Câmara
Poverty & Hunger Facts Poverty 46.7 million people (14.8 percent) were in poverty. 15.5 million (21.1 percent) children under the age of 18 were in poverty. 4.6 million (10 percent) seniors 65 and older were in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau data for 2014) Hunger 1 in 7 U.S. households were food-insecure (unsure at some point how they would provide food for their next meal). More than 48 million people lived in foodinsecure households. 15.3 million children (1 in 5) lived in food-insecure households. (USDA data for 2014)
Cardinal Dolan on Faithful Citizen http://bcove.me/8sp9ldzi
Popes and Politics A good Catholic meddles in politics. Pope Francis (9/16/13)
"Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. (13) Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States Copyright 2007, 2011, 2015 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC
US Bishops SVDP Rule 4. The work for justice requires that the mind and the heart of Catholics be educated and formed to know and practice the whole faith. 9. The Church's obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith. It is a basic part of the mission we have received from Jesus Christ, who offers a vision of life revealed to us in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. 7.1 The Society gives immediate help but also seeks mid-term and long-term solutions The Society is concerned not only with alleviating need but also with identifying the unjust structures that cause it. It is, therefore, committed to identifying the root causes of poverty and to contributing to their elimination. In all its charitable actions there should be a search for justice; in its struggle for justice, the Society must keep in mind the demands of charity.
Why we MUST be engaged 12. The Catholic community brings important assets to the political dialogue about our nation's future. We bring a consistent moral framework drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the Church for assessing issues, political platforms, and campaigns. We also bring broad experience in serving those in need educating the young, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women who face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peace
14. Unfortunately, politics in our country often can be a contest of powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites, and media hype. The Church calls for a different kind of political engagement: one shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable. As Pope Francis reminds us, Politics, while often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good. (Evangelii Gaudium, no.205)
7. In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God s truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.
How to Form Conscience 1. Embrace goodness and truth-study Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church 2. Examine facts and background information 3. Prayerful reflection Failure to form conscience can lead to erroneous judgments (18)
29. Racism and other unjust discrimination, the use of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war, the use of torture, war crimes, the failure to respond to those who are suffering from hunger or a lack of health care, pornography, redefining civil marriage, compromising religious liberty or an unjust immigration policy are all serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act. These are not optional concerns which can be dismissed.
34. Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning or racist behavior, if the voter's intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.
42. As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate's position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter's support. Yet a candidate's position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion, redefining marriage in a way that denies its essential meaning, or racist behavior, a voter may legitimately disqualify a candidate from receiving support.
51. Pope Benedict XVI has taught that "love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential to [the Church] as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel" (Deus Caritas Est, no. 22). This preferential option for the poor and vulnerable includes all who are marginalized in our nation and beyond unborn children, persons with disabilities, the elderly and terminally ill, and victims of injustice and oppression and immigrants.
55. These four principles (Dignity of the Human Person, Subsidiarity, Common Good, Solidarity) and related themes from Catholic social teaching provide a moral framework that does not easily fit ideologies of "right" or "left," "liberal" or "conservative," or the platform of any political party. They are not partisan or sectarian, but reflect fundamental ethical principles that are common to all people.
Group Table Exercise Realizing that no candidate will support or apply all the Catholic Social principles to issues in the same way, how do I make my decision about particular candidates? How does our Vincentian focus on the poor influence my approach to my decision? Is it possible that I may come to a different conclusion from other Vincentians and that we are all faithful citizens and faithful Vincentians? Without mentioning candidates by name can I tell a story of how I have come to a decision about a candidate who does not share all my Vincentian values or at least does not apply them as I think they ought to be applied?
Wages USCCB SVDP 52. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation. Employers contribute to the common good through the services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the dignity and rights of workers to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age, to the choice of whether to organize and join unions, to the opportunity for legal status for immigrant workers, to private property, and to economic initiative. Workers also have responsibilities to provide a fair day's work for a fair day's pay, to treat employers and co-workers with respect, and to carry out their work in ways that contribute to the common good. Workers, employers, and unions should not only advance their own interests, but also work together to advance economic justice and the well-being of all. As Vincentians, we believe in living gospel values. As the largest Catholic lay organization in the United States, it is essential that we support Catholic teachings. I urge you to ensure that those employed by the Society in the United States be afforded the greatest possible respect and a wage that reflects our values of creating self-sufficiency for whomever we serve.
Health Care USCCB SVDP 80. Affordable and accessible health care is an essential safeguard of human life and a fundamental human right. With an estimated 47 million Americans lacking health care coverage, it is also an urgent national priority. Reform of the nation's health care system needs to be rooted in values that respect human dignity, protect human life, and meet the needs of the poor and uninsured, especially born and unborn children, pregnant women, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. The USCCB supports measures to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid. In home visits and special works programs, we encounter the suffering poor individuals in pain and families in need because of sickness children whose parents cannot afford annual check ups or basic dental care, women without proper prenatal attention, families in which the main bread earner is injured and cannot afford medical assistance, and the elderly who have to choose between food and medicine.
Circle of Protection Letters to Presidential Candidates "What would you do as president to offer help and opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world?"
View Video www.circleofprotection.us/candidate-videos
Spend some quite time reflecting on each candidates comments in light of Church teaching
What will be your next steps? Potential questions on a home visit: What issues are important to you in this election? (Never disagree with the answer or give your personal political views. Never endorse a candidate on a visit. Do you and your family usually vote? Do your neighbors usually vote? How can you encourage your neighbors to vote? What are the impediments to voting in your state? (e.g., residency requirements, ID laws, formally incarcerated prohibitions)
Voter Registration Resources Step 1 Research election turnout-set a goal to increase that in our local voting district Information about state and local elections https://ballotpedia.org http://www.electproject.org/ http://www.nonprofitvote.org/ http://wwwmigrate.usccb.org/issues-andaction/faithful-citizenship/voter-educationand-voter-registration.cfm http://www.rockthevote.com/ Step 2 Discuss elections rules with your conference Step 3 Determine best ways to drive up voter turnout in your district
http://www.nonprofitvote. org/
Overcome your timidity and go out boldly into the slums and visit those unknown to you who have never come near your parish church. Bl. Frederic Ozanam
VoP Regional Leadership SVdP Region Geography Leaders & Location Spiritual Advisor USA & Puerto Rico Rev. Louis Arceneaux, C.M. New Orleans, LA National Chair USA & Puerto Rico Tom Dwyer Mansfield, MA (Boston area) Southeast Region AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN Frank Voehl, Miami, FL Northeast Region CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT Tom Dwyer, Mansfield, MA Eastern Region DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV Lynne Betts, Seaford, DE Lois Jackson, Delaware Matt Walker, Braddock, PA (Pittsburgh area) Mideast Region IN, KY, MI (except Marquette), OH Warren Wright, Grove City, OH Diane McKern, Gary, IN North Central Region Midwest Region South Region Central IL (except Belleville), MI (Diocese of Marquette), MN, ND, SD, WI CO, IA, IL (Diocese of East St. Louis/Belleville only), KS, MO, NE, WY AR, NM, OK, TX Marian Lamoureux,Waukesha, WI Robert S. Haller, Lincoln, NB Juan Pereira, Mountainair, NM Western Region AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NE, OR, UT, WA Michael Stratton, Seattle, WA Dan Torrington, Tucson, AZ Christine Krikliwy, Tucson, AZ Kelly Anderson, Nampa, ID
Closing Prayer Father, We pray for our elected officials and candidates, that they be blessed with knowledge, sense, and truth. We pray for our fellow citizens that they vote with wisdom and discernment. We pray that those in need will make their voices heard in our communities. Finally, let us learn to defend our belief without hating our adversaries, to appreciate those who do not think as we do, to recognize that there are Christians in every camp, and that God can be served now as always! Let us complain less of our times and more of ourselves. Let us not be discouraged, let us be better. Through Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen