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#SlavesNoMore

12/12/2014

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As Pope Francis shines a spotlight on human trafficking on the World Day of Peace, January 1st, OCSJM invites you to make a personal resolution in 2015 to do what you can to fight this form of blatant injustice, both in your local community and on the global stage.

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of an estimated 35.8 million men, women, and children globally. Victims of sex or labor trafficking in the United States include individuals coerced into the commercial sex trade, domestic workers threatened with severe abuse in a home, agricultural workers held by violence or debt, and more.

In alignment with this message for the New Year, we will be supporting the efforts of the USCCB Anti-Trafficking program. You can show your solidarity with the victims of human trafficking by saving the date and joining us on Saturday, March 7, when OCSJM and the Office of the Diaconate will host a workshop, "Stolen Lives: A Gospel Response to Human Trafficking," at St. James Church in Rocky Hill.

The program will feature William Rivera, Director of Office of Multicultural Affairs and Immigration Practice for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, and Alicia Kinsman, Managing Attorney for the legal immigration program at the International Institute of Connecticut.  Mr. Rivera spearheaded the creation of DCF's human trafficking response system and currently co-leads the human trafficking response operations for the department. Ms. Kinsman provides legal representation in 

immigration matters to victims of trafficking and other crimes, offers immigration law training to pro bono attorneys, volunteers, and law enforcement, and speaks around the state to raise awareness of the issue of humanitarian relief for foreign born victims of crimes. In 2013 she received an FBI Field Director's Award for her work in assisting medical professionals, law enforcement personnel, and social service providers to identify and work with foreign-born victims.

Watch for more information on this exciting and eye-opening program, and click here to learn about human trafficking and to commit to the resolutions.

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Starting a Social Justice Book club

12/12/2014

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Have you thought about starting a social justice book club, but don't know where to begin? Meghan Clark, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology at St John's University (NY) and guest speaker at the OCSJM Annual Dinner several years back, has compiled a short list of "must-reads" that are both engaging and challenging for groups of readers from parishes, communities or campus ministries. For more detailed descriptions of these titles, read Meghan's blog post in the online Millennial Journal, or click on the book's title for more information.

Mercy in the City by Kerry Weber (Loyola Press, 2014)
A young woman in NYC chronicles her efforts to concretely practice the seven corporal works of mercy to make her Lenten experience more meaningful.

Tattoos on the Heart: the Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle, SJ (Free Press, 2010)
Through moving personal stories, Fr. Greg Boyle tells about the creation of Homeboy Industries and his ministry to counter gang influence and culture in LA

Living Justice by Thomas Massaro, SJ (Rowan& Littlefield, 2008)
Fr. Massaro provides a rich and accessible overview of Church teaching on social justice, complete with questions for discussion.

Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) by Pope Francis

Aimed at renewal within our parish ministries and personal discipleship, the Joy of the Gospel challenges and invites us into deeper reflection about what saying YES to the Gospel means and what it demands we say NO to.
 
In The Company of the Poor by Paul Farmer and Gustavo Gutierrez (Orbis, 2013)

Deep theological and ethical reflection on the question: How do we say to the poor that God loves them, when everything in the world around them tells them they are worth nothing? 

Just Water by Christiana Z. Peppard (Orbis, 2014)

After reading this book, you will never look at a bottle of water or the living waters of baptism the same way again.

If you or your book group decide to read one of these titles, send us your review and we will share it with our E-News readers! 

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Thank You from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

12/12/2014

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Thank you for your generosity to this year's Collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Through CCHD and its beneficiaries, we help keep Catholic social teaching alive, and carry out Jesus' mission to "bring glad tidings to the poor . . . to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free" (Lk 4:18).

One CCHD beneficiary in our Archdiocese is CONECT (Congregations Organized for a New CT). CONECT is a multi-faith organization with a mission to affect change in areas of social and economic justice, and in policies for the common good.

One issue CONECT is currently addressing is gun control. The organization is participating in a joint effort with "Do Not Stand Idly By" which seeks to leverage the purchasing power of state and local governments to pressure gun manufacturers to adopt gun safety technology. A total of 63 jurisdictions in 13 states have joined the strategy, to push gun manufacturers to promote smart gun technologies if they want municipalities and states to continue buying from them to equip safety personnel. You can learn more about CONECT at their website,  www.weconect.org.


Pictured: The Rev. James Manship, left, co-chairman of CONECT, speaks at a press conference at the Morton Government Center in Bridgeport.

If you missed your parish CCHD Collection, you can still make a donation to CCHD by sending a check or money order to:

     United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
     Office of National Collections - CCHD
     3211 Fourth Street NE
     Washington, DC 20017

Make checks payable to "USCCB - Catholic Campaign for Human Development."

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To advance Catholic Social Teaching by educating and preparing parishes to work for social justice. 
​The Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry
of the Archdiocese of Hartford

467 Bloomfield Ave. Bloomfield, CT 06002
Phone: 860-242-5573 

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