Click on the image to download the 2015 Advocacy Calendar
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Click on the image to download the 2015 Advocacy Calendar
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We have partnered with the Global Catholic Climate Movement to raise awareness about the climate change crisis in the Catholic community. We urge world leaders to commit to ambitious climate action and solve this urgent moral crisis (for more information, see climate change facts and Catholic teachings on climate change). Pope Francis said:“On climate change, there is a clear, definitive and ineluctable ethical imperative to act.” If you agree, click “Yes” below:”
 Please join us on Saturday, October 3 for a day of reflection and action, "The Light Offered by Faith- Organizing for Mission in CT."
The day, scheduled from 9 am - 3 pm at Holy Angels Church in Meriden, will explore the vision of Pope Francis, as expressed in his new encyclical, Laudato Si, and offer hands-on practical tools for strengthening ministry through relationship building. Presenters will include: Kevin M. Johnson- Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology at Sacred Heart University & President of The Inner Room; Arturo Iriarte and Mary O'Brien - community organizers and staff, Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry. The day is free and open to all; free-will donations accepted. Download the flyer here. Coffee and sign-in begin at 8:30, with the program starting promptly at 9 am. Lunch is included. Please RSVP by Sept. 26th to info.ocsjm.org or call 203-777-7279!  Hundreds of immigrant women and children of all ages are being held, often for months, in the expanding South Texas Detention Center. It is operated by the U.S. Department of homeland Security near the small town of Dilley, 85 miles from the Texas-Mexico border between Laredo and San Antonio. Often fleeing from violence in their home countries, they now are detained without criminal charges, uncertain of their rights, and with few resources.
CLINIC, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, has extended an invitation to caring individuals and communities to join them in writing letters to the women and children, letting them know that they are not alone. In response, adults and children gathered recently at St. Augustine Church in Hartford for an evening of letter writing, invited by OCSJM's Arturo Iriarte and other Hispanic PSM leaders. The group composed over 30 letters, which will be sent to CLINIC for distribution. Visit the CLINIC website to learn how you and your community can participate in this show of support and encouragement, and to learn more about the situation. For the last fourteen years, the parish social ministry at St. Louis Parish in West Haven has been working systematically on a program that helps immigrant families learn the English language. The program, created by PSM Coordinator Leonor Cortez, includes both children and their parents, with weekly sessions designed to empower parents to teach and guide their children with homework, writing and reading skills. At a parish meal and celebration on May 20th, Leonor and her team of teachers presented certificates of graduation to seven mothers from the West Haven community. Four children also received achievement diplomas for writing and speaking skills. This program has been funded by a Cooperative Parish Sharing grant from the Archdiocese of Hartford, Office for Catholic Justice Ministry.     WeAreSaltAndLight.org, a new website of the U.S. Bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, helps Catholics respond to Jesus' call to be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" (Mt. 5:13-16).
The website includes:
 Catholic Charities agencies from the New England region, including Hartford, are working together to offer a regional Parish Social Ministry Training Event next month in Maine. Featuring well-known speakers like Jack Jezreel (JustFaith Ministries) and Maria Fitzsimmons, (Archdiocese of Chicago), the weekend event invites parish and diocesan leaders to gather to discover effective strategies for creating a ministry within the parish community. This training provides opportunities to develop leadership skills effective in parish social ministry and to connect with people and resources in our region.
If you are looking to begin a parish social ministry program or to build on your existing efforts, we encourage you to attend this event. The program will run from Friday evening, May 15 through Saturday evening, May 16 and will be held in Scarborough, ME, just outside of Portland. We will assist in the arrangement of carpooling for those interested. Visit this link for more information, or click to download a flyer, the conference agenda, or a printable registration form. |
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