Social Concerns Ministry at St. Michael Parish, Livermore,
California
MISSION:
The mission of this ministry
is: the ongoing formation of the baptized in the Social Teachings of the Church,
communication of opportunities for service to the poor or vulnerable and action
on their behalf, stewardship of God's creation, and action for justice and peace.
MEETINGS:
When: Second
Thursday of the month, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where: St.
Michael Parish Education Center, Room 21
All are invited to join in
this ministry program. Typically, meetings include prayer, reflection
on scripture and Catholic Social Teaching, a guest speaker from a local charitable
organization or a short film from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, and
a discussion of local needs and planning.
GOALS
FOR 2007-2008:
2. Inform parishioners about
specific volunteer opportunities in our community
3. Raise awareness of the
Social Teachings of the Catholic Church
UNITED
STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS WEBSITES:
Visit these sites for information and specific
action that you can take regarding the injustices and poverty in our nation
and the world.
THE
SEVEN THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
The Church’s social teaching
is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives
of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social
teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal
documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through
a direct reading of these documents. In the brief reflections at the website
below, please read highlights of the key themes that are at the heart of our
Catholic social tradition.
Millenium Development Goals
“Amen, I say to you, whatever
you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” -- Matthew 25:40
1. Eradicate extreme
hunger and poverty
2. Achieve universal
primary education
3. Promote gender
equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal
health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental
sustainability
8. Develop a global
partnership for development
Learn more about the Catholic
Campaign Against Global Poverty, sponsored by United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops & Catholic Relief Services, at:
THINGS YOU CAN DO LOCALLY:
Open Heart Kitchen needs YOU to feed
the hungry in Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin. You don’t need to know how to cook to serve hot,
nourishing meals to those in need in our community. Open Heart Kitchen
serves about 3,500 meals every week at locations throughout the Tri-Valley.
Working with a very small staff, the Kitchen succeeds because of the generous
help of hundreds of volunteers every month. Why not sign-up your club,
Bible study group, bowling league, or next-door neighbors to go together to
serve one meal a month? Or provide the groceries and supplies for that
meal? Or twice a year, provide 50 paper lunch sacks filled with everyday
necessities? (The whole family can participate for this one!) Or provide
drivers for deliveries four times a year? Find out more at: www.openheartkitchen.org, or phone 925-580-1616
KRON4 highlights environmental issues
in Bay Area. A parishioner
noted that “The Green Scene” on television station KRON 4 highlights local
environmental issues. The KRON4 website provides many links, from “Save
the Bay” coastal cleanups to youth leadership camps to cosmetics safety guides.
Learn more at www.kron4.com (click on “News” and then “Green Scene”). Another
resource at KRON4 is under the program “The Environment and You” (To
find this program, click on the "Lifestyle" tab at the far right)
with lists of recycling locations for motor oil and paint, kids programs,
fire prevention and safety, and ecofriendly cruises. Why not pick an
event and participate with your family, sports team, club, neighbors, or Small
Christian Community?
Purchase Fair Trade Coffee, Tea. The Coalition for Fair Trade in the Diocese of
Oakland tells us that fair trade supports artisans and farmers around the world
by promoting an alternative to business-as-usual. Through Catholic Relief
Services Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, and Work of Human Hands crafts programs,
disadvantaged producers earn a fair price for their labor, get access to credit
and training, and develop mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with
organizations dedicated to the principles of human dignity and economic justice.
In Livermore, Fair Trade certified coffee and tea have been seen at Trader Joe’s,
Costco, Safeway, and Target. The packages are clearly marked. Fair
Trade coffee is still for sale by the St. Michael parish teens, too. For
more information on fair trade products and where to buy them, see:
Monterey Bay Aquarium
helps safeguard oceans. The aquarium has programs to help safeguard the oceans
and ocean wildlife, promoting sustainable seafood, creating marine protected
areas, and protecting California’s threatened sea otters. Find out more
at www.oceanaction.org. As consumers, we can apparently help by buying
ocean-friendly seafood, i.e. abundant, well managed, and caught or farmed
in environmentally friendly ways.Learn more at www.seafoodwatch.org.
THINGS YOU CAN DO NATIONALLY:
Immigration Reform Needs
You: Please regularly check
the Bishop’s website on justice for immigrants to learn about opportunities
to pray for immigration reform, and to easily write your representatives in
Congress. A form letter is provided, so this only takes a few minutes
of your time. www.justiceforimmigrants.org
Cut the U.S. poverty rate in half by
2020. Catholic Charities
USA has a “Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America”. The campaign urges
Congress and the Administration to give a much higher priority to the needs
of the 37 million Americans living in poverty in budget and policy decisions
on issues such as health care, housing, nutrition, and economic security.
In addition, the campaign seeks to partner with a wide range of social service
agencies, the faith community, and other groups. Learn more at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Faithful Citizenship: For Catholics, public virtue is as important as private
virtue in building up the common good. In the Catholic tradition, responsible
citizenship is a virtue; participation in the political process is a moral obligation.
Every believer is called to faithful citizenship, to become an informed, active,
and responsible participant in the political process. www.nccbuscc.org/faithfulcitizenship/index.htm
What can you do about the death penalty?
Pray for victims of crime and their families, those who
have been wrongly convicted, and those awaiting execution. Learn about Catholic social teaching, criminal justice policies,
and California policies. Educate
others. Advocate by contacting your elected officials, and urge them
to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole.
For more information, go to www.ccedp.org.
THINGS YOU CAN DO GLOBALLY:
Heifer International: Do you want to
give a gift that keeps on giving? How about a goat? Or a nice sheep, a healthy heifer, or a water buffalo? Heifer
International’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty
and to care for the earth. They promote the simple idea of giving families
a source of food and income, not just a handout. For example, a goat
is robust, eats just about anything, and provides protein rich milk for children.
Heifer International is involved in communities, providing training and working
with recipients to share the animals’ offspring with others – along
with their knowledge, resources and skills – building self reliance,
hope and dignity. Learn more at www.heifer.org and be sure to visit Heifer’s online gift catalog.
You Can Help Stop Sweatshops:
The International Labor Organization estimates that one in seven of the world’s
children are engaged in some form of labor, with 126 million working in hazardous
jobs. Millions more adults, mostly women, face long work hours, substandard
conditions, no health coverage and poor wages.
Malaria No More: Looking for a way to make a difference in the
world? How about buying a mosquito net? They cost about $10 each,
and they protect children, especially in Africa. For more information,
visit: www.malarianomore.org/mad.php