Third Week of Advent 2012
The third of our Advent series focuses on right relationships as we are invited to pay heed to John the Baptist’s call to make changes in our lives, today known as the Church’s preferential option for the poor.
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Archive for category: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching: The Prophets on Poverty
Biblical scholars have noted that one of the most prominent themes in the Old Testament is a concern with the suffering of the poor. This two-page resource provides background on poverty in the Scriptures.
Domestic Poverty and the 2012 Elections
Amidst the heated rhetoric of the 2012 election season, people living in poverty seem all but forgotten. This bulletin insert includes updated statistics on domestic poverty, reflections from Catholic Social Teaching, and questions for candidates to public office.
Option for the Poor: A Place at the Table
A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty and to Respect the Dignity of All God’s Children was issued by the USCCB in 2002. Ten years later, after a world-wide economic crisis has left so many more struggling for a dignified life, the message in this document is more important than ever.
Prayer Service: United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty
This three-page resource is a formatted, ready-to-use prayer service commemorating the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Included is a handout of images of children, women, and men (from every continent) living in poverty. Each participant will be given a photograph of a person and will be invited to “dialogue” with him/her on the root causes of poverty.
Saint Francis of Assisi
The feast day of Saint Francis is celebrated on October 4th. This resource explores the linkages between climate change and poverty.
Remembering the Medellin Conference
This two-page resource provides background on the Latin American Bishops’ conference held in Medellin, Colombia in 1968. The conference marked a sea-change in the Latin American church, denouncing unjust social structures and embracing the concept of the ‘preferential option for the poor.’ The resource also includes a personal reflection from Father Joseph Nangle, OFM, who served as a pastor in Lima, Peru at the time of the conference.
A Timeline on Migration, Labor, and Immigration Laws, Part One
This four page resource reviews key events in migration patterns and immigration laws in the U.S up until 1903. It raises central questions about the relationship between the need for labor and attitudes towards immigration. Use in conjunction with the The Pastoral Circle to invite reflection on how understanding reality invites a faithful response.
U.S. Poverty Quiz 2012
This much beloved EfJ resource has been updated for 2012. Designed as a print-ready quiz, it also makes a great educational ice-breaker for social justice presentations. Or, simply use the great stats to help your community better understand the state of U.S. poverty. Search for “poverty quiz” under resource finder to compare statistics from 2008 and 2010.
Prayer Service for Migrants
Invite your community to prayerfully reflect on the needs of migrants with excerpts from relevant papal and episcopal statements. Participants are challenged to welcome migrants, and to offer them compassion and a place at the table where God’s abundance nourishes us all.
A Revolution of Hope: Occupy Advent and the Vatican
This two page reflectionby guest writer Alex Mikulich, Ph.D., explores how the Occupy protestors embody the season of advent. Includes active links to background resources.
Faith Communities Respond to Unemployment
Continued high rates of unemployment have spurred many congregations, including Catholic parishes, to organize support for the emotional and material needs of workers. Chicago-based Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ), of which Bishop Gabino Zavala is president of the board of directors, is a national leader in organizing such groups. Learn what IWJ and two Catholic parishes are doing on this critical issue and what steps parishes can take to support those affected by unemployment.
