Missions Office
News & Notes |
November 20, 2009
November Missions column (with focus on World AIDS Day).
November 16, 2009
Thanksgiving Day scripture reflection. By Herman Diers, of Tacoma, Bread for the World member.
November 9, 2009
World AIDS Day is December 1
Prayer resources, helpful information, videos and more from Catholic Relief Services.
November 13, 2009
Healthcare Reform updates and alerts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
November 3, 2009
Good News
The November edition of our office newsletter.
November 17, 2009
"Hunger is....
the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty. Opulence and waste are no longer acceptable when the tragedy of hunger is assuming ever greater proportions." Benedict XVI, Nov. 16, addressing a special summit of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
More American households had difficulty putting enough food on the table in 2008: U.S. Dept of Agriculture report of November 16. U.S. Bishops' "A Place at the Table" and "For I was Hungry...". State-by-state data on food insecurity (Bread for the World).
UN's State of Food Insecurity 2009
Teaching Hunger and other resources from the UN’s World Food Program.
Note: The World Food Program works with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and other Catholic charities in nearly 40 countries, such as the Darfur region in Sudan.
Food Fast is a widely-used resource from CRS for youth ministry and high schools, focusing on hunger and poverty in light of Catholic social teaching.
List of our Rice Bowl-funded projects in western Washington
Prayer and Quiz on hunger in our office’s October newsletter.
“Those who eat the Bread of Christ cannot remain indifferent before those who, even in our days, lack daily bread." - Pope Benedict XVI
November 13, 2009
Catholics Confront Global Poverty
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) invite Catholics throughout the U.S. to join this campaign. Read (and write) at the CCGP blog.
Resource Notices
The U.S. bishops in 1997 issued a statement on global solidarity in which they said,
“Catholic communities of faith should measure their prayer, education, and action by how they serve the life, dignity, and rights of the human person at home and abroad.
A parish’s ‘catholicity’ is illustrated in its willingness to go beyond its own boundaries to extend the Gospel, serve those in need, and work for global justice and peace.
This is not a work for a few agencies or one parish committee, but of every believer and every local community of faith.”
The following resources are offered in the spirit of that statement:
Youth (Grades 7-12) Multi-media arts contest on “Empowering communities, Uprooting poverty.” Sponsored by Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the Missions Office.
Shopping with CRS Fair Trade means you are supporting artisans, bringing beautiful items into your world and strengthening the Fair Trade movement! Through the Work of Human Hands program, Catholic Relief Services and its partner, SERRV, offer you the chance to buy high quality, fairly traded handcrafts and gourmet food items from disadvantaged producers all over the world. Consider hosting a sale at your parish this Fall! CRS also partners with SERRV and Equal Exchange on fair trade coffee and chocolate. The Missions Office can assist with support, speakers and educational materials.
Education for Justice
A well-received, appreciated resource in our communities. A membership-based resource for parishes and schools from the Center of Concern.
Catholic African Connections is a collaborative project among parishes in Western Washington intended to share experiences, knowledge, and resources with others working in Africa or planning to start partnerships in Africa.
Save the date: April 24, 2010 for the next conference for our communities with partnerships in Africa, with special invitation to those from Africa serving in our parishes and archdiocesan ministries.
Holy Childhood Association’s Resource Guide for K-8 classrooms and programs for 2009-2010 is available online from HCA.
Poverty in America: A Threat to the Common Good, a policy paper from Catholic Charities USA. Please consider endorsing CCUSA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America.
Social Justice Resource for elementary/middle school: PovertyUSA Student Action Project materials from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development provide age-appropriate resources for use with grades K-8 in schools and religious education programs to raise awareness about poverty in the United States and our Catholic response.
Social Justice Resource for high schools and parish youth ministries: Ending Poverty in Community (EPIC), A Toolkit For Young Advocates. Available at the CCHD website. After reviewing the resource, please contact us in the Missions Office for more information on local implementation.
FoodFast materials for grades 8-12 from Catholic Relief Services, helping to feed the hunger for connection to the world through faith-filled action.
Mission Resource for K-12 classes and parish youth ministries: Maryknoll Magazine classroom program.
Education and advocacy resources and statements on global and domestic issues from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
Catholic Relief Services responds to Emergencies Around the World
Note to Archdiocese of Seattle parishes and schools: For any donations for CRS work, please send the check to the Missions Office, marked "CRS/[name of country or need]." Thank you! Visit the CRS website to view the list of current and ongoing emergencies.
And more Catholic social teaching resources can be found at our colleague's web site (Director for Adult Faith Formation for Catholic Social Teaching and Family Life).
The Pope's intentions for November:
General: That all the men and women in the world, especially those who have responsibilities in the field of politics and economics, may never fail in their commitment to safeguard creation.
Mission: That believers in the different religions, through the testimony of their lives and fraternal dialogue, may clearly demonstrate that the name of God is a bearer of peace.
Reflections on the pope's mission intentions for each month.
Throughout its website, the Missions Office provides links to other websites solely for the user’s convenience. By providing these links, the Missions Office assumes no responsibility for, nor does it necessarily endorse, these websites, their content, or their sponsoring organizations.