Inside this issue
• Catholic Agencies Prioritize Housing Relief During the Pandemic
• Laudato Si' Week May 16 - 25
• Pope Calls for 'Authentic Human Communication' During World Communications Day
• Physician - Assisted Suicide: Respond Now
• Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Ages 12 - 16
• In The News
• Special Events and Resources
Catholic Agencies Prioritize Housing Relief During the Pandemic
Whether it's a health-related event, job loss, or other significant financial hardship, COVID-19 has struck the most vulnerable Californians the hardest
Emma, one of Catholic Charities San Francisco's thousands of rental assistance clients who lives with her teenage daughter in a small, one-bedroom apartment near Candlestick Park, lost both of her jobs during the pandemic. By the time her first unemployment check arrived in June, her rent was already three months behind, and her landlord was threatening to evict them.
"I needed help," Emma said.
Gloria del Mar Garcia Lemus, Catholic Charities case manager, was the one to answer Emma's call. "Families are facing unbearable financial burdens," Lemus says. "They have used up their savings and are facing eviction. In addition to assistance with their emergency rent subsidy applications, we provide them with emotional support."
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Laudato Si' Week May 16 - 25
Laudato Si' Week 2021, running May 16-25, will be the pinnacle of the Special Laudato Si' Anniversary Year and a celebration of the progress the Church has made on its journey toward ecological conversion. It will also be a time to reflect on what the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us and prepare for the future with hope.
The California Catholic Conference of Bishops released a pastoral statement in 2019, on the fourth anniversary of Ladauto Si': Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis' encyclical on environmental stewardship that "invites everyone to reflect upon the call to contribute to the ecological well-being of our state based on our own "ecological vocations"-and to live them out fully, with prayer and joy, to foster integral ecology and the common good."
In celebration of Ladauto Si' Week, there will be a show broadcast every day at 1 p.m. EDT to highlight how Laudato Si' has inspired Catholics around the world. Click here to learn more information and view a video featuring Pope Francis inviting you to celebrate this week.
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Pope Calls for 'Authentic Human Communication' During World Communications Day
In his message for the 55th World Communications Day, being celebrated May 16, Pope Francis says Jesus' invitation to "Come and see" is the way by which the Christian faith is communicated.
"The call to 'come and see'... is the method for every authentic human communication," Pope Francis wrote in his message for the Church, calling for "inspiration for all communication that strives to be clear and honest, in the press, on the internet, in the Church's daily preaching and in political or social communication."
Take some time to reflect on the messages you send in all capacities and how you encounter others. You can also click here to view a video message from SIGNIS, the world-wide association of Catholic communication professionals, that inspires, teaches, and supports communicators in telling their stories and those of communities across the globe.
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Physician - Assisted Suicide: Respond Now
SB 380, the bill to remove physician-assisted suicide "safeguards" and extend the law, is up in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday.
If you received an alert, please be sure to respond to tell lawmakers that promoting death, especially now, is an atrocity. You can also find the alert here.
You can also read more on the bill in this op-ed from Capitol Weekly.
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Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Ages 12 - 16
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization for Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine on Monday to include children ages 12 to 15.
This is the first Covid-19 vaccine in the United States authorized for use in younger teens and adolescents. The vaccine was previously approved for ages 16 and over. Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are only authorized for people aged 18 and over.
Some dioceses in the state have partnered with health officials to offer vaccine clinics at parishes. Please check with your local diocese for a list of times and locations available and talk to your health care provider if you have any medical concerns.
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In The News
Calif. bill targets university healthcare links to Catholic hospitals, demands further moral compromise
A bill threatens to ban University of California health systems from partnering with institutions that follow Catholic ethics, prompting concern ideological motives on abortion and LGBT issues will damage longtime partnerships and limit medical care access.
Shrine in the Nation's Capital to be Part of a Global Marathon of Prayer for an End to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pope Francis has called for a "marathon" of prayer during May to appeal for divine assistance in bringing about an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Holy See has chosen Marian shrines around the world to lead the rosary each day of the month with specific prayer intentions focused on those impacted by the pandemic.
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Special Events and Resources
Mental Health Awareness Month
Northern Valley Catholic Social Services, Mental Health Programs
National Foster Care Month
Catholic Charities San Diego, Foster Grandparents Program
Catholic Charities Santa Clara County, Refugee Foster Care Program
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May 14, 2021
Vol. 14 No. 18
California Catholic Conference
En Español
"Praying is not easy. Each time we want to pray, we think of many other activities that seem more important and urgent. Almost always, after putting off #prayer, we realize that those things were not essential at all. This is how the Enemy deceives us. #GeneralAudience" @Pontifex
BISHOPS' STATEMENT ON COVID-19 VACCINES
May
Join Pope Francis in praying for the end of the pandemic
May 16
World Communications Day
May 16 - 25
Ladauto Si' Week
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