This week Congress passed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday. On Thursday, President Biden signed the Juneteenth Bill, saying 'All Americans Can Feel the Power of This The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled that Philadelphia may not bar, Catholic Social Services from screening potential foster parents. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that Catholic Social Services, "seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else." Click here to read Catholic Charities USA's response to this ruling. The Supreme Court of the United States also dismissed the challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Leaving the ACA in place will save health care coverage for millions of Americans. As of June 10, 2021, the proposed rule published on July 24, 2019, which rewrote the categorical eligibility requirement that granted SNAP eligibility to anyone receiving benefits or services through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, was officially withdrawn. The withdrawal was effective on June 10. COVID-19 Update We are continuing to see a reduction in COVID-19 infections. On June 17, 2021, the CDC reported that there were 11,301 new COVID-19 cases and 335 deaths. Across the country, 175 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 147 million people who have been fully vaccinated. Those who are still not vaccinated should remain vigilant in their use of masks and social distancing. CCUSA is a founding member of the COVID-19 Community Corps to support vaccination across the country. Locate the closest place for a vaccine, here. Please visit the CCUSA Social Policy/Advocacy page for updates and policy papers. See here.
Faith and the Common Good
This weekend provides an opportunity to reflect and honor two distinct communities in the United States. On Saturday, we honor Juneteenth, just declared a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. It celebrates the end of slavery for all who were enslaved. While the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery on January 1, 1863, it was not announced or declared in the state of Texas on June 19, 1865. You can find a prayer here to share with others. On Sunday, June 20th, we commemorate World Refugee Day, a day to honor our sisters and brothers, people who leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror. On this day, it is important to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world and advocate to protect their status, their dignity and their rights. On this day, pray with and for the refugees who have arrived here in the United States. A Moment of Grace -- A Prayer for Refugees God of our Wandering Ancestors, Long have we known
That your heart is with the refugee:
That you were born into time
In a family of refugees
Fleeing violence in their homeland,
Who then gathered up their hungry child
And fled into alien country.
Their cry, your cry, resounds through the ages:
"Will you let me in?"
Give us hearts that break open
When our brothers and sisters turn to us with that same cry.
Then surely all these things will follow:
Ears will no longer turn deaf to their voices.
Eyes will see a moment for grace instead of a threat.
Tongues will not be silenced but will instead advocate.
And hands will reach out-
working for peace in their homeland, working for justice in the lands where they seek safe haven.
Lord, protect all refugees in their travels.
May they find a friend in me
And so make me worthy
Of the refuge I have found in you. Amen. © Catholic Relief Services, 2014.
Trivia
Which important battle took place on June 25, 1876? On June 11th, the trivia question was, "Who delivered the message about the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865?" Sister Marcianne, SSND was the first to submit Major General Gordon Granger's name as the person who read General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865,in Galveston, Texas announcing that all slaves were free. President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. Issued under powers granted to the president "as a fit and necessary war measure", the proclamation declared, "That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward and forever free..." However, Lincoln's proclamation would have little impact on Texans at that time due to the small number of Union troops available to enforce it. Two and a half years later, in June 1865, more than two thousand Federal soldiers of the 13th Army Corps arrived in Galveston and with them Major General Gordon Granger, Commanding Officer, District of Texas. Granger's men marched through Galveston reading General Order, No. 3 at numerous locations, including their headquarters at the Osterman Building, 1861 Custom House, courthouse, and then at the Reedy Chapel-AME Church Negro Church. The order informed all Texans that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves were free. It was from that moment that Juneteenth would be born. Since then, the annual commemoration has grown from local roots to a national celebration featuring parades, readings, processions, and more. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day- is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Although Juneteenth generally celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, it was still legal and practiced in two Union border states (Delaware and Kentucky) until later that year, when ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution abolished chattel slavery nationwide in December. Additionally, Indian Territories that had sided with the Confederacy, namely the Choctaw, did not release those enslaved until 1866. Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards (Houston). The law passed through the Texas Legislature in 1979 and was officially made a state holiday on January 1, 1980. President Biden signed the law establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. It was enacted immediately with federal offices closed on June 18, 2021. You can learn more here.
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