May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call. (See Eph 1:17-18)

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Highlights from CCUSA

CCUSA is a proud sponsor of the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This year's event, "Justice at the Margins," will be held virtually from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. Don't miss this transformative gathering of prayer, learning and advocacy. This year's gathering will include:

The entire program will be offered bilingually (English and Spanish), and sign interpretation will be available. Special opportunities include the Diversity Outreach Initiative, the Young Leaders Initiative, and a new group registration option with discounted rates for groups of 10 or more. Click here to register or learn more. Scholarships are available to cover a portion of the registration fee. Apply now. The application deadline is January 10, 2022.

Children, Youth, and, Family Professional Section Steering Committee member recruitment

Catholic Charities USA is recruiting additional members to join the Children, Youth, and Family Professional Section (CYFS) Steering Committee. The purpose, mission, and vision of the CYFS Services Professional Interest Section are to provide information, formation, and networking opportunities to staff and volunteers working with children, youth, and families. If you are interested in becoming a steering committee member for this section, please click here to request more information! Your participation on the committee will bring valuable expertise that will continue to enrich and build upon the knowledge of our network. The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, January 31, 2022.

Register now to attend the Catholic Charities USA O’Grady Advanced Leadership Institute, to be held from May 16-20, 2022, at the Bethany Center near Tampa. The Institute offers an in-depth consideration of the particular knowledge and skills necessary for effective Catholic Charities leadership, and is designed for Catholic Charities agency directors, other senior leaders, and those who have completed the foundational O’Grady Leadership Institute (either virtually or in-person). Early action is encouraged, as space is limited. Click here to learn more or to register. Questions may be directed to Scott Hurd.

Events and Webinars

In 2021, the Catholic Charities network provided help, hope, and critical support to millions of families across the country. The 2021 CCUSA Annual Survey is a vital tool to capture the size and scope of the network's impact this past year, and the results illustrate the essential role that our ministry continues to play in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. Your participation is crucial to collecting and reporting this data. The 2021 CCUSA Annual Survey and CLINIC Survey on Immigration Legal Services will launch on Friday, February 4th. To help prepare, we invite you to join us for this preparation webinar, where we will:

- Highlight notable changes to this year's instrument
- Detail the submission timeline
- Provide suggested data collection processes, and
- Outline methods for technical assistance during the submission process.

The Webinar recording and presentation slides will be sent directly to all registrants for later viewing. All staff or leadership contributing to or overseeing your agency’s submission are encouraged to participate in this instructional webinar. Please direct any questions or Survey contact updates to Ashley Rininger. Date: Feb. 3, 2022. Time: 3 PM EST. Register in advance for this webinar here.

Walking with people toward healing

Join a panel of experts for this webinar as they discuss the following topics: Overcoming the stigma of seeking help for mental illness; how to recognize the signs of mental health distress; ways to respond when someone turns to you; how to refer a person for help; and resources for mental health ministry. This webinar is co-sponsored by CCUSA, Catholics for Family Peace Initiative on Domestic Abuse, and the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. Date: Feb. 9, 2022. Time: 3 PM ET. Register here.

Grant Opportunities and Resources

“Synod on Synodality” Slack Workspace

To facilitate intra-Catholic Charities conversations and resource sharing on the “Synod on Synodality,” inaugurated by Pope Francis, a dedicated Slack workspace has been established. Catholic Charities leaders engaged in the synodal process may join this workspace by contacting Scott Hurd for a time-sensitive signup link.

New EITC outreach toolkit is here

EITC and CTC Outreach Resources 2022 – Get It Back (taxoutreach.org). The EITC Outreach Toolkit contains messaging and earned media materials, social media toolkit, call and text scripts and newsletter copy, and flyer and mailer. Below are some ways you can use the toolkit to spread the word: Share the entire toolkit with partner organizations and encourage them to engage outreach efforts; Post on social media: the toolkit includes Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts with images; Issue a press release; Send a newsletter to networks of employees or clients to inform them of their potential EITC eligibility; Print and distribute flyers to community members. Feel free to use and adapt the toolkit in any way that fits your outreach efforts. Your involvement is especially critical as we seek to reach the 17 million working adults not raising children in the U.S. between the ages 19-24 and over the age of 65 who are now eligible for the expanded EITC. Please reach out to our outreach team, either Roxy Caines ([email protected]) or Janne Huang ([email protected]) if you have any questions or concerns. They will keep you informed of additional resources to help promote the EITC.

Participants needed for research study

The Center for Behavioral Science Methods is doing research to improve how we collect information about people living in households. Participants will receive $40. We would like to talk with people who live in a household that meets one or more of the following criteria:

at least 6 people
3 or more generations (e.g., grandparents, parents, grandchildren)
distant relatives, such as nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws, etc.
not everyone is related to each other
someone has moved in or out recently
someone who lives in the household is away at school or for a job
has a new baby (up to 7 months old) in the household
a friend or extended family member is staying temporarily with no set date to move out

If you know anyone who meets ANY of these criteria we would appreciate it if you let them know of this research opportunity. Interviews will be 60 minutes and will take place virtually using Microsoft Teams to video conference with U.S. Census Bureau staff. Interviews will begin on January 10, 2022 and conclude on January 31, 2021. While current federal employees are allowed to participate in off-duty time, they are not eligible to receive the incentive payment. Please have interested participants complete a short questionnaire at https://research.rm.census.gov/jfe/form/SV_e2mlNcltceujUhg or contact Kevin Younes at (301) 763-4979 or [email protected] for further information. Please mention the code Roster when you call or email.

Employment Opportunities

Anyone can view the job opportunities by clicking on the "Careers" tag on the footer of the CCUSA webpage. To post a job opportunity, one must be a member and have access to the members' portal in order to fill out the submission form (click on "Careers" tag on members only portal homepage). If you have any questions about the new job opportunities submission form, please contact Nick Paige. Please click here to access job opportunities.

CCUSA Photo Gallery

Did you know that one of the benefits CCUSA provides to member agencies is access to a professional photo gallery? Visit our Flickr photo pages to explore our albums and photos. If you would like a high-resolution version for your agency's use, please email CCUSA with photo number.