March 11, 2022

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: Congress passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus bill this week, with funding for child nutrition programs, fruits and vegetables for women and children, housing choice vouchers for low-income individuals and families at risk of homelessness, protections for human life and other priorities important to the Catholic Charities ministry. Read CCUSA's response to the passing of the omnibus package.

Economy: In the week ending March 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment weekly] claims was 227,000, an increase of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 215,000 to 216,000. 

Funding the government: The House of Representatives passed the fiscal 2022 omnibus appropriations package (HR 2471) on Wednesday, and the Senate passed it last night.  The omnibus legislation includes the 12 appropriations bills which fund various federal spending priorities. Items included in the omnibus that are relevant to the Catholic Charities ministry include expansion of broadband internet access in underserved areas, including rural areas; full funding of SNAP and expansion of access to fruits and vegetables through WIC; expanded funding for FEMA, including nonprofit security grants; increased funding for the Small Business and Employment and Training Administrations; expands funding for HUD programs including housing choice vouchers, public housing, tenant and project based rental assistance, supportive housing for veterans, affordable housing, and the community development blockgrant;  increased funding for children and families programs including early childhood education, low-income eneary assistance, community-based child abuse prevention, family violence prevention as well as a modest increase in senior nutrition, home and community-based supportive services, and respite care;  and funds for the USDA's Office for Civil Rights' racial equity initiative. The bill keeps the Hyde and Weldon amendments, which respectively prohibit federal funding for abortion and prevent the government from discrimination against states, institutions or health plans that do not cover abortion. The bill also included defense and humanitarian funding for Ukraine and reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act. 

Public charge: At the time of writing this newsletter, the Homeland Security Department has yet to publish a proposed rule to amend the current federal "public charge" provisions. Once it does, CCUSA intends to participate in the public comment period. 

Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit: The faith community, with help from the United Way and Prosperity Now, will be hosting a CTC/EITC outreach webinar on March 16 at 1:00 pm.  The event is entitled: Love Your Neighbors: Help Families Receive Full Tax Benefits. Gene Sperling, Senior Advisor to the President, will be joining the event. If you are interested in registering for this event, please do so here. The American Rescue Plan Act passed last year included a historic one-year expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Everyone needs to file a tax return to access these tax credits. Register for this one-hour-long national webinar to learn about the changes to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit and how you can help spread the word in your communities about these tax credits. 
 
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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
The Stations of the Cross is a traditional prayer that many Catholics offer during the season of Lent, although praying the Stations certainly can be done at other times of the year. 

A popular form of the Stations uses the contemplation method practiced by St. Ignatius of Loyola. The person praying imagines him/herself in the moment of Jesus' life depicted by the particular station: Jesus is condemned to death (1st station), Jesus meets his mother (4th station), etc. What was Jesus feeling? What about other people in the scene? What meaning or lesson can one discern from the station to act on or develop in one's life?

Other methods of praying the Stations involve reading a Scripture passage that corresponds to the moment or following a guide that gives questions to ponder based on each station. 

Most Catholic churches display a set of stations within the nave or a chapel. Most parishes also have communal celebrations of the Stations of the Cross that might include Eucharistic adoration, a Bible service with homily, and singing. 

Whatever form one uses, one will find that the Stations of the Cross communicate to us the mind of Jesus, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, ...he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:6, 8). 

St. Paul exhorts us to have the same attitude as Jesus: love for our brothers and sisters, even to the point of dying for them, and complete confidence in God that he will save us from eternal death (Phil 2:5).
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. Next week the Church celebrates a solemnity during Lent. Which one is it and what prayer, usually omitted in the Lenten season, may be said or sung during the Mass of the day?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. On March 4, 1979, which pope released his first encyclical, and what is the encyclical's title?

A. Thanks to Molly Sheahan, associate director of life and family issues at the California Catholic Conference, for being first to share the right answer and, also, for sharing her favorite quote from the encyclical: "Pope St. John Paul II released his encyclical entitled Redemptor Hominis, On the Redeemer of Man. My favorite quote from it is under paragraph 10, 'Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer 'fully reveals man to himself'.'"
 
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  Connections  
 
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

Be sure to text CCUSA to 50457 to receive our action alerts! 

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty: Follow us on Twitter at @CCharitiesUSA.   

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty, you can contribute here.
 
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