May 6, 2022

Inside this issue

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

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: The leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade remained the central topic among members of Congress this week. The war in Ukraine continues to demand attention as well. Sister Donna Markham OP, PhD, president and CEO of CCUSA, met with five Ukrainian bishops to discuss the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. See "Ukraine" below for more details.

Ukraine: Sister Donna Markham met in Washington, DC, this week with the five Ukrainian bishops who represent the four U.S. Eparchies. They discussed the eventual resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. and CCUSA's role in facilitating that process. A second meeting with the Archeparch to discuss the needs of those who have been displaced will take place at CCUSA's offices in Alexandria, VA.

On May 3, Sr. Donna Markham OP, PhD, president & CEO of CCUSA, met with the five Ukrainian bishops who represent the four U.S. Eparchies. Brian Corbin, executive vice president for CCUSA member services, sits next to Sr. Donna.

In a letter to congressional leadership, Sister Donna and Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, urged Congress to authorize emergency supplemental funds for additional humanitarian assistance for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Those paroled into the U.S. through the Uniting for Ukraine program should receive the full range of benefits and services available to those who have formal refugee status. Additional funding should be set aside to support reception and integration efforts for those displaced by the war in Ukraine. The letter also asks Congress to enact legislation that would streamline the process for Afghan nationals to pursue permanent legal status in the U.S. Read the full letter here. 

White House conference on hunger: CCUSA welcomes the Biden administration's decision on May 4 to host a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health this Sept. In fall 2021, CCUSA, in concert with 27 other national faith-based organizations, asked the administration to convene a conference to address food insecurity and hunger in America. Only one such hunger-focused conference has been convened with faith-based organizations in the U.S. in its history. Held in 1969, the meeting resulted in improved and expanded federal food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). CCUSA is committed to ending hunger and helping people live healthy lives. We look forward to the opportunity to share our ideas and work with the administration and other organizations to end hunger in the U.S. Read CCUSA's statement concerning the conference here.

The overall goal of the White House conference will be ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 to help cut down on the number of Americans suffering from diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

Economy: In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment insurance] claims was 200,000, an increase of 19,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 180,000 to 181,000. The 4-week moving average was 188,000, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 179,750 to 180,000. U.S. added 428,000 jobs in April as the labor market remained vibrant.

Bipartisan Border Solutions Act: Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act. The bill directs the administration to create regional processing centers along the border, ensuring migrants are treated fairly and humanely and understand their rights. Catholic Charities USA has not taken a position on the bill. For further information please read here.

People in support of asylum seekers rally near the Supreme Court in Washington April 26, 2022, as the court hears oral arguments in President Joe Biden's bid to rescind a Trump-era immigration policy that forced migrants to stay in Mexico to await U.S. hearings on their asylum claims. (CNS photo/Elizabeth Frantz, Reuters)

Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extensions: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Temporary Final Rule on EAD Extensions in the Federal Register on May 4, with a comment period ending July 5, 2022. The temporary rule will be in effect from May 4, 2022 until October 15, 2025.

Certain immigrants, who qualify to renew their EADs and have submitted an application, will receive an automatic extension of their EADs for up to 540 days while their renewal application is being processed. The normal auto extension period is 180 days. This rule will benefit various classes of immigrants including those with pending adjustment applications including religious workers, asylees and asylum seekers, and others. 

The temporary final rule aims to reduce the backlog of pending EAD renewal applications and minimize employment gaps due to long wait times for approvals. This is good news, especially for Catholic religious workers, many of whom had to stop work because their renewal applications were still pending, and as a result, several Catholic ministries across the U.S. were negatively impacted.

Nonprofit eligibility for ARPA funds: The U.S. Department of Treasury posted updated guidance reinforcing and further clarifying that state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments have full authority to invest in charitable nonprofits when spending their allocations of federal funds made available under the American Rescue Plan Act. The new guidance, titled Final Rule: Frequently Asked Questions, updates answers to questions related to the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Most notably, FAQ 1.8 expressly states that governments may devote their allocations of federal money to charitable nonprofits in two important ways: nonprofits as recipients of relief (beneficiaries) and nonprofits as providers of relief to others. See also, Treasury Final Rule, Overview of the Final Rule, and Governments Can Use ARPA Funds to Partner with Nonprofits in Two Broad Ways.
 
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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
This Sunday has been designated the "World Day of Prayer for Vocations," when the Church asks Catholics to pray for vocations to the priesthood and diaconate, consecrated life, secular institutes, and the missionary life. A separate day of prayer for marriage and family life was celebrated in February. 

Members of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal pray during Mass Dec. 28, 2020, at the Church of the Holy Innocents in New York City. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Jesus calls to everyone, without exception, "Follow me" (Mt 19:21). Specifically, he means to follow his way of love that is manifested in his total gift of self, which "culminates in the Cross of our Redemption, the sign of his indivisible love for the Father and for humanity" (Pope Saint John Paul II, Veritatis splendor, No. 14).

Those in the ordained ministries and consecrated life participate in Jesus' mission by serving their brothers and sisters in the Church and society. Part of their service consists in being a sign that points to the proper end of human life: eternal communion with God. Indeed, reminding us that this life - as good as it is - is temporary helps us to put our lives and choices in perspective. While taking our duties seriously and prioritizing care for each other on Earth, we also need to set aside time for prayer and discernment to remain on the path to heaven that Jesus paved for us.

May the prayer of the Church encourage more people to follow Christ in the beautiful vocations of ordained and consecrated life.
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. Including the Second Vatican Council, how many ecumenical councils have been recognized by the Catholic Church?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. Why is this day (April 29) significant to the life of Saint Joan of Arc?

A. Thanks to Mary Smith from Rochester, NY, who was first to give the correct answer: "Joan arrived at Orleans on 29 April 1429 where she was greeted with great enthusiasm.  She gained the favor of the Armagnac troops, who believed she could lead them to victory.  Over time, some of the Armagnac commanders accepted her advice. And the battle was won!"
 
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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: @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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