June 3, 2022

Inside this issue

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

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: The House and Senate were out this week on Memorial Day recess. However, despite the recess, some members of Congress stayed in DC to draft gun safety proposals in response to the mass shootings, including, sadly, the latest one in Tulsa, Oklahoma. CCUSA continues to pray for all victims and their families and to call all elected officials to take concrete action to help prevent gun violence. 

Women in Uvalde, Texas, embrace May 30, 2022, as people gather at the memorial at Robb Elementary School. (CNS photo/Shannon Stapleton, Reuters)

The CCUSA Social Policy team will participate in next week's Virtual O'Grady Leadership Institute (June 6-10, 2022). The institute is an opportunity for Catholic Charities professionals to gain a foundational understanding of the knowledge and skills essential for effective Catholic Charities leadership and integrates leadership and management with theology and spirituality. Participants will explore Catholic social and moral teaching, ethical decision-making, public policy and the Church, racism and poverty, and how to understand one's leadership role within a system. 

Economy: In the week ending May 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 200,000, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 210,000 to 211,000. The 4-week moving average was 206,500, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 206,750 to 207,000.

Immigration: A new Biden administration rule that aims to process more expeditiously migrants asking for humanitarian protection along the U.S. southern border went into effect this week. Meanwhile, the state of Texas' lawsuit  against the Biden administration to block the implementation of this rule is still pending in federal court. A ruling is expected any day now.

DACA's 10th Anniversary: June 15, 2022, will mark 10 years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was first announced by the Obama administration. The policy temporarily defers the deportation of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and grants them work authorization. Currently, DACA protection is renewable every two years, and it provides no pathway to lawful permanent resident status (i.e. green card) or citizenship. CCUSA will honor DACA recipients and their invaluable contributions to our communities on June 15. We will also offer an action alert to urge Congress to pass legislation that would provide permanent legal status to all Dreamers. 

To receive the DACA action alert, please text CCUSA to 50457.

Ukraine relief: Since President Biden signed the $40 billion relief bill to support Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion, the first part of that support - a $700 million weapons package - has been announced.
 
Top

  Faith and the Common Good  
 
This Sunday the Church celebrates the great feast of Pentecost, the crowning finale of our celebration of Easter 50 days ago.

For seven weeks, the Church has gathered together each day throughout the world to praise and worship God for the glory of the resurrection. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!  He is alive! We might say that for seven weeks the Church has not ceased to cry out "Alleluia!" for such a marvelous gift.

And like all of God's gifts, the resurrection overflows with more gifts-and chief among them is the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

At Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles and the people so they could form the Church. The Spirit brought the Church into being and the Spirit sustains the Church even now. Even though the Church is stained by human sin and division, it remains the dwelling place of God.

A painting on the ceiling of St. Catherine Church in Spring Lake, N.J., depicts the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles. (CNS photo/Octavio Duran)

This does not mean that members of the Church do not need to worry about sin and evil; it means that the holiness of the Church, the truth of its teaching, the fruitfulness of its sacraments, come from God, not humans.

We are called to surrender ourselves to God's gifts, to yield to the Holy Spirit, and become instruments of God's grace in the world. This is what happened at the first Pentecost, as the fruit of the early Church demonstrates. 

On that first Pentecost, the apostles and disciples were so receptive to the Holy Spirit that their witness to Jesus erupted throughout the known world. They manifested God's grace in their lives through the preaching of the Word, the practice of caritas (with special concern for those who were poor), their communal life, and, not least of all, through an amazing growth of the Church.

The success and vibrancy of the early Church may give us pause to wonder why we don't see such signs nowadays. Perhaps part of the reason is due to such things as complacency and sluggishness of spirit, or an outright rejection of one's baptismal call. 

But part of the reason also may be that the Holy Spirit provides the most appropriate gifts the Church needs for a particular time and historical context. The more sensational gifts were needed for the beginning of the Church so it might be recognized and attract followers.  Today, spectacular gifts do not have the same appeal. Indeed, it could be argued that what we need, and what inspires people - believers and non-believers alike - is the fidelity and perseverance of witnesses to Jesus. As our Advocate, the Holy Spirit gives us the seven gifts (wisdom, understanding, fortitude, etc.) that, when we receive them well, undergird our Christian witness and help us to love our neighbors.

One may or may not agree with the gospel, but it's hard to ignore, for example, the actions of Catholic Charities staff who change lives for the better: helping people find homes, employment, health care, and more. This is faith in action, grounded in prayer, imbued with the Spirit, and directed toward the fullness of life that Jesus promises.
 
Top

  Trivia  
 
Q. Who is the person martyred on this day (June 3) in 1886, and now a canonized saint?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. Where did the Ascension take place?

A. Thanks to Bill Rosanelli for being first with the correct answer: Mount Olivet (See Acts 1:6-12).
 
Top

  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.
 
Top

You are currently subscribed to a mailing list of Catholic Charities USA. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.