September 16, 2022

Inside this issue

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

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: The House of Representatives plans to advance a temporary resolution to fund the government and bills aimed at public safety, such as a policing and public safety package, before the end of the current fiscal year, Sept. 30. The House is scheduled to be gone for the whole month of October. The Senate is also negotiating a short-term government funding bill.

Congress hasn't made progress on the annual spending bills, and is instead expected to pass the "continuing resolution" that would maintain 2022 funding levels into the new fiscal year. 

The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington Aug. 6, 2022. (CNS photo/Ken Cedeno, Reuters)

United We Stand Summit: On Thursday, Sept. 15, Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of CCUSA, attended the White House's United We Stand Summit, which sought to counter the effects of hate-fueled violence and extremism in the U.S. Sister Donna participated in a moment of silence for victims of hate-filled violence.

Commenting on the summit, Sister Donna said, "It is crucial that we hear the voices of those with whom we disagree without engaging in violence, personal attacks and vitriolic interchanges that serve only to divide us further and shred the beautiful tapestry of our national identity."

On Tuesday, Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of CCUSA, and Lucreda Cobbs, CCUSA's senior director of policy and legislative affairs, attended a White House event celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Webinar: A Catholic approach to hunger, nutrition, and the Farm Bill: CCUSA, in collaboration with the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services, will be coordinating with the Senate Agriculture Committee to livestream the legislative briefing, "A Catholic approach to hunger, nutrition, and the Farm Bill." Congressional staff will attend in person. This event is open to watch online and will consider a number of issues, including:

What does Catholic teaching have to say about the responsibility of public authorities to provide for the common good?
How does this responsibility relate to investments in nutrition and food security to feed the hungry in our nation and around the world, such as those authorized by the Farm Bill?
How are these investments responsibly used by faith-based organizations such as Catholic Charities or Catholic Relief Services to provide life-affirming food security and nutrition assistance to children, women, and men?

Hear from a panel of experts from the Catholic Charities West Virginia, USCCB,  and Catholic Relief Services who will share how their organizations are using federal funding to respond to needs at home and around the world. Date: Sept. 21, 2022. Time: 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada). Register HERE and you will receive a link to the livestream event.

Immigration: Anthony Granado, vice president of government relations, and Christy Williams, senior manager of social policy and government affairs, were in Milwaukee this week for the 2022 Catholic Immigrant Integration Initiative Conference hosted by the Center for Migration Studies of New York and Marquette University. On Tuesday, Christy participated on a panel titled, "Laudato Si and Migration: Towards Integral Ecology and the Future of Work, Health Care, and the Social Safety Net."

A bill, H.R. 8725, to provide supplemental appropriations for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to provide humanitarian relief for migrants was introduced in the House by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC At-Large). Any amount of funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated are to remain available until expended for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  These funds will be made available to EFSP for purposes of providing shelter and other services to families and individuals encountered by the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition, Senators Durbin and Padilla, among others,  wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee requesting additional funding for the EFSP program.

National Migration Week: Next week, Sept. 19-25, 2022, is National Migration Week, which is an opportunity for the faithful to consider the circumstances confronting migrants and victims of human trafficking, as well as possible responses they can take such as prayer, donations, or volunteer efforts.  The week is coordinated with the Vatican's World Day of Migrants & Refugees, Sept. 25, 2022.

Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contains funding to address issues of environmental justice and equity. Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants, overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency, are available to environmentally overburdened communities to invest in 1) community-led projects in disadvantaged communities and 2) community capacity building centers to address disproportionate environmental and public health harms related to pollution and climate change. A total of $3 billion is available through September 30, 2026, and includes up to three-year grant awards. Eligible activities include:

Monitoring, preventing and mediating air pollution;
Promoting workforce development to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
Climate resilience and adaptation. 

Entities eligible for these grants include community-based nonprofit organizations, individually, or in partnership with local governments or higher education institutions.

White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health: The Biden administration will host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on September 28, 2022, in Washington, DC - and there are many ways to get involved: 

Sign up to watch the Conference livestream. You'll learn about a national strategy to identify steps the government will take including catalyzing the public and private sectors to address the intersections between food, hunger, nutrition and health. 
Host a satellite event. The White House is asking anti-hunger and nutrition advocates, community-based organizations, food companies, the health care community, trade associations, universities, philanthropy groups, governments at all levels and others to host satellite events. You can host an event in the days before, during or after the conference. The type of event is up to you - but you might consider a town hall watch party, panel discussion, day of service or fun run. Check out the Satellite Events Toolkit [PDF - 1.37 MB] for help planning and hosting your event.
Share your ideas and stories. The White House wants to hear about your experiences with hunger or diet-related diseases. Hearing from people who have been directly affected is key to taking effective action. Submit your ideas and stories today.
Promote the Conference. Help spread the word about the conference through your social media accounts. Be sure to use #WHConfHungerHealth and tag @WhiteHouse.

To learn more about the conference, sign up for email updates.

Economy: In the week ending September 10, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 213,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 4,000 from 222,000 to 218,000. The 4-week moving average was 224,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 1,000 from 233,000 to 232,000.
 
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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
The nation remembered 9-11 this past weekend and continued into this week with prayer services and volunteer activities. Those who were alive that day, and especially those who survived the attacks, experienced a kind of shock which was overshadowed only by the gut-wrenching realization that many people had been killed and that the families and friends of those who died would experience unspeakable sorrow.

What does one say in the face of such an immense evil? To the one experiencing the evil, silence and simply being with the person may be the best response. Giving the person room to express pain or anger or mourning may also be helpful. Then, when the moment is right, and the moment will come at different times for different people, it's crucial to call to mind the hope the world has in Jesus.

Franciscan Father Brian Jordan, standing with laborers and emergency workers on Oct. 5, 2001, blesses a 17-foot-tall cross formed by steel beams that was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York. (CNS photo/Kathy Willens, Reuters)

Three days after 9-11, on Sept. 14, 2001, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, as it did this Sept. 14. Providential or coincidental, the feast reminded the world that God's response to evil is to absorb it into love in order to extinguish it and end its spread. 

When man and woman sinned, God could have responded in many ways. God chose to send "his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (Jn 3:16-17).

St. Paul made the good news of salvation in Jesus the cornerstone of his preaching, and he lived by it. He did not dismiss people's suffering. Quite the contrary, he understood the need to grieve, but he counseled people to hold on to their hope in Jesus and his resurrection as they grieved (1 Thess 4:13-18). Instead of being defeated by death and evil, St. Paul said "conquer evil with good" (Rom 12:21). These are words to live by because they anticipate eternal life.
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. What event happened on this day in 1620 that had major consequences for the United States and England?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. St. Peter Claver was canonized when and by whom?

A. St. Peter Claver was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888.
 
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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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