| From | Catholic Charities USA <[email protected]> |
| Subject | Washington Weekly |
| Date | November 4, 2022 6:36 PM |
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November 4, 2022
Inside this issue
• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections
CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
Overview: All eyes are on next Tuesday as voters will select their candidates for the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats. Be sure to register for the CCUSA Social Policy team’s webinar on Nov. 14, when we will discuss the results of the election and what to expect going forward from a social policy perspective: See details below.
Advocacy webinar: Join us for an analysis of the midterm election results with policy experts from the ArentFox Schiff law firm and a legislative update from the CCUSA Social Policy Team. Topics will include federal appropriations and other CCUSA priorities for the remaining Congressional session, a forecast of the upcoming 118th Congress, and a brief overview of the new CCUSA Advocacy Manual. We hope you can join us for this event, share your thoughts, ask questions, and see how you can engage in CCUSA advocacy efforts. Register in advance for this webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Tennessee state Sen. Richard Briggs speaks with Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville, Tenn., and students from Knoxville Catholic High School in his Nashville office March 23, 2022. (CNS photo/Katie Peterson, Tennessee Register)
Advocacy manual: As mentioned at the Annual Gathering social policy community-of-practice meeting in Baltimore last month, the CCUSA social policy team has updated an advocacy manual that can now be accessed on the CCUSA website. From the CCUSA home page, the user clicks on the “Advocacy” tag, which takes the user to the Advocacy page. Scroll down to “Resources,” where one can find the manual, titled “Faith, Action, Justice: A Manual for Legislative Advocacy.”
Economy: In the week ending October 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 217,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 217,000 to 218,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,750, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 219,000 to 219,250. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 261,000 in October, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.7 percent. Notable job gains occurred in health care, professional and technical services, and manufacturing.
Faithful citizenship: In preparation for the upcoming midterm elections, Anthony Granado, vice president of government relations at CCUSA, spoke on the political responsibility of Catholics on a webinar sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, Diocese of Paterson also spoke about Catholics' responsibility in the public square. Read an article describing the event here.
Top
Faith and the Common Good
Next Tuesday, November 8, voters all over the U.S. will cast their ballots for the candidates they think will best represent them in Congress: all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate.
Voting is a right and a duty of citizenship that should not be taken lightly. Indeed, but casting a vote is just one way a person can contribute to the shaping of the country. What kind of society do we want to live in? What priorities in terms of budgets, legislation, and policy should our elected officials prioritize? These are some of the questions we should ask before going to the polling place.
A girl at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City watches her mother cast her ballot during early voting Oct. 29, 2022. (CNS photo/Jeenah Moon, Reuters)
The Catholic Church weighs in on these questions for the benefit of church members, so members can discern their own decisions with the support of their faith tradition. Participation in society generally and the political process specifically are instances of the rights and duties that, according to Catholic teaching, belong to the church as an organization and to Catholics as citizens.
As an institution, the Catholic Church is a subject and a living force within society. It does not intervene directly in the technical questions of the political order, but it does fulfill its responsibilities to society in two main ways: practicing charity in service to all, especially to those who are most needy (through its various ministries, such as Catholic Charities), and contributing through its teaching to an understanding of the requirements of justice and the common good.
Individual Catholics, or members of the laity, on the other hand, have a "direct duty to work for a just ordering of society" (Deus caritas est, No. 29) according to their role within the public square. The most basic instance of this duty - not only for Catholics but also for all citizens - is to vote.
To exercise one's duty to vote, an individual Catholic should draw from the Church's rich social teaching, which provides a framework built with fundamental ethical principles that are common to all people.
The first principle of Catholic social teaching is the dignity of the human person, who has a "right to take an active part in public life and to make his/her own contribution to the common welfare" (Pacem in terris, No. 26). Since every human person (including those in utero) shares in this inherent dignity, every human person has a corresponding duty to work for the common good. Everyone, by virtue of justice, should have the necessities of life (food, shelter, education, housing, healthcare, etc.), everyone should care for creation, and everyone should live in such a way that the goods of this world are shared by all, including future generations. When people have the things they need to live a dignified life, they are better able to play their part in promoting the general welfare.
Building upon the dignity of the human person and the common good, two other fundamental principles of Catholic social teaching help a person to contribute to creating a just society: subsidiarity and solidarity. Subsidiarity is the notion that respect for families and local organizations comes about when larger institutions in society do not overwhelm or interfere with smaller ones in duties or responsibilities that can be better handled at the local level. The principle of solidarity reminds everyone that every human being is equal in dignity and shares the basic rights and duties of all. Therefore, we all have a duty to protect and care for each other, especially the poor and vulnerable, even to the point of sacrificing on a personal level so a good can be shared by the larger community.
All of these principles, and the entire body of Catholic social teaching, provide a good framework to approach one’s duty to vote for elected officials. It is a framework that transcends party politics and ideologies. Instead, the goal is to create a society in which everyone can realize his or her inherent dignity in justice and peace, with due regard for one’s brothers and sisters.
For a good resource for study and discernment when it comes to exercising one’s right to vote, check out the USCCB’s publication Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.
Top
Trivia
Q. Who became the first person since Benjamin Harrison to be elected U.S. president despite having lost the nationwide popular vote?
Please send your answers to [email protected].
Last week's question and answer:
Q. Who is the patron saint of the United States?
A. Thanks to Marissa Flores Madden, DOJ-accredited representative for family immigration services at Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, who was first with the right answer: Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
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.
Inside this issue
• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
• Faith and the Common Good
• Trivia
• Connections
CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly
Overview: All eyes are on next Tuesday as voters will select their candidates for the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats. Be sure to register for the CCUSA Social Policy team’s webinar on Nov. 14, when we will discuss the results of the election and what to expect going forward from a social policy perspective: See details below.
Advocacy webinar: Join us for an analysis of the midterm election results with policy experts from the ArentFox Schiff law firm and a legislative update from the CCUSA Social Policy Team. Topics will include federal appropriations and other CCUSA priorities for the remaining Congressional session, a forecast of the upcoming 118th Congress, and a brief overview of the new CCUSA Advocacy Manual. We hope you can join us for this event, share your thoughts, ask questions, and see how you can engage in CCUSA advocacy efforts. Register in advance for this webinar here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Tennessee state Sen. Richard Briggs speaks with Bishop Richard F. Stika of Knoxville, Tenn., and students from Knoxville Catholic High School in his Nashville office March 23, 2022. (CNS photo/Katie Peterson, Tennessee Register)
Advocacy manual: As mentioned at the Annual Gathering social policy community-of-practice meeting in Baltimore last month, the CCUSA social policy team has updated an advocacy manual that can now be accessed on the CCUSA website. From the CCUSA home page, the user clicks on the “Advocacy” tag, which takes the user to the Advocacy page. Scroll down to “Resources,” where one can find the manual, titled “Faith, Action, Justice: A Manual for Legislative Advocacy.”
Economy: In the week ending October 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 217,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 217,000 to 218,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,750, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 219,000 to 219,250. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 261,000 in October, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.7 percent. Notable job gains occurred in health care, professional and technical services, and manufacturing.
Faithful citizenship: In preparation for the upcoming midterm elections, Anthony Granado, vice president of government relations at CCUSA, spoke on the political responsibility of Catholics on a webinar sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, Diocese of Paterson also spoke about Catholics' responsibility in the public square. Read an article describing the event here.
Top
Faith and the Common Good
Next Tuesday, November 8, voters all over the U.S. will cast their ballots for the candidates they think will best represent them in Congress: all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate.
Voting is a right and a duty of citizenship that should not be taken lightly. Indeed, but casting a vote is just one way a person can contribute to the shaping of the country. What kind of society do we want to live in? What priorities in terms of budgets, legislation, and policy should our elected officials prioritize? These are some of the questions we should ask before going to the polling place.
A girl at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City watches her mother cast her ballot during early voting Oct. 29, 2022. (CNS photo/Jeenah Moon, Reuters)
The Catholic Church weighs in on these questions for the benefit of church members, so members can discern their own decisions with the support of their faith tradition. Participation in society generally and the political process specifically are instances of the rights and duties that, according to Catholic teaching, belong to the church as an organization and to Catholics as citizens.
As an institution, the Catholic Church is a subject and a living force within society. It does not intervene directly in the technical questions of the political order, but it does fulfill its responsibilities to society in two main ways: practicing charity in service to all, especially to those who are most needy (through its various ministries, such as Catholic Charities), and contributing through its teaching to an understanding of the requirements of justice and the common good.
Individual Catholics, or members of the laity, on the other hand, have a "direct duty to work for a just ordering of society" (Deus caritas est, No. 29) according to their role within the public square. The most basic instance of this duty - not only for Catholics but also for all citizens - is to vote.
To exercise one's duty to vote, an individual Catholic should draw from the Church's rich social teaching, which provides a framework built with fundamental ethical principles that are common to all people.
The first principle of Catholic social teaching is the dignity of the human person, who has a "right to take an active part in public life and to make his/her own contribution to the common welfare" (Pacem in terris, No. 26). Since every human person (including those in utero) shares in this inherent dignity, every human person has a corresponding duty to work for the common good. Everyone, by virtue of justice, should have the necessities of life (food, shelter, education, housing, healthcare, etc.), everyone should care for creation, and everyone should live in such a way that the goods of this world are shared by all, including future generations. When people have the things they need to live a dignified life, they are better able to play their part in promoting the general welfare.
Building upon the dignity of the human person and the common good, two other fundamental principles of Catholic social teaching help a person to contribute to creating a just society: subsidiarity and solidarity. Subsidiarity is the notion that respect for families and local organizations comes about when larger institutions in society do not overwhelm or interfere with smaller ones in duties or responsibilities that can be better handled at the local level. The principle of solidarity reminds everyone that every human being is equal in dignity and shares the basic rights and duties of all. Therefore, we all have a duty to protect and care for each other, especially the poor and vulnerable, even to the point of sacrificing on a personal level so a good can be shared by the larger community.
All of these principles, and the entire body of Catholic social teaching, provide a good framework to approach one’s duty to vote for elected officials. It is a framework that transcends party politics and ideologies. Instead, the goal is to create a society in which everyone can realize his or her inherent dignity in justice and peace, with due regard for one’s brothers and sisters.
For a good resource for study and discernment when it comes to exercising one’s right to vote, check out the USCCB’s publication Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.
Top
Trivia
Q. Who became the first person since Benjamin Harrison to be elected U.S. president despite having lost the nationwide popular vote?
Please send your answers to [email protected].
Last week's question and answer:
Q. Who is the patron saint of the United States?
A. Thanks to Marissa Flores Madden, DOJ-accredited representative for family immigration services at Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, who was first with the right answer: Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
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.
Message Analysis
- Sender: Catholic Charities USA
- Political Party: n/a
- Country: United States
- State/Locality: n/a
- Office: n/a