December 2, 2022

Inside this issue

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

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
 
Overview: On the Hill, members of Congress continue to press for a comprehensive funding bill to avoid a government shutdown on Dec. 16 when the current continuing resolution to keep the federal government open expires. You can read a letter from CCUSA urging Congressional leadership to allocate additional funding for critical initiatives that serve low-income communities and fund essential humanitarian and disaster relief efforts. 

Destruction left by floodwaters is seen in Letcher County, Ky., Aug. 23, 2022. (CNS photo/courtesy Katina Hayden via The Western Kentucky Catholic)

Disaster funds: The Biden administration has submitted a request to Congress for added funding to respond to Hurricanes Ian and Fiona as well as other recent natural disasters, from flooding in Kentucky to Typhoon Merbok in Alaska. The supplemental aid package amounts to $29.6 billion for hurricane relief in Florida and Puerto Rico, plus $7.7 billion for an assortment of other calamities. It is uncertain whether Congress will consider and approve any of these requests fully or partially. Highlights of the $29.6 billion hurricane package the White House is seeking include:

$11 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s main disaster relief account.
$4 billion to pay flood insurance claims for victims of Hurricane Ian in Florida as well as for victims of other disasters.
$3.5 billion for Community Development Block Grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
$3 billion for grants to low-income households in Puerto Rico “to purchase and install solar and battery storage systems and energy distribution technology,” which the Office of Management and Budget says “can increase resilience for households during blackouts and outages resulting from natural disasters.”

Webinar: Preparing for the Fiscal Year 2023 Nonprofit Security Grant Program: The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate invites all interested 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to a Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) Informational Webinar virtual event to provide a look-back on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 NSGP and a look-ahead to the prospective FY 2023 NSGP. The NSGP provides funding for physical and cyber security enhancements and other security-related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. In addition, the NSGP seeks to integrate nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts.

FEMA will host several NSGP virtual webinars to provide lessons learned from the FY 2022 NSGP cycle and, most importantly, to share valuable information on what nonprofits should consider now in preparation for the FY 2023 NSGP application submission cycle. Each webinar will contain similar content,  including an opportunity for nonprofits to provide a platform to share NSGP investment accomplishments, feedback and to ask questions.

You must register in advance:

When: December 8, 2022 
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting
 
When: December 13, 2022 
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET (US and Canada) 
Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Adobe Connect meeting. Please check both junk and spam folders, as some email filters may redirect the attendance confirmation email. For any questions regarding these sessions or to request special accommodations, please contact [email protected].

Economy: In the week ending November 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial [unemployment] claims was 225,000, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 240,000 to 241,000. The four-week moving average was 228,750, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 226,750 to 227,000.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the November jobs report today. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care and government. Employment declined in retail trade and in transportation and warehousing. Read the report here.

Catholic Social Ministry Gathering: Register now for the 2023 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, January 28-31, 2023, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Blessed are the Peacemakers” (Mt 5:9). Don’t miss this transformative annual gathering for leaders in Catholic social ministry and advocacy! Register here.
 
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  Faith and the Common Good  
 
Next Thursday, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the feast that proclaims the dogma of Mary’s being conceived without inheriting original sin (U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, Nos. 142-143).

Just as Mary pondered the meaning of the angel Gabriel’s greeting to her – “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28) – so, too, the Church has pondered the meaning of the same words. The Church has received from the Holy Spirit, through the inspiration of Scripture and tradition, that God in his perfect freedom and majesty made a choice to give new life to a world enslaved by sin: the gift of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, born from a woman who said “yes” to God.

A Nativity scene is displayed on Christmas in St. Mary's Church in Cork City, Ireland. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us," the Gospel of John says. (CNS photo/Cillian Kelly)

So great a gift was carried to the world by a woman who had received a great gift, as well. Mary received the benefit of Jesus’ saving grace before it was realized in time. When she said, “let it be done to me according to God’s word” (See Luke 1:38), she acted on God’s grace and continued to yield to God’s grace all her life. She cooperated freely and willingly in the bestowal of God’s gift to all men and women, and even all creation. Now, we can say that the Lord is with us!

Stepping back from the wonderful glory and meaning of this feast, one begins to understand that it was not a spontaneous act of grace. As the feast’s first reading from Genesis makes clear, God prepared the world for this gift not only through his graciousness to Mary but also by his patient preparation of the people of Israel, through good times and bad. God reveals his intentions, his will, through his relationship with humanity throughout history.

The feast offers much to ponder, but perhaps we might take a moment to contemplate the presence of the Lord in our lives and be open, like Mary, to yielding to and acting on God’s word. 
 
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  Trivia  
 
Q. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was defined in what document, promulgated by what pope?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Last week's question and answer:

Q. Who instituted the feast of Christ the King and when?

A. Thanks to Mary Smith, member of the Ladies of Charity, Rochester, NY, since 1954, for being first with the right answer: Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 with his encyclical Quas primas (“In the first”) to respond to growing secularism and atheism. He recognized that attempting to “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law” out of public life would result in continuing discord among people and nations. This solemnity reminds us that while governments come and go, Christ reigns as King forever.
 
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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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