January 2016 Fight poverty--vote - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

January 2016

Fight poverty--vote

A voice of the poor committee initiative of the society of

st

Vincent de paulSlide2

Opening Prayer

L:

In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:

Amen.

L:

Come, Holy Spirit, live within our lives.

All:

And strengthen us by Your Love.

L:

Send forth your spirit and new life will be created.

All:

And the whole face of the earth will be renewed.

L:

Our Father, etc.

All:

Give us this day our daily bread, etc.

L

: Let us reflect on the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ, recalling His unity and

presence among us: “Where two or three are gathered together in my Name,

there am I in the midst of them.” (Silence)Slide3

Opening Prayer

All:

Lord Jesus, deepen our Vincentian spirit of friendship during this meeting and make us responsive to the Christian calling to seek and find the forgotten, the suffering, or the deprived so that we may bring them your love. Help us to be generous with our time, our possessions, and ourselves in this mission of charity. Perfect in us your love and teach us to share more fully in the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered for all.

L

: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,

All:

Have mercy on us.

L:

Immaculate Heart of Mary,

All:

Pray for us.

L:

St. Vincent de Paul,

All:

Pray for us.

L:

St. Louise de

Marillac

,

All:

Pray for us.

L:

Blessed Frederic

Ozanam

,

All:

Pray for us.

L:

Blessed Rosalie

Rendu

,

All:

Pray for us.Slide4

Agenda

Opening PrayerWhy are they poor?Faithful Citizenship and Vincentian Social principles Candidate Videos

Voter Registration ResourcesSlide5

Vincentian Civil Discourse

“Let us learn, first of all, to defend our belief without hating our adversaries, to appreciate those who do not think as we do, to recognize that there are Christians in every camp, and that God can be served now as always! Let us complain less of our times and more of ourselves. Let us not be discouraged, let us be better.”  Blessed Frederic

Ozanam

(Baunard, Correspondence

, p.304)Slide6

VOP Advocacy Foundational PrinciplesSlide7

Solidarity/Subsidiarity

Life

Dignity

Common

Good

Hunge

r

Human Trafficking

Healthcare

Immigration

Homelessness

Affordable Housing

Restorative Justices

Predatory Loans

Education

Wages

National SVDP Position StatementsSlide8

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.

Dom Hélder CâmaraSlide9

Poverty & Hunger Facts

Poverty 46.7 million people (14.8 percent) were in poverty. 15.5 million (21.1 percent) children under the age of 18 were in poverty.

4.6 million (10 percent) seniors 65 and older were in poverty(U.S. Census Bureau

data for 2014)

Hunger1 in 7 U.S. households were food-insecure (unsure at some point how they would provide food for their next meal). More than 48 million people lived in food-insecure households. 15.3 million children (1 in 5) lived in food-insecure households.

(USDA data for 2014)Slide10

Cardinal Dolan on Faithful Citizen

http://bcove.me/8sp9ldziSlide11

Popes and Politics

“‘A good Catholic meddles in politics.“ Pope Francis (9/16/13)Slide12

"Responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.“

(13)

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States Copyright © 2007, 2011, 2015 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DCSlide13

US Bishops SVDP Rule

4. The work for justice requires that the mind and the heart of Catholics be

educated and formed to know and practice the whole faith. 

9. The Church's obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith. It is a basic part of the mission we have received from Jesus Christ, who offers a vision of life revealed to us in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

7.1 The Society gives immediate help but also seeks mid-term and long-term solutions

The Society is concerned not only with alleviating need but also with identifying the unjust structures that cause it. It is, therefore, committed to identifying the root causes of poverty and to contributing to their elimination. In all its charitable actions there should be a search for justice; in its struggle for justice, the Society must keep in mind the demands of charity.Slide14

Why we

MUST be engaged

12. The Catholic community brings important assets to the political dialogue about our nation's future. We bring a consistent moral framework—drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the Church—for assessing issues, political platforms, and campaigns. We also

bring broad experience in serving those in need—educating the young, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women who face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peaceSlide15

14. Unfortunately, politics in our country often can be a contest of powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites, and media hype.

The Church calls for a different kind of political engagement: one shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable.

As Pope Francis reminds us, “Politics, while often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good. (

Evangelii

Gaudium

, no.205)Slide16

7. In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.Slide17

How to Form Conscience

Embrace goodness and truth-Study Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church

Examine facts and background informationPrayerful reflection

Failure to form conscience can lead to erroneous judgments (18)Slide18

29. Racism and other unjust discrimination, the use of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war, the use of torture, war crimes,

the failure to respond to those who are suffering from hunger or a lack of health care, pornography, redefining civil marriage, compromising religious liberty or an unjust immigration policy are all serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act

. These are not optional concerns which can be dismissed. Slide19

34. Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods.

A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning or racist behavior, if the voter's intent is to support that position.

In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil.

At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity

.Slide20

42. As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate's position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter's support. Yet a candidate's position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion, redefining marriage in a way that denies its essential meaning, or racist behavior, a voter may legitimately disqualify a candidate from receiving support.Slide21

51. Pope Benedict XVI has taught that

"love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential to [the Church] as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel"

(

Deus Caritas Est, no. 22). This preferential option for the poor and vulnerable includes all who are marginalized in our nation and beyond—unborn children, persons with disabilities, the elderly and terminally ill, and victims of injustice and oppression and immigrants.Slide22

55. These four principles (Dignity of the Human Person, Subsidiarity, Common Good, Solidarity) and related themes from Catholic social teaching provide a moral framework that does not easily fit ideologies of "right" or "left," "liberal" or "conservative," or the platform of any political party. They are not partisan or sectarian, but reflect fundamental ethical principles that are common to all people. Slide23

Group Table Exercise

Realizing that no candidate will support or apply all the Catholic Social principles to issues in the same way, how do I make my decision about particular candidates?

How does our Vincentian focus on the poor influence my approach to my decision? Is it possible that I may come to a different conclusion from other Vincentians and that we are all faithful citizens and faithful Vincentians? Without mentioning candidates by name can I tell a story of how I have come to a decision about a candidate who does not share all my Vincentian values or at least does not apply them as I think they ought to be applied?Slide24

Wages

USCCB SVDP

52. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation. Employers contribute to the common good through the services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the dignity and rights of workers—to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age, to the choice of whether to organize and join unions, to the opportunity for legal status for immigrant workers, to private property, and to economic initiative. Workers also have responsibilities—to provide a fair day's work for a fair day's pay, to treat employers and co-workers with respect, and to carry out their work in ways that contribute to the common good. Workers, employers, and unions should not only advance their own interests, but also work together to advance economic justice and the well-being of all.

As Vincentians, we believe in living gospel values. As the largest Catholic lay organization in the United States, it is essential that we support Catholic teachings. I urge you to ensure that those employed by the Society in the United States be afforded the greatest possible respect and a wage that reflects our values of creating self-sufficiency for whomever we serve. Slide25

Health Care USCCB SVDP

80. 

Affordable and accessible health care is an essential safeguard of human life and a fundamental human right. With an estimated 47 million Americans lacking health care coverage, it is also an urgent national priority. Reform of the nation's health care system needs to be rooted in values that respect human dignity, protect human life, and meet the needs of the poor and uninsured, especially born and unborn children, pregnant women, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations.

The USCCB supports measures to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid.

In home visits and special works programs, we encounter the suffering poor— individuals in pain and families in need because of sickness — children whose parents cannot afford annual check ups or basic dental care, women without proper prenatal attention, families in which the main bread earner is injured and cannot afford medical assistance, and the elderly who have to choose between food and medicine. Slide26

Circle of Protection

Letters to Presidential Candidates

"What would you do as president to offer help and

opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and

around the world?" Slide27

View Video

www.circleofprotection.us/candidate-videosSlide28

Spend some quite time reflecting on each candidates comments in light of Church teaching Slide29

What will be your next steps?

Potential questions on a home visit:What issues are important to you in this election? (Never disagree with the answer or give your personal political views. Never endorse a candidate on a visit.

Do you and your family usually vote?Do your neighbors usually vote?

How can you encourage your neighbors to vote?What are the impediments to voting in your state? (e.g., residency requirements, ID laws, formally incarcerated prohibitions)Slide30

Voter Registration Resources

Step 1 Research election turnout-Set a goal to increase that in our local voting district

Information about state and local elections https://ballotpedia.orghttp://www.electproject.org/

http://www.nonprofitvote.org/http://wwwmigrate.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/voter-education-and-voter-registration.cfm

http://www.rockthevote.com/Step 2 Discuss elections rules with your conferenceStep 3 Determine best ways to drive up voter turnout in your districtSlide31

http://www.nonprofitvote.org/Slide32

“Overcome your timidity and go out boldly into the slums and visit those unknown to you who have never come near your parish church.”

Bl. Frederic OzanamSlide33

VoP

Regional Leadership

SVdP

Region

Geography

Leaders &

Location

Spiritual Advisor

USA & Puerto Rico

Rev. Louis

Arceneaux

, C.M.

New Orleans, LA

National Chair

USA & Puerto Rico

Tom Dwyer

Mansfield, MA (Boston area)

Southeast Region

AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN

Frank Voehl

,

Miami

, FL

Northeast Region

CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT

Tom

Dwyer

,

Mansfield

, MA

Eastern Region

DE, DC, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV

Lynne

Betts

,

Seaford

, DE

Lois

Jackson

,

Delaware

Matt

Walker

,

Braddock

, PA (Pittsburgh area)

Mideast Region

IN, KY, MI

(except Marquette),

OH

Warren

Wright

,

Grove

City,

OH

Diane

McKern

,

Gary

, IN

North Central Region

IL

(except Belleville),

MI (Diocese

of

Marquette), MN, ND, SD, WI

Marian Lamoureux

​,Waukesha

, WI

Midwest Region

CO, IA, IL

(Diocese of East St. Louis/Belleville only),

KS, MO, NE, WY

Robert S.

Haller

,

Lincoln

, NB

South Central Region

AR, NM, OK, TX

Juan

Pereira

,

Mountainair

,

NM

Western Region

AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NE, OR, UT, WA

Michael Stratton

,

Seattle

, WA

Dan

Torrington

,

Tucson

, AZ

Christine

Krikliwy

,

Tucson

, AZ

Kelly

Anderson

,

Nampa

,

IDSlide34

Closing Prayer

Father, We pray for our elected officials and candidates, that they be blessed with knowledge, sense, and truth.

We pray for our fellow citizens that they vote with wisdom and discernment. We pray that those in need will make their voices heard in our communities.

Finally, let us learn to defend our belief without hating our adversaries, to appreciate those who do not think as we do, to recognize that there are Christians in every camp, and that God can be served now as always! Let us complain less of our times and more of ourselves. Let us not be discouraged, let us be

better. Through Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen