Office for Social Ministry

          e-link

The Diocese of San Diego

          858-490-8323


 

Dear OSM e-link Member,

Welcome new and existing members!  This week our membership reached 382, but this number does not reflect those who tried to register between June 5th and June 10th.  During that time the OSM e-link network at the Pastoral Center was down, and interested individuals were not able to access the registration page.  We apologize.  There is good news...  The site is now working properly.  If you know anyone who tried to register during the down time, please ask them to re-visit http://www.osmelink.org/, and complete the registration process.  With your help, we hope to reach all those who were unable to register. 

Thanks and God Bless!

 

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

OSM e-link - Bulletin #7

Table of Contents:

Comments from Kent Peters, Linda Arreola, Jim Walsh, and Jo Brower

Key Upcoming Gatherings (please join us if at all possible)
          - Reminder for worker rights meeting at St. Anthony's Parish on June 23        
          - Reminder for retreat with respect-life theme by Fr. Mitch Pacwa on July 27
          - California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty June 19 meeting
          - Housing Meeting at San Diego City Hall with Land Use and Housing Committees

Updates from the Office for Social Ministry
          - SDOP housing meeting huge success
          - California Catholic Conference state-wide meeting of social ministry directors
          - OSM gives thanks for work of Evangely Aliangan in the Working Together Program

Advocacy Feedback
          - Jo Brower reports on calls to Senators Feinstein and Boxer on S 1019

Advocacy Request
          - Calls of gratitude or regret for passage of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act 

Web and e-mail-based Resources
          - Link to web site for film Therese, the Life of St. Therese of Lisieux

Article/Statement for June 17, 2003
          - Excerpts from two Church statements involving political responsibility

 

Remarks from Kent, Linda, Jim and Jo

We have all heard the expression, “Give someone a fish and they eat for a day.  Teach someone to fish and they eat for a lifetime.” But what happens when there are no more fish?  What do we do then?  Do we teach a new trade? Or do we find ways to ensure that the fish do not run out in the first place?  The latter is the most effective use of our gifts of time, talent and treasure.  For it is in analyzing the reason for the lack of fish, speaking with local municipalities and visiting our elected representatives, that we ensure the availability of the fish and the overall well-being of the community. 

We all would like an extra hour or two in our day to spend with our loved ones or even with ourselves.  But, by taking three to five minutes out of a day, once or twice a month, to call an elected official and make our voice heard, we will not only ensure fish for those who need it, but will also ensure fish will be available in case we want to go fishing.  Our advocacy efforts should be like those of the parable of the persistent widow. (Luke 18, 1-8)  They must be just like our prayer life: consistent, unwavering, and always remembering those in need.

Every two weeks in Part 2 of the advocacy section E-link Advocacy Request , you will encounter a plea from the OSM urging you to call an elected official on an important piece of legislation or public policy.  We might ask you to call a local politician, it might be a politician serving in Sacramento, or it might be one serving in Washington, D.C.  These calls are very important, so important that each of us in the OSM office will make them as well.  Our goal is to have 100% of our e-link membership making these calls twice a month.  That's all we ask.  Thank you in advance for becoming a member of our diocesan "persistent widows" club.  And may the vulnerable at-risk members of our community, those we serve in our advocay efforts, come to know life in all its fullness.

San Diego, Pray for us,

Our Lady of Refuge, Pray for us.


 

4 Key Culture-of-Life Gatherings


Number 1: Reminder of Worker Rights Meeting at St. Anthony's on June 23 

Workers with questions on labor violations are invited to attend a Workers' Rights meeting on Monday, June 23, 2003, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, located at 410 West 18th Street in National City.  Map to St. Anthony's.  Anyone with questions can call Linda at 858-490-8327. 

Please spread the word on this meeting to those in work places where employers have been known to mistreat employees.  Low-wage workers have repeatedly reported abuse at the hands of unscrupulous employers.  Typical violations involve hours missing from time cards, pay levels below the minimum wage, no pay for overtime, dangerous working conditions, etc.  Labor law violation is a serious matter, but most workers are unaware of just what constitutes a violation.  This meeting will help wokers determine whether their rights have been violated and what steps they can take to gain what they rightfully deserve.  This gathering is sponsored by the San Diego Worker Rights Center, the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, St. Anthony's Parish, and the Office for Social Ministry of the Diocese of San Diego.


 

Number 2: Reminder of Retreat with Fr. Mitch Pacwa on Sunday, July 27, 2003
 


Please join us on Sunday, July 27, 2003, at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 1945 Illion Street in San Diego (click for Map),  from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a retreat entitled, "Serving Human Life and Family, God's Call to Every Catholic."  Fr. Mitch is a nationally known author, an Old Testament Bible scholar, and an EWTN host.  He is sure to rekindle our desire to serve the most vulnerable in society. 

To make your reservation for this FREE event, call Jo Brower at 858-490-8323 or e-mail Jo at jbrower@diocese-sdiego.org  We have space for about 400, so call early to make your reservation.
 


Number 3: California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty (CPF)

California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty will have its monthly gathering on Thursday, June 19, 2003, at the Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive in San Diego.

 

 

 

Steering Committee members will meet at 5:00 p.m.; Death-Row Letter Writing Ministry members will meet at 6:00 p.m.; and the general membership meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.  For a map to the Pastoral Center click...  Pastoral Center Map.


 

 

 As always, newcomers are most welcome, as are those with questions about the death penalty or those with questions about the appropriateness of faith-community involvement in this issue.  Please join us on June 19th.

 

Number 4: Critical Housing Meeting at City Hall with Land Use and Housing Committees - Affordable Housing Task Force Report to be presented on Wednesday, June 18

Just below in the Short Reports section, you will find information on the SDOP housing meeting at St. Jude Church that took place on Monday, June 9th.  The efforts expended to make that meeting such a huge success will be lost if we don't follow up by attending a meeting of the City Council's Land Use and Housing Committees on Wednesday, June 18, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  The location for this meeting is 202 C Street, 12th Floor, the Council Chambers. 

At this meeting, the Affordable Housing Task Force report will be presented to the Land Use and Housing Committees.  A large presence from the community will send a clear and convincing message that we care about families and want to see housing prices return to affordable levels for those on the margins and those in the middle class.  Please join us on June 18th for this very important meeting.

 

Short (a bit longer this month) Reports 

SDOP Housing Meeting was a Huge Success with over 1,640 in attendance 

On Monday, June 9, 2003, over 1,640 people of faith gathered at St. Jude Shrine of the West to impress upon city, state, and federal leaders the importance of addressing the housing crisis in San Diego.  We need housing that is affordable for multiple income levels!

SDOP's Top Ten housing priorities for San Diego are:

          1.  Give Code Enforcement and City Attorney Departments resources to target slumlords
          2.  Pass a good cause eviction ordinance to protect vulnerable renters
          3.  Create a tenant/landlord assistance department in the San Diego City Government
          4.  Locate space for 2500 multi-unit housing units in each of SD's 43 planning districts
          5.  Create a housing Czar who will be held responsible for creating affordable housing
          6.  Give priority to affordable housing projects, reducing permit process time
          7.  Pass Ordinance to preserve/replace Single Residence Occupancy housing units
          8.  25% of new housing units to be fully handicapped accessible, using universal design
          9.  Place $1.5 billion bond measure on Nov. 2004 ballot for infrastructure and housing
          10. Increase existing revenue sources for affordable housing
         

These priorities will be delivered to San Diego City Council members through Ralph Inzunza who was in attendance.  Other City Council members had given assurances that they would attend, but due to an extended afternoon meeting, they were absent.  Council Member Inzunza indicated that he was at the same meeting that was running late with the other Council members, but he made a decision to leave that meeting and attend the Saint Jude meeting.  He was quoted as saying, "The other City Council members are not present here.  My presence here with you this evening shows where my priorities are."

Four San Diego area bishops attended the June 9th meeting and gave full support to the SDOP housing initiatives.  From left to right they are, Bishop Roy Dixon from the Southern California Fourth Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop George McKinney from the Southern California Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop Murray Finck of the Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and our own Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, Auxilary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Please thank them for attending when you next see them.  Their presence carries a great deal of weight with the civil authorities who will be making decisions about housing in the coming months.

La Cresheia Lee, a Qualcomm executive and member of New Creation Church in San Diego, a member congregation of SDOP, attended the meeting and spoke about her inability to find affordable housing for herself and the likelihood that she will need to relocate to another city in order to make ends meet.  We know that thousands of good citizens have either departed San Diego or have decided  not to move here in the first place, because of high housing costs.  Who would even attempt calculate the cost to the San Diego community of losing people like La Creshia, and others just like her?  Neighbors and friends like these are priceless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we need to thank Fr. Henry Rodriguez, pastor of St. Jude (see below left) and Dr. Jerome McSwain, SDOP board member and emcee for the evening (see below right, just above the choir), who led 1,640 energetic, faith-filled citizens in an heroic effort to turn the tide on the lack of affordable housing for thousands of San Diego citizens and those in its surrounding communties.  Thank you both!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fr. Henry Rodriguez                                                                            Dr. Jerome McSwain behind the Choir

Please don't forget to join us at City Hall (see meeting number 4 above) on Wednesday, June 18, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., where the Affordable Housing Task Force will share its findings and propose many of SDOP's  housing goals.  Questions can be directed to the OSM at 858-490-8323. 

 

The Office for Social Ministry bids farewell to Evangely Aliangan, the Working Together program coordinator

On June 30, 2003, Evangely will conclude her service to the Diocesan community as the Working Together program coordinator.  She has given her all in this position, and we are proud of her accomplishments.  The program will continue in parishes that elect to provide full coordination at the parish level.  May God bless Evangely in her move to serve God in another setting.  Below, Linda chats with Evangely (right) as her departure draws near.  We will miss her greatly.

 

OSM director attended the California Catholic Conference (CCC)state-wide gathering of Social Action Directors in Los Altos, CA, on June 3 and 4, where two of several decisions were made that will effect our local efforts.  They are:

1) It was decided that the 4th Annual Catholic Lobby Day in Sacramento will be held in 2004.   A date, time, and registration materials will be made available early in late 2003.  The OSM will do everything in its power to keep the registration fee for the flight to Sacramento, the transportation between the airport and the Capitol, and the day's activities below $100.  Stay tuned.

2) A decision will be made in mid-July as to whether the dioceses of California will participate in the proposed Parental Notification Ballot Initative.  Before the dioceses of California make a final decision, those organizing this effort will need to demonstrate: 1) that they have secured sufficient funding for signature gathering, 2) that a group is in place that can raise sufficient funding for the promotion of the initiative prior to the election, and 3) that they have developed a high level of state-wide cooperation.  We will report back in late July as to a decision.


Above are those who attended the CCC Social Action Directors's Retreat in Los Altos, CA on June 3 and 4, 2003.  Also included are several detention ministry directors.

 

Web and e-mail-based Resources and Opportunities

Movie on the life of St. Therese of Lisieux to be released in October of 2003

Therese of Lisieux, born in 1873, was a cloistered woman religious who dedicated her prayer life and personal sacrifices to those outside the walls of her convent.  Even though separated physically, she was in touch with her times like no other.  One story in particular that occured even before she entered the convent demonstrates her inner beauty and identification with the heart of Jesus.  In 1887, Therese was 14 years old at the time, news of the murder of two women and an 11-year-old child filled the French papers.  What makes the story even more

provocative is the character of the killer, Henri Pranzini.  A brilliant man who spoke eight languages, Pranzini remained completely unrepentant, even as his execution approached.  After her Christmas conversion, Thérèse decided to adopt him as her first spiritual "child," and prayed for him constantly.  And, at the last minute, as he approached the guillotine, Pranzini seized the crucifix and kissed it three times.  Thérèse saw this as her first victory in her quest to "save souls." 

Wouldn't most in our day say unequivocally that such a man was worthy only of our hatred and scorn?  Who would give such a man so much personal time, dedication, and prayer?  Therese has much to teach us in our day about the limits of our Lord's loving embrace. 

Have we not all asked God at one time or another to send artists who support Christian culture?  Sometimes God responds in spades.  Click the movie logo above or go to http://www.theresemovie.com/ to learn more about this meaningful artistic masterpiece. 

To help insure that this production makes it to theaters in our diocese, when on the web site, please click Show the Miracle, then click on Theatrical Screenings and then click on Help Bring Therese to a Mainstream Theater Near You.  Then, register your interest in having this motion picture grace the movie screens in our Diocese.

Enjoy this site, and let's hope we can all enjoy the movie here in San Diego!

 

E-link Advocacy Report

Jo Brower makes calls to Senators Feinstein and Boxer on S 1019, The Unborn Victims of Violence Act. 

Jo called the offices of Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer on June 9th to voice her support for S 1019, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.  She talked to staff assistants in both cases, Melissa in Feinstein's office and Erica in Boxer's office.  Both had basically the same message that the senator had not made a public statement yet, but that they would pass Jo's position on to the Senator.

Jo asked that the Senators respond in writing.  Feinstien's assistant refused to respond in writing and suggested that Jo write a letter requesting a written response.  Boxer's assistant gladly responded to her request for a written response. 

Thank you, Jo, for taking action on last e-link's advocacy request and making these important calls!  They can count in DC.
 

E-link Advocacy Request

We've won!  On June 4, 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (H.R. 760).  The House approved the measure on a vote of 282-yes, 139-no, 13-not voting, and 1-vacancy.  Yes is a pro-life vote.  We are asking all e-link members to call their U.S. Reprentatives to either thank them for supporting the measure or to express disapproval for a no vote.  It is not often that we are able to pass along our gratitude, so please follow up on this one. The vote of each U.S. Representative, their phone numbers, and the vote-smart link to find your U.S. Representative can be found just below.    

Those voting YES:

Our message: Thank you so much for approving HR 760, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.  We've waited a long time for this positive outcome, and we know you have been willing to stay the course over all those years.  Thanks for your long-term commitment.

Yes - Rep. Daryl Issa (R), 49th District - 202-225-3906
Yes - Rep. Randal (Duke) Cunningham (R), 50th District - 202-225-5452
Yes - Rep. Duncan Hunter (R), 52nd District - 202-225-5672
 

Those voting NO:

Our message: I want to share my disappointment in the no vote you cast on HR 760.  There are thousands of us here in Southern California who cannot understand how any reasonable person could accept a barbaric practice like partial-birth
abortion.

No - Rep. Bob Filner (D), 51st District - 202-225-8045
No - Rep. Susan Davis (D), 53rd District - 202-225-2040

To determine your U.S. Representative, find your nine digit zip code and go to:

http://www.vote-smart.org

Look to the lower right hand corner to enter your 9 digit zip code.
 

 

For background information and for more information on the actual H.R. 760 vote, you may want to visit two pages on the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment web site.  Click the web addresses below.

 

nchla.org/votes/pbavotes06.04.03.PDF  for the vote tally.
 

http://nchla.org/pba.htm for a full legislative briefing.

Watch for a new OSM e-link bulletin around July 3, 2003


 

Article or Statement for Bulletin #7 

We have two important writen pieces in this section: first - comments by Cardinal Bevilacqua on the passage of the Partial Birth Abortion Act, (keep in mind that we have been lobbying on the Ban since the early 90s; we have the right to celebrate this victory), and secondly, a portion of the USCCB statement Faithful Citizenship on the importance of legislative advocacy, explaining why lobbying (nothing more than making our voices heard by those who shape our laws) on issues germane to those who are marginalized or attacked by society is not only an option but rather constituative of being a Catholic.  Enjoy these two pieces.  

 

Cardinal Bevilacqua Hails Passage Of Partial-Birth Abortion Ban


WASHINGTON (June 5, 2003) -— Cardinal Bevilacqua, Chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, made the following statement upon passage yesterday of the ban on partial-birth abortion by the House of Representatives:

"The Catholic Bishops of the United States are grateful and encouraged by the House of Representatives' overwhelming vote of 282-139 to ban partial-birth abortion.

"In voting to ban this procedure, one of the most heinous acts ever perpetrated upon an unborn child, Congress is in harmony with the vast majority of Americans who find this violent act intolerable and want it stopped.

"We hope and expect that President George W. Bush will sign the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act into law as soon as possible.

"Abortion advocates have said they intend to challenge the constitutionality of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in court. Nothing in our constitution demands that unborn children must be subjected to a procedure so violent and so painful. To allow the brutal killing of a child mere inches from being born is barbaric. To cloak the act in the Constitution is a national disgrace."

 

And now "A Call to Faithful Citizenship," words of wisdom from the US Bishops document Faithful Citizenship

One of our greatest blessings in the United States is our right and responsibility to participate in civic life. The Constitution protects the right of individuals and of religious bodies to speak out without governmental interference, endorsement, or sanction. It is increasingly apparent that major public issues have clear moral dimensions and that religious values have significant public consequences. Our nation is enriched and our tradition of pluralism enhanced when religious groups contribute to the debate over the policies that guide the nation.

As bishops, it is not only our right as citizens but our responsibility as religious teachers to speak out on the moral dimensions of public life. As members of the Catholic community, we enter the public forum to act on our moral convictions, share our experience in serving the poor and vulnerable, and add our values to the dialogue over our nation's future. Catholics are called to be a community of conscience within the larger society and to test public life by the moral wisdom anchored in Scripture and consistent with the best of our nation's founding ideals. Our moral framework does not easily fit the categories of right or left, Democrat or Republican. Our responsibility is to measure every party and platform by how its agenda touches human life and dignity.

Jesus called us to love our neighbors by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and afflicted, and comforting the victims of injustice. Our Lord's example and words demand a life of charity from each of us. Yet they also require action on a broader scale in defense of life, in pursuit of peace, in support of the common good, and in opposition to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Such action involves the institutions and structures of society, economy, and politics. As Pope John Paul II wrote in his recent exhortation to the people of America living together in this hemisphere:

 

For the Christian people of America conversion to the Gospel means to revise "all the different areas and aspects of life, especially those related to the social order and the pursuit of the common good." It will be especially necessary "to nurture the growing awareness in society of the dignity of every person and, therefore, to promote in the community a sense of the duty to participate in political life in harmony with the Gospel."

For Catholics, public virtue is as important as private virtue in building up the common good. In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue; participation in the political process is a moral obligation. Every believer is called to faithful citizenship, to become an informed, active, and responsible participant in the political process. As we said a year ago, "We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity [more fully] to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power."

To read Faitful Citizenship in it entirety press here: Great Reading or go to http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/citizenship.htm#call.