Common Good Newsletter: July 2007

Welcome to the Common Good

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Common Good. We hope you find this monthly newsletter useful in keeping up to date with key issues, events and people in the Catholic social justice community and the intersection of faith and public life.

It’s been a busy time at Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. In June, we co-sponsored a Faith, Values and Poverty forum for presidential candidates that featured Sen. Hillary Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama. Organized by Sojourners, the event aired live on CNN. A similar forum for Republican candidates is planned for this fall. Let’s all work together to make sure poverty and the common good will be central to our values and public life debate as the 2008 elections approach. I also spoke at the National Press Club about a new report from Media Matters and Faith and Public Life that details how news coverage of religion often under represents mainstream faith voices.

Catholics in Alliance appeared in several articles about faith and public life in U.S. News and World Report, the Associated Press, the Dallas Morning News and other prominent news outlets. In addition, our media department has placed Letters to the Editor about comprehensive immigration reform, living wages and expanding the moral values debate in several major newspapers on behalf of national social justice organizations.

As the 2008 elections approach, the Alliance is working with the Catholic social justice movement to ensure that the national dialogue about faith and politics reflects the fullness of our Christian faith. Key issues include ending the Iraq war, promoting the dignity of human life, reducing poverty, providing affordable health care to all Americans, protecting our environment and justice for immigrants. As you will read in this edition, Catholics in Alliance Field Director, Vicky Kovari, is working out of her office in Detroit, Mich. to build networks of Catholics throughout the Midwest and other regions to promote the Catholic Social Tradition. You will be hearing more from Vicky and the outreach program!

Thanks for reading, and please send us your ideas and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Alexia Kelley

Executive Director

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

Banning Payday Lending Practices in Ohio

Payday lenders provide short-term loans at extremely high interest rates. Only about 1% of payday borrowers pay off their original loan in the standard two-week cycle, which leads the vast majority into spiraling debt, skyrocketing interest rates and exorbitant fees.

Tom Allio, Peace and Justice Director for the Diocese of Cleveland/Akron, is a long-time ally of the Catholics in Alliance and the chair of the Ohio Coalition for Responsible Lending. He says the goal of the Coalition is to educate the public and push the state legislature to clamp down on payday lenders in Ohio. “The Ohio Coalition for Responsible Lending was organized to bring attention to the increasing trend to grant payday loans in Ohio,” Allio said.

While industry backers maintain that payday lenders fill a need in Ohio and that the Ohio Department of Commerce is already regulating the businesses, the Coalition maintains that the interest rates attached to those loans are too high. The Coalition’s aim is to put a 36% cap on the interest rate of payday loans.

To find out more about the Ohio Coalition for Responsible Lending, click here .

CACG Questions Insurance Decision

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) was surprised to learn this spring that it had been denied general liability insurance by a major insurance company because several staff members attended an annual March for Life Mass. Following the Mass, CACG published a reflection on Cardinal McCarrick’s homily.

The denial came in a letter that included a reference to the organization’s “involvement in radical advocacy and controversial activities.” After investigating, CACG learned that a representative from the insurance agency visited CACG’s website and made its decision based on the website reflection. “We were shocked to see a major insurance company make a coverage decision based on our reflection of the Church’s defense of human life,” said Kelley. “This could happen to any organization engaged in social justice work that might be deemed ‘controversial’.”

In a letter to the state insurance commissions responsible for oversight of this insurance company, Kelley pointed out, “Disseminating the fullness of our faith tradition is central to our mission as a Catholic organization.” The state insurance commissions say they are investigating CACG’s complaint.

Fortunately, CACG was able to obtain insurance from a more enlightened insurance provider.

Peace Group Works to Educate Others about War

In the 1960s The Catholic Worker was the primary voice of the Catholic peace movement, especially that of conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. Catholics who opposed the war in Vietnam had very few resources to turn to for information and guidance. Enter the Catholic Peace Fellowship (CPF), an organization devoted to the “support of Catholic conscientious objectors through education, counseling and advocacy.” CPF aims to assist the peace movement by personally engaging those who refuse to participate in war efforts.

CPF has three main tasks. First, it seeks to educate all Catholics about the Church’s teaching on war and peace. Second, it helps soldiers who wish to leave the service due to conscientious objection, and finally, it publishes The Sign of Peace, a publication that focuses on the challenges of a country at war. The organization also distributes pamphlets, bookmarks, and posters to increase awareness about Church teaching as well as offers workshops to high school youth and adults about issues of war, peace and conscience.

CPF cites the long-standing preference for peace in the Church, starting with Jesus’ teachings and continuing to Pope Benedict. Nonviolence and peace are the true and unequivocal message of Jesus when addressing conflict. This November, the organization is planning a “Day of Peace,” which they will hold during the U. S. Bishops’ Fall Conference, to raise awareness and urge a stronger condemnation of the war.

Currently there are eleven local chapters in the United States from Alabama to California. For further information about the Fellowship’s work, visit www.catholicpeacefellowship.org .

The Moral Measure of the Economy

By Chuck Collins and Mary Wright (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2007, $18)

In light of the expanding focus on issues of economic justice and poverty in our political and public discourse, Chuck Collins and Mary Wright provide a valuable tool for those interested in participating in this discussion with their book The Moral Measure of the Economy . At the heart of this book is the understanding that the measure of a healthy economy is more than just a matter of numbers, stocks, and the GDP. A truly healthy economy must also take into account the moral and social element – the effects that economic systems, policies, and practices have on members of our society, both nationally and globally. Using the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, Collins and Wright move between the descriptive and the prescriptive, addressing the root causes and effects of a changing economy that is increasingly hostile to families and individuals. They then offer approaches to holding the economic sector accountable to the gospel values of justice, love, solidarity and human dignity that must be respected and cultivated. The Moral Measure provides an essential economic outlook for all those interested in the concerns of the common good.

Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies, is co-founder of the Boston-based United for a Fair Economy and Responsible Wealth. He is the author of numerous books, including Wealth and Our Commonwealth (with Bill Gates, Sr.).

Mary Wright was the Education Coordinator at Catholic Campaign for Human Development, USCCB, for 12 years, and is now on staff at Just Faith Ministries in Louisville, KY. Previously, she served for 14 years at the Human Rights Office of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, as the CCHD Director.

Catholic Organizations Work to Dismantle Racism

On June 19, Catholic News Service reported that the leaders of two-dozen national Catholic organizations gathered outside Washington for training on how to recognize and dismantle institutional racism. The training included an intensive look at the history of racism through national and international historical events, court decisions, legislation and social movements, and how far the Church has come in barring racism from its personnel, programs, membership, organizational structure and identity.

Funded by a grant from the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, the training drew representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, National Black Catholic Sisters' Conference, Mexican American Cultural Center, Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Catholic Relief Services, Tekakwitha Conference, Association of Black Catholic Administrators, National Asian Pacific Catholic Organization, National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry, Pax Christi USA and other groups. The training was conducted by Crossroads Ministry, an interfaith and community based anti-racism group based in Chicago.

Dave Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi USA, a primary sponsor of the program, said in a statement that the training came at a key moment in U.S. church history, when some diocesan offices were being "blended" into others or were working with diminished resources. "While the church is making greater efforts to celebrate the richness of its growing multicultural diversity, one of the biggest challenges continues to be the issue of racism," Robinson said. "As peacemakers and followers of Christ we must be at the forefront of the struggle to purge our church of any and all racist structures.”

Last year, Victoria Kovari, Catholics in Alliance’s National Field Director, wrote a report on the history of racism in the archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan. What she found was a church as divided as its community, though she found evidence of an anti-racism movement that is beginning to break through decades of intolerance. In the report, Kovari includes an overview of the best practices to combat and address racism, as well as a list of resources and recommendations to further the movement’s efforts.

To read Kovari’s report, click here .

Introducing our Summer Interns and Fellows

This summer, Catholics in Alliance is pleased to have three interns and fellows working in its media and operations departments.

Krista Stevens comes to CACG thanks to a fellowship provided by the Beatitudes Society. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA, with interests in the interplay of theology and culture and faith and public life. Prior to attending Weston, Krista worked in Nashville, TN as a caseworker and life skills counselor with Oasis Center, a non-profit transitional living facility for homeless youth. Krista is assisting in the development of a national outreach campaign to reclaim the meaning of Christmas and conducting research for the Alliance community’s strategic plan.

John Cosgriff, a summer media fellow, is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He holds a degree in English as well as the self-designed field of Religion in Public Life. John studied Catholicism in Society while in Galway, Ireland. Previously, he was a fellow at the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity where he helped write and produce the quarterly journal Religion in the News, a periodical devoted to analysis of the media's coverage of religious stories. John is assisting the communications team with media outreach, research and writing.

And Brian Murray, a media intern, is currently entering his fourth year at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. He is a dual-major and will earn degrees next spring in Philosophy and Political Science. Brian has also studied Catholic Social Teaching, the common good, and their relation to the American founding, politics, and law. Before coming to the Alliance, Brian worked in Congress and the Maryland State Government on budget and prison rehabilitation policy. Brian is helping to expand fundraising efforts and raising awareness of Catholic social teaching among young adults.

Calendar

July 9 – 12

Annual Franciscan Federation Conference

Keynote Speaker: Sister Helen Prejean

Congress X: "Christ is With Us: Celebrating the Gifts of the Sacraments"

Sponsored by the National Black Catholic Congress

Buffalo Convention Center, Buffalo, New York
Hosted by: The Office of Black Ministry

E-mail: nbcc@nbccongress.org

Website: http://www.nbccongress.org/congress-x/congress-x-schedule-01.asp

July 13 – 15

ISN Mid-Atlantic Justice Conference

For delegates and justice ministers of Jesuit-affiliated organizations and institutions of the Maryland Province

Sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network

St. Joseph’s University

Phone: 415-422-2408

E-mail: info@ignatiansolidarity.net

Website: http://www.ignatiansolidarity.net/isn_view/servlet/HomePage

August 10 – 12

2007 Conference: “The Pursuit of Peace in a Culture of Violence”

The Common Good Newsletter

Editors: Writers:

Pat Wheeler, Communications Director John Cosgriff, summer media fellow

John Gehring, Senior Writer Brain Murray, media intern

Lisa Merlini, Web Editor Krista Stevens, Beatitudes Fellow

Send letters to the editor to lmerlini@catholicsinalliance.org

Send your news, upcoming events, and article submissions to lmerlini@catholicsinalliance.org

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