A Tsunami a Week

Katy and I just finished up with the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, a time each February when about 500 folks from a variety of Catholic organizations arrive in Washington, D.C. to learn about each other’s work and strategize for policies and programs that “Put the Poor and Vulnerable First” and “Pursue Peace in a Broken World.”

I can’t possibly relate all the wonderful interactions I had or information I learned, but I would like to share a few snapshots. I can’t get out of my head, for example, the statistic shared by Lesley-Anne Knight, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, that the same number of people killed by the Tsunami three years ago—230,000 human beings—die every five days from extreme poverty. I also can’t shake that the money Americans spend on ice cream each year, $10,000,000,000 (yep, that’s billion) is the same amount needed to provide basic education to all children of the world. Now, I’m not against ice cream, especially because Ben & Jerry’s offers flavors with Fair Trade Certified ingredients, but I am against extreme inequality and lack of opportunity to prosper. And as shocking as the international statistics are, I am humbled by the reminder from Catholic Campaign for Human Development that if all the poor people living in the US were to populate a single state, it would be our nation’s largest—bigger than California, which has a population of more than 36 million people.

To confront these kinds of injustices, participants in the SMG went to Capitol Hill to visit with Senators and Representatives and to share perspectives on key areas of legislation. For example, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is taking a particular interest in trade policy. The Bishops have said that “Much more than fostering economic growth, trade should play an essential role in reducing poverty by helping to shape domestic and international legal frameworks to protect workers and the environment, ensure opportunities for decent work at a just wage for struggling families and provide access to technology and knowledge for those at the margins of society.”

With all these ambitious and critical goals, SMG participants had to be well-fueled for our work, and I’m proud to say that Dean’s Beans in Massachusetts, Higher Grounds Trading Company in Michigan,Nectar of Life in Washington, Just Coffee in Wisconsin and Earth Friendly from Colorado contributed coffee to special events all week long, while Equal Exchange in Massachusetts provided the core sessions over several days. It was kind of fun to see participants take pride in their local roasters and to hear people debate the differences between light and dark roasts as they shared stories of mission trips to coffee-producing countries such as Nicaragua and Mexico.

If you were a participant at the SMG gathering this week, please feel free to use this blog to share your reflections or comments. If you weren’t able to make the event you can still participate in the advocacy campaigns that CRS is involved in all year long. Sometimes natural disasters like tsunamis can’t be prevented, but solidarity can transform the world when people like us act together!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 and is filed under Beyond Fair Trade, Coffee, Events, Fair Trade . You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “A Tsunami a Week”

Jackie Says:
March 11th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Here’s a media take on the event:
Speakers Encourage Catholic Social Ministry Workers

PATRICIA ZAPOR, CNS

Published: March 6, 2008

WASHINGTON (CNS)—Catholic social ministry is often frustrating, but a handful of speakers made a point of acknowledging the value of the work and thanking participants in an annual gathering of church workers in Washington.

“The church owes you a debt of gratitude,” said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., at a Feb. 27 Mass closing the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering. “You make the church look good.”

The annual conference combines several days’ worth of issue briefings and strategy sessions with targeted lobbying on Capitol Hill. This year’s gathering, which was co-sponsored by more than a dozen national Catholic organizations and five different departments of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, drew more than 700 people from dioceses, parishes and various Catholic groups across the country.

Among those in the delegation attending from Atlanta were Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, Susan Stevenot Sullivan, director of parish and social justice ministries for Catholic Charities of Atlanta, Charles Prejean, director of the Office for Black Catholic Ministry, Father Vic Galier, pastor of St. Matthew Church, Tyrone, and a global fellow for Catholic Relief Services, Irene Miranda, director of the HIV/AIDS ministry for the archdiocese, Cullen Larson of the CRS Southeast regional office, and John Berry, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Atlanta Council.

Bishop Wenski, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, quoted several popes, writer G.K. Chesterton and others to emphasize the importance of the church’s work in tending to the needs of all people.

“We must model what life can look like when we live as if God matters,” he said in his homily. And if God matters, then people must also matter because human beings are made in God’s image, he said.

Even within the church, those who advocate for the poor and helpless are often misunderstood and supported too little, Bishop Wenski acknowledged, in thanking the congregation.

Archbishop Gregory addressed the entire group of delegates on day before, prior to their meetings with elected officials. He spoke words of encouragement and challenge to those working in social ministry.

“When we approach the steps of the Capitol, we will bear witness in all we say and do,” Archbishop Gregory said. “Whether we meet with our congressmen or their legislative assistants, we are ambassadors, sharing the love of Christ because we are a community of faith. We are not another lobby, but a community that serves the poor and vulnerable every day. We are not an interest group, nor are we advocating our own narrow interests, but speaking for the voiceless and standing up for the common good. We go not to serve our own needs, but to serve the ‘least of these’ who we believe to be Jesus in their persons.”

He continued, “We believe human rights come from God and do not depend on where you came from, how you got here, or when you arrived.”

He encouraged the delegates to remember they have “a right and a duty” to speak on behalf of those in need.

“We may not know the ins and outs of Washington, who’s up and who’s down, the details of every amendment,” said the archbishop, “but we do know this: the lives of unborn children need protection; poor children need justice; families need affordable health care; immigrants need to be treated as sisters and brothers, not enemies; the hungry of the world need food; those living and dying with HIV/AIDS need compassionate care; the people of the Holy Land need a just peace; and the unending war in Iraq requires a responsible transition.”

“We need for this violent world not only to be safer, but better, more just.”

Three Catholic members of Congress lauded participants for their efforts during events on Feb. 26.

Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., who taught for a year in an inner-city school through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, said at a reception in a Senate office building that the work of the conference participants was “close to my heart.”

He bemoaned a budget proposal being considered in Congress that includes $50 billion in tax cuts to the wealthiest taxpayers. The federal government still doesn’t adequately fund programs such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP, he said, which is a commentary on “who we are as a country.”

“The Democrats are not doing enough and neither are the Republicans,” Casey said.

Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., told the group that as a one-time refugee from Cuba he particularly appreciates the Catholic Church’s work on human rights. He said he was frustrated that the Senate “let you down” by failing to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill last year.

“There was not enough political courage” in Congress, he said.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., told the conference attendees he empathizes with their frustrations at trying to pass legislation that reflects church teaching. He explained that as a pro-life Democrat he is misunderstood and mistreated by his party as well as by some within the Catholic Church.

“In our society it’s too easy to judge and condemn the way we do in Washington,” Stupak said. “Negative gets the press.”

In an e-mail following the trip, Susan Stevenot Sullivan said that she attended the event to learn from other Catholic organizations. A highlight for her was listening to Archbishop Gregory speak and give a blessing as Catholic activists from across the United States went to speak to senators and representatives in the Capitol.

She said the group urged members of Congress to support bills to help pregnant women and their unborn children and argued for immigration reform, among other issues.

Father Galier said he was encouraged to see the crowd concerned about helping the poor and other social justice issues. Returning from the three-day event left him upbeat knowing that the church is so committed to these efforts, he said. “It’s nice to be in that sort of situation,” he said.

Father Galier attended as part of his work with Catholic Relief Services and as part of the Atlanta Archdiocese team. He said it was thrilling to be lobbying on Capitol Hill and later learn that one of the bills related to AIDS relief in Africa passed a key vote in the House of Representatives.

Sullivan said, “We are called to live our Catholic faith every day of the week and advocating for justice for those who are ‘most vulnerable’ in our society includes public policy. It’s an example of Pope Benedict’s encyclical ‘Deus Caritas Est’ in action.”

Contributing to the story were Andrew Nelson and Mary Anne Castranio.

A Tsunami a Week

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