MISSION STATEMENT of ST. BARTHOLOMEW
PEACE AND JUSTICE MINISTRY
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The Peace and Justice Ministry recognizes the Church as the Body of Christ.
- The goal of Peace and Justice Ministry is to provide leadership to St. Bartholomew parishioners to help them witness the Good News of Jesus Christ.
- Through education, prayer, reflection and direct communication, it helps parishioners to be effective in communities at local, national, and international levels, thereby enabling them to achieve meaningful and effective social action.
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July 2018 Events and Opportunities
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MEETING SCHEDULE AND PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
- Peace and Justice Meetings are the second Wednesday of each month, and as always all are welcome to attend.
- Peace and Justice Newsletter will publish mid-month, reflecting ministry news and reports from the meetings and presentations.
July 21-22 Fair Trade sales
- coffee, tea, chocolate
- after all four Masses
- benefits after school tutoring at St. Anne Parish, teacher salaries and snacks.
- August 18-19 next sale
August 8 Peace & Justice general and team meetings, 7 PM church lower level Room 2
- Meetings are scheduled for SECOND Wednesday of the month
- Teams: Programming, Communications, Finance and Grants
- All are welcome to attend and become involved!
August 25 Voter Registration
August 25 Parish Social Ministry Gathering in Beech Grove: see below
Sundays Weekly Hot Meal Site 4 - 6 pm, Meal Site Teams
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Life and Dignity of The Human Person
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by Donna Keogh
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The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
Genesis 1:26-31 "God created man and woman in his own image."
Many people today find themselves excluded and marginalized due to economic or political institutions and
are unable to become fully what they aspire to be. "The excluded are not the 'exploited' but the outcast, the 'leftovers.' " (Pope Francis,
The Joy of the Gospel, no. 153.)
The Private Scholarship Fund for Undocumented Latino Students in Bartholomew County highlighted below is an example of embracing the humanity of some of the excluded young people who wish to reach their full potential. This program supports those who wish to continue their education and have no other way to do so. Each person must meet specified criteria and show potential for further growth.
"Human beings are willed by God; they are imprinted with God’s image. Their dignity does not come from the work they do, but from the persons they are." (St. John Paul II,
On the Hundredth Year, no. 11).
Human dignity does not stem from background, economic situation, skin color, or faith. The sacredness of human beings is intrinsic; we have an obligation to respect that sacredness in each person.
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Ministry Spotlight on Scholarship for Undocumented Latino Students
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Private Scholarship Fund for Undocumented Latino Students in Bartholomew County
This is a story of the unintended consequences of immigration policies, the power of individuals to restore hope and justice, and the dramatic results of those efforts.
K-12 education is a right; the US Supreme Court found unconstitutional a state statute denying K-12 education funding for undocumented children and a local rule requiring that these children pay tuition. The court held that withholding state funds for educating children not legally admitted to the US is a violation of 14
th
Amendment equal protection clause (Plyler v Doe 1982).
Unlike other states, Indiana does not offer any support in the form of scholarships or financial aid for undocumented students to continue their education after high school. In Indiana, an undocumented student could complete their high school education with high honors, be the class valedictorian, and yet be unable to secure state or federal funding for college. So, in Indiana the only way these students can continue their education is through private funding.
Three individuals, donor advisors to the Irwin Financial Donor Advised Fund at Heritage Fund, established a private scholarship fund to further the educational goals of these students who:
• arrived as children in Indiana,
• are undocumented or have DACA,
• have completed their high school degrees,
• aspire to higher education, and
• show promise to successfully complete a college or university degree
In its sixth year, the scholarships are provided to undocumented Latino high school graduates with greater than a 3.0 GPA attending IUPUC, Ivy Tech Community College, or Purdue Polytechnic Institute in Columbus, Indiana. Students are eligible to re-apply each year until they receive their degree.
Eight students have completed degrees as of May 2018, seven graduated with Bachelors degrees and several graduated with Associates degrees. This demonstrates the capacity of private funding of higher education for motivated and supported students. Private funding leverages economic strength: six bachelors degree graduates have high paying professional jobs and the seventh is pursuing post-graduate education.
What action can you take?
- Support diversity as a shared human value
- Advocate for rational immigration policies
- Provide financial support by donating to Hispanic/Latino Scholarship Fund at Heritage Fund, the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County (some donations qualify for matching funds)
For further information, please contact Matt Souza at mfsouza@iupuc.edu
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Scholarships by the Numbers
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- Original seed fund = $250,000; current fund = about $400,000
- Total scholarships granted = over $400,000
- Other contributions since 2014
- $85,000 from philanthropic foundation
- $120,000 from public corporation
- $115,000 from private families and individuals
- All but $20,000 of these contributions were 100% matched by Donor Advised Fund
- About 15% of total scholarship fund awards annually
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We Are The Peace & Justice Ministry
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- Chairman David Harpenau
- Programming Team: Steve Audretch and David Harpenau
- Grants & Finance Team: David Harpenau
- Communications Team: Jan Banister
- Blood Drive: Greg Scherschel, coordinator
- Next drive Fall 2018
- Voter Registration: Steve Audretch coordinator
- Next drive Fall 2018
- Ecumenical Assembly: Rebecca Reeck
- Pro-Life: Kelley Snoddy
- Giving Tree: Theresa Westerfeld, coordinator
- Meal Site: Susan Chandler,
- Sundays 4-6 PM
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- Friends of Haiti: Judy Harpenau, liaison
- Bread for the World Offering of Letters: Rachel Rice coordinator
- Next campaign April/May 2019.
- Bread for the World, Fr. Marty Peter, Convener
- Second Tuesdays 7 PM at First Presbyterian Church
- Abolition Coalition: Donna Keogh, liaison
- St. Vincent de Paul: David and Hilary Baker, liaisons
- Women's Jail Ministry: Sevy Badgley, liasion
- Family Self Sufficiency: Jan Banister coordinator, December 8, 2018
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Peace & Justice Ministry Reports
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Friends of Haiti Ministry Report
for July 2018
Haiti Sunday will include a Ministry Fair. One (or more) of the participants from the recent Youth Ministry Trip will speak at each of the Masses.
Friends of Haiti members signed up to receive the Peace & Justice Newsletter.
Budget for 2018-19 was approved which includes 24 additional households in Pister to receive SOIL sanitation services.
FOH is very grateful to Peace & Justice for
their generous support, assisting Youth from St. Anne to attend World Youth Day and to continue sponsorship for a secondary student.
Submitted:
Judy Harpenau
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Summary of legislative action being followed by Bread for the World leaders
in Indiana
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2018 Budget and Appropriations
On Thursday, June 28, the Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill by
a vote of 86-11
. The Senate’s bipartisan bill did not include any of the harmful work requirements found in the House bill. Despite a number of harmful amendments that were submitted – including amendments to block grant SNAP, impose harsher work requirements in SNAP, privatize SNAP eligibility determinations, require photo ID for SNAP purchases, and CARGO PREFERENCE – only one harmful SNAP amendment was considered and voted on. The harmful amendment, submitted by Senators Kennedy (R-LA), Cruz (R-TX), and Lee (R-UT), would have imposed harsh work requirements on SNAP recipients as well as required photo ID for SNAP purchases. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Stabenow (D-MI) spoke against the amendment. It was tabled by
a vote of 68-30
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Passage of this bill paves the way for a conference committee on the farm bill. The strong votes coming out of the Senate are encouraging as they prepare to resolve differences between a strong bipartisan Senate farm bill and a very partisan House farm bill that included harmful SNAP provisions. Congress is in recess this week but we hope to know in the coming week or two which members of Congress will be part of the conference committee.
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Ecumenical Assembly Update
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The Ecumenical Assembly of Bartholomew County Churches, otherwise known as Love Chapel, is an outreach program serving Bartholomew County.
For I was Hungry, and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.
Matthew 25:35
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50 Year Celebration:
The Ecumenical Assembly will be celebrating their
50
th
Anniversary.
The celebration will take place on Saturday, September 8 from 11-1:00 at The Commons. The committee is still requesting historic artifacts to share at the event. Any volunteers or church members that have artifacts please share.
with information and stories from people who have volunteered or received help over the 50 years that Love Chapel has been at work in this community.
New Staff for Pantry Warehouse:
Donna Barajas is the new Food Pantry Manager, and Janice has moved into Operations Manager position.
Onboarding for Volunteers
New Volunteer onboarding
takes place each month on every 2
nd
& 4
th
Monday 12:30 p.m. and 1
st
Thursday
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Volunteers:
Special Thank You to all the volunteers, and for the church representatives recruiting and encouraging volunteers. The Volunteers help mitigate expenses
for payroll and allow funds to go toward additional services.
- About 155 people attended the 2018 volunteer dinner this year
- Pantry 953 pantry visits, 118 additional for bread and produce
St. Bartholomew has approxmately. 30 Volunteers
ona regular basis. The EA: Love Chapel & Brighter Days are both in need of more regularly scheduled volunteers.
Additional Needs or Changes:
Despite attempts to collaborate with other agencies with trucks, beginning July 8 we may have to rent a truck to begin picking up donated from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.
Please keep our Ecumenical Assembly Ministry in your prayers for their needs to be met to continue supporting the ongoing needs within our community.
– God Bless, Rebecca Reeck
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