Greetings all!
Greetings, and Happy Easter!

We hope that you had a beautiful Easter and are still celebrating Jesus' perfect love for us. While we continue to struggle with injustice, we find hope in the resurrection and rest in the peace of God.

We also look forward to Pentecost and remember that the same Holy Spirit which came down on the apostles comes down on us and sends us out to spread compassion, peace, justice, and the good news of Jesus to the community.

Of course, the pandemic is still very much with us and we must continue to work together to protect ourselves, our friends and family, and the whole of humanity. We encourage you to keep up safety with masks and social distancing and get vaccinated. If you have any questions re. vaccination, please check out statements from the Archbishop and the USCCB. We pray that we do not have another wave and can continue with diligence on the path to healing and health.

As you may know, in June we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the archdiocese. If you haven't checked it out, we invite you head over to the AOC website for the anniversary to learn about the upcoming Marian pilgrimage and other commemorative events, including special events at the Maria Stein Shrine, Roger Glass Stadium (Chaminade Julienne High School), and Fountain Square.

Please know that we continue to pray and support you, and we humbly ask that you continue to pray for us too.

If there's anything that we can do to support the work happening in your community, please let us know. We're trying to be more present to deaneries, parishes, schools, and neighborhoods, and we'd love to (re)connect with you and work to build up God's kingdom of peace, justice, and kinship.
We will continue to send out Regional Updates with time-sensitive reminders, Action Alerts encouraging everyone to bring their voice and power to bear on important issues, and COVID-19 Information as it becomes available. 

We wish you a wonderful May, and - as always - we look forward to seeing you soon as we continue to stand up for justice, compassion, and equity. 

Peace,
Becky, Sara, Tammie, Sr. Christine, & Andrew

Addressing Racism

Convocation
On Wed. 4/21, the priests of the Archdiocese met for their annual convocation, and the first half of the day focused on the topic of racism. By the grace of God, almost 170 of our priests joined the conversation and heard from Bishop Fabre (head of the USCCB Ad hoc Committee on Racism), Archbishop Schnurr, and several others about the critical need to continue the work on healing ourselves, our Church, and our community from the deep wounds of racism.

After the convocation, Archbishop Schnurr issued a statement. You can read it here. It was sent out to all priests, and if you haven't yet seen it in your parish bulletin or website we encourage you to ask your pastor to do so.

A Mighty Steam
EquaSion, the parent organization of the Festival of Faiths, has launched a new interfaith educational and action initiative to address racism. It is called 'A Might Stream' and the Social Action has signed on as one of the initial partners. You can click here to learn more, and if your parish is interested in joining this wonderful effort, please let Andrew know.

Listening Sessions
We are going to resume holding our listening sessions where small groups can come together to hear testimonials from fellow Catholics about their experiences of racism and then have facilitated conversations to process both what was heard and how we ourselves have experienced and reacted to racism. If you're interested in holding one of these events with your parish, small group, or community, please let us know.
We'll be holding some general public iterations of these events in the coming month. Look for dates in our June newsletter.
Video and Discussion



In partnership with the Community of the Good Shepherd, the Anti-Racism Task Force is offering a video on 'Open Wide Our Hearts' and our Church's history of addressing racism and then a follow up discussion to process and ask questions.

The first step is to watch the video at your leisure. To view it, click here. It's just over a half hour.

Then join the discussion on Tues. 6/8 at 7:00pm by following this Zoom link . Come with your questions and reflections.

Join our Social Action team!

After several years of good and faithful service, Becky is moving on to a new ministry. We celebrate and are thankful for her great work and wish her the best in her new endeavor. We're therefore also looking for someone to take over for her in the northern area. To learn more about the position, check out the posting (applications accepted through 5/21) or reach out to Sara. It's 21 hours/week, and we're looking for someone with a heart for justice and a love for our rural sisters and brothers.
CCHD 50th anniversary

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the principle way the U.S. bishops and U.S. Catholic Church fight domestic poverty and see to create equity and justice in our communities.
Look out for some great promotional materials sharing the great work local CCHD-funded groups are doing or visit our CCHD website.
If you're in a position to financially support the work of CCHD, you can donate safely and securing through our online giving portal. Thanks in advance for your generosity!



Our office is continuing to build on our relationship with the dialogue and healing group, Braver Angels. We'll be holding a few events in partnership with them in the coming months, but we encourage you to check out their website for upcoming events and training sessions. All are online, some of them are geographically restricted, and many of them are one-time commitments. We continue to be a society and Church divided so we all need to do our part to heal the division by learning skills and developing capacity to be agents of peace and compassion.
Ohio's first environmental justice academy coming to Dayton

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission have inked a co-sponsorship agreement to develop and launch an environmental training academy in Dayton.

The program, called the Miami Valley Regional Environmental Justice Academy, is designed to help emerging community, non-profit, and environmental leaders cultivate skills to identify and address environmental challenges in their communities.

The academy is slated to launch in fall 2021 and will consist of a nine-month curriculum of courses, assignments and projects. EPA and MVRPC plan to initially operate the academy virtually before transitioning to an on-site format in Dayton when feasible.

It's the first academy in Ohio that will be co-sponsored by the EPA, as well as the first Environmental Justice Academy in Region 5, which includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

According to the EPA, the academy will teach participants how to:
  • Leverage human, social, intellectual, technical, legal and financial resources to make long-term progress in a community
  • Use consensus-building processes and skills to help ensure successful collaboration and negotiations
  • Increase capacity to address communities’ environmental and/or public health issues
  • Develop a basic understanding of environmental justice and environmental regulations

The EJ Academy model will be customized to accommodate Miami Valley's regional equity initiative, which launched in 2020. Some modules will explore equity themes, as well as methods for encouraging positive change through community revitalization.

Participation will be open to those who live and work in MVRPC's service area, which includes Montgomery, Miami, Greene, Preble and Darke counties, as well as a northern portion of Warren County.

Applications will open in mid- to late-summer. Sessions are tentatively scheduled for two consecutive days each month between September 2021 and May 2022, generally from Friday afternoon through Saturday.
 


CCL’s Catholic Action Team invites you to our very first virtual CCL Catholic Conference! The sixth anniversary of the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter “Laudato Si’ On Care for our Common Home” inspired us to hold our conference, entitled Call to Action to Care for Our Common Home on May 15th, 2021.

Who should join us: Everyone! Especially CCL volunteers with Catholic members of Congress! We made it easy for you to find out if your member of Congress is Catholic.
When: May 15th, 2021 from 12 - 4 pm EST
Why: To explore the tools you’ll need to effectively reach Catholics and activate the Catholic voice to Care for Creation and promote the EICDA
Where: On Zoom; once you register, we’ll send you the link to join close to the date of the conference
Schedule: View the conference schedule here


We have inspiring speakers lined up for the event!

  • Bishop John Stowe from the Diocese of Lexington will be speaking with us live
  • We’ll hear from Bishop Robert McElroy from the Diocese of San Diego. 
  • Jose Aguto from Catholic Climate Covenant will be a keynote speaker
  • We’re working on getting at least one member of Congress to speak about how their faith plays a role in their decision making in Congress.
  • We'll also celebrate Pope Francis’ encyclical letter together.

We also have informative breakout sessions to help you connect with Catholics in your Congressional District and gain grasstop endorsements to show your Catholic MOC’s that Catholics in their districts want them to support the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act! 

Catholics are a large demographic in Congress. About 30% of Congress, as well as President Biden, self identifies as Catholic. Our chance of passing fee and dividend legislation has never been better! We hope that connecting with Catholic members of Congress through their faith will seal the deal. 
St. Martin Deanery Century Farm Award

Once again, the Catholic Rural Life Conference of St. Martin Deanery would like to honor Catholic families who have farmed and nurtured the same land for 100 years or more. Presentation of the awards will be made at the Fall Farm Mass. To qualify, the owner must be a practicing Catholic, the farm must be located in St. Martin Deanery and a copy of the original deed needs to be attached to the application form and submitted by
Questions may be referred to Marilyn Fryer at 937-378-4583.
Coldwater Farm Family To Host Mass In July of 2021

This year’s Rural Urban Farm Mass is on Thursday, July 15th at 7:00 p.m. Rev. Richard Walling will say Mass at Keith and Odessa Boeckman’s Farm, 4924 Burrville Rd. Coldwater, Ohio. Some seating will be available around the pond, but individuals attending Mass should consider bringing lawn chairs. At Mass, Fr. Walling and the Catholic Rural Life team will present the 2020 and the 2021 Catholic Century Farm Awards for Sidney and St. Marys Deaneries. The award recognizes Catholic families who have continuously farmed the same land for 100 years or more. Blessed water and soil will be distributed at the Mass. Following the Mass there will be a “Barn Dance” to celebrate farms, friendships and families! Mark your calendars and plan to attend!


Follow us on social media!

Our office is now on multiple social media platforms. Please add us to your contacts, friends, or following list so we keep you up to date on what's going on.

Twitter: @AoCincinnatiCsa

Instagram: @aocincinnati_csa

YouTube: @CatholicSocialActionAOC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csacinci
Creating Belonging

Have you ever considered providing resources for parishioners with blindness or vision loss? There are a variety of free resources available ranging from large print missals to religious books in braille and audio recording. There are even Lectionaries available that would assist clergy or a lector with blindness or vision loss. These resources can be found through Xavier Society for the Blind. We have samples of their products available in our office, but they offer a huge array of materials. If you are interested in learning more, you can contact our office or CLICK HERE to watch an interview that reviews these resources. This is an important means of accessibility for many parishioners, and these materials are a very simple step in the direction towards creating a culture of inclusion.

Mental Health Awareness Month
 
Did you know that one in five adults suffer from mental illness? That number may seem high, but like many other disabilities, mental illness is referred to as an “invisible disorder.” Often people suffer silently due to the stigma that is affiliated with a mental health diagnosis. Mental illness is not often addressed by the Catholic Church, but we are called by Jesus to recognize those who are suffering in our midst and to accompany them on their journey. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this provides us with a wonderful opportunity to shed some light on Mental Illness and to work towards eliminating stigma that prevents people from feeling fully welcomed into their faith communities. Below are some links to resources that you can use to promote Mental Health Awareness in your parish.




The Office for Persons with Disabilities works to establish a culture of inclusion and meaningful participation for persons with disabilities and their families in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. If you have any questions or need any assistance, you can contact our office at opd@catholicaoc.org.
COVID-19 Vaccine Information 

There have been questions about the current Covid-19 vaccines and any moral issues that Catholics might have with taking them. The Ohio Bishops and the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have both issued statements that address and support the moral use of these vaccines to save lives by fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. 




Vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer to combat COVID-19 may be taken without moral reservations, and some pro-life Catholic scholars have stated that all vaccines are morally acceptable.

SOLARIZE CINCY 2020

Ever wonder if rooftop solar panels could help you save on your energy bills? Signing up to join the Solarize Cincy 2021 co-op could help answer that. Throughout the spring of 2021 the City of Cincinnati is partnering with Solar United Neighbors to launch Solarize Cincy, a residential solar campaign bringing Greater Cincinnati residents together to purchase solar at a group discount. Joining the co-op is FREE and gets you access to expert support to help you understand if solar is a good fit for you and your home. Learn more and sign up today!


Fratelli Tutti
Pope Francis' Love Letter to the World
A Mask is a Sign of Solidarity
Praying in Solidarity
Make sure to join Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese Catholic Social Action Office every Monday at 11:00 AM for our Praying in Solidarity weekly prayer. It takes place LIVE on Catholic Charities' Facebook page and you will hear prayer intentions delivered by our staff for those whom we serve and empower.

To request prayer intentions for our Praying in Solidarity Facebook Live events, please visit: https://ccswoh.org/prayers.

Help the Earth and your Neighbors!

Impact Opportunity: Did you know that as much as 40% of perishable food goes to waste while 1 in 5 people in Cincinnati don’t know where their next meal is coming from? What if we could save all that food from filling landfills and polluting the air and instead deliver it to non-profits before it goes bad? Last Mile Food Rescue is a technology-based non-profit that uses an app to mobilize volunteer drivers – “Food Rescue Heroes” – to pick up good food before it is thrown out and deliver it directly to non-profits who serve the food insecure in our city. Learn more and sign up to be a Food Rescue Hero at www.lastmilefood.org or check out this flyer.

Andrew Musgrave - Cincinnati
Sara Seligmann - Dayton
Becky Kunkler - Northern Area
Sr. Christine Pratt - Eastern Area
Tammie Mers - Administrative Assistant

Catholic Social Action Office
Archdiocese of Cincinnati