November 2020
In this issue:
On Fraternity and Social Friendship
Five Takeaways from Fratelli Tutti
Make a Commitment to Nonviolence
It Is the Details That Matter
Working Woman Testifies About Reality
Of Poverty In The U.S.
New Resource for Walking with Moms
Call to Action
Learn Something New
Expand Your Horizons
Recommended Reading
Lift Up Healthcare Workers
Save the Date
We have too much work to do together to let the powers of the world alienate us from one another.
- Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski
On Fraternity and Social Friendship
(Life and Dignity of the Human Person)
Released in October 2020, Fratelli Tutti is a new encyclical from Pope Francis that calls all of us to love our brothers and sisters, near and far. The Pope says, “It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity.” The USCCB has links to the full encyclical, an overview and summary, as well as links to other Catholic Social Teaching resources, at https://www.usccb.org/fratelli-tutti.
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Five Takeaways from Fratelli Tutti, America Magazine
New Resource for Walking with Moms
(Life and Dignity of the Human Person)
 The Secretariat of Pro-life Activities has posted a one-hour webinar that explains how you can help vulnerable pregnant and parenting women in your community through a year of service called "Walking with Moms in Need (English | Spanish)." The video takes you through the action guide and explains how you can make a difference for pregnant and parenting moms and their children.
Call to Action
Call to Family, Community, and Participation)
From Bread for the World: COVID-19 Relief Urgently Needed to Halt Growing Hunger. Congress did not pass a second stimulus bill before the November elections even as hunger reached historic levels amid the global pandemic. As result, 8 million people have slipped into poverty. Globally, hundreds of millions of people are on the brink starvation. Your advocacy extended Pandemic-EBT for a full year, ensuring millions of children get the nutrition they need. But it is not enough. Urge your members of Congress to resume negotiations and pass a comprehensive COVID-19 relief package that includes assistance for families struggling with hunger.
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Expand Your Horizons
(Life and Dignity of the Human Person)
From The St. Martin de Porres Society: The St. Martin de Porres Society and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport are sponsoring Continuing the Conversation on Race in the USA, a tour of the African American Museum in Cedar Rapids, Saturday, November 21. The bus departs from the Cathedral at 8:30 AM and returns at 2:30 PM. The tour is limited to 20 participants. A fee of $20 will cover Executive Coach Transportation, museum admission, a catered lunch and guided Tours. Please RSVP by November 16th to Jim Collins at jhc.2011@gmail.com. Click here for more information.
From the Newman Catholic Student Center: Deacon Harold Burke-Siver, The Dynamic Deacon, from the Archdiocese of Portland, will present Building a Civilization of Love: A Faith-Based Response to Systemic Racism at the Newman Catholic Student Center at the University of Iowa on November 18, 2020 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. You can register here.
From the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, USCCB: A Webinar on the Respect Life January Action Guide will be held Thursday, November 12th at 7:00 PM (CST). This introductory webinar is for those who want to help their parish highlight the gift of human life through key January observances. Register here. Please let the office of Social Action at guerrero@davenportdiocese.org know if you register and use the resources materials in your parish.
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Save the Date
(Solidarity)
The Diocese of Davenport Social Action Office will host its monthly Lunch and Learn on Thursday, December 3, at noon. Thomas Mason IV of the St. Martin De Porres Society at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport will talk about the history and role of this organization and what members see as their mission in the Diocese going forward. To register, click here.
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Upcoming Events
For a complete list of upcoming events see the Social Action Calendar.
- Nov 15 - World Day of the Poor. Stretch forth your hand to the poor (Sir 7:32) More info here.
- Nov 18 - Building a Civilization of Love: A Faith-Based Response to Systemic Racism, Deacon Harold Burke-Silver at the Newman Catholic Student Center. More info here.
- Nov 21 - Continuing the Conversation on Race in the USA, African American museum tour and lunch. More info here.
- Nov 21-22 - Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection. More info here.
- Dec 3 - The Role of the St. Martin De Porres Society in our Diocese, Lunch and Learn. More info here.
Make a Commitment to Nonviolence
(Life and Dignity of the Human Person)
Recent months have seen increased division among fellow citizens. In order to “develop and sustain a sense of peace and nonviolence in all aspects of our lives,” the Sisters of St. Francis in Clinton ask each of us to sign and commit to a pledge of nonviolence. Everyone who signs up will receive weekly emails through December 21 on how to live a more just, peaceful and sustainable life. Sign the pledge at http://www.clintonfranciscans.com/pledge-of-nonviolence.html.
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It Is the Details That Matter
by Glenn Leach
(Option for the Poor and Vulnerable)
We hear a lot about the economy, principally in terms of the stock market and the employment numbers, and with the implication that this is spread like peanut butter, evenly across the country. However, the American Dream is just that for the over 46 million of us living in poverty. The reality is that there are areas within each city and county where there is a great divergence from the dream.
Los Angeles has its movie studios and Silicon Valley has the highest GDP in the US, but they are also home to the largest homeless populations in the US. The portion of Appalachia stretching along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee has a higher poverty rate and higher percentage of working poor than the rest of the nation and portions of Iowa share many of the economic characteristics of Appalachia. We do not hear about these nearly as much as we do about the stock market. Yet only 14% of Americans own stock directly and 38% are invested through 401(k) accounts or similar. People in the lower half of US incomes 60% own no stock at all. The good news about the stock market passed them by.
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Working Woman Testifies About Reality Of Poverty In The U.S., NowThisNews
Learn Something New
(Life and Dignity of the Human Person)
From Catholic Charities USA: CCUSA has a new podcast, Charities at Work, which will focus on the work and mission of the Catholic Charities ministry in the United States. The first seven episodes will explore the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching as outlined by the USCCB: 1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person; 2. Solidarity; 3. Care for Creation; 4. Call to Family, Community, and Participation; 5. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable; 6. Rights and Responsibilities; and 7. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. See the CCUSA website for more information on each episode and the guest speakers.
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Recommended Reading
(Solidarity)
Monsignor John Enzler, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the ArchiDiocese of Washington, shares memories from his life that lead him to the conclusion we had "turned a corner . . . that racism was declining." Then he addresses the need to continue the work at Catholic Charities, firmly committed to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. He acknowledges his need to look first at himself and asks that we do the same. Read To Do Our Work Serving Others, We Must Acknowledge and Fight Against Racism by clicking here.
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Lift Up Healthcare Workers
(Solidarity)
 COVID fatigue has set in. Months into the pandemic, we are tired of it. Throughout our state, healthcare workers have been dealing with COVID just as long as the rest of us, working under very stressful conditions that have escalated. They need us now, just as we need them. Here are some ideas for individuals, businesses and parish groups to let healthcare workers know we appreciate all they do.
- Pray for their health and well-being.
- Have food delivered to staff of critical care units.
- Mail thank you cards with hand written messages.
- Gather a group to stand outside a hospital (socially distanced) for 30 minutes with signs that offer encouragement and thanks.
- Write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper expressing gratitude.
If you have additional ideas, please email them to kerstena@diodav.org. We’ll share them via our Parish Social Action Google group.
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