News Archives » Action Alert
Resources to Root Out Slavery June 2nd, 2014
Below are two great resources to help us learn about and do something about modern day slavery. Please check them out.
Know The Chain is a resource that can be used to educate people about the existence of slavery in supply chains. It seeks to open dialogue to help companies build supply chains free of forced labor and trafficking. Visit the site: www.knowthechain.org
The Amistad Movement is a national education campaign, sponsored by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, that works through churches, cultural organizations, and other community-based groups to empower immigrants and local leaders to prevent human trafficking in their communities.
Through the training you will learn how to:
- identify human trafficking and exploitation in the domestic, agricultural, service, and sex industries;
- establish partnerships with coalitions and other organizations dedicated to combating human trafficking;
- support survivors of human trafficking;
- become an ethical employer and consumer; and
- educate others about this modern day slavery
For more information or to schedule a free training in your community please email MRSTRAFF@usccb.org or call (202) 541-3021.
June is Torture Awareness Month! June 2nd, 2014
Join the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), which is providing educational, advocacy and worship resources on torture during the month of June. The group is also hosting activities to honor survivors of torture, ensure truth about US torture programs and begin the restoration of human dignity.The theme for the month is Exposing the Truth of U.S. Torture: Restoring Human Dignity.
A Torture Awareness Toolkit is available to help you and your local faith community participate in the awareness initiative. The Missionary Oblates JPIC Office is a member of the National Religious Coalition against Torture (NRCAT), and we encourage you to become involved.
US Catholic Bishops Come to Washington on a Mission for Migrants May 28th, 2014
Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’(USCCB) Committee on Migration, including those who celebrated Mass at the US-Mexico border in Arizona on April 1, will travel to Capitol Hill on May 29, 2014 to urge lawmakers in the House of Representatives to act on immigration reform legislation. They will be celebrating a special Mass for Immigrants and Immigrant Families. Please join them on Thursday, May 29th at 8:30 AM at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, 313 2nd Street SE Washington, DC (Capitol Hill neighborhood).
The Mass will be offered for immigrants and their families who are being subjected to separation because of our broken immigration system.
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski (Miami), Bishop Eusebio Elizondo (Seattle), Bishop Oscar Cantu (Las Cruces, NM), Bishop Gerald Kicanas (Tucson), Bishop Ricardo Ramirez (Las Cruces, NM), and Bishop Martin Holley (Washington, D.C.) will co-celebrate.
If you cannot attend in person, we encourage you to watch the live video stream of the Mass at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67pLeiEfOYI
If you are tweeting, the hashtags for the Mass are #MassontheHill and #Mission4Migrants.
Justice for Immigrants – the program of the USCCB – is calling for a national call-in day to the US House of Representatives. Please participate in this and spread the word to you friends and families. Download a flyer for the event here…
The toll-free number is 1-855-589-5698 and our ask is for Members of Congress to:
- Vote for immigration reform,
- Support a path to citizenship,
- Preserve family unity, and
- Employ safe and humane immigration enforcement practices.
Join “Campaign Nonviolence”. May 19th, 2014
Pax Christi USA, of which OMI JPIC is a member, has endorsed Campaign Nonviolence, a movement to promote non-violence that is being circulated through Pace e Bene.
This campaign works to connect the dots between poverty, militarism, racism and the environment, and is promoting study groups around the country as well as direct action to serve as a public witness. Campaign Nonviolence will take action September 21-27 in cities across the United States as part of the long-term struggle to abolish war, end poverty, reverse climate change, and to build a culture of peace.
Please visit the Pace e Bene website where you will find a wealth of information and suggestions for concrete actions to support the Campaign.
Pentecost Toolkit on Immigration May 13th, 2014
Justice for Immigrants, the immigration campaign of the USCCB, has created a Pentecost toolkit of resources that parishes, Catholic agencies, religious communities and other JFI supporters can begin to use today.
They also have many copies of the booklet, A Catholic Teaching on the Issue of Immigration, which would be useful for Catholic groups and parishes. If you want copies of the booklet(s), or if you have any questions about the Pentecost toolkit, please call The Justice for Immigrants Team, 202-541-3165 or email via their website.
