News Archives » Global
Oblate Organic Community Supported Garden Lauded in Local Press February 14th, 2011
The Oblate-supported organic garden in Godfrey, Illinois has received a nice write-up in The Telegraph, Alton, Illinois’ local paper. Now in its 9th year, the CSA at Godfrey continues to provide its share owners and a local food bank with bountiful supplies of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. The CSA shareholders and core team are committed to preserving the land, educating people about the health benefits of eating produce grown in a sustainable manner and the ecological benefits of eating locally.
The garden regularly over-produces, ensuring leftover produce to take to local food pantries, which fulfills its other mission – to help feed the poor. La Vista also offers 10 to 12 community outreach shares at a discounted price to low-income members of the community.
Read the article (Download PDF)
New Campaign to Support Unemployed Workers February 14th, 2011
FAITH ADVOCATES FOR JOBS is a major new interfaith campaign initiated by Interfaith Worker Justice to address the severe suffering being endured by millions of unemployed workers. The campaign is organizing a nationwide network of congregations committed to supporting the unemployed and their families both spiritually and materially.
If your congregation is interested, you can fill out IWJ’s Congregational Commitment Pledge (PDF) and fax it to 773-728-8409. If you join the campaign’s network of congregations, they will help you get started, provide regular information about how your congregation can be most helpful to the unemployed, and share what others in the network are doing.
Many unemployed worker support committees already exist in congregations around the country. If your parish has one of these, sign up with Faith Advocates for Jobs. Together, we can help unemployed workers and their families get through this crisis and begin to look forward to a better day.
Faith Advocates for Jobs Campaign Goals Statement (Download PDF)
Questions or concerns? Email Rev. Paul H. Sherry, Campaign Coordinator, Faith Advocates for Jobs at psherry@iwj.org
Kids: Pass on Your Stuff and Help Save the Earth February 7th, 2011
Kids, wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to help save the Earth, get rid of stuff you don’t want, and make someone happy, all at the same time? There is. Instead of throwing away your old things, you can find a new home for them. Pass on to someone else those old board games you don’t play with anymore, books you outgrew, and puzzles that are now too easy for you.
Patti Radle Interviewed on Upcoming Trip to the World Social Forum February 4th, 2011
Ms Patti Radle, based in San Antonio, will represent the U.S. Oblate JPIC Committee at the upcoming 2011 World Social Forum (WSF) in Dakar. In a short video interview made by the JPIC staff using Skype, she shares her expectations about the trip. The WSF will run from February 6 to 11.
Watch the video:
Prayer Service for Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking January 28th, 2011
A prayer service for victims and survivors of human trafficking will be held on February 8th in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception near Catholic University (6pm). Prayer services will also be held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Portland (6:30-7:30). February 8th is the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, a victim of human trafficking. There’s a move under way in Oregon (USA) to seek Vatican approval for a patron saint of human trafficking and slavery victims.
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that consists of the illegal trade of human beings through force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. Some people are trafficked for prostitution, pornography, and other forms of sexual exploitation. Some are trafficked for forced labor in agriculture, sweat shops, and domestic servitude. Some are trafficked for both.
The Catholic Bishops of the United States have condemned this practice in no uncertain terms. Pope John Paul II at one point declared that human trafficking “constitutes a shocking offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights.” With your help and through your prayers, we can help to put an end to this abomination.
