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Focus on Hunger this World Food Day: October 24 October 10th, 2012
October 21: Bread for the World Sunday
Bread for the World Sunday is an opportunity to engage your congregation in God’s work to end hunger. Through education, prayer, and worship, congregations commit themselves to the fight against hunger and poverty in our country and around the world. Visit Bread for the World for free resources, from Sermon starters and prayers to Hunger Facts.
October 24: Food Day
Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement toward more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. The idea is to focus on issues as varied as health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker justice.
The ultimate goal of Food Day is to strengthen and unify the food movement in order to improve our nation’s food policies. You can join this push for a stronger, more united food movement by signing up to organize or attend Food Day events in your community.
Use the National Catholic Rural Coalition’s Faith-Based Study Guide on Poverty and Hunger
In addition, the educational and media campaign, “Food MythBusters: The Real Story About What We Eat” is being launched on Food Day, October 24th. Food MythBusters plans to harness social media and the power of word-of-mouth to reach millions and advocate for a more fair, healthy, and sustainable food system. Check out their video debunking the myth that we need industrial agriculture to feed the world.
Thanks to NCRLC for the information in this post. Please visit their website at www.ncrlc.com/
IMF Gold Sale Profits Benefit the World’s Poor October 1st, 2012
Jubilee USA Supporters Picket the IMF
The International Monetary Fund Executive Board has approved the final 2.7 billion dollars from recent gold sale profits to support the world’s poorest. The total gold sales windfall has now reached nearly 4 billion dollars to benefit the most vulnerable. One of the most powerful institutions in the world decided the right way because ordinary people cared – and acted.
At first, the IMF barely acknowledged the profit and assumed it could remain in their general reserves. Word leaked out about possible major renovations of the IMF office space in Washington, DC.
In response, Jubilee USA, of which the Oblates are a member, delivered tens of thousands of petitions and organized 60 global partners to push the IMF towards debt relief. At the end of February 2012, the IMF Board made a decision on the first distribution of 1.1 billion dollars after Jubilee, the ONE Campaign, ActionAid and Oxfam International met with the IMF staff.
These efforts pushed the IMF to approve the first 1.1 billion dollar distribution AND the second 2.7 billion dollar distribution to support concessional lending in the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) and extend a 0% interest rate that will make this trust available for future generations beyond 2014. While many of us have concerns about IMF lending, this 0% extension on existing loans will mean real relief for millions of people and translate into direct support for low-income countries.
For more information about Jubilee USA, please visit their website – and get involved! Go to: www.jubileeusa.org
Elections 2012 September 24th, 2012
The Justice and Peace Office of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) sent the following election materials for our consideration:
USCCB Faithful Citizenship Guide and resources
Core Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
CMSM JPIC urges us to consider which party more consistently upholds the fuller range of Catholic Social Teaching as we seek to promote the Common Good and Reign of God:
- Libertarian: Platform and Principles
- Republican: Platform and Romney on Issues
- Democrat: Platform and Obama on Issues
- Green: Platform and Ten Key Values
They also provided this link to encourage the Republicans, Democrats, and television networks to open the debates to other candidates.
Summer/Fall VIVAT Newsletter Available September 14th, 2012
Learn about what VIVAT International members and staff are doing on international peace and development issues. Read the latest VIVAT on-line newsletter, VIVAT News for July/August/September, 2012.(Download the PDF)
Show Us the Money September 12th, 2012
The conventions of the two dominant political parties at the end of the summer have unleashed a torrent of mass media, social media and traditional coverage of the major personalities and agendas…
In his latest blog on Huffington Post, Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI discusses the influence of the vast amounts of corporate money unleashed by the Supreme Court decision, Citizens United, and the efforts by faith-based and socially responsible shareholders to press for greater transparency of corporate political contributions.
