We're Hiring!!

Program Coordinator

This 25 hour/week position will oversee the local administration of two United States Conference (USCCB) housed programs, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), as well as supporting other areas of social justice work. Click here for the job description.

This position advances the Catholic Social Action Office's mission to empower Catholics in the Archdiocese to celebrate and live out the Gospel call for life, human dignity, and care for God's creation through Catholic Social Teaching formation, organized social ministries, and opportunities for public advocacy and action.

In addition, this position will be encouraged to seek out additional areas of social justice and provide leadership and support.

To apply send resume, cover letter and application to:

Department of Human Resources

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

100 E. Eighth Street

Cincinnati, OH 45202

humanresources@catholicaoc.org



Catholic Conference of Ohio is hiring too!



Associate Director for Social Concerns

The Associate Director for Social Concerns provides leadership and advocacy for the Conference's activities related to social concerns and respect life. The position includes convening the diocesan offices of social action, social services (Catholic Charities), and respect life. The Associate Director implements statewide responses to the Catholic Church's social teaching, ensuring that the Church's voice is heard by Ohio's elected officials. See the full description and application instructions HERE.

SEEKING GRANTEES AND INTERN

Ever year, thanks to the tremendous generosity of Catholics across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to our Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) collection, we're able to make grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to area nonprofit organizations who are working to fight injustice and offer a hand up to the poor and marginalized. Nationally, the program has existed for over 50 years, and in that half century millions of dollars have been awarded and used to build up God's kingdom.

To learn more about CCHD - both nationally and locally - check out our CCHD web page.

We are reaching out today for two reasons:

1. We are always looking for new organizations with whom we can partner. If you're aware of a nonprofit organization who is engaged with the fight for justice and addressing the root causes of poverty, please share the CCHD website with them or connect them to our office. Applications are due on March 17.
2. Each year, we host a paid intern to support the work of CCHD in our diocese. If you know of a college-age person (or older) who might be interested in this opportunity, please share Andrew's email address with them. The internship is for the 2023-2024 school year and is located in Cincinnati.

Thanks in advance for your help with spreading the word, and thanks for continuing to partner with our office to stand in solidarity with all of our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Our Laudato Si Conference is here!!

This Saturday, March 4, 2023, the Archdiocese Care for Creation Task Force is holding a full-day Laudato Si Action Platform conference at Curran Place on the University of Dayton campus. It's scheduled for 9:00am - 4:30pm (8:30am registration) and will include opportunities for prayer, learning, networking, planning, and sharing. We'll have information on multiple topics for multiple audiences, both in large group sessions and breakouts. Visit this website for more information and the registration link.



The Laudato Si Action Platform is the collaborative effort of the global Roman Catholic Church to address caring for God’s creation. You can learn more about it here or contact Andrew Musgrave with any questions. 

Catholics at the State Capitol

Wednesday, April 26

After several years away, we're finally bring Catholics from across Ohio back to Columbus to meet with our elected officials and advocate for policies that seek to honor all life, take special care of the poor and marginalized, and stand in solidarity with all of our sisters and brothers.

If you're interested in joining us, please email Tammie and let her know. There's no cost to attend, lunch will be provided, and - if we have enough people interested - we'll provide transportation. (If we're a smaller number, we'll arrange carpooling.)



Death Penalty Advocacy

The battle to end the death penalty in Ohio continues. The hope is that it will be picked up this spring and moved through the state house and on to the governor's desk. Stay connected with #NoDeathPenaltyOH for ongoing events and advocacy.



Love in Action

If you're wondering how your family of parishes might go about engaging in the Love in Action principle, we encourage you to check out the Love in Action page on the Pathways platform - https://pathway.catholicaoc.org/love-in-action. There you'll find a great introductory video, as well as further explanation of the breadth of the principle. Over time, you'll find more resources and support, and of course you know you can always reach out to our office for support. If you're looking for the first tool we created - the parish inventory - you can find it here (along with the inventories from the other principles) - https://pathway.catholicaoc.org/pathway-tools. If you work for a parish or are involved in parish leadership, we'd love to talk with you through the Forums. Don't hesitate to reach out! 



Building The City of God

April 15, 2023

Sacred Heart Parish Activity Center

McCartyville

Women of the NW Families of Parishes join us for fellowship, prayer, and growth in faith and action.

WHAT TO EXPECT:  Prayer, keynote speaker Mary Anne Bressler from Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio, brief presentations from people involved in social action ministries, free lunch, opportunity to see and to learn about outreach and social action ministries from various parishes and organizations, hands on projects.

NO CHARGE FOR THE DAY. Please bring travel size hygiene products to be used in assembling hygiene bags for people experiencing homelessness (combs, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, skin cream, individual toothbrushes, toothpaste, individual snacks, bars of soap, wash cloths.) 

Register by Wednesday, April 5^th 

Call or Email Judy Zimmerman 937-638-2733 PUFFZIMM@HOTMAIL.COM

Click here to learn more | Click here for the save the date

Rural Life Conferences Name Changes

In light of the name changes that have come with the Beacons of Light process, our two Catholic Rural Life conferences will be changing their names. The CRL conference in the south will now be called the Southeast Rural Life Conference (located in the St. Mary deanery), and the conference in the north will be the Northern Area Rural Life Conference (including both the St. Augustine and Emmanuel deaneries). For more information about the CRL conferences please check out the CRL page on our website.



Bring Lent To Life with CRS Rice Bowl



Through CRS Rice Bowl, we journey with members of our human family around the world, and commit our Lenten prayers, fasting, and almsgiving to deepening our faith and serving those in need. There is something to deepen everyone’s Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. There are lessons and prayers for all ages, videos, reflections, Stations of the Cross, and even delicious yet simple recipes to share as a community or a family. Communicate easily using CRS’ premade materials such as these bulletin entries for each week. Rice bowl orders are recurring each year, but if your parish is new to it or needs to make changes do so asap. 

Find all these resources here.

Rice Bowl Local Funds

75% of the CRS Rice Bowl funds raised are used for CRS’s international development projects. 25% is distributed locally to be used within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Local entities working to alleviate hunger or poverty may apply to receive a grant.

Priority for the funds will be for efforts alleviating hunger and food insecurity.

Projects that respond to the root causes of hunger, i.e., projects dealing with economic development, anti-hunger advocacy, and organizing, etc., also meet the criteria.

Grant amount will range in size from $300-$3,500

The application must be submitted by April 28th. Click here to fill out the local fund application.

Please share this application with local organizations that might qualify. Also, please let them know about the great work of CRS!

CRS is the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS operates in 91 countries.



CRS provides assistance to the the most vulnerable without regard to race, religion or nationality by responding to emergencies and fighting poverty. CRS has a mission oversees and one of calling Catholics in the US to Solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world so that we can more fully live out our faith. CRS has great prayer, education, and advocacy resources for parishioners of all ages to engage in.



Charity Watch Grade: A+ | https://www.crs.org/about



Breaking Open the Sin of Racism

Engage your community in dialogue

This video series and discussion guide was prepared for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for use by organizations in a 4-part workshop. Check out the Breaking Open the Sin of Racism site to see how your parish, school, or organization can host workshops or use the resources in other ways. 

Join us for our Breaking Open the Sin of Racism Leader Training. Sign up!  In this session we will address how to facilitate these workshops in your community both in person and online. 1-hour training on zoom. March 1st 1-2 pm. 

Questions? Contact Sara Seligmann | 513-546-3143

From the Respect Life Office

Groups Aim to Enshrine Access to Abortion in the Ohio Constitution

Just last week, two pro-abortion groups, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio United for Reproductive Rights, released the language for an amendment to the Ohio constitution to enshrine a “right” to abortion. If passed by voters in the November election later this year, it would remove existing restrictions that the vast majority of people actually agree with, such as parental notification laws and basic safety standards. Of course it would also nullify any abortion restrictions like the Heartbeat Bill, which restricts abortion upon detection of a heartbeat.

If these groups act like the same groups who passed a similar amendment in Michigan last November, they will spend a lot of money selling this ballot initiative to voters under the guise that it is necessary to protect access to treatment for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage, or to have an abortion when necessary to save the life of a mother. Treatment for ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage is not an abortion, and no pro-life law in the country makes either of those treatments illegal in their restrictions about abortion. Also, contrary to what some may believe, the act of killing an unborn child is never necessary to save the life of a mother. Yet, putting in an exception to abortion into the Ohio constitution for reasons of “health”, which this amendment does, will potentially make abortion legal for any reason for all 9 months, when “health” gets defined not only as physical health, but mental, emotional, or even financial “health”.

The Ohio Catholic bishops have released an initial statement on the ballot initiative here. They are making all the faithful aware of this dangerous initiative coming to Ohio, inviting us to pray and fast, and asking us all to be on the lookout for further information on how to mobilize to oppose the proposed amendment later this year. May our voices be one with theirs as we pray:

God our loving Father, grant wisdom to those who govern us, compassion and courage to those who work to defend human life, and safety and care to every human being. For you alone who formed us in our mothers' wombs, and who call us home to heaven, are God, for ever and ever. Amen

From the Office for Persons with Disabilities

HELP NEEDED!

Interested in joining the Belonging Task Force? The BTF is a group of parents, teachers, and community members who meet monthly to discuss ways to help and support families on their faith journey. What is special about the BTF? The families we support are those families who have a loved one with a special need. We support the blind, deaf, hard of hearing, and disabled. Would you like to learn more about the Belonging Task Force? I would like to schedule a time to visit your deanery to meet with you.

Lisa L. Averion, Associate Director, Office for Persons with Disabilities laverion@catholicaoc.org

We are all one family in the world. Building a community that empowers everyone to attain their full potential through each of us respecting each other’s dignity, rights and responsibilities makes the world a better place to live. - St. John Paul II



NETWORK - What to Expect

from the 118th Congress

NETWORK is hosting a webinar on Thursday, 3/2, at 7:00pm to discuss how the 118th Congress may impact their mission to build an inclusive, multiracial, and multi-faith democracy with better federal policy.

Please click here for more information and the link to register.



ONE BODY WORSHIP EVENT

A group of Evangelicals and Catholics are hosting an ecumenical worship gathering centered around singing, preaching, and prayer. The event is scheduled for March 10^th at Red Door Church in Fairfield. Fr. Aaron Wessman, Vicar-General of Glenmary, will be providing the homily.

Please click here for more information and to register.

MARTHA HENNESSY TO VISIT DAYTON

The Ferree Chair of Social Justice at the University of Dayton will welcome peace activist, Catholic Worker, and granddaughter of Dorothy Day Martha Hennessy to campus.  Her public address, titled "Dorothy Day and Gospel Nonviolence Today," will take place at Sears Auditorium on campus on Monday, March 27 at 7 p.m. 

Martha Hennessy Bio.

Please click here for flyer.

Follow us on social media!

Twitter: @AoCincinnatiCsa

Instagram: @aocincinnati_csa

YouTube: @CatholicSocialActionAOC

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



Andrew Musgrave - Cincinnati, Director

Sara Seligmann - Dayton

Sr. Christine Pratt - Eastern Area

Regional Coordinator - (open)

Tammie Mers - Administrative Assistant

Catholic Social Action Office

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

csa@catholicaoc.org