California Catholic Bishops Urge Immigration Reform for DACA Youth and Their Families
The Catholic Bishops of California released the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s announcement on Tuesday that it is terminating the DACA Program in 6 months. (Click here for a list of links to statements by bishops throughout the country.)
The Catholic Bishops of California believe, along with many of our fellow Californians, that immigrant youth and their families are a critical part of California’s future vitality. We will continue to believe in them, pray for them, and work with them for a society where all God’s children may enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We invite all those who share this dream to join us as sentinels of hope for the hundreds of thousands of young people who have registered or are eligible for the DACA program. While the decision of the Administration may eclipse our common aspirations for them, we should not let our confidence be diminished. We have faith that this momentary shadow will pass and our hopeful light will continue to burn brightly.
Sustaining the status of DACA students against the current threats is imperative but more must be done.
Take Action on These Critical Alerts Now
As the legislative sessions draws to a rapid close, several bills that have dire consequences for Californians are hanging in the balance. The California Catholic Conference is tracking them closely and you can expect to see several alerts asking you to take action as the status of the bills rapidly change.
Below are some of the bills that the CCC has been tracking, many of them from Catholic Advocacy Day back in April. Please click on the links below to quickly send a letter to your elected officials so they hear your voice on these important issues. As always, visit www.cacatholic.org for a comprehensive list of all bills being monitored by the CCC.
NARAL Targets Religious Employers, Churches with Unprecedented Restrictions
Support SB 304 – Smooth Transition Plans for Students in Court Schools
Oppose SB 743 – More Dollars for Abortion Industry
Oppose SB 179 – Lawmakers Consider adding ‘Non-binary” to Gender Choices
Protect Students of Deported Parents, Yes on SB 257
Support Community College for All Students, Yes on SB 68
Cut Childhood Poverty in Half – Support AB 1520
Diocese of Stockton Focuses on Environmental Stewardship
(PDF bulletin inserts in English and Spanish.)
Years before Pope Francis wrote about care for our common home in his encyclical, Laudato Si, the Diocese of Stockton was already practicing its own kind of environmental stewardship. Created in 2005, the Environmental Justice Project at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Stockton, has been tirelessly working for more than 10 years to help steward God’s creation.
Yolanda Park has been working with the Environmental Justice Project for about two years, but has been Program Manager for just a few months. Despite her short time with the organization, she is committed to encouraging environmental stewardship throughout the diocese. “I think that environmental justice is an umbrella group in the sense that it threads through everything such as housing, safety, transportation and so much more,” Park said.
Texas Parishes and Schools Partnering for Harvey Aid
Many Catholic parishes and schools damaged by Harvey need substantial aid. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB) is assisting diocesan staff with identifying parishes and schools where structures or materials were damaged or destroyed beyond the ability of the local community to rebuild independently. Because these parishes and schools are in communities where homes and businesses were also devastated, recovery will be much harder.
In the past, non-impacted communities have paired with impacted communities to assist with recovery from disasters. Through this “twinning process,” communities throughout the United States “adopt” an impacted parish or school to help them rebuild structures and resupply materials.
For parishes and schools who can offer help click here to tell the TCCB that you stand ready. The initial data collection of needs and offers begins with your completion of this form, followed by matching needs with offers to help. For individuals, visit the TCCB’s page here for ways to help.
The hope is to start working with diocesan staff to match parishes and schools by Sept. 15, 2017. Please contact recovery@txcatholic.org with questions.
Bills by the Numbers
The California Legislature is rapidly moving bills as time ticks down on its September 15 deadline. Last Friday, there were 363 bills that moved off the Suspense Files: 257 assembly bills to the Senate Floor and 106 senate bills to the Assembly floor.
Pending on the Senate floor are 481 measures and pending on the Assembly floor are 306 measures, for a total of 787 measures pending final action before adjournment. You can expect to see several alerts and rapidly changing statuses as the week progresses. Visit www.cacatholic.org for the latest.
September 8, 2017
Vol. 10, No. 28
En Español