JUST NEWS  June 2000

Office of  Justice and Peace Sowers of Justice   Catholic Diocese of Richmond

Focus on Solidarity with      the Poor In this issue: Alternative Spring Break in Mexico A Quote on the "Option for the Poor" Featured Web Site ART of Justice & Peace A Pastoral Perspective Resources for Parishes Sowers of Justice News Racial Unity Working Group Tidewater Voices That Challenge Sowers Join GE Demonstration More Reflections on Solidarity From the Catholic Worker Gospel Solidarity From the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Jubilee Action for World Debt Relief Marching in Washington Parish Actions Cathedral of the Sacred Heart - Richmond Church of the Incarnation - Charlottesville Million Mom March Farewell from OJP! Calendar OJP Staff  Sowers of Justice Contact Information

Alternative Spring Break in Mexico By Geoffrey Buescher, Virginia Beach, a member of the Newman Community at Virginia Tech Spring break in Mexico—sun, sand, and ocean in the day, parties at night.  Or, for a group of 19 members of our community, it was sun, dust, and children during the day, guitar music, prayer, and reflection at night.  This was Newman Community's annual Alternative Spring Break trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. The poverty in which the people of Oaxaca live motivated the Newman Community's trip.  Its purpose was to live with these people in an expression of solidarity, giving our companionship as we seek an understanding of their situation.  Each of us had a morning and an afternoon work site, between which the whole group met at the town center, or zocalo, for lunch. Water was scarce, so Navy showers were the rule—every three days.  Meals were simple, but complete.  Transportation was, with rare exceptions, on foot or by the extensive bus network. During the evenings, we shared our days' experiences, listened to various presentations on Mexican social problems, and appreciated the (varying degrees of) guitar-playing talent in our group. At the Bustamantes' house, seventeen children share a roof—and not much else—with various adult relatives; here we played with the kids and talked with the adults as best we could.  At a nursing home, students danced and sang with older Oaxacans.  Visiting Santos, a quadriplegic, who paints with his mouth, brought out all the neighbor children to play soccer and ride on the gringos' shoulders.  At another site, we helped a physical therapy student from Northeastern work with Samuel, a twelve-year old with cerebral palsy, as we entertained his sister—herself on crutches—and her friends. By Friday, the comforts of home seemed less significant than when we had left, and we said our good-byes, some tearful.  What did we learn? A common theme seemed to run through all our observations: people are people everywhere.  The poor need neither pity nor patronizing Americans taking pictures and throwing money here and there.  They do need food, water, shelter, and clothing.  They need family to support them in bad times and share their joy in good times.  They need friends to affirm the value of their being.  All of us have these needs, and how well they are met decides whether we have a good or bad day.  The difference between us and those less fortunate is simply that they struggle for these basic necessities. Their good days become less dependent on having more.  We live in solidarity with the people we met by realizing where our needs end and our wants begin, and adjusting our lifestyles accordingly.  The less we use, the more we can share to meet the needs of God's people.

Option for the Poor

The following is from an address made by Bishop Felipe Arizmendi on May 1, 2000 when he officially became the new Bishop of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Mexico.  This area includes the Mexican state of Chiapas, which has been overwhelmed by conflict since 1994 when the Zapatista Army of National Liberation rose in arms.

“My inspiration is faith in Jesus Christ and love for his Church, Mexico, Chiapas and those who suffer.  However, choosing Christ is not an alienating spiritualism, but a commitment that exacts giving your life for him, and acting according to his preferences. Therefore, just like all Bishops, priests, religious and other Christians, I must and want to love the poor preferentially.”

“This is not an ideological tendency in the Church, political opportunism, or an address to please a few. The preferential love for the poor is an essential attitude of the Church; it is what characterizes its identity and fidelity to Jesus. It is not optional, something we can but need not choose, according to our tastes and personal ideologies …”

“If I were to turn back on my preferential love for the poor and the integral development of the Indians, I would betray Jesus Christ, the Church and myself as one who has made the single and total choice for Jesus Christ, must be like him, who was all love and service for the neediest …”

“If we do not give the necessary force to this preferential love, we are not Christ's Church. If we are indifferent to those who are suffering, we are even disqualified as Christians.”

Featured Web Site: Children's Defense Fund  http://www.childrensdefense.org Offers a wide range of educational resources on the needs of poor children Includes creative initiatives for action

A Pastoral Perspective:

What is Solidarity?

At first, the idea of solidarity with the poor conjures up a foreign setting like Latin America that provides opportunity for unity with people of another land and culture.  However, solidarity also calls to mind the witness of real flesh and blood people like Peter Maurin, Dorothy Day, Catherine de Hueck Doherty, and Mother Teresa.

These sisters and brothers lived solidarity in my estimation.  They attempted to show God’s love and presence to the poorest and weakest in our world.  They gave up the security of family, wealth, religious order and prestige in order to enter the world of the defenseless, weak and often pitiful.  Here they began to experience true poverty.

They stripped themselves of those things that our world deems to be so necessary, and placed themselves totally in God’s mercy in the midst of their newfound family. Their courage and inner strength to live such radical lifestyles is truly admirable in a world that screams for comfort and security.

At times I flirted with solidarity and even thought that I was moving in this direction.  Yet, I always had access to all types of help via family, friends, and church which could be accessed via credit card, FAX, or telephone.

Simply leaving the United States for another part of the world, just living in a shack or without running water or telephone … these are merely externals and do not bring deep conversion of heart.

It is not enough for me to write a check, live in a shack or do without. True solidarity and love must come deep from within.

My interior battle is a profound one and I suspect that it shall last until I breathe my last.   Hopefully, a truly poor individual that once experienced a morsel of kindness from me will be at the door on the other side and recall my face and the action with a welcome, “Brother, you are home.”
 

Resources on Solidarity with the Poor

Church Documents 

U.S. Bishops, Economic Justice For All: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, 1986. 
Copies available from USCC Publishing Services at (800) 235-8722.
http://listserv.american.edu/catholic/church/us/econ.justice

Theresa Funiciello, Tyranny of Kindness: Dismantling the Welfare System to End Poverty, 1993

Michael Hudson (ed), Merchants of Misery: How Corporate America Profits from Poverty, 1996

Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, 1991

Jonathan Kozol, Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, 1988

Robert Lavelle (ed), American's New War on Poverty: A Reader for Action, 1995

Frances Fox Piven & Richard Cloward, Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare, 1993
 

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
820 First Street, NE, Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002, Phone: (202) 408-1080
E-mail: bazie@cbpp.org
http://www.cbpp.org/

Children's Defense Fund
25 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Phone:  (202) 628-8787
E-mail:  cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
 

Theological Library on Poverty
http://www.mcgill.pvt.k12.al.us/jerryd/cm/poverty.htm

Call to Renewal -- People of Faith Overcoming Poverty
http://www.calltorenewal.com/

Catholic Campaign for Human Development
http://www.usccb.org/cchd/

Catholic Relief Services
http://www.catholicrelief.org/

The Catholic Worker Movement
http://www.catholicworker.org/
 

Parish Racism Dialogue

The Sowers of Justice Racial Unity Working Group recently led a dialogue at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.  One participant, Katie Mattes, shares her reflections on the evening:

Personal stories.  As a child, I loved sleepovers because I got to stay up half the night telling stories.  As an adult, I rarely have the opportunity to share my personal story or listen to the stories of others, especially about a topic that many do not feel comfortable talking about -- racism.

On May 10th thirty-five Cathedral parishioners of diverse backgrounds and ethnicity gathered to share a meal and personal stories about how we were raised and what our family was like.  We gathered in groups of 5, sharing some of the experiences that shaped our adult lives. 

Several African-Americans had grown up in the segregated South.  Some experienced prejudice against their practice of the Catholic faith.  Others felt sheltered from direct contact with racism, but ignoring diversity can be as much of a burden as being actively told that other people are not worthy of association.

The evening was magical.  Despite a table of desserts and plenty of food, only a few participants stopped talking and listening to take the planned 15-minute break.  As participants departed, many said to each other, "I am so glad that I met you..." or "I have seen you before -- it's so nice to finally talk to you." 

The evening put more than names to faces -- it provided us with stories about each other.    Jesus encouraged us to wash each other's feet.  I think he would have also encouraged us to share stories with each other because it is the stories that will make us a community and spring us into action.

Tidewater Sowers of Justice
By Patrice Schwermer -- St. Pius X Parish, Norfolk

As this year's Sowers season winds down, we pause to rest and celebrate -- to look back on a productive year and to look ahead to the next season of planting seeds.

In April Tidewater Sowers met with State Senators Nick Rerras and Ken Stolle to thank them for their support on welfare and poverty issues, but challenged their positions on the 21 Day Rule.  Several Sowers and students from Catholic High School traveled to Washington, DC for National Catholic Advocacy Day. 

We continue our work on the death penalty.  St. Pius X Parish signed a resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty. Other parishes are strategizing on how they will promote it.   With executions scheduled on June 21 and July 6, Sowers and Voices That Challenge will stand vigil from 5-6pm on the corner of City Hall and St. Paul's Blvd.  We welcome all to join the group. 

For more information about Tidewater Sowers, contact Patrice Schwermer at (757) 583- 0291 or patrices1@juno.com .
 

Voices That Challenge

Members of Voices That Challenge, the youth justice and peace group supported by Tidewater Sowers, are involved in many issues.  They believe that  education and reflection leads to social action and change.

Recent activities included an educational program on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal (a Pennsylvania death row inmate), a walk between the local offices of Senators Warner and Robb to seek the closing of the School of the Americas (SOA), and participation in National Catholic Advocacy Day in Washington DC.

Voices members participated in a May 20th march with "Food not Bombs" to focus public attention on a variety of issues, particularly poverty and homelessness.  A rally will include speakers on various global and local social justice issues.

Voices will also join Sowers to vigil on the evenings of state executions.  At its June 4th meeting Voices that Challenge will hold an educational program led by Arthi Jayaram that addresses the interconnections between animal rights, sweatshops and women's issues.

College and high school students are welcome to attend Voices meetings.  For more information, contact  Patrice Schwermer at (757) 583-0291 or patrices1@juno.com.
 
 
 

Sowers Join GE Demonstration

Several Sowers of Justice joined union, peace, and environmental activists outside the April 26th General Electric (GE) annual stockholders meeting held in Richmond.  These disparate groups joined together in support of shareholder resolutions calling on GE to become a better corporate citizen in the global economy.

Inside the meeting union retirees and religious orders presented shareholder resolutions on a wide range of GE activities -- including production of landmines and cluster bombs, foreign weapon sales, operations in its nuclear energy division, PCB pollution in upstate New York, corporate lobbying, and workplace code of conduct.

Outside a group of retired GE workers, college students, and church people held signs denouncing GE activities and distributing flyers to shareholders and passers-by.

GE is headed by Jack Welch, who has said, "Ideally you'd have every plant you own on a barge" -- ready to move if any national government tried to impose restraints on the factories' operations, or if workers demanded better wages and working conditions. In 1999, Welch earned more in compensation and stock options than 15,000 GE factory workers in Mexico combined.
 
 

From the Catholic Worker
By Sue Frankel-Streit, Little Flower Catholic Worker, Goochland

Jesus is a model of solidarity: he was clearly an educated Jew who could have lived differently. He chose to be in solidarity with the poor, with those disenfranchised by the power systems, and to speak and act on their behalf.

We are called to do the same: "Sell what you have, give the money to the poor, and come, follow me." We are called to voluntarily enter into a life of poverty and precariousness. We are called to walk with the poor and marginalized of our world -- the homeless in this country, the oppressed native peoples all over the world, those in jail. 

When we remove ourselves from the insulation of economic security, we will understand the real meaning of "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."  All good things come from God, and we owe our being -- our entire allegiance --  to God. Most any poor person can tell you that.  What is left to give to Caesar --to give to representatives of Empire -- is our resistance. That is how we as beneficiaries of the modern empire, the United States, enter into true solidarity with the poor.
 

Gospel Solidarity
By Steve Baggerly, Norfolk Catholic Worker

In the gospels, Jesus taught the solidarity of all humanity, giving no quarter to any barriers which separate people and foster enmity and injustice.

During his ministry he lived among the poor; healing and feeding them, spreading the good news that God was still on their side, and exorcising the demons of domination which crippled them.  He owned only what he had on his back and required any who wished to follow him to redistribute their personal wealth.  He consistently broke laws that put legalism before human need and confronted the authorities over their exploitation of the poor.

Jesus not only served the poor and was poor himself, but he actively defended the poor from those who would crush them.  This led him to the cross, where he shared fully in the abuse and violence that are the lot of the poor.

For us who live in the most powerful empire the world has ever known, God’s call is still to solidarity with the poor.  By living simply, serving poor people, and nonviolently breaking laws which hold the whole exploitative, violent system together, we can get a taste of kingdom solidarity in our slums, on our soup lines and in our jails.
 

From the Jesuit Volunteer Corps

Since 1956 more than 7,000 members of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) have committed themselves to working with the poor.  Jesuit Volunteers live according to the four basic values of community, simple lifestyle, social justice, and spirituality.  These young volunteers work in grassroots groups that serve the homeless, the unemployed, refugees, people with AIDS, the elderly, street youth, abused women and children, and the mentally ill.

The Richmond JVC community was founded in 1993.  Currently, six volunteers serve in four local agencies. Two of these young people share their personal experience of being in solidarity with the poor:

When I think of "solidarity with the poor," I conjure up images of emaciated bodies, not a room full of middle school students.  However, there is poverty of spirit as well as material poverty of financial distress. Each time a student says, "I can't do that" or "I'm not that smart," it is clear to me that they are "poor in spirit."

It is a struggle to stress the importance of education to these students.  More than anything, I spend time teaching them to respect themselves and others.  They have so little faith in themselves that they find it incomprehensible to have faith in others or God.  In this way, I find that the "poor in spirit" teach me the importance of loving oneself and others so that one can see the true face of God.

--  Jennie Losapio, St. Patrick's Catholic School

Everyday, in our neighborhood and in our jobs, we see the effects of drug abuse, poor housing, mental illness, and the cycle of poverty. Living in an undesirable location, with less than comfortable facilities, in a situation where our safety is frequently compromised, allows us as volunteers to experience first hand the struggles one faces in an impoverished environment.

Our small budget forces us to make careful decisions about how we spend our money, and occasionally requires us to go without something we think we need. Our experience in JVC becomes a way of life through which we walk with the poor, accompanying them through their suffering and joys.

--  Melissa Rink, Central Virginia Legal Aid Society

On Sunday, April 9th  buses from all across the country brought people of faith to our nation’s capitol to take part in the Jubilee 2000 Rally Against Third World Debt.

Sowers of Justice from Charlottesville, Richmond, and Tidewater answered the call of Pope John Paul II for the reduction or cancellation of “the international debt which seriously threatens the future of many nations.”

A crowd of 6,000 braved cold conditions and high winds on the mall to present their message.  Speakers included Archbishop Oscar Rodriquez of Honduras, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, and White House Economic Adviser Gene Sperling who read a message from President Clinton.

The crowd was diverse — including robed monks, union members, and college students.  Some carried signs that read “Cancel the Debt Now,” “Flush the Debt”, and “Save the Children, Kill the Debt.”

At the end of the rally the group formed a human chain around the Capitol Building by linking arms.  Then, in an act symbolizing the breaking of the chains of debt, people unlinked their arms and departed peacefully.
 
 

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart - Richmond

Our parish Justice Leadership Committee has promoted a letter writing campaign on Third World debt forgiveness in its Jubilee year activities.  We presented basic information about the debt crisis to a variety of Cathedral groups and provided them with a letter or specific information so that they can effectively contact their Congressmen.

Letters have been contributed by the Justice Leadership Committee, the Haiti Committee and the Catholic Campus Ministry.   In addition to generating letters, these advocacy activities have raised awareness about the debt forgiveness issue.

One parishioner began researching debt forgiveness extensively after he first learned about the debt crisis.  He now writes letters to the editor and wrote an editorial that was published in a local weekly paper.  His efforts helped increase awareness of the issue in the general public.

--  Katie Mattes
 

Church of the Incarnation - Charlottesville

On the first weekend of April the parish issued a call to "See - And See With The Eyes Of Faith"  Just as Jesus gave sight to the blind man, we asked our parish to clearly see the plight of the world's poorest nations.

At each Mass, the Coordinator of Justice and Peace/Social Ministries shared some thoughts on debt relief after being given a supportive introduction by the celebrant.  This brief talk focused on three points:  (1) how these debts come about, (2) the impact of this debt burden, and (3) what we as Catholics could do.

Since our parish has a close twinning relationship in Haiti, our community already knew of the extreme poverty there. But few realized that Haiti pays $5-7 million each month on its foreign debt.  They heard how the people of Haiti pay this debt -- with desperate health conditions, hungry children, lack of clean water, and a school system  that fails to educate 50% of the children.

How could Incarnation respond to this terrible situation?  There is a Haitian proverb "What the eye does not see, cannot change the heart."  We were urged to pray so that we could see with the eyes of faith.  Once we truly see, we can act. The cost to forgive all the debt owed directly to the U.S. is no more than one B-2 bomber.  We asked what our nation needed more: another bomber or hope for the most hopeless in our world?

We told the congregation that Bishop Sullivan had asked the Diocese to send 2,000 letters to Congress in support of a realistic plan to forgive the debt of the poorest countries.

We provided educational materials after Masses for three weeks —  including sample letters and hundreds of pre-addressed envelopes for Senator Robb and Warner as well as our two Congressmen.  We asked that parishioners either return envelopes to the parish for us to post and mail, or to let us know when they mailed their letters.

Over 700 envelopes were taken, and to date we have been told that over 270 letters were mailed.  We are still receiving calls.  The number of letters is exciting, but more important is the fact that so many parishioners are truly energized on the subject of debt relief.  We continue to provide regular updates in the weekly bulletin regarding the number of letters and any upcoming activity in Congress. 

--  Terri Powers
 

National Catholic Advocacy Day

On April 10 twenty-three people from the Diocese of Richmond drove to Washington, DC for National Catholic Advocacy Day.  Participants came from the Eastern Shore, Tidewater, Richmond, and Petersburg.

They joined fifty other people from the Dioceses of Arlington, Washington, Baltimore, and Wilmington to advocate with our Congressional representatives as people of faith.

Staff people from the U.S. Catholic Conference briefed participants on domestic and international issues — including an increase in the minimum wage, food stamp reforms, promotion of pain relief for dying patients, forgiveness of Third World debt, and softening economic sanctions against Cuba and Iraq.

Those from the Diocese of Richmond split into teams for appointments with staff in the offices of Senators Robb and Warner as well as Representatives Bliley, Pickett, Scott, and Sisisky.

First-time participants from our diocese offered these reflections:

As a first time participant, I found the experience to be positive and productive. This was truly a team effort that has inspired me to want to do more.

--  John Votta

National Advocacy Day was a wonderful experience. I learned a great deal, and left charged with energy & hope for change.

--  Tim McCready

I am so grateful that the Spirit led me to join Catholic Advocacy Day in Washington. I was proud to be a part of the journey.

--  Joan DuFour

Million Mom March
By Christen Colecchi

This year, instead of doing our usual Mother’s day routine, my family and I went to Washington DC for the Million Mom March -- a rally held to support more gun control legislation. There could not have been a better way for us to celebrate Mother’s Day.  All of the mothers in the crowd want to see changes in gun laws, to help protect their children.

Mothers who had lost children to gun violence stood on the stage and spoke.  Sometimes their voices were so choked with emotion, it was hard to hear, but the pictures on the large screens told everything.

There were pictures of fathers, bright-eyed children, proudly smiling in their new school outfits, beaming graduates, dressed in their cap and gown.  All of these peoples’ lives had been savagely ripped away from them due to gun violence.  

As I looked at the crowd of 750,000 people, I realized how much gun violence has affected us.  I also realized that people, especially the mothers, are not going to take it anymore.  

The purpose of this march was to make sensible laws - include licensing and registration for guns, and allowing only one gun to be purchased a month.  It is baffling to think that some people have a serious problem with these laws that ask for so little, but will help protect so much. 

Even though a majority of people want these laws, nothing has been done yet.  This is not going to be the case for very long.  Although the fight to get these laws passed will be a difficult one, the people who want them are not going to stop.
 

Fond Farewell from OJP! It is with great sadness that the Office of Justice & Peace bids farewell to Jeff Winder as he moves to Washington, DC.  Jeff has served as our office's liaison to parishes in Hampton Roads.  He helped to organize and support Sowers of Justice groups in Tidewater and Charlottesville. Jeff and his wife Rose founded the Little Flower Catholic Worker Farm in Goochland. They helped many Catholics learn about Dorothy Day’s spirituality of solidarity and service to the poor as well as her  nonviolent resistance to all forms of violence, especially to war. Jeff brought a radical vision and inspiring commitment to his work. Jeff moves on to Washington, DC to co-direct SOA Watch, the national office organizing the campaign to close the School of the Americas. Some of us will see Jeff in November when he leads nonviolence training to participants in the SOA action at Fort Benning, Georgia. We wish him the best!