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JUSTNews
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Sunday, June 20, 2021
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Social Justice - On Solidarity
“Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity.
It means thinking and acting in terms of community.”
(Fratelli tutti, 116)St. Austin's responds to our parish mission, to bring God's Word, God’s Love to life in our place and time, through our efforts in service and advocacy. We pray that our communal generosity is more intentional than sporadic and that our efforts at advocacy move us along a continuum into greater solidarity. The USCCB invites us to greater intentionality to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom. Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all. Beginning June 22, the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, we're asked to pray in support of issues, causes, and aspects of religious freedom. Watch our social media for posts inviting your engagement on the issue of religious freedom - you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Solidarity is Just One of Our Catholic Social Teachings
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'"If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need
and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?"
1 John 3:17Learn More About Solidarity & Other Catholic Social Teachings
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Sunday, June 13, 2021
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Curious About Courageous Conversations?
Courageous Conversations is a Social Justice Ministry of Holy Cross Catholic Chursch in East Austin. The ministry focuses on the church's role in undoing institutional and systemic racism. It does not focus on blaming or calling out individuals, but rather raises awareness about how the deep and historic roots of racism in this country affect us all, even well-meaning people of good will. In this regard, the ministry hosts monthly Courageous Conversations which are open to the community.
~ From Holy Cross Catholic Church
Many at St. Austin have participated for several years in this endeavor led by Joyce James, Dr. Vicki Lott, and facilitated by Johnnie and Dean Dorsey and other gracious parishioners of Holy Cross. We’ve met in a circle of trust to examine systemic racism in many manifestations. The group is composed of people of diverse races, faiths, and backgrounds. CC is both welcoming and resilient. We’ve met in member parishes and churches across the city, then at Holy Cross in their first and later new and inspiring community centers, and recently Zoom-ing to meet the challenge of pandemic.
Within our trusted circle we’ve not only deepened our understanding but also developed lasting friendships. It will be a great joy to come together in person again when we circle back to a time for embracing. You may wonder what we’ve come to understand. We’ve seen how entire systems of our civilization and culture developed to protect and privilege one group of people above others. Through shared readings, reflections, films, and especially through conversations, often difficult, we’ve grown in awareness. For example, in our May 25 conversation, the assembly was asked if the issue of racism had been heard from the pulpit. We shared the link to Fr. Rich’s homily from Pentecost Sunday and our Racial Justice advocacy plaza. We invite you to explore new links to articles of interest shared during our recent conversation. The awareness awakened through CC has moved us into advocacy and action.
Our Courageous Conversations gathers each month on a different evening in response to an emailed invitation. To join our CC circle of trust, email MEastman@StAustin.org.
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Holy Cross Catholic ChurchAustin, Texas
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Family Life CenterHoly Cross Catholic Church
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Fr. Rich's Pentecost Homily
Listen and watch at the Paulists'
In Conversation.
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JUSTNews ~ The Archives
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Here is a follow-up on last week’s request for help at the Vincentian Family Center. The Center houses one of the larger food pantries in Austin, carries on Client Services four other days per week and runs the St. Vincent de Paul Store. However, there are only five paid staff persons! They are looking for some folks who might want to answer the phone or do some clerical work a few hours per week.Read More
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CCCTX is a faith-based social services organization serving individuals and families across 25 Central Texas counties. It provides a holistic set of programs and services to engage, educate, and empower Central Texans out of poverty now and into the future. It's worked to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community since 1999. CCCTX is a member of one of the largest social service networks in the United States, Catholic Charities USA.Read More
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Generosity abounds! The last month seems to have allowed a little “breather” in the requests to our St. Vincent de Paul Society, but we know this is a shortlived situation. Perhaps stimulus checks or the help provided by programs such as RENT 3.0, TexasRentRelief.com, or Travis County Health and Human Services has allowed a short-term respite. With the moratorium on evictions ending soon, though, we know well enough that both our SVdP and our Outreach ministries will be called upon to assist those who are still struggling to find jobs, those who juggle work and finding safe childcare, and those many who are visiting food pantries each week… YOUR generosity is what has allowed us to pay it forward and we cannot show our gratitude enough. Thank you!Read More
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With fact, figures, and - best of all - stories from Outreach, St. Vincent de Paul, and Gabriel Project, our Social Justice ministries report on their work. In that report we see Love on the move, "that in acts of service for one another, giving and receiving become one in the same, and the spirit of the Resurrection is made real in the world." Please read this chronicle of the good we do in ~ Outreach Report for 1st Quarter 2021Read More
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