CATHOLICS FOR THE COMMON GOOD: A One Year Look Back
Catholics for the Common Good started about four years ago as Michigan Speaks Up
and worked to lessen the hit poor and working families were taking in the Michigan Budget cuts.
Well before the 04 election we adopted the name "Catholics for the Common Good" because there
is such potential for good in the social justice teachings of the Church and such a network of
parishes and organizations through which to work.
CCG has defined its challenge, its objective as to bring the Catholic
community to an understanding of the moral dimensions of public policy issues
as those issues come up in our society. We hope to use the "teachable moments"
to shine the relatively simple light of the Gospel on the sometimes complex
issues of living together. We choose issues with broad impact which other
groups do not address adequately, and generally, issues in the economic
traditional for Catholic social teaching. Tools we have used include:
* Research and preparation of printed materials (collecting pertinent information
rather than raw research)
* Dissemination of the message through meetings,
conferences, mail, email, fax, leafleting, press releases and conferences
using Catholic organizations and parishes as appropriate and possible.
*Political action through meetings with elected officials as well as campaigns
of contacts on specific issues
During the past year we put a great deal of effort into attracting attention to the federal budget cuts in late 05
and 06. In addition to the usual Congressional contact efforts we organized
an interfaith effort involving 75 clergy signers on a statement and a press
conference on the effects of these cuts in Michigan. Articles on the effects
of the cuts apperaed in the Royal Oak Tribune and the Oakland Press.
The
effort to weaken or privatize Social Security also demanded much effort.
Two well attended conferences were held, one at Sacred Heart, Detroit and
the other at St. Mary's, Royal Oak. Very good materials and speakers were
provided and we take some small share of the credit for that victory.
As
we face the 2006 elections Catholics need to remember that we have a usable
past. It was precisely the disruption of the industrial revolution which
gave rise to what we call "Catholic social teaching". It started with "Rerum
Novarum" in 1890 and this line of social doctrine has followed through to
the Vatican II "Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" and the
US Bishops Pastoral Letter, "Economic Justice for All". We have all known
people who carried these teachings into action in the disruptions of their
times: Monsignor Clem Kern, Father Karl Hubble, the great Phil Hart and
Bill Ryan.
We Catholics are not locked in the narrow poverty of this moment.
We have a rich and usable past. We can plumb its depths and apply the principles
of inclusiveness, sharing, solidarity, justice and maybe even love to the
challenges of the election of 2006. (May 2006)
Membership
Margaret M. Alandt IHM, Finney B. Barnes, Sandra Battle, Valerie Belties, Gwendolyn
Brown, Judy Burchardt, Mary & Bill Carry, Rev. Paul Chateau, Ron & Sigrid Dale,
Antoyn D, Kathleen M. Daniels, Robert Dewaelsche, Michael Einheuser, Lois Ellis,
Robert Fehribach, Ruth E. Feilter, Mary Ellen Gondek SSJ, Sarah Henold, Bill
Hickey, Billie Hickey, John Hooper, John Humphery, Ann H. Kerwin, Rev. Ralph
Kowalski, Kimberly M. Laba, Gerald L. LeCarpentier, Rose Marie Lucas, Rev.
Thomas Lumpkin, Juanita Maxwell, Arnold Messing, Andrew Moore, Rev. Daniel
J. Murphy, Jean Murphy, Rev. John Nowlan, Sileryier Perry, Karen Richardson,
Charles Rooney, Jean Dietrick Rooney, Sue Sattler IHM, Mary Ann Scarsella,
Rev. Joseph Schabel, Rev. Rev. Ed Scheuerman, Angie Martin Schwarz, Charlie
Sears, Marge Sears, James J. Sheehan, Maureen Sinnott, OSF, Dianne Stephens,
James Stephens, Rev. Norman Thomas, Patricia Hall Thomas, George & Mary Lou
Van Antwerp, Joe and Irene Walker, Monna Wejrowski, Diane Willard, Justin J.
Kelly, S.J.
Further information on the 2004 elections will be available in the media kits.
Candidate positions, records, statements are available from the
Leadership
Conference of Women Religious at
www.holycrossjustice.org/2004vote,
and from
NETWORK at
www.networklobby.org.
War
and Peace