Office of Social Justice and Respect Life

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The goals of the Office of Social Justice & Respect Life are to bring awareness of Catholic social teachings of the Church, facilitate action, be a voice for the poor and powerless and to be a resource to parishes as they develop social justice outreach. Your involvement is welcome!

Historic Pastoral Letter Against Racism. Check out our accompanying resources!
The full body of bishops voted on and adopted, nearly unanimously, the pastoral letter Open Wide Our Hearts. The full text of the pastoral letter can be found at usccb.org/racism. 

CST 101 Videos from USCCB and CRS: Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers! Use for religious education, confirmation and adult education! 
The video series is a joint collaboration of the USCCB and Catholic Relief Services. The videos in the series include:
Life and Dignity
Call to Family, Community and Participation
Rights and Responsibilities 
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Solidarity
Care for God’s Creation 

USCCB and CRS also has useful discussion guides for each of the YouTube videos that are usable for youth and adults that can be downloaded here.

Policy & Guidelines Pertaining to Prohibited Campaign Activities in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe (July 2020)

Services Offered

Education:

• Teachers, Catechists, Youth Ministers and Social Concerns Ministers:  Download a free on-line calendar of ideas on life and justice!

The Office of Social Justice and Respect Life has assembled an on-line calendar called Days of Life, Dignity, Justice and Peace.  It has a month by month summary for our current school year of important dates related to Catholic social teaching including many different life and dignity, peace and justice issues.  It also has live links to resources that can be used in a school curriculum, religious education programs, RCIA, Confirmation and social concerns ministries all year!  Download here. 

• Provides written and visual materials on church programs for peace and justice.

• Presents programs/workshops on Catholic social teaching at the deanery level.

• Coordinates JustFaith , a parish-based, in-depth adult formation process to introduce and deepen Catholics’ engagement in the social mission of the Church.

• Makes resources available to clergy, parish Social Concerns Committees and other interested persons.

• Provides Catholic Social Ministry Training and on-going support for parish based Social Concerns/Parish Social Ministry Committees.

• Directs Catholic Campaign for Human Development Internship.

  • Job Announcement for CCHD Internship for 2023-2024

  • CCHD Internship for 2023-2024 application
     

• Directs education, advocacy and engagement about global solidarity through Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and encourages participation in CRS Rice Bowl during Lent. 

  • CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

  • CRS promotes human development by responding to major emergencies, fighting disease and poverty, and nurturing peaceful and just societies and serves Catholics in the United States as they live their faith in solidarity with their brothers and sisters around the world.

  • Administers the CRS Rice Bowl Small Grant Fund for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Each Lent, 75% of the Rice Bowl collection goes to CRS overseas development and hunger relief work.  The remaining 25% of the Lenten Rice Bowl collection goes into the Local Archdiocesan Rice Bowl fund, to be used to support hunger and poverty alleviation programs in our Archdiocese. Completed applications (submitted by email only) are due this year by November 1. Application can be downloaded here. Please use the 2022 application. Older versions will be asked to be resubmitted.

    • Where Does Our Lenten Rice Bowl Money Go? English
    • Where Does Our Lenten Rice Bowl Money Go? Spanish

Advocacy:

• Cooperates with the legislative advocacy work of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops.

• Cooperates with the National legislative work of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Department of Justice Peace and Human Development and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Secretariat

• Policy for Political Campaign Activities (July 2020)

Life Issues:

• Coordinates Respect Life activities in the Archdiocese

• Promotes the "consistent ethic of life" from "womb’ to "tomb"

• Provides Walking with Moms in Need Resource List (WWMIN) for pregnant mothers

• Supports "Project Rachel," a post-abortion healing ministry of the Catholic Church.

Empowerment:

• Directs the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) (anti-poverty program of the American Catholic Bishops).

  • 2022 Grantees 

  • En Español

• Administers Local and National CCHD Grants for community and economic development. Contact Anne Avellone for grant inquiries.

  • National CCHD Grant Process

  • Local CCHD Local Process and CCHD Local Grant Guide for Applicants

• Provides resource materials to parishes, leadership training and support for social justice groups and activities.

• Supports the ministry of the African American Catholic Community (AACC) whose mission in the context of our multi-cultural church is to support and reinforce the African American Catholic family and individuals.  The AACC invites, challenges and develops an appreciation of the African American culture through liturgical, social, spiritual and educational programs.  Members of the AACC pray that the African American culture will enhance the universality of the Church and the cause of evangelization.   Begun in 1992, the AACC evangelizes and builds the church through prayer, education and service to the community.

• The African American Catholic Community (AACC) also sponsors the Fr. Rollins Lambert Scholarship for African American students attending Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  For more information, call Brenda Dabney (505) 836-3627.  

Events:

Sponsors a variety of faith witness activities and events including:

• The annual Sanctity of Life Awareness & Unity Mass

• The annual African American Catholic Community Martin Luther King Mass and speaker

• JustFAITH facilitator training

• The annual Journey to Justice Retreat Day for JustFAITH participants

• Annual Hiroshima and Nagaski commemoration events

Social Justice & Respect Life Links

• Bread for the World

• Ethics of Eating

• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States

• For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food: Catholic Reflections on Food, Farmers & Farm workers 

• Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center 

• Resources & Tools for Catholic Social Teaching

• Catholic Rural Life

• Principles for Ethical Eaters

• U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference-Pro-Life Activities

• U.S. Bishops' Statement-A Place at the Table: A Catholic Recommitment to Overcome Poverty & to Respect the Dignity of All God's Children 

• Themes of Catholic Social Teaching 

• US Conference of Catholic Bishops 

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops-Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development 

YouTube Videos on DoctorAssisted Suicide: Four short (2-4 minutes) real life stories.
Assisted Suicide Videos

Luke’s Story: Every Suicide is Tragic You don’t discourage suicide by assisting suicide.  Every suicide is tragic—whether you’re old or young, healthy or sick, your lifeis worth living,” says Luke Maxwell, 19, who survived an attempt to take his own life.  

John’s Story: Beyond Independence Born without arms, John Foppe speaks to a way of life beyond independence, namely interdependence: Together we are more. Assisted suicide sells everyone short, so in times of illness or disability, he encourages us to “step into life!”  

Jeanette’s Story: 15 Years Later When Jeanette Hall had less than a year to live, she asked her doctor for the pills to commit suicide. Dr. Kenneth Stevens got to know her better, inspiring her to have treatment instead. Now 15 years later, Jeanette says: “It’s great to be alive!”  

Maggie’s Story Maggie Karner, 51-year-old mother of three, has terminal brain cancer and opposes assisted suicide. She shares how her dad, when bedridden at the end of his life as a quadriplegic, taught her to face life & her final days with true grace and dignity.

Emergency Social Services