 Bishops’ Subcommittee on CCHD and the Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – November 16, 2009
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development was created by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ to “bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, and set the downtrodden free.” (Luke 4:18) Across our nation, CCHD is helping thousands of low- income families improve their lives and communities, to seek justice and to defend their dignity. As we approach the annual CCHD collection, we urge your generous support of the help and hope that CCHD has offered for decades. CCHD is needed now more than ever in these tough economic times when so many families are suffering and poverty is growing. As the Bishops responsible for the oversight of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, we pledge our ongoing efforts to ensure that all CCHD funds are used faithfully, effectively, and in accord with Catholic social and moral teaching.
All CCHD grants are carefully reviewed at both the national and diocesan levels and are approved by the local diocesan bishop. No group that opposes Catholic social or moral teaching is eligible for CCHD funding. If any CCHD funded group violates the conditions of a grant and acts in conflict with Catholic teaching, CCHD funding is immediately terminated. For example, in the last year, three groups out of 250 (between 1% and 2%) had CCHD funding ended for these reasons. However, one case is one too many and we are committed to strengthening CCHD’s review and monitoring processes to assure that all CCHD funds are used in accord with Catholic principles. We will continue to review CCHD’s processes and guidelines to ensure that CCHD continues to practice what our Church teaches on the option for the poor, participation, subsidiarity, solidarity and the dignity of all God’s children. We will seek to strengthen CCHD’s unique and essential efforts to practice charity, seek justice and pursue the common good as taught in the social encyclicals of the Church, most recently by our current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in God is Love and Charity in Truth. CCHD is a concrete example of what Pope Benedict XVI calls “the institutional path… of charity, no less excellent and effective that the kind of charity which encounters the neighbor directly.” (Caritas in Veritate, #7)
As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, we urge all Catholics to join the Catholic Bishops in giving generously to CCHD’s essential efforts to help the poor help themselves to overcome poverty. Contributing to CCHD is an important way to respond to our Holy Father’s “warm invitation…… to every disciple of Christ… to expand their hearts to meet the needs of the poor and to take whatever practical steps are possible to help them.” (Benedict XVI, January 1, 2009)
*Bishop Roger P. Morin, Chairman, Bishop Michael P.Driscoll, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Bishop Francis J. Kane, Bishop J. Terry Steib SVD and Bishop David A. Zubik joined by Bishop William Murphy, Chairman, Domestic Justice and Human Development
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Archbishop Robert J. Carlson regularly writes a column for the St. Louis Review, and has recently written a series on prayer before the Cross of Christ. Below is his column from November 5. All of Archbishop Carlson's columns can be found on the St. Louis Review website.
 Do you ever wish that you could talk to someone you love who has died?
I do. I wish I could have at least one more conversation with each of my parents and with many of my friends and mentors who have died.
What would you say if you could have one last conversation with someone who has died?
Would you ask forgiveness for something you did (or didn’t do)? Would you thank them for a special favor they’d given you — or for a lifetime of love and friendship? Would you say, “I love you,” or, “I forgive you,” or “I really need your help right now”?
Catholic Christians have always believed in the importance of praying for those who have died. We also believe that the dead pray for us — that they intercede for us as advocates before the throne of God. This means, of course, that we believe there is a real relationship that continues to exist between the living and the dead. And like all personal relationships, we believe that our connection (communion) with those who have died is nourished and strengthened by personal, and sometimes intimate, communication.
As Christians, we do not believe in false or superficial forms of communication with the dead (séances or voodoo or other forms of superstition). We communicate with those who have died through our prayer.
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Archbishop Robert J. Carlson celebrated Holy Mass for the Poor Clare Sisters on the 800th Anniversary of the founding of the Franciscan Order. He was recently elected as chairman of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
ST. LOUIS – During their meeting in Baltimore, members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Archbishop Robert J. Carlson chairman of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. Archbishop Carlson will spend the next year working with the current chairman, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, O.F.M. , Archbishop of Boston. “I’m delighted to be elected. I look forward to finding out what the committee has done already and working with Cardinal O’Malley to continue the good work he has already done”, said Archbishop Robert J. Carlson. “As the Archbishop of St. Louis, this position is a wonderful opportunity for me to work more closely with the religious orders in the St. Louis area.”
The Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations assists bishops across the United States in promoting, supporting and education about the Church’s pastoral needs and concerns for the priesthood, diaconate (deacons), and consecrated life (nuns and sisters), and in addressing the issues concerning the lives and ministries of bishops. The committee also develops foundations documents and appropriate resources that promote effective ministry of the clerical state, consecrated life and vocations.
Read more about Archbishop Carlson »
Read the Archdiocesan press release »
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 Rev. John Corapi, S.O.L.T., a preacher of the Gospel who has reached millions with the simple message that God's Name is Mercy, will be in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at the Chaifitz Arena, presenting the conference Be Not Afraid — There is Truth. The conference will be sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of Legatus and the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.
The conference will include a Mass with Archbishop Carlson, as well as four presentations by Father Corapi. Priests from the Archdiocese will be on hand to offer the Sacrment of Reconciliation.
St. Louis is one of six locations in the United States where Father Corapi will offer his popular speaking engagement in 2010. Father Corapi's most recent speaking engagement in Buffalo, New York, drew more than 11,000 people.
Father Corapi preaches and teaches the faith through a variety of social communications, including television, radio, Internet and other multimedia formats. His audio and video series on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The Teaching of Jesus Christ," has been used throughout the world in religious education courses. He also makes regular appearances on EWTN.
Click through to the Conference information page fore more information »
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