Blog

Sharing the Christmas spirit

Posted on December 18, 2018 by Cori Urban

While children in Kate Curran’s third-grade class at The Bishop John A. Marshall School in Morrisville make their Christmas lists, they know there are children in the world who have less — much less — than they have.

Some children’s lives have been torn apart by war and natural disaster; others are stuck in a cycle of poverty. And without help, they might not receive even one Christmas gift this year.

That’s why the Bishop Marshall School children are filling shoeboxes with gifts for Operation Christmas Child.

“I feel [the project] will make a big difference in the world,” said Amalie Pratt, 8. “Christmas is a happy time of year, and it’s good for everyone to be happy. And when children get these [boxes] they will be really happy to get them.”

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. Its mission is to provide local partners throughout the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items and school supplies as a means of reaching out to children in their own communities with the Good News of Jesus. Gifts are distributed to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease and to children living on Native American reservations in the United States.

Included in each box is a toy, paper, pencils or pens, soap and a toothbrush. Other items are added as available. Brushes, combs, washcloths, hair ties, pencil sharpeners, markers and erasers were among the items the Bishop Marshall students were adding to the 35 boxes the class filled for Operation Christmas Child.

The project was part of the November celebration of Catholic Schools Week at Bishop Marshall School. “This is a time for community service and to get [the children] in the mindset of these simple things” they can do to help others, Curran said.

While Vermont children might be asking for drones, cameras, snowboard boots and computer games this Christmas, her students understand that “a pad of paper is a luxury gift to a child in other countries,” she said.

Asked whom he is following by helping children in need, Kelly Apple, 9, was quick to reply that Jesus set the example. “He loves everybody. He loves the poor people. Everyone should love the poor people,” he said.

“I want every child to know there is a God who loves them,” and Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, based in Boone, North Carolina.

In addition to the shoebox gifts, recipients also get a copy of “The Greatest Gift,” a storybook that shares the message of salvation and 11 scripture stories and invites children to follow Christ. Children take this home to share with family and friends. It is used in more than 80 languages.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 146 million children in more than 100 countries.

For more information, go to samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child.

—Originally published in the Winter 2018 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Sharing smiles and sandwiches

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Cori Urban

When it comes to volunteers and financial help, COTS can count on the Catholic Church in Vermont.

From participating in the annual walk-a-thon to serving meals to homeless persons, parishioners, Catholic school students, diocesan employees and members of religious orders are there the help the Committee on Temporary Shelter in Burlington.

Eileen O’Rourke, executive director of human resources for the Diocese, helps prepare and serve a monthly lunch to persons in need; for her it is a way to give back to the community and to thank God for her many blessings. “If I can bring a smile to someone by preparing and serving food to others, this also brings a smile to me for giving back to those in need,” she said.

Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne, who personally underwrites the cost of the COTS meals served by diocesan employees, said this service is a way for employees to participate in the works of mercy that are already being done in the community rather than duplicating services. “In this way, too, we Catholics are participating in fostering the common good of our community while spreading the seeds of Christ beyond our churches and our parishes.”

Last year, COTS served nearly 2,400 people, including 855 children, through emergency shelter, homelessness prevention and rehousing services and housing.

Last year seven Catholic-based teams participated in the COTS Walk, raising more than $25,000.

“The Catholic community has generously raised $100,888 for the COTS Walk in the past five years. Wow and wow! That is amazing, and we are so incredibly grateful,” said Becky Holt, COTS director of development and communications. “The Catholic Church enables COTS to break the fall for people … facing the crisis of homelessness.”

The 29th Annual COTS Walk is May 6. Registration begins at 1 p.m., and the walk kicks off at 2 from Battery Park in Burlington.

For more information, go to cotsonline.org.

—Originally published in the Spring 2018 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Sharing love and fellowship

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Vermont Catholic

College students are finding ways to give back to the community while sharing their faith with others.

The students at the Catholic Center at the University of Vermont place an emphasis on service and outreach. Throughout the semester, students participate in numerous projects and partner with local groups and organizations.

“It’s good to get out and interact with others and share our faith,” said Adrian Pierce, a first-year student at UVM.

In October, students visited Our Lady of Providence Residence in Winooski for a Game Day. They played board games, went on walks and chatted with the residents. “They have a lot of wisdom, and they have a lot of stories that they really like sharing, and you being there allows them to share,” Pierce said.

At one point of the visit, a retired Sister of Mercy became joyful upon hearing some students were embarking on a mission trip to her home country in El Salvador. She broke out in Spanish, asking questions and teaching them new words to prepare them for the trip. “I really enjoyed the joy in which she lit up when she knew we were going.

You could tell it meant a lot to her,” Pierce said.

The students travel internationally through Fellowship of Catholic University Students mission trips during which they work on a variety of projects like street evangelization, spending time with the marginalized and providing medical care and education to those in need. Past FOCUS trips include Honduras, Argentina, England and Taiwan.

Residents of Our Lady of Providence Residence enjoyed meeting the students and look forward to them returning. “When you live within a closed environment, it’s always good to have something to open the boundaries, and it’s very good to have new people in your life,” said Sister of Mercy Patricia Murtagh.

Members of the Catholic Center community plan to visit more frequently and create a long-lasting relationship with Our Lady of Providence residents.

In addition, twice a month, students gather to cook a meal for the Salvation Army in downtown Burlington and then deliver and serve it to the patrons. “In the past, the various lieutenants have commented on the students going down and serving at the Salvation Army and how they’re just so grateful,” said Campus Minister Kim Allbee.

Throughout her 21 years working at the Catholic Center, Allbee has seen a rise in service projects. “Especially at UVM, social justice and a cause for service is something that many college students desire, and there are so many opportunities for that on this campus,” she said.

Each Labor Day, students and Catholic Center staff do a service project for St. Francis Xavier School in Winooski. They also respond to requests from community members that reach out asking for help.

This year, a Service and Outreach Committee was created to expand volunteer opportunities and allow students to come up with more ways to serve others. “I think it’s a great gift to have so many students involved and willing to help out and a desire to serve others,” Allbee said.

—Alayna Masker, media intern for the Diocese of Burlington

—Originally published in the Winter 2018 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Shareholder action pushes companies to address key social issues

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Catholic News Service

A broad investor coalition involving religious orders, labor unions and state pension funds that control more than $3 trillion in assets is working with the nation’s leading drug distributors as corporate annual meeting season nears.

The 53 members of Investors for Opioid Accountability have used their financial and moral influence as shareholders to gain agreements from corporate officials to better track distribution of the highly addictive class of drugs.

Donna Meyer, director of shareholder advocacy for Mercy Investment Services of the Sisters of Mercy, said the investors have experienced successes as well as struggles through multiple actions that have included the filing of shareholder resolutions for consideration at corporate annual meetings and long-term direct engagement meant to change company practices.

“We’ve taken a social case and made a business case out of it,” Meyer told Catholic News Service.

While continuing throughout the year, the prominence of such efforts rise as corporate annual meeting season approaches each spring.

Meyer said such work on behalf of faith-based organizations extends from their moral convictions on the dignity of all human life.

At the same, she added, investors of all types want their portfolios to continue to grow, and their actions are rooted in heading off practices that pose financial risks and can damage a company’s reputation.

“We’re all investors, so we own a piece of the companies. We have a right (to file resolutions),” Meyer said.

The opioid epidemic continues to wreak havoc on families across the country. In 2017, 17,029 people died from overdosing on prescription opioids, about the same number as the year before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the number of overdose deaths involving any opioid climbed to 47,600 in 2017, the most recent year that statistics are available.

Those figures contrast with 1999, when 3,442 deaths occurred among people overdosing on prescription opioids and 8,048 people died from any opioid overdose.

The impact of opioid addiction has reached various individual investors that have experienced the negative economic and social effects. During the 2017 annual meeting of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Meredith Miller of the United Auto Workers Retiree Medical Benefits Trust approached Meyer about working together to curb opioid addiction and abuse because of their role as corporate shareholders.

Investors for Opioid Accountability quickly took shape and as of Feb. 12 included 53 members managing $3.3 trillion in assets. Eleven members are Catholic entities, including the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, six religious congregations and three health systems.

Their overall leverage has allowed the coalition to approach 11 companies that supply opioids, including Allergan, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, CVS Health, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

In some cases, shareholder resolutions have been filed and then withdrawn based on a company’s willingness to report on their practices publicly and look at ways to better monitor opioid distribution.

Allergan, Cardinal Health and CVS Health have been particularly responsive to shareholder concerns, according to information shared by Meyer. In other cases, including Walgreens and Dutch-owned Mallinckrodt, shareholder resolutions seeking better governance measures to monitor and manage risks related to opioid distribution have been filed are expected to come up for a vote at upcoming annual meetings, she said.

Opioid abuse is just one of many concerns among investors seeking more socially responsible corporate behavior this year.

During a Feb. 21 webinar, Julie Wokaty, associate communications director for ICCR, said its members had filed 250 resolutions with 163 companies by the end of January. Some resolutions have been challenged by companies through the Securities and Exchange Commission while others have been withdrawn because of “engagement” over company practices, she said.

The resolutions focus on dozens of issues such as political contributions and corporate lobbying, climate change, human rights violations of immigrants in the U.S. and international workers, technology advances that threaten personal secrecy, prescription drug pricing and environmental concerns including climate change.

Global behemoth Amazon alone has received 10 different resolutions from 14 ICCR members concerned about its role in selling facial recognition software, goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, executive pay, corporate management and the community impact of the company’s operations.

Elsewhere, tropical deforestation has been a concern of the Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment in Milwaukee for several years. Frank Sherman, the coalition’s executive director, said a resolution on the issue was filed with Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

While the company has set 2030 as its goal to eliminate deforestation from its supply chains, its competitors have set 2020 as their deadline. The resolution seeks a report on the company’s plans to reduce or eliminate deforestation-linked soy and beef products by Nov. 1 with annual updates.

“They’re consuming these unsustainable commodities and they are facing risk. It starts with their reputation. Their brands don’t want to be accused of participating in deforestation,” Sherman explained.

Mark Peters, director of justice, peace and reconciliation for the Priests of the Sacred Heart, U.S. province, told CNS the order has filed resolutions with Cincinnati-based Macy’s Inc. and TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls.

The order’s concerns focus on the human rights of workers producing the goods offers by both corporations’ retail stores.

“We are asking them to put human rights more at the center of how they are monitoring and auditing their supply chain network,” Peters said. “We want to make sure the companies are looking at the current process they use for vendors (and that it) is very much focused on what is the law.”

Peters explained that companies know that their practices are under scrutiny by shareholders and customers alike.

“They are enlightened enough to realize they need some policies in these areas, and many have fantastic-sounding policies,” he said. “But having the policies and making sure they are being carried out and checking into the nooks and crannies is what we’re trying to do here.”

Macy’s, for example, has had a vendor code of conduct in place since 1995. Posted on its website, the code sets “clear, stringent standards and requirements” for company suppliers. The company said it stopped doing business with 67 factories for noncompliance with the code between 2013 and 2016.

Peters appreciates such efforts and has found companies “do listen in dialogue.”

“We’re not trying to get them to do anything that’s not in our best bottom line interest either.”

Still, the Priests of the Sacred Heart want to be sure that Macy’s is living up to its vendor code. The order’s resolution filed with the retailer seeks a report by December “on the company’s process for identifying and analyzing potential and actual human rights risks of operations and its supply chain.”

‘Share your faith journey’

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Terri McCormack

Envision sitting in the shade of a tree to rest and hearing a good story. How many stories has that tree overheard over the span of its life? How many people have stopped right there to rest with their children, friends, parents or grandparents? At various times maybe this tree has stood as a silent witness to stories in different languages. Or maybe this place to stop and rest has seen many trees over the years come and go, just like the people.

I can imagine St. Joseph sitting under this tree, pausing in his work to sit with Jesus in the shade. Jesus, like many children, most likely loved to hear a good tale. Joseph, being a great storyteller, would perhaps retell the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden or how Moses was saved by Pharoah’s daughter. These stories were told to him by his father Jacob, Jacob learned these from his father Matthan, who was taught by his father Eleazar. These fathers, and their wives, taught the children living in their community about their faith as we read today in the richness of Psalms 78:5-6, He commanded our ancestors, they were to teach their children; that the next generation might come to know, children yet to be born.

Why was it so important to pass these stories on? One might argue that it was a great way to pass the time. More than likely, as most people could not read or write, these oral stories were what they knew. These stories were more than just fairy tales or fantasy, these were stories of real people – our ancestors. Relating stories about relatives and ourselves are worth telling and passing on. In the Book of Psalms, we are asked to teach these stories as part of our shared history. This is our family faith story.

Don’t “our” children deserve to know their shared faith history? This begins with the Old Testament and proceeds through the teachings of Jesus found in the Gospels of the New Testament. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that parents should begin to teach their children early about our faith, by modeling and bearing witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. How does this happen, some might ask, if parents aren’t visibly present at the weekly Mass? We are all called to be disciples of our faith, all united as God’s children. The choices we make and the behaviors we exhibit are also witnessed by those around us.

Imagine a school bus full of children on their way to school who witness an altercation between two people. The windows on the bus are down, the words being expressed between the two adults are rated MA (for Mature Audiences), and their expressions are explosive. Some children may be indifferent or oblivious in their reaction as this is their “normal” or what they experience daily at home. Other children might slink into their bus seat in fear of what physical blows might occur, as they witness both verbal and physical abuse daily.

The bus moves further down road and one of the children observes an elderly woman walking down the sidewalk. A man walks out of a nearby house, holding a bag, moving briskly in her direction. The child, after witnessing the traumatic altercation minutes before, fears that the man might harm the elderly woman. Instead, the child sees the two smiling warmly at each other and the man walks with the woman, handing her the bag. The child sits up in his seat, forgetting all about the previous situation, and thinks about visiting his own elderly neighbor after school; the neighbor who always asks him about his day and is interested to talk about just about anything.

We are not always aware of the innocent who are watching or observing us. During those times when we are aware, do we act or respond differently? God calls each of us to holiness, to walk vibrantly in His love. We are given the gift of choice. We can choose and practice living our faith rather than subjecting ourselves to the vices or spiritual battles that can be landmines to navigate.

We can choose to emulate the people we read about in the Gospel: Job, Ruth, the woman at the well and Jesus himself. Our actions either contribute positively or negatively to the growth of “our” children, both present and future.

Our “children in turn contribute to the growth of holiness of their parents … generous and tireless in forgiving one another for offenses, quarrels, injustices, and neglect;” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2227) teaching us to be like children “for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14). We are all God’s children, loved as we are, forgiven for our errors in judgement and called to be in communion with one another.

Be bold, walk in God’s love, share your faith journey and listen to the faith journey of others. Rest in the shade of the tree.

—Terri McCormack is marriage and family life coordinator for the Diocese of Burlington.

—Originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Share the Journey

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Vermont Catholic

(CNS photo/Paul Haring)Pope Francis makes a gesture of an embrace in support of immigrants during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 27.

A prayer here, a share on social media there, a voice of support in a letter to the editor, even a get-to-know-others potluck.

Supporting refugees and migrants can take many forms, and Pope Francis is hoping Catholics around the world will act over the next two years to encounter people on the move.

In the U.S., the Church’s leading organizations have developed a series of activities, including prayers, that families, parishes, schools and individuals can undertake during the Share the Journey campaign the pope is set to open Sept. 27 at the Vatican.

Share the Journey is an initiative of Caritas Internationalis, the global network of Catholic charitable agencies. It is meant to urge Catholics to understand and get to know refugees and migrants who have fled poverty, hunger, violence, persecution and the effects of climate change in their homeland.

In addition to Pope Francis’ formal announcement at his weekly general audience, key church representatives, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, president of Caritas Internationalis, were to conduct a media conference the same day.

U.S. partners in the effort are the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA.

The effort will give Catholics the opportunity to learn and explore Catholic social teaching on refugees and migrants, said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. operations for CRS.

“Catholic social teaching has clear messages of caring for strangers, the importance of hearing their stories and understanding their needs,” she said.

Much of the effort will be focused on sharing stories about migrants and refugees, the struggles they face and why they chose to seek a better life elsewhere, said Kristin Witte, coordinator of domestic Catholic educational engagement at CRS, which is the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency.

“The hope is that through the stories that are presented, the images presented, that people will be moved from their place of comfort to a place of encounter. That’s what the church is calling us to. That’s what the pope is calling us to,” she said.

The coalition of Catholic organizations has developed a toolkit in English and Spanish that includes prayers, suggestions for activities for families, prayer groups, classrooms and clergy, and utilizing social media with references to #sharejourney.

“We’re giving people clear direct ideas, not just in their neighborhood but to mobilize communities. To create an environment or an opportunity for action is critical especially at this time,” Witte said.

Mark Priceman, communications for the bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services, said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that about 22 million people are on the move around the world, making the Christian community’s awareness and response to their situation critical.

The number of refugees to be admitted to the U.S. was capped at 50,000 by President Donald Trump for fiscal year 2017, which was to end Sept. 30. It is less than half of the ceiling of 110,000 set by President Barack Obama. A presidential determination on the number of refugees to be accepted for fiscal year 2018 was due by Sept. 30.

Since 1996, the number of refugees admitted has fluctuated between 70,000 and 90,000 annually. The number of refugees to be accepted each year is determined by the president under the Refugee Act, which was signed into law in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. The act amended earlier law, created a permanent and systematic procedure to admit refugees, and established a process for reviewing and adjusting the refugee ceiling to meet emergencies.

Share the Journey looks to mobilize people quickly. Soon after the opening, the campaign is calling for a week of prayer and action for migrants and refugees Oct. 7-13.

Special prayers at Masses, prayer vigils, simulation exercises, school announcements, lesson plans and speaking events are among the activities suggested as ways to learn about people on the move.

Similar activities will be taking place worldwide throughout the campaign, Rosenhauer said.

“It is a reflection of the Holy Father’s leadership, but it’s also a reflection of the commitment of leaders around the church around the world,” she explained.
Nearly three dozen cardinals, archbishops and bishops as of Sept. 25 have pledged to participate in the campaign, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami addressed the concepts of the Share the Journey campaign in an op-ed column Aug. 28 in the Sun Sentinel in Broward County, Fla.

“‘Share the Journey’ invites us to see through the eyes of others rather than turning a blind eye,” he wrote. “As Pope Francis says, ‘Not just to see but to look. Not just to hear but to listen. Not just to meet and pass by but to stop. And don’t just say, ‘What a shame, poor people,’ but to allow ourselves to be moved by pity.'”

The campaign will take advantage of specially designated days throughout the year to raise awareness, including the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12; Lent; the church’s observance of National Migration Week in January; World Refugee Day June 20 and the September 2018 United Nations meeting to consider two global compacts on refugees and migration.

There also is an advocacy component to Share the Journey, Rosenhauer said, giving U.S. Catholics the opportunity to take what they learn about migrants and refugees and approach federal policymakers to better allocate international assistance to address the factors that cause people to flee.

Together with Catholics worldwide, the U.S. organizers said they hope the campaign will begin to ease the burdens under which migrants and refugees live.

“We’re mobilizing the worldwide Catholic Church to serve,” Witte said. “There are so many networks that the Catholic Church already has that we can infuse an opportunity allow them to live their baptismal call and to stand up for the most vulnerable.”