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Our Programs:
Economic Justice :
° Sweatshop free school campaign: In order to create corporate responsibility with fairness and dignity for workers, we have joined with national and local groups to put an end to sweatshops. This involves research, education and working with St. Joe’s School on a sweatfree schools campaign. Sr. Genevieve and her staff are committed to using sweatfree resources for school uniforms.
° Fair Trade Coffee Project: In order to create justice and fairness for coffee farmers around the world, we have joined national and local advocates in a fair trade coffee campaign. We did a one year research and educational campaign in the parish and then committed to use only fair trade coffee in the parish and school.
° Community Supported Agriculture Project: After two months of research and planning followed by an evening presentation, we organized a group of parishioners (almost 50 families) working with a local farm becoming more involved in how their food is grown and distributed. It is participating in a new food delivery system; growing and distributing wholesome, fresh and safe food in a socially and environmentally responsible fashion.
° Abolition of World Hunger: In order to create a world where sufficient food is viewed as a basic human right and made a priority, we have joined with global and local anti-hunger groups to help make this a reality. Each of the past five years, including 2004, we have hosted and participated in a Faith and Hunger Conference. We have followed these conferences by conducting an offering of letters campaign in the parish.
° Living Wage Campaign: In 1999, we joined with other local groups in promoting the passage of living wage legislation for the City of Buffalo. This legislation passed in 2000 and is just now be enforced.
° Cancel World Debt Campaign: With the belief that canceling the crushing debt burden of poor countries is a matter of justice and compassion, we joined the Jubilee 2000 Campaign for debt cancellation. We held a parish educational forum on the campaign. Since the end of 2000, the chair of our committee has participated in an ongoing world debt committee of the Diocese of Buffalo.
° Support for Farmworker and Migrant Ministry: We lent our voice in support of the 2003 and 2004 Farmworker march to Albany and lent our name to New York State legislation for farmworker justice.
Peace:
° War and Peace Concerns: From the beginning of our committee we have identified with the Catholic Peace group Pax Christi with prayers by the group and Christian insights into addressing the issues of war and finally asking the parish to become a Pax Christi Parish member. In February 2003, we took out a full-page ad in the Western New York Catholic, supported by parishioners, calling war wrong and not the way of Jesus. We offered nonviolence civil disobedience training for parishioners and others. We keep in touch with the Western New York Peace Center for ongoing peace and justice issues.
° Alternatives to Violence Workshops: Beginning in 2003 and continuing today, we offer two- day workshops for parishioners and others on dealing with conflict and personally building on the peace that is within us.
Human Rights:
° Campaign to Close the School of the Americas: In order to create more justice and greater respect for peoples of the Americas, we joined the movement to close the School of the Americas. We brought the founder of the movement, Father Roy Bourgeois, to our parish on two different occasions, held a public vigil at the church for four years and a special liturgy weekend on this issue in 2003. We wrote letters to our Congressional representatives.
° Abolition of the Death Penalty: In order to create a more just society while respecting all life, we joined with national and local groups to abolish the death penalty. Here at the parish we have held forums, vigils and letter writing activity. We also initiated a regular prayer of the faithful and bulletin announcements calling for prayers for those about to be executed.
Environmental Issues :
° Local Toxic Waste Issues: In order to create a deeper appreciation and understanding of all of creation, with a particular focus on the environmental needs of our community, we have joined with local networks of environmental ministries. We invited local citizen groups who are struggling with toxic waste issues to our regular meetings. We held an environmental fair at the parish. We attend rallies, bus tours of toxic sites and write letters on behalf of those who are struggling because of environmental disasters.
° The Earth Charter: Though the Earth Charter is much more than an environmental document, we put it under this category. The Earth Charter is a declaration of the fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society. Our committee has studied this, we held an information evening on it and continue to use it as a framework for doing all our work.
Gender Justice :
° Role of Women in the Church: Recently, the majority of our social justice committee, committed to forming a sub-committee on the concern of justice for women in the church. After a couple of preliminary meetings and a retreat day, the committee produced the following mission statement. “With the belief that justice is an essential element of the preaching of the gospel, we call for the end of violence against women in all aspects of life of the church and we call for a change in church structures to reflect the inclusive teachings of Jesus. We will accomplish this through raising our voices in prayer, celebration of the role of women, both historic and contemporary; education and open and honest dialogue.”
Community Organizing :
° VOICE Buffalo: With the belief that citizen participation by organized people of faith is essential to the quality of spiritual, economic and political life of the city, our social justice committee met with the leaders of the VOICE organization, had a variety of discussions with our parish leadership and finally recommended that our parish become a member congregation of VOICE. With this accomplished, it was decided that the VOICE agenda should be carried out by a separate parish committee.
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