#ccbq

[locustheologicus]

Catholic Charities 125th Anniversary Symposium: “Poverty: Multidimensional Problem; Charity: Multidimensional Solution”

We held the Catholic Charities symposium celebrating the 125th Anniversary alongside the Vincentian Poverty Conference. This happened at St. John’s University in Queens during the World Day of the Poor Weekend. We were blessed to have with us our Bishop, Robert Brennan, and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Papal Nuncio, who offered a keynote speech reminding us of Pope Francis’s social teaching. He reviewed the teaching during our Popes pontificate starting from 2013 right up to his most recent message and reflected on the nature of how we are called to relate with the poor. He also had us recognize that there was a convergence between his teaching on the poor and the synodal process that just recently ended. The synodal process was an opportunity for the church to engage in a new way of being church, to dialogue and respectfully listen to others who experience a different reality from us. One of his points was to take in the lesson of the synodal way. In other words, to recognize that we are not merely serving the poor, but allowing ourselves to be evangelized by them. You can read the entire keynote here on our CCBQ website. In the end the Cardinal set the stage between the morning analysis and the sharing that would happen in the afternoon.

In the morning we heard from Dr. Sabine Alkire who offered us her research on MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index) and how economist and social scientist can better evaluate the dynamic of poverty and wealth with social indicators beyond GDP. Her analysis was very eye opening as ir clarified the global economic reality through numbers and narratives.

The data shows the complexity of the global economy when you consider the social indicators of health, education and living standards. The first slide shows these indicators and how the global community fares when examined from this perspective. As we were looking at the New York reality the speaker offered this data.

St. John’s then had a panel conversation where they examined the economic, behavioral, and moral implications of this analysis.

Afterwards Cardinal Pierre and Bishop Brennan shared their insight on how the social teaching of the Church invites us to consider the method for how we address the issue of poverty and those who fall under the MPI.

The teaching had us rethink our approach to the poor. As I mentioned above, the Cardinal emphasized the process of synodality for how we relate with those who suffer for the social challenges we face. Three departments of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ) reflected on their response based on the Cardinal’s insights. This began with our housing program, followed by food insecurity and then our behavioral health program.

The panal considered how the ever-changing reality forces us to examine the situation and adapt to the changing needs. The pandemic, economic recession, climate change, job loss, the mental health crisis and the migrant crisis were raised as recent situations that dramatically shifted the way we respond to the community. Stories were shared that testified to the way we interact and engage with those we serve. This is certainly always room to grow in this endeavor but it was recognized that having the pulse of the community is essential. Two lessons that came from these conversations was the need to be relational with those we serve, to know their story and appreciate their circumstances, and to apply creative adaptability in how we need to respond to the ever changing needs in our own community.

At the end of the day we did celebrate our 125 years of service to the communities of Brooklyn and Queens but our Bishop and Papal Nuncio would also have us look to the future. The reminder at the end was that we always keep in mind our mission and to recognize that this mission flows from the heart of the Gospel message; that we are called to love and serve one another and to always be attentive to the needs of our neighbors.

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NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force Investigating Vandalism Incident at CCBQ Headquarters 

[close-encuentro]

The Apostolic Mission of Charity

Soon the Catholic community will be celebrating the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. With this event the mission flows from Jesus to the disciples that are tasked with continuing his mission through the Church. When Bishop Brennan began his leadership ministry in the diocese of Brooklyn/Queens he raised a book by Msgr. James Shea titled “From Christendom to Apostolic Mission.” I looked over this book with great interest. Its guiding thesis is that we need to shift the way we organize our ministry and go back to the emphasis that our apostolic community had in organizing themselves in a secular environment.

In an apostolic time, institutions need to become more self-conscious about their mission, their aims, and their inner spirit. Those who lead and inhabit them need to know with greater clarity what they are doing, why they are doing it, what the likely consequences of taking certain kinds of decisions will be, and how the inner culture of the institution is best maintained against the tide. (Shea, pg. 44)

This insight speaks of the need for the Church to prioritize the mission and Catholic formation of its various ministries. We should not equate our ministerial activities with the best practices of our secular society but tweak all that we do (our worship, education, healthcare and our charitable ministries as well) within the guiding vision of our faith. This means that our presence will have a distinct cultural vision based on our faith and the people in turn will experience us differently than they would any of our social counterparts.

Organizations like Catholic Charities should be able are intently looking at our various programs and services from the lens of our apostolic mission and how that informs our social presence. If you visit our Catholic Charities Brooklyn/Queens (CCBQ) website, you will find our mission statement in the about us section of the site.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens translates the Gospel of Jesus Christ into action by affirming the dignity and value of every person, especially the most vulnerable members of our diverse society. Catholic Charities develops effective responses to human need and joins with all people of good will in advocating for a social order that promotes justice and embraces human development.

This is a well-developed statement that considered the purpose for what we do in light of what we believe in. In many ways it is an aspect of our statement of faith that reflects on the ministries of CCBQ. It is a beautiful statement but one that we need to unpack from time to time least it become a lost aspect of our corporate identity whose sole purpose becomes our own legal existence. For that reason, that staff of CCBQ is exploring this mission further. Guiding our own internal reflection is the concept that Pope Francis suggest, that we build a “culture of encounter.” There is a challenge in how Pope Francis defines this concept that allows us to enter into a deeper reflection on our own mission statement.

To speak of a “culture of encounter” means that we, as a people, should be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone. This becomes an aspiration and a style of life. The subject of this culture is the people, not simply one part of society that would pacify the rest with the help of professional and media resources.

There may be a temptation for any institution to see itself as a social system that serves the community, but we become more beholden to the funders and donors rather than the people we serve. Sadly, our “effective responses to human needs” could come from this other direction. By developing a “culture of encounter” we are reminded to shift our attention back to the people we serve.

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[locustheologicus]

Catholic Charities 125 Anniversary Event:

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens has an amazing mission and I consider it a privilege to be part of it. The Mission Statement reads:

The mission of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens is to translate the Gospel of Jesus Christ into action by affirming the dignity and value of every person, especially the most vulnerable members of our diverse society. Catholic Charities develops effective responses to human need and joins with all people of good will in advocating for a social order that promotes justice and embraces human development.

It has been interesting to learn about the history of our organization and the history or charitable ministries in the diocese. I wrote a post on how the ministry of charity began in Brooklyn and our relationship with the Vincentian community as we addressed some of the early social issues that impacted us.

This coming weekend is the Eighth World Day of the Poor with the theme being: The prayer of the poor rises up to God. In this message Pope Francis urges "everyone to become pilgrims of hope, setting tangible goals for a better future." During this time we will take the opportunity to celebrate our 125th Anniversary as we reflect on our Church's teaching with the following two events.

Event #1: Vincentian Center for Church and Society Biennial Poverty Conference and 125th Anniversary Symposium of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.

"Poverty: Multidimensional Problem; Charity: Multidimensional Solution" - Speaker: Sabina Alkire, Professor of Poverty and Human Development at University of Oxford

"To Walk With the Poor is to Walk With God." - Keynote Speaker: His Eminence Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostoloc Nuncio to teh United States

Date: Saturday, November 16, 2024, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Place: Saint John’s University, D’Angelo Center Ballroom (Room 416), 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens

For more information, contact: ccbq.events@ccbq.org

RSVP at: https://www.stjohns.edu/about/faith-and-mission/vincentian-center-church-and-society/vincentian-center-church-and-societys-biennial-poverty-conference-and-125th-anniversary-symposium

Event #2: 125th Anniversary Celebration Mass of Thanksgiving. Please join Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens for a Mass of Thanksgiving with His Eminence Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, marking the closing of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens’ 125th Anniversary celebrations.

Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024, 11 AM

Place: Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, 856 Pacific Street, Brooklyn

For more information, contact: ccbq.events@ccbq.org

I will be there and hopefully I will see some of my friends there as well.

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[ccbq-om]

The 2021 World Day of the Migrant and Refugee is titled “Towards an Ever Wider We.” As you can see from this Rome Reports video it is critical of extreme nationalism and individualism, two views that tend to defensively look upon migrants as foreigners and outsiders.

What we would like to highlight here are two things. First, as a Catholic community Pope Francis reminds us that such defensive positions and policy decisions are antithetical to the very idea of being “Catholic” (that is to say universal).  As Pope Francis reminds us “In encountering the diversity of foreigners, migrants and refugees, and in the intercultural dialogue that can emerge from this encounter, we have an opportunity to grow as Church and to enrich one another.” Our faith tradition in its very identity and even name compels us to embrace those on the margins including those that are deemed foreigners. Pope Francis elaborates on how encounter should be seen as a blessing to our own community that allows us to grow in diversity as we blend with the richness of other cultures.

This is a unique aspect of our own Catholic culture and identity which in a time like this we may need to ponder as we consider the “Catholic” response to how we engage the migrant and refugee community here in our city and nation. 

But there is a second point worth highlighting in this message which offers a deep challenge for those of us engaged in social ministries. To be ever more mindful of how we can be intentional in our engagement with diverse communities of migrants and refugees. This is a message that we at Catholic Charities continue to reflect on as we see and evaluate our own service and encounter with this community.

In our day, the Church is called to go out into the streets of every existential periphery in order to heal wounds and to seek out the straying, without prejudice or fear, without proselytising, but ready to widen her tent to embrace everyone. Among those dwelling in those existential peripheries, we find many migrants and refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking, to whom the Lord wants his love to be manifested and his salvation preached. “The current influx of migrants can be seen as a new “frontier” for mission, a privileged opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ and the Gospel message at home, and to bear concrete witness to the Christian faith in a spirit of charity and profound esteem for other religious communities. The encounter with migrants and refugees of other denominations and religions represents a fertile ground for the growth of open and enriching ecumenical and interreligious dialogue” (Address to the National Directors of Pastoral Care for Migrants, 22 September 2017).  

Our CCBQ Moving Forward program allows us to have this specific encounter. The Moving Forward program's goal is to improve the lives of immigrants and their families living in Brooklyn and Queens by connecting them to a variety of services that will help them have healthy and productive lives. The program empowers individuals and families already afraid to self-identify, get critical services through a singular point of contact, the Moving Forward's program supervisor. Additionally, this program is aimed at preparing immigrants should they be deported or separated from family. The staff help them understand their rights, know what to expect in a deportation scenario, and ensure that a strong safety net has been established for any family members left behind.  The referrals vary on a case-by-case basis, but it can range from English proficiency classes, physical health, mental, health, social, legal to countering housing risk or other services.

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