Bishops and climate change

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is asking Congress to take "effective measures to address climate change" because such steps are "urgent and necessary."

The USCCB asks the U.S. Congress and the federal government to consider the following principles as they shape policies and measures to address climate change:

- Prudence requires us to act to protect the common good by addressing climate change at home and abroad.

- The consequences of climate change will be borne by the world’s most vulnerable people and inaction will worsen their suffering.

- Policies addressing global climate change should enhance rather than diminish the economic situation of people in poverty.

- Policies should create new resources to assist poor and adversely affected communities to adapt and respond to the effects of global climate change in the U.S. and in vulnerable developing countries.

- Policies to address climate change should include measures to protect poor and vulnerable communities from the health impacts of climate change, including increased exposure to climate-sensitive diseases, heat waves and diminished air quality.

- Participation by local affected communities in shaping policy responses to address climate change and programs for adapting to climate change is essential.

- Technology should be made available to people in the most vulnerable developing countries to help them adapt to the effects of climate change (adaptation) and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation).

You can read more here.

Housing help

Are you or someone you know in need of housing? Perhaps Catholic Charities Housing Office can help.

Catholic Charities Housing Office provides the environment and support services designed to help those in need to help themselves.

Catholic Charities Housing Office, in its Single Room Occupancy (SRO) and family apartments, fosters the idea of a "community of peers." In these communities, residents can draw support from and share information not only with professional case managers but also with"Neighbors" who share the same life experiences. 

We offer resources that can help individuals and families gain the skills they need to turn their lives around. 

If you are a low income individual or family looking for affordable housing, give us a call.

You can phone the office at 518-459-0183; send a fax to 518-459-0202, or e-mail them at diocesan.housing@rcda.org

More information is available here.

Caring for Creation calendar

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has a 2013 Lenten Caring for Creation calendar available as a download from its website, which notes, “The calendar offers practical ways you can grow in your understanding of what it means to be a wise steward of God’s Creation and to deepen your commitment to practices and attitudes which promote care for Creation.”

Everyone is invited share and make copies of the calendar, available here.

Carmelites in Lent

For Lent, the Carmelites offer a series of daily reflections from one of the most popular Carmelite saints, St. Therese of Lisieux:

One of the great struggles of our faith lives is that often–in a sincere attempt to deepen spiritually–we overreach and build up the idea of having a relationship with God into a monumental undertaking that is doomed from the start. It’s not all that different from wanting to get into shape physically but not starting because we believe we must be able to run a marathon immediately.

Fortunately for us, St. Therese of Lisieux provides a much-needed antidote to this sort of crippling spiritual ambition. In the 100 years since her canonization, Therese has become the most beloved female saint in the Catholic church largely due to her beautifully simple approach to prayer as well as her "Little Way" in which she discovered God’s enormous love and grace in the most mundane and simple tasks of her day (from working in the laundry to being kind to some of the more difficult personalities in her Carmelite religious community).

During this Lenten season, we’ve transformed our Daily Disconnect into "The Little Way through Lent." The basic premise of the prayer exercise remains the same but our quotes and reflections have all been adapted for Lent from Fr. John F. Russell O.Carm’s book A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and St. Therese of Lisieux. We invite you to take a few minutes every day this Lent to disconnect and pray with Therese but we’ve also added a bit of a twist.

In the popular imagination, Lent is often equated with abstaining from chocolate or meat. The truth is, traditional Lenten observance emphasizes the practices of fasting, prayer and almsgiving among Christians. So, in addition to the daily contemplation offered, we also encourage you to pay attention to the "Little Ways" we post everyday at the end of the disconnect, on our homepage and on our Facebook page. In the spirit of Therese’s Little Way, our daily "Little Ways" offer suggestions everyday for small acts of praying, fasting and giving that can be done relatively easily.

You can learn more here.

Catholic Action Network

Through the website of the New York State Catholic Conference, you can join with thousands of others to work for justice in society and promote the values important to our faith. By joining the Catholic Action Network, you also can stay informed about important issues and strengthen the Catholic voice. Just fill out the form here to begin receiving news and alerts.