This Month's Featured Advocacy Action

Afghan Adjustment Act

Stand in Solidarity with Our Afghan Neighbors

Help answer Pope Francis’ call for us to “welcome, protect, promote, and integrate” these newcomers by completing this action alert in support of the Afghan Adjustment Act. 

Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act

Urge Congress to Safeguard Children in Need and Ensure Communities Have Access to Religious Workers

Help ensure vulnerable youth receive the protections they deserve and American communities can benefit from the contributions of religious workers by completing this action alert in support of the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act.

Urge Congress to Reauthorize the Farm Bill

The U.S. Farm Bill, reauthorized every five years, is a multi-billion dollar piece of legislation that affects three major areas: food, farms, and foreign aid. The bill is up for reauthorization this fall, and it's going to take all of us advocating for consistent - and hopefully increased - financial resources to be allocated to the areas this bill covers.

If you navigate to CRS' Farm Bill page, you'll find a recording of a presentation they did explaining the legislation, as well as a number of other helpful resources.

Urge Congress to prioritize timely passage of the 2023 Farm Bill and to reauthorize existing international programs that address immediate hunger needs and support long-term solutions, including:

• McGovern-Dole Food for Education, which provides free, nutritious school lunches for millions of children who might not otherwise have a daily meal.
• Food for Peace, which has provided emergency and developmental support to more than 4 billion people around the world since 1954.
• Farmer-to-Farmer, which enables U.S. volunteers to help train and support farmers in other countries so they can adapt to climate change and improve their harvests.
  
  

Tell Congress to Fund WIC for All Families in Need

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is asking American Catholics to contact their US Representatives and Senators about making sure that national budget. Here's their request: "Now is the time to remind them that our society can and must do more to protect and care for both women and their children. Providing adequate support for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will do just that by providing healthy food and nutrition support for vulnerable moms, infants, and young children." Details and link for action

Action at the Ohio Statehouse

The Catholic Conference of Ohio represents the Church's position before the Ohio General Assembly, various state departments, bureaus, agencies and other organizations important issues of social justice. Check out their constantly updated information on current legislation at the Statehouse and Action Alerts describing how you can take action along with other Catholics in Ohio.

Care for God's Creation

Catholic Climate Covenant encourages people to take these actions for environmental sustainability:

• Submit a comment in support of the EPA Power Plant Rule before August 8th (and share the link!)
• Learn more about Carbon Pricing and the PROVE IT Act and contact your Senators to vote for it.

Capital Punishment

Ohio Death Penalty Update

Currently, a bipartisan group of Ohio legislators supports repeal of Ohio's death penalty. This is great news on the road to a more consistent ethic of life in Ohio. 

Over the past two years, the No Death Penalty Ohio Coalition built a movement that saw historic legislative progress. Though the legislation that would end Ohio’s death penalty did not pass, we are determined to keep pushing for repeal. It’s a new session and Senate Bill 101 is making its way through committee. A house bill has yet to be introduced this session.

We need people like you to join the bipartisan movement to end the death penalty and to contact your House member and Senator.

Catholic Mobilizing Network

Each semester, CMN welcomes college and graduate student interns to their team, working alongside them on efforts to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice. 

CMN interns get hands-on experience and insight into the inner workings of a faith-based non-profit, and explore how their faith calls them to work for justice.

Explore CMN Internships!

Young people of faith are critical in national efforts to transform our criminal legal system. 

CMN is proud to work with young justice seekers all year round, empowering them to cultivate forms of justice that prioritize healing, right relationship, and repair.

Also join the Catholic Mobilizing Network for virtual prayer vigils and other programs. 

More information and links to the events.

Death Penalty Action

Death Penalty Action is a national organization that works to stop executions and abolish the death penalty through advocacy, education, and action. There are always opportunities to take action, most of them online.

Gun Violence

"It'll take us all giving up a small chunk of time every few days to win these elections. You can do this as an event for your group as well! No matter where you live now, if we allow Ohio legislators to get away with making our schools more dangerous the effects will be felt nationwide -- I'm going all in to ensure we elect gun sense candidates in Ohio and I hope you'll join me."    Jay- Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

For more information about Students Demand Action, visit https://studentsdemandaction.org/

Hunger

2023 Farm Bill

It's that time again! Every five years, Congress reauthorizes the massive legislation that is the Farm Bill. In it there is money for foreign aid, farm subsidies, and food. You can read more about it here.

On April 24, 2023, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to Congress laying out it's faith-based moral perspective on what should be included. The letter ends with "Now is a critical time to hear both the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth, to consider the needs of the hungry, of underserved farmers, and of rural communities." 

You can contact your Congressperson and Senator to let them what you believe ought to be in the bill based on your moral beliefs. They do pay attention to well-informed college students!

Immigration

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops advocates for immigrants and refugees through its Justice for Immigrants program. There is always legislative action that can use your voice! 

Peace and Disarmament

Grounded in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching, Pax Christi USA is a membership organization that rejects war, preparation for war, every form of violence and domination, and personal and systemic racism. It is a section of Pax Christi International, the international Catholic peace and justice movement that seeks to model the peace of Christ in its witness to the mandate of the nonviolence of the Cross.

This faith-based organization offers up-to-date information and advocacy opportunities for you to take action on. Plus they offer many prayer resources.

Racial Justice

BREATHE Act

Please join organizations across the country such as the Movement for Black Lives and Faith in Public Life Action in asking your Congresspeople to co-sponsor the BREATHE Act.  

The BREATHE Act’s promise is simple: take money from systems of punishment and surveillance that disproportionately harm Black communities and invest in infrastructure that supports growth, learning and equity. We can create a moral budget when we fund schools, affordable housing, culturally competent mental health care and support for people who use drugs. Right now we have the chance to protect our environment, create and sustain community jobs and value the labor of all workers.

We cannot hold our breath any longer waiting for white supremacy to dismantle itself. We must act with the courage of our convictions to demand a future free from anti-Blackness, racist policing, the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration. Building a multiracial coalition of support for the BREATHE Act is a first step. Visit https://breatheact.org/ for more information. 

Watch, Listen, Learn, Act and Pray