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June 2021 Parishes in Action Newsletter
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Diocese of Oakland
June 2021
This Month's Theme is: Racial Justice
PRAY Prayer for Racial Justice
When our eyes do not see the gravity of racial injustice,
Shake us from our slumber and open our eyes, O Lord.
When out of fear we are frozen into inaction,
Give us a spirit of bravery, O Lord.
When we try our best but say the wrong things,
Give us a spirit of humility, O Lord.
When the chaos of this dies down,
Give us a lasting spirit of solidarity, O Lord.
When it becomes easier to point fingers outward,
Help us to examine our own hearts, O Lord.
God of truth, in your wisdom, Enlighten Us.
God of love, in your mercy, Forgive Us.
God of hope in your kindness, Heal Us.
Creator of All People, in your generosity, Guide Us.
Racism breaks your heart,
break our hearts for what breaks yours, O Lord.
Ever present God, you called us to be in relationship with one another and promised to dwell wherever two or three are gathered. In our community, we are many different people; we come from many different places, have many different cultures. Open our hearts that we may be bold in finding the riches of inclusion and the treasures of diversity among us. We pray in faith.
Amen
Prayer by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.LEARN 
What is racism and systemic racism in particular,
and what is the Catholic Church’s teaching on racism?
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,The equality of all people rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design.Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1935
The 1979 US Catholic Bishop’s pastoral letter Brothers and Sister To Us goes a bit further to define racism and systemic racism. According to the pastoral letter, racism …
Is the sin that makes racial characteristics the determining factor for the exercise of
human rights. Racism says some human beings are inherently superior and others
essentially inferior because of race.
While racism can be more of a personal sin, systemic racism is more of a group or social sin. Systemic racism is the racism that exists in many of our laws, policies and practices and customs of our church and communities. Unfortunately, one does not need to look too far to find examples of systemic racism. As the United States Catholic Bishop’s Conference says,
Today in our country men, women, and children are being denied opportunities for full participation and advancement in our society because of their race. The
educational, legal, and financial systems, along with other structures and sectors of
our society, impede people's progress and narrow their access because they are
black, Hispanic, Native American or Asian.
To continue reading the rest of this piece, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/CCHDOAK/posts/781712569162301Movies and Reading Lists
To really understand the issue of racism, there are a number of excellent books and movies to check-out.
ACT 
Take Action: Tell the Senate to Support the For the People Act
The For the People Act (S1) is the fair representation bill the American people want and deserve. Recent voter suppression laws passed in a number of states will disproportionately affect low-income and people of color. This legislation will outlaw some of these voter suppression laws by restoring the Voters Rights Act, making voting easier and more accessible. It will also modernize future elections. Over the last two years, we saw the bill pass the House of Representatives, but get stalled at the Senate. But we cannot let this happen again. The House has just passed the For the People Act again - it is now time for the Senate to fulfill their duty for our democracy.
For more information on S1, please go to https://www.lwv.org/blog/demystifying-rules-people-act-committee
To get involved, please visit this website and contact your senators TODAY.JustFaith's Faith and Racial Equity Programs
JustFaith offers a three-part series to help you learn more about the sin of racism. The three parts are Faith and Racial Equity, Faith and Racial Healing and Faith and Racial Justice. Each program is an 8-week series of sessions that include prayers, reflections and meditations, readings, videos, exercises and ample opportunities for sharing and dialogue. Links to the various programs are listed below. You can contact Meg Bowerman at [email protected] to learn how to sign-up for a session within the diocese.
Please see the Just Faith section below for more information.PIA NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS Catholic Campaign for Human Development 
CCHD-Funded Community Land Trust
Helps Save Home for Grandmother
Please read this report by KQED Radio’s Erin Baldassari about how the Northern California Land Trust (NCLT), an organization recently funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, was able to purchase a home in foreclosure that would have been sold to a corporation, saving a grandmother from likely eviction.
An East Bay woman who was facing eviction got a reprieve this week after a community land trust was able to purchase the home she was renting.
The mother of five and grandmother of three made history as an early test case of a new California law designed to get more homes out of the hands of corporations and into the hands of homeowners. Now her new home will remain permanently affordable.
To continue reading, please go to:
East Bay Grandmother Facing Eviction Joins Forces With Land Trust to Buy Her Home — Thanks to New Law | KQEDCatholic Charities & St. Vincent de Paul Free Drive-Thru Food Distribution
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All Are Welcome
- Tuesday June 8th @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
- Catholic Charities East Bay Richmond Service Center
217 Harbour Way Richmond, CA 94801 - Masks are required
- Catholic Charities East Bay is partnering with Saint Elizabeth School and the Alameda County Community Food Bank to hold free food distributions the first Wednesday of June, July, and August.
- Time: 2:30pm
- Location: 1516 33rd Ave, Oakland CA 94601
- Masks are required.
Catholic Relief Services 
Upcoming Presentations
Water Restoration and Agriculture in El Salvador
All are invited to join one of the CRS West Annual Partners Gatherings on Wednesday, June 9th, to hear a presentation on some of CRS' work in El Salvador and to connect with other like-minded folks from the western region for prayer, fellowship, and discussion. A slide presentation will be given by Paul Hicks, Water Restoration and Agriculture expert for CRS El Salvador, from 4 – 5 pm. Please see below for more information and to register.
Register for one of these sessions using the Registration Link- Early Afternoon Session: 2 – 5 pm PDT
- Late Afternoon Session: 4 – 7 pm PDT
The True Cost of Clothing
On Thursday, June 10th, at 7 pm there will be a webinar, The True Cost of Clothing, featuring the True Cost documentary and speakers. It will address the human and environmental costs of the inexpensive clothing we buy. For more information, contact Anthony Fadale at [email protected] or 310-413-7754.
To register, go to Webinar Registration - ZoomJust Faith 
Faith and Racial Equity
JustFaith is offering three different programs for you to learn more on your Faith and Racial Justice. All programs meet virtually.
The phrase JustFaith uses as a guide for this series:- What?
- So What?
- Now What?
All three programs used the book 40 Days of Prayer: followed with the biography of an underground railroad slave each day with reflections/comments.- Faith and Racial Equity: https://justfaith.org/faith-and-racial-equity-exploring-power-and-privilege/
- Examine white privilege (White Fragility) and perspective of a black woman’s life (I’m Still Here)
- Faith and Racial Healing: Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and Color of Compromise https://justfaith.org/faith-and-racial-healing-embracing-truth-justice-and-restoration/
- Faith and Racial Justice: https://justfaith.org/faith-and-racial-justice-changing-systems-and-structures/
- The New Jim Crow and The New Jim Crow Organizing Guide
If you have any questions please feel free to email: Meg Bowerman- [email protected]Maryknoll 
A faith formation program for teachers and catechists. For more information and to register, click here. St. Vincent De Paul 
Free Food Pantry: St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County operates 18 free food pantries across the county, but also an Emergency Food Pantry at the St. Vincent de Paul Family Resource Center in Pittsburg. Open 5 days/week from 9am-4:30pm, our emergency, free food pantry flyer is attached.Other Important Announcements 
Eviction Moratorium Expires June 30th
The state and federal eviction moratorium is set to expire on June 30th, and it doesn’t appear likely that it will be extended any further.
Tenants and homeowners who are needing assistance should contact the following resources:
For Alameda & Contra Costa Counties:- Contact your parish St. Vincent de Paul conference.
- Catholic Charities East Bay: Rental relief for low-income families and seniors; Referrals for legal assistance. Call 510-768-3176 or visit website at www.cceb.org.
- St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County: For assistance on a limited basis with eviction prevention, food, clothing and other services-- Call 510-638-7600 or visit website at www.svdp-alameda.org.
- St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County: For emergency rental assistance, food, clothing and other services—Call 925-439-5060 or visit website at www.svdp-cc.org.
Google Survey Hi there! We have created a short survey and would love to hear a response from you. If you can spare just a few minutes, please click the button below and let us know your opinion of our newsletter.Thank you!Survey Form IMPORTANT JUNE DATES 3 | Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions
*Feast of Corpus Christ
4 | International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
*Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre (1989)
5 | World Environment Day: sign up for JustFaith new programs--
Sacred Land: Food and Farming
Sacred Air: Climate and Energy
Project Peace 9a-12noon: 14 more volunteers at City Team's Turning Point, a
bridge housing program for women in East Oakland needed to do gardening and
general cleaning. Turning Point is an incredible partner, and we may need to cancel
the site if we are not able to rally more volunteers. Registration and full details can be
found on our website at www.projectpeaceeastbay.org.
8 | World Oceans Day
10 | Pope John Paul II canonizes Lebanon's first female saint, Saint Rafqa (2001):
Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex, signed into law.
11 | Feast of the Sacred Heart
12 | World Day Against Child Labor
*Anniversary of the Orlando, FL nightclub shooting which left 49 people
dead, the deadliest incident of violence against the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.
*In Loving v Virginia, the Supreme Court rules that prohibiting interracial marriage is unconstitutional (1967).
*Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
14 | Day of Memory for Repressed People (Armenia)
*Execution of Daniel Lewis Lee (2020)
15 | World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
*Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common
Good (2001), Pastoral Statement by the United States Catholic Bishops
16 | A nonviolent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa turns into days of
rioting when police open fire on the crowd (1976).
*At age 14, George Junius Stinney Jr. becomes the youngest person executed in the
U.S. in the 20th century (1944).
17 | World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
*Anniversary of the mass shooting at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
in Charleston, SC (2015)
19 | Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (1998), Reflections by
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
*Juneteenth, commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S. (1865)
20 | World Refugee Day
*Father's Day (U.S./UK)
21 | World Music Day
22 | Respecting the Rights of Workers (2009), Pastoral Letter by the United
States Catholic Bishops
23 | International Day of Public Service
*International Widows Day
24 | Capital punishment is declared unconstitutional in New York (2004).
*Feast Day of John the Baptist
26 | International Day in Support of Torture Victims and Survivors
*International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
27 | Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
28 | Beginning of the Stonewall Riots in response to an anti-LGBTQ police raid
at the Stonewall Inn (1969).
29 | Lumen Fidei, The Light of Faith (2013), Pope Francis
*Feasts of Saints Peter and Paul, apostlesMISSION STATEMENTPARISHES IN ACTION offers opportunities of encounter, formation, direct service and advocacy to assist the Church of the Diocese of Oakland in its response to Christ’s call to be the ‘Church on the Streets.’ We aim to build relationships with the whole church community and extend the arms of the church to embrace the marginalized.Thanks to Our Participating Organizations:
Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Catholic Charities East Bay
Catholic Relief Services
JustFaith
Maryknoll
Oakland Catholic Worker
Office for Life and Justice
Office for Latino Ministries
St. Vincent De PaulSt. Benedict ParishWe want to extend our thanks
to Patrick Shandonay, from St. Joan of Arc Parish and member of the Diocese of Oakland Task Force for Racial Justice, for providing us with the Pray, Learn, and Act portions of this newsletter.
Our mailing address is:
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