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Help break the cycle of povertyNovember 17, 2005Dear Friends in Christ, In spite of the prosperity that many Americans enjoy, poverty in America is on the rise; nearly 36 million Americans, and one in six children, live below the poverty line. One in eight Americans struggles to find affordable housing, splits prescription medication in half, or works more than one job to try to make ends meet. We can find permanent solutions to poverty, one community at a time, by joining in solidarity with those in need to break the cycle of poverty. There is much we can do, as individuals and as a Catholic community, to work with other Americans in order to address the root causes of poverty. The Bishops of the United States established the Catholic Campaign for Human Development thirty-five years ago to help people end poverty not for just a day, but for a lifetime. CCHD is committed to helping people change the conditions that keep them living in a state of poverty. CCHD projects in our diocese and throughout the United States support low-income people as they work together to improve educational opportunities, create jobs, and improve access to services for the disabled. CCHD relies on an annual parish collection to fund anti-poverty programs I communities across the country. Each year, the campaign receives increasing requests for funds; in recent years, CCHD has been forced to turn down nearly half of the grant applications forwarded to its national office. I urge you to give generously to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development when the annual collection is taken in your parish on Nov. 19-20, 2005. We send 75 percent of the donations to the CCHD national office to support anti-poverty projects across the country. We keep 25 percent here in our diocese to fund local self-help initiatives to benefit our local communities. By joining in solidarity with Catholics in parishes across our country, you lend strength to efforts already underway to foster self-sufficiency and strengthen communities. Nearly half of all Americans worry they will find themselves in poverty in the future. Let us put an end to poverty in this, the wealthiest of nations. Please support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection this year. Sincerely yours in Christ, Rev. Msgr. Roger J. Augustine |
