Social Concerns Column for Sunday, December 18, 2011

Jesus was a migrant: the flight to Egypt

Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. --Isaiah 32:16

US Bishops to Hold Conference on Immigration in January.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants Campaign will host a national conference, “A 50-State Issue: A Focus on State and Local Immigration Initiatives,” on January 11-13, 2012, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Participants will look at state and local immigration issues across the country, and discuss methods for opposing enforcement initiatives and supporting comprehensive immigration reform.  Visit http://www.cvent.com/d/wcqmsm, or contact Tony Cube (acube@usccb.org).

Christmas Tree Recycling. 
By recycling your tree, you are caring for God’s Creation and living out one of the themes of Church Social Teaching.  Instructions for recycling your Christmas tree are in your mailbox in Livermore Sanitation’s newsletter.  Please be sure to strip off all tinsel and ornaments.  Miss the free tree pick up?  Then simply chop up your live tree and place in your green recycling bin.  Sorry, artificial trees cannot be recycled.  Learn more at: http://www.livermoresanitation.com, 925-449-7300.

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community, and Participation. 
The human person is social as well as sacred.  Our Catholic tradition teaches that human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community.  The family is the central social institution.  Family life needs to be supported by other institutions and governments. Excessive individualism, competition, and greed mitigate against community and the common good.  We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.  -- Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, U.S. Bishops, 1998.

Catholic Social Teaching Resources:
Learn more from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (http://tinyurl.com/BishopsSocialTeaching) and the Vatican (http://tinyurl.com/CatholicSocialTeaching).

Would you like to pursue a social justice project?
The St. Michael Parish Social Concerns Ministry would like to help you to help others!  Call Joanne Angvick, 443-1422.

He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way. --Psalm 25:9