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May
5, 2004
The Office of Human Concerns, run by Director Kay Furlani, fosters awareness of broad-based social ministry issues to the parishes of the Archdiocese with the intention of taking action. As part of the Vicariate for Pastoral Life, the goal of Human Concerns is to help pastors and other parish leaders—clergy and lay—engage parishioners in the social ministry of the Church, with a strong emphasis on getting people involved in public life, explained Furlani. The office provides resources to educate parishes on Catholic social teaching, which addresses matters of concern to the Church, such as racism, economic justice, human rights (i.e., labor issues and social justice), welfare reform, pro-life issues (abortion, death penalty, euthanasia), environmental justice and violence, (visit www.usccb.org for a detailed description of the seven themes), and to assist them in developing committees that tackle these issues, politically and community action-wise, on the local (state), national and international levels—programs that can be “integrated into the life of the parish,” she said. These resources come in the form of printed materials, videos, workshops and conferences, and training opportunities. Since Furlani is the only full-time employee in the Office of Human Concerns—her biggest challenge, she said—she depends on the assistance of parish leaders and other volunteers. Sometimes, she commented, a program will begin with a mass mailing to all parishes regarding an initial gathering. From there, people who are interested in learning more or organizing further meetings and enlisting others for action may come forward to become part of a core team that will help the director carry out a comprehensive effort. Right now, Furlani is focusing on three programs that are at different stages of progress. One of those is Public Discipleship (see the Aug. 13, 2003 edition of The Catholic Advocate). According to Furlani, this program “enables people to learn Catholic social teaching and skills for analyzing issues so they’re equipped to take action,” involving breaking the cycle of poverty, tackling education needs of inner-city children and improving the safety of the environment, among other things. This action is rooted in prayer and the Eucharist and allows members to make a deeper connection between their faith and social justice activity in the areas of family, work, community and citizenship. Initiated two years ago, four parishes are helping spearhead the endeavor. An extensive pilot program was instituted in September, and now Human Concerns and the core team are looking for ways to expand in order to include more parishes. “Just Faith” is another project being put together by Furlani and David O’Brien, Director of Youth Ministries at St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Summit. Like Public Discipleship, it is a “process program,” Furlani explained. Still in the beginning phase for the Archdiocese, this national campaign is one more “vehicle to make parishioners aware of” social issues, in light of religious values, and inspire them to respond outwardly. A third undertaking, very much in the formulation process at this point, is the prospect of a series of workshops, offered several times a year, “to provide enrichment, education and skills/training” that foster “advocacy in the public arena.” These projects recognize “that we live both private and public lives, and that we’re called to bring to bear our faith in the living of our public lives,” remarked Furlani. Pointing out that it is easy to scrutinize people in the public eye, such as Catholic politicians, she asserted, “We need to all be looking at ourselves,” too. Environmental justice is a topic that has taken on profound importance for the Office of Human Concerns. Besides looking at matters that deal directly with the environment and how they affect the earth and its inhabitants—God’s creation—this subject also covers issues of social and economic justice, in that very often places and populations that are most harmed by pollution, waste sites and dumping are poverty-stricken areas in largely minority neighborhoods. Two years ago, the office, with the help of about a dozen volunteers, calling themselves the New Jersey Catholic Coalition of Environmental Justice (NJCCEJ), began organizing a conference, in cooperation with other Christian and environmental groups, that would concentrate on these problems. (See the May 7, 2003 edition of The Catholic Advocate.) After the successful seminar last April, the association decided it should continue this critical work and is about to embark on a three to five year plan (including seeking funds and part-time paid assistance) in order to educate people—especially in New Jersey, which has some of the most polluted areas in the country—on abuses that are taking place and how they can become involved, as part of a community-based group, in obliging government and businesses to take responsibility in this situation that greatly implicates them. The office is also sponsoring two Catholic Relief Services (CRS) programs, the Coffee Project (which took place in the spring) and Work of Human Hands (to be held in the fall), by hosting sales at the Archdiocesan Center of “fair trade” coffee, tea and cocoa to support small-scale farmers and their families, and handmade goods from African, Latin American, Asian and Eastern-European artisans sold within an alternative trade program that assures fair working conditions and profits for the craftspeople. These are just some of the endeavors that the Office of Human Concerns has undertaken and continues to carry out, in an effort to further its mission of motivating parishioners to live their faith publicly, particularly in the social and political realms, so that they may address the root causes of social problems and reach out to others in need. For more information visit www.rcan.org/humanconcerns.
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