More information regarding the CCHD and this week's second collection

[Stylite]

Some have been saying that since the CHD no longer funds ACORN, it is ok to donate to them. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Please pass the following info along to fellow Catholics.

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This Sunday (Nov. 23rd) is the annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). You may have heard that the CCHD had given over a million dollars per year to ACORN, a radically leftist group which seeks the election of “progressive” anti-life politicians among other things. The CCHD says that they will no longer be giving our donations to ACORN because there was reported embezzlement by ACORN founder Wade Rathke some time ago. (see: usccb.org/cchd/morin_acorn_report.shtml )

There is a lot of confusion about what the CCHD is, how it works and whether faithful Catholics can be sure their donations will be put to use in a way consistent with Catholic teaching.

The CCHD is a social justice group established by the US Bishops. They collect money and then farm it out to various local and national organizations throughout the US . This is absolutely a fine and legitimate thing to do. Unfortunately, the groups selected by the CCHD to be stewards of our donations include many organizations which promote either marxist socialism or anti-life/anti-church teaching. A complete list of last years grantees can be found here: usccb.org/cchd/2007CCHDGrantees.pdf

Some random examples:

The Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center: This Seattle-based leftist Catholic group actively promotes women’s ordination, radical feminism, socialism, radical environmentalism, and a disregard for Church tradition. Read the brochure for their “Northwest Catholic Women’s Convocation” ( ipjc.org/women/NWCWCRegistrationBrochure.pdf ) and ask yourself if this is something you would like to support via your CCHD donation. Also, note that one of the featured speakers is Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson who worships God as a goddess and stated "“every aspect” of the Catholic faith “is not just tainted but perverted by the evil of patriarchy. It is not that the tradition has some problems; the tradition is the problem.” (see: lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111305.html)

Chinese Progressive Association: A marxist/socialist group. (listed as a “meeting ground” in the communist newsletter “Voice of Revolution” usmlo.org/arch2006/2006-04/VR060407.HTM) Supports Homosexual Marriage (marriageequality.org/?page=supporters)).

**The Somali Action Alliance **: lists both the CCHD and the very pro-abortion Women’s Foundation of MN as partners. (see: somaliactionalliance.org/news.php and wfmn.org/health.shtml)

Los Angeles chapter of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice: Chairman is Rev. James M. Lawson Jr.who in 2001 stated in a speech: "“The U.S. has become the number-one enemy of peace and justice in the world today.” He regularly speaks on marxist themes and has stated "“The revolution this nation needs has not yet begun.” (discoverthenetworks.org/printindividualProfile.asp?indid=1004)

As you can see, the removal of ACORN from the CCHD’s list of organizations was only the tip of the iceberg. While there are a few praiseworthy organizations listed here and there on the list, the majority is an odd assortment of socialist organizing groups (one can spot these right away by seeing the prominent red banners and power fist salutes on their home pages) and other groups antagonistic to Church teaching, be it social or moral.

A good and simple course of action we can take is not only to with-hold our donation of money from the second collection this Sunday, but also drop a slip of paper into the basket or envelope explaining that in lieu of money you will be donating prayers for the CCHD to be given the wisdom to select better organizations for its list.

So as to not punish the good groups on the list, consider donating to them directly.

Please forward to all Catholics on your list.

God bless you!

 

[tassitus]

…]
Also, note that one of the featured speakers is **Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson **who worships God as a goddess and stated "“every aspect” of the Catholic faith “is not just tainted but perverted by the evil of patriarchy. It is not that the tradition has some problems; the tradition is the problem.” (see: lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111305.html)

…]

Thanks for the links, but I wanted to point out that you misquoted author/speaker Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson. The quote you gave for her was actually from Sister Sandra Schneiders, another “catholic” professor. Here are two paragraphs from the link you gave:

Here she joins the ranks of such notables as Sister Sandra Schneiders, IHM, professor of New Testament at Berkeley’s Jesuit School of Theology, who has vilified the Faith for two decades. In Beyond Patching (Paulist, 1990) Schneiders wrote that “every aspect” of the Catholic faith “is not just tainted but perverted by the evil of patriarchy. It is not that the tradition has some problems; the tradition is the problem.”

In an article in the National Catholic Reporter, Nov 17, 2000, Sister Elizabeth said women have long been “denied equality with men in access to sacred ties, places, actions and even identity,” and “women have been consistently robbed of our full dignity as friends of God and prophets,” by the likes of St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111305.html

I certainly find both their theologies distasteful and far from orthodox Catholicism (robbed by Augustine and Aquinas?), but thought you might want to get the quote right.

Peace all.

 

[Angels_Watchin]

So NOW is it obvious to everyone that the USCCB can’t be trusted?

Just stop donating completely - no matter what group’s name is “on the list” the US bishops will figure out a way to funnel that money to people whose anti-catholic agenda is right up their alley. To groups who will support them and their homosexual agenda.

GOOD HEAVENS - look at the people they give our money to!!!

Find a good Catholic organization, seminary, St. Vincent de Paul, American Life League, Priests for Life, Catholic Radio, St. Joseph Radio, Miles Christi, Fathers of Mercy, Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, - and let them use it to teach the faith.= cuz it’s obvious THE USCCB BISHOPS DON’T KNOW THE FAITH. AND WE’VE TRUSTED THEM AND THEY"VE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF US FOR TOO MANY YEARS - They’re thieves and liars. (except for a few - and the good ones are well known. The rest of them are a waste of time.)

I won’t give them another nickel.

 

[SEBASTIANMARTIN]

I will not give money to this collection ever again. I will play it safe and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the sick and imprisioned.

 

[Another_Mary]

I mailed a contribution to our local St. Vincent de Paul with a note telling them it was in lieu of my Sunday second collection giving to CHD. They are actively helping people at my local parish church. I have a copy of the note that I sent along with it that will go in the collection basket.

I will do this in the future if I am ever in doubt about what the collection is going for.

 

[rien]

Raymond Arroyo on his World Over did a special on this yesterday.

The pro-CCHD guest was “conservative” Catholic Russel Shaw. Shaw actually couched his comments by saying he gives the CCHD the “benefit of the doubt” on all this. Then there was a reporter from the Wanderer who has covered this for years. Don’t recall her name.

Shaw explained the philosophy in light of the fact that it was revealed the CCHD grants are given to empowerment agencies and not used, can’t be, for direct assistance to soup kitchens or pregnancy crisis centers or Catholic schools.

Shaw also said the large majority of CCHD grants go to good causes. He was contravened immediately by the person from the Wanderer who said 1/3 to 1/2 of the money goes to Alinsky type organizations. An environmental group was brought up in Ohio I think it was. An obviously exasperated Arroyo asked Shaw what does this have to do with Catholcism?

Shaw hoped folks continue to contribute to the CCHD. Personally I hope they don’t. It is so symptomatic when supposedly orthodox believers like Shaw turn out to be perhaps really part of the American bishops aparatchik (sp?). It happens again and again.

Arroyo seemed dumbfounded by some of the facts the Wanderer person brought up.

BTW, the bishops are looking to further investigate, according to Shaw, that none of their money went to Democratic political activism or ACORN voter turnout efforts. This is such a canard. The money that bishops may try to guarantee us, are trying to, was not used for blatantly non and anti-Catholic purposes actually frees up other money these Alinsky organizations can indeed use for those purposes.

What can one say? Who can one trust? And the bigger problem for the bishops in all the recent scandals and/or controversies is that orthodox beleivers are in some cases re-evaluating their Catholic beliefs or looking elsewhere - the rash of conversions from Catholcism to Orthodoxy in the US.

 

[Teelynn]

I’m with y’all and will be giving my money (and food) to local soup kitchens, priests for life, etc.

I believe, very much like our bureaucrats in Washington, the USCCB needs a complete overhaul. Me thinks it is very broken!!

 

[rien]

I’m with y’all and will be giving my money (and food) to local soup kitchens, priests for life, etc.

I believe, very much like our bureaucrats in Washington, the USCCB needs a complete overhaul. Me thinks it is very broken!!

You really have to due due diligence on the groups you give your donations to these days.

There is a very famous Catholic “soup kitchen” in the Bay Area, best not name it, which gets all kinds of secular coverage on Thanksgiving Day when they hand out thousands of meals.

Great. I contributed for years and then volunteered 3 years ago on Thanksgiving Day there. What I was shocked to find is that, beyond the Thanksgiving meals, this was basically a Catholic ACORN/Alinsky group. As we have recently come to learn about a lot of what bishops and the CCHD are supporting.

The only alternative in my area, on a huge scale needed for thousands of Thanksgiving meals, is an evangelical group. That organization actually passes out Bibles and Christian literature to those seeking meals. But if a meal seeker does not want the literature that is fine.

The famous Catholic group seems to go out of its way to play down/conceal any Christian message. After that year volunteering I switched my Thanksgiving donation to the Protestant group. I’d suggest you look closely at the Catholic group you give your local Thangsgiving donation to and see what they are about. You all, we all, need to take control of where our money goes and not simply give it cause it claims to be Catholic.

 

[Teelynn]

You really have to due due diligence on the groups you give your donations to these days.

There is a very famous Catholic “soup kitchen” in the Bay Area, best not name it, which gets all kinds of secular coverage on Thanksgiving Day when they hand out thousands of meals.

Great. I contributed for years and then volunteered 3 years ago on Thanksgiving Day there. What I was shocked to find is that, beyond the Thanksgiving meals, this was basically a Catholic ACORN/Alinsky group. As we have recently come to learn about a lot of what bishops and the CCHD are supporting.

The only alternative in my area, on a huge scale needed for thousands of Thanksgiving meals, is an evangelical group. That organization actually passes out Bibles and Christian literature to those seeking meals. But if a meal seeker does not want the literature that is fine.

The famous Catholic group seems to go out of its way to play down/conceal any Christian message. After that year volunteering I switched my Thanksgiving donation to the Protestant group. I’d suggest you look closely at the Catholic group you give your local Thangsgiving donation to and see what they are about. You all, we all, need to take control of where our money goes and not simply give it cause it claims to be Catholic.

Boy! How right you are…coincidentally enough, while I was in the grocery store today, I bought 2 " family meal donation bags" that you could buy and they were giving to the local **evangelical **group that feeds the poor in our area. The poor are the poor, as far as I am concerned, no matter what group it comes from.

This news doesn’t surprise me about some of the Catholic groups.

 

[thomasf]

Raymond Arroyo on his World Over did a special on this yesterday.

The pro-CCHD guest was “conservative” Catholic Russel Shaw. Shaw actually couched his comments by saying he gives the CCHD the “benefit of the doubt” on all this. Then there was a reporter from the Wanderer who has covered this for years. Don’t recall her name.

**Shaw explained the philosophy in light of the fact that it was revealed the CCHD grants are given to empowerment agencies and not used, can’t be, for direct assistance to soup kitchens or pregnancy crisis centers or Catholic schools.

Shaw also said the large majority of CCHD grants go to good causes. He was contravened immediately by the person from the Wanderer who said 1/3 to 1/2 of the money goes to Alinsky type organizations. An environmental group was brought up in Ohio I think it was. An obviously exasperated Arroyo asked Shaw what does this have to do with Catholcism?**

Shaw hoped folks continue to contribute to the CCHD. Personally I hope they don’t. It is so symptomatic when supposedly orthodox believers like Shaw turn out to be perhaps really part of the American bishops aparatchik (sp?). It happens again and again.

Arroyo seemed dumbfounded by some of the facts the Wanderer person brought up.

BTW, the bishops are looking to further investigate, according to Shaw, that none of their money went to Democratic political activism or ACORN voter turnout efforts. This is such a canard. The money that bishops may try to guarantee us, are trying to, was not used for blatantly non and anti-Catholic purposes actually frees up other money these Alinsky organizations can indeed use for those purposes.

What can one say? Who can one trust? And the bigger problem for the bishops in all the recent scandals and/or controversies is that orthodox beleivers are in some cases re-evaluating their Catholic beliefs or looking elsewhere - the rash of conversions from Catholcism to Orthodoxy in the US.

This fund should cease to exist then, and be replaced with one that does go to help soup kitchens and homeless and catholic schools, and sticks with organizations dedicated TO catholic principles. Not dedicated to fighting AGAINST them.