National Efforts for Social Justice and Integration in the Church

[JoiJumper]

Hello Everyone,

Currently in America a very poor region is the Mississippi Delta. In the Delta, infant mortality rates are higher than in Sri Lanka. Also large number of people do not have electricity in their homes or running water. Even more interesting is the racial segregation that still continues to exist in this area and even in the Church.A question as a practicing Catholic from Colorado who previously had little exposure to these issues was why this is not an issue commonly explored in the Catholic Church? Is it not a high level concern or is their low exposure? Are people currently concerned about the questionable amount of diversity in the Church. Also I believe it is important to mention that I am a practicing Catholic who accepts 100 percent of the the Church teachings and loves the holy Church. I am just wondering why this issue is not being discussed.

In Christ,
~J

P.S. If you are interested in helping out a classroom in the Mississippi Delta get access to better conditions with a tax write off at the end of the year please check out the link below.

donorschoose.org/project/magic-carpet-a-place-where-reading-pr/1145534/?verify=-497479965&rf=page_dccontent_2013_12_teacherid_1811182

 

[bcuster]

Most Dioceses have programs that work with the local poor.
catholiccharitiesjackson.org/

You can also link with other organizations to help fight poverty:
justfaith.org

I would check out Catholic Charities, USA or the USCCB’s Campaign for Human Development. Sometimes there are programs we can get involved in that are right in our home town. I recently joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society. My husband and I deliver food boxes to people in our own neighborhood. It is an eye-opener.

 

[KrazyKat]

Hello Everyone,

Currently in America a very poor region is the Mississippi Delta. In the Delta, infant mortality rates are higher than in Sri Lanka. Also large number of people do not have electricity in their homes or running water. Even more interesting is the racial segregation that still continues to exist in this area and even in the Church.A question as a practicing Catholic from Colorado who previously had little exposure to these issues was why this is not an issue commonly explored in the Catholic Church? Is it not a high level concern or is their low exposure? Are people currently concerned about the questionable amount of diversity in the Church. Also I believe it is important to mention that I am a practicing Catholic who accepts 100 percent of the the Church teachings and loves the holy Church. I am just wondering why this issue is not being discussed.

In Christ,
~J

P.S. If you are interested in helping out a classroom in the Mississippi Delta get access to better conditions with a tax write off at the end of the year please check out the link below.

donorschoose.org/project/magic-carpet-a-place-where-reading-pr/1145534/?verify=-497479965&rf=page_dccontent_2013_12_teacherid_1811182

You raise a very good question. We hear so much about the needs elsewhere, or the needs of the illegal aliens, but nothing about places right here in America. Segregation in the Catholic Church? Do we turn a blind eye to areas like this or do we honestly not know they exist? What you relate is very disturbing and not acceptable.

I have so many questions but who will answer…how can this be .

 

[ishii]

Hello Everyone,

Currently in America a very poor region is the Mississippi Delta. In the Delta, infant mortality rates are higher than in Sri Lanka. Also large number of people do not have electricity in their homes or running water. Even more interesting is the racial segregation that still continues to exist in this area and even in the Church.A question as a practicing Catholic from Colorado who previously had little exposure to these issues was why this is not an issue commonly explored in the Catholic Church? Is it not a high level concern or is their low exposure? Are people currently concerned about the questionable amount of diversity in the Church. Also I believe it is important to mention that I am a practicing Catholic who accepts 100 percent of the the Church teachings and loves the holy Church. I am just wondering why this issue is not being discussed.

In Christ,
~J

Regarding the infant mortality rate, you should consider that the US counts the babies who die in the 1st 24 hours after birth. Many other countries don’t. The US counts every baby born no matter how sick it is. Other countries don’t do this and that is why it skews the statistics and make it look like Sri Lanka has a better infant mortality rate than the US, which is not true.

You should get your facts straight before raising these issues.

Ishii

 

[JoiJumper]

Bcuster thank you for mentioning the work that parishes do for local communities and also the work that religious orders and other religious societies do to help the poor. That does give me hope to think about that factor.

There was also a question about the statistics, which is fair. So here is the information below:

Source: Level & Trends in Child Mortality. Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA, UNPD).

Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births)
Definition: Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.
Sri Lanka: 10.5
Mississippi: 9.8

Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH)
Confirms average: Mississippi: 9.8
Infant mortality of African Americans in Mississippi: 13.8
Humphreys County Mortality Rate 20 out of 246 infants.
There are plenty of other counties in region that have similar statistics higher than the national rate including Washington, Western DeSoto, Western Carroll, Issaquena, Western Panola,Quitman, Bolivar, Coahoma, Leflore, Sunflower, Sharkey, Tate, Tunica, Tallahatchie, Western Holmes, Western Yazoo, Western Grenadaand Warren.

Mississippi Infant Mortality Percentage set up:
Neonatal deaths take place in the first 28 days of life, and accounted for 57% of infant deaths
Postneonatal deaths occur after the 28th day of life and before an infant’s first birthday, and accounted for 43% of infant deaths

 

[ishii]

Bcuster thank you for mentioning the work that parishes do for local communities and also the work that religious orders and other religious societies do to help the poor. That does give me hope to think about that factor.

There was also a question about the statistics, which is fair. So here is the information below:

Source: Level & Trends in Child Mortality. Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA, UNPD).

Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births)
Definition: Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.
Sri Lanka: 10.5
Mississippi: 9.8

Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH)
Confirms average: Mississippi: 9.8
Infant mortality of African Americans in Mississippi: 13.8
Humphreys County Mortality Rate 20 out of 246 infants.
There are plenty of other counties in region that have similar statistics higher than the national rate including Washington, Western DeSoto, Western Carroll, Issaquena, Western Panola,Quitman, Bolivar, Coahoma, Leflore, Sunflower, Sharkey, Tate, Tunica, Tallahatchie, Western Holmes, Western Yazoo, Western Grenadaand Warren.

Mississippi Infant Mortality Percentage set up:
Neonatal deaths take place in the first 28 days of life, and accounted for 57% of infant deaths
Postneonatal deaths occur after the 28th day of life and before an infant’s first birthday, and accounted for 43% of infant deaths

Thank you for clarifying. But does Sri Lanka count deaths in the first 24 hours like Mississippi does?

Also, could you tell us what you mean when you say the “area and the Church” is segregated in the south? And that there is no diversity? The archdiocese I live in is quite diverse. Then again, that probably reflects the overall diversity of the area.

Ishii

 

[1ke]

The Catholic Church is not segregated in the South or anywhere else.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The Catholic Church is not segregated in the South or anywhere else.

Truth is, there aren’t very many black Catholics. Catholics are relative latecomers to the American scene, and mostly moved into the north. Slaveowners imparted their own religions on slaves, and not many slaveowners were Catholics.

An exception, of course, is southern Louisiana, where there are a fair number of black or creole Catholics. But until shortly before the Civil War, slavery was different in Louisiana anyway. Under French and Spanish rule, it was assumed that any slave could earn his freedom, and many did; something that did not exist under English-derived chattel slavery elsewhere.

 

[mikekle]

Truth is, there aren’t very many black Catholics. Catholics are relative latecomers to the American scene, and mostly moved into the north. Slaveowners imparted their own religions on slaves, and not many slaveowners were Catholics.

An exception, of course, is southern Louisiana, where there are a fair number of black or creole Catholics. But until shortly before the Civil War, slavery was different in Louisiana anyway. Under French and Spanish rule, it was assumed that any slave could earn his freedom, and many did; something that did not exist under English-derived chattel slavery elsewhere.

You are right, I remember in all the years I went to catholic school, we had NO black classmates at all, all the way thru 1st grade up until 7th grade, but in the public school I attended afterwards, there were many black students, but whites were still the majority, this is in Northern KY, about 5 miles out of Cincinnati, OH, so its a fairly large metro area.

And even this year, when I attended Christmas day mass, I saw just a couple black people out of probably 500 white people. It is strange in 2013, a parish so large, is still mostly white people.

 

[Captain_America]

Truth is, there aren’t very many black Catholics. Catholics are relative latecomers to the American scene, and mostly moved into the north. Slaveowners imparted their own religions on slaves, and not many slaveowners were Catholics.

An exception, of course, is southern Louisiana, where there are a fair number of black or creole Catholics. But until shortly before the Civil War, slavery was different in Louisiana anyway. Under French and Spanish rule, it was assumed that any slave could earn his freedom, and many did; something that did not exist under English-derived chattel slavery elsewhere.

Yeah, this is an interesting point, re: the time the Catholic Church made a large appearance in the US.

And yes, it came with Europeans in the main in the North. One guesses that blacks’ first exposure to Christianity came via the Episcopalians and Baptists of the South; their owners.

Personally, I’m very pleased when I see black folks in church. It’s a good thing.

 

[Captain_America]

You are right, I remember in all the years I went to catholic school, we had NO black classmates at all, all the way thru 1st grade up until 7th grade, but in the public school I attended afterwards, there were many black students, but whites were still the majority, this is in Northern KY, about 5 miles out of Cincinnati, OH, so its a fairly large metro area.

And even this year, when I attended Christmas day mass, I saw just a couple black people out of probably 500 white people. It is strange in 2013, a parish so large, is still mostly white people.

and of course parochial school costs money; public school doesn’t.

And as we patrons of this forum know so well, the church is lousy at evangelizing.

 

[NeedsMercy]

Hello Everyone,

Currently in America a very poor region is the Mississippi Delta. In the Delta, infant mortality rates are higher than in Sri Lanka. Also large number of people do not have electricity in their homes or running water. Even more interesting is the racial segregation that still continues to exist in this area and even in the Church.A question as a practicing Catholic from Colorado who previously had little exposure to these issues was why this is not an issue commonly explored in the Catholic Church? Is it not a high level concern or is their low exposure? Are people currently concerned about the questionable amount of diversity in the Church. Also I believe it is important to mention that I am a practicing Catholic who accepts 100 percent of the the Church teachings and loves the holy Church. I am just wondering why this issue is not being discussed.

In Christ,
~J

P.S. If you are interested in helping out a classroom in the Mississippi Delta get access to better conditions with a tax write off at the end of the year please check out the link below.

donorschoose.org/project/magic-carpet-a-place-where-reading-pr/1145534/?verify=-497479965&rf=page_dccontent_2013_12_teacherid_1811182

The Church needs to start looking at the real big picture. These two very important issues–poverty in America and the Church’s lack of diversity–get sidetracked by other, less important topics like homosexuality. If we spent as much time analyzing why so many children are going to bed hungry tonight instead of why homosexuality is “disordered”, we might find some real solutions to the problem.

As far as diversity goes, did anyone at CAF ever do a poll as to the makeup of its members? Probably would be very interesting.

 

[silver2soul]

Throughout my lengthy attendance to mass I have discovered that issues of real or vital importance have not been preached. Sermon after sermon were relegated to idle issues without moral conviction. Seemingly absent of direction that many need to hear and be admonished of.

“If people do not hear the truth, are not told or advised of it how will they know and learn?”

The so called segregation issue that you speak of is almost non-existent other than in the minds of those whom still hold hard to the yoke of blindness. I see a large diversity in mass and service all over; even the clergy themselves are not relegated to one nationality so to speak.

Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>