Human Concerns

Monday, September 27 | 6:30-8:30PM
Please join Catholics for Peace and Justice (CPJ) for an upcoming virtual education program on Immigration Law Reform taking place on Monday,  September 27 from 6:30-8:30PM titled, “Hello Neighbor Fact or Fiction: There is a pathway to citizenship for US immigrants." Speakers are immigration lawyers and Marquette University law professors Joseph Rivas and Edward Fallone. You can sign up for the program HERE. Registration deadline is September 5. Please contact Marge Sebern with any questions at marge@sebern.com.
Sign up here!
Download flyer here!

On Sunday, September 26, we celebrate the World Day for Migrants and Refugees. This year’s theme is, “Towards an ever wider ‘we’.”  Please join Pope Francis as we pray, learn and act for migrants and refugees around the world, and in a special way for the Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy.

Pray:

Holy, beloved Father,
your Son Jesus taught us
that there is great rejoicing in heaven
whenever someone lost is found,
whenever someone excluded, rejected or discarded
is gathered into our “we”,
which thus becomes ever wider.
We ask you to grant the followers of Jesus,
and all people of good will,
the grace to do your will on earth.
Bless each act of welcome and outreach
that draws those in exile
into the “we” of community and of the Church,
so that our earth may truly become
what you yourself created it to be:
the common home of all our brothers and sisters. Amen.
Written and delivered by Pope Francis in Rome, Saint John Lateran, 3 May 2021, Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

Additional prayers for migrants and refugees collated through the Ignatian Solidarity Network.

Learn:

• Check out the Vatican website for information about the situation facing migrants and refugees around the world.
• Read the Wisconsin Catholic Conference statement about what is happening with recently arrived Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy.
  • Read the September 17 statement from the Wisconsin Catholic Bishops
  • Photos from Fort McCoy

Act:

• Donate financially to Catholic Charities to assist Afghan refugees.
• Give of your time as an English Language tutor with Catholic Charities.
• Advocate to address immigration reform in a positive, productive, and forward-looking way. Sign up for action alerts through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Mission Appeal will be taking place October 23-24 benefiting the Missionary Fraternity of Mary. The fraternity is a society of religious life located in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The fraternity offers young men ages 17 and beyond a chance to become agents of change within society as missionary priests. There are 160 priests of the Missionary Fraternity of Mary working in 11 countries (Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Italy, Kenya, Canada and the United States). This year, the fraternity celebrates 20 years of service and evangelization at St. Mary Help of Christians Mission in Langobaya, Kenya in East Africa. Currently, the mission supports St. Agnes Tailoring School, which assists women with tailoring skills to help them become self-sufficient. Additionally, the parish has a Catholic school with 351 students from kindergarten through 8th grade, who’s main goal is to provide quality education to become agents of change in the Kenyan society. Read more about this the history of this particular mission in the latest edition of the Fraternity newsletter. 

Each year, the Church in the United States celebrates October as Respect Life Month. This is a time we can use to deepen our understanding of why, as Catholics, we “Respect Life” and what that looks like day-to-day. To understand more fully how to defend and protect human life, we must first consider who we are, at the deepest level. God creates us in his image and likeness, which means we are made to be in loving relationship with him. The essence of our identity and worth, the source of our dignity, is that we are loved by God: "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son." The knowledge and realization of how deeply we are loved by God elicits a response of love that simultaneously draws us closer to God and, at the same time, impels us to share his love with others. When someone is facing great trials, we need to meet them where they are, walk with them on their journey, intercede for them, and be open to sharing Christ's love however he directs. When we encounter Christ, experience his love, and deepen our relationship with him, we become more aware of our own worth and that of others. His love for each person is cause for great joy, and growing understanding of this priceless treasure motivates us to share his love with others. Our lives are often changed by the witness of others; so too, others' lives may be changed by our witness and authentic friendship with them.

Giving Tree Collection

In honor of Respect Life month, please consider supporting this year’s Giving Tree Collection that will benefit local pregnancy resource centers and senior living facilities. Download the list of collection items  and drop items off anytime throughout the month of October by the north (pillared) entrance. Thank you in advance for your support!
Giving Tree 2021 Collection List PDF

The Human Concerns Commission discerns and responds to the needs of the people within the parish, out in the community, and throughout the world. It identifies resources to meet their needs and enlist the active cooperation of parishioners. The members collaborate with the pastor, staff, and other organizations in the following ways: direct service, advocacy, social justice, social bridging, and empowerment of people. Meetings are monthly and discuss a number of topics including the following: 

• Respect Life, which supports the following pregnancy resource centers: 
  • Life's Connection: 494 W. Main St., Waukesha
  • Women's Care Center: 1441 N. Farwell Ave., Milwaukee 53202  
  • Women's Support Center: 2051 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee 53233  //  414-934-8888
• Global Twinning 
  • Missionary Fraternity of Mary (Guatelmala)
  • Working Boys' Center (Ecuador)
• Social Justice
  • Advocacy
    • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - is the US bishops' teaching document on political responsibility of Catholics. 
    • Civilize It: Dignity Beyond the Debate - is a year-long civility initiative from the US bishops' so that Catholics can bring our faith to the public square.
      • Racial Justice - please see the response from Wisconsin Catholic Conference in the document section below.
    • USCCB Justice for Immigrants (JFI) website & Jesuit Refugee Services/USA (JRS) site will be on the site soon. These sites are Catholic sources for current immigration information. JFI and JRS are analyzing & monitoring immigration law reform bills and sending action alerts to encourage people to contact their representatives to share their faith based support or not for these proposed changes in immigration law.
• Welcoming and Inclusion
  • Especially for those affected by clergy sexual abuse.  
    This past year, the Human Concerns Commission has committed to being a place of welcoming for those affected by the twin crisis of clergy sexual abuse and the failure of church leadership to properly address it. By hosting listening sessions with Fr. Dan, attending 2019's Lenten Soup and Substance presentation by Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, and by surveying our parishioners on this topic, we are committed to being a part of the solution to ensure that clergy sexual abuse does not continue to happen.
    • Parish Questionnaire - To better understand the impact of the twin crisis, a questionnaire was conducted to better understand how the crisis affected a person's life as a Catholic and their thoughts on the reasons for the clergy abuse and coverup in the Church. (see document list)
  • Racial Justice - The Wisconsin Catholic Conference recently issued a statement regarding recent unjust killings and subsequest protests. We encourage all parishioners to read the Wisconsin bishops's statement.
  • Gerard Randall was a recent presenter to the commission sharing his personal experience of being African American in Milwaukee. Video of the discussion can be found below: