Human Concerns

The Season of Creation is a month-long prayerful observance that calls upon Catholics to pray and care for God's Creation. It starts September 1 and ends October 4th. It's a time to reflect on our relationship with the environment, how we live, and how our lifestyles impact the natural world, humans and other creature inhabiting it. This “time for creation” offers, in the words of Pope Francis, “individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation...". 

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops reminds us that “we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of Creation”. Pope Francis urges us to recognize our connectedness with the natural world saying, "Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it." (LS 139).  Advocating for Creation Care helps safeguard the inheritance the Creator has given us, ... an inheritance essential to our well-being. Pope Benedict XVI told us that protecting this inheritance is a way of fulfilling our role as stewards of Creation.

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: