Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
May God bless you! During his visit to Brazil, Pope Francis said, “The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need” (World Youth Day, Address, July 25, 2013). With these words, our Holy Father continues to bring our attention back to the poor and our responsibility toward them.
This weekend, parishes in our Archdiocese will take up the collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). CCHD responds directly to Pope Francis’ call by addressing the root causes of poverty in the United States.
Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) is a project funded by the CCHD that helps those in poverty help themselves. EPOCA works to change the future for men and women returning to society after incarceration. It created the campaign “Jobs Not Jails,” a jobs program for low-income, high-crime neighborhoods that offers residents hope and saves two billion tax dollars that would be spent on new prisons.
EPOCA also works to enact policies that offer people a chance to rebuild their homes, finish their education, and gain marketable job skills. CCHD supports EPOCA because it fights for the dignity of every person and implements structural changes that make our communities stronger for the future.
Twenty-five percent of CCHD donations stay in our Archdiocese, and closer to home, CCHD collection dollars help to fund efforts at Catholic Charities to provide furniture for those in need and the Caring Place in Lebanon, Ky., a crisis center for victims of domestic violence.
Help to defend human dignity and show Christ’s charity to those in need by supporting the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. For more information about the collection for CCHD and the groups it funds, please visit www.povertyusa.org.
You and your family are in my prayers.
Sincerely yours in our Lord,
Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
Archbishop of Louisville
