How many times were you asked as a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I remember having countless different answers (teacher, marine biologist, veterinarian, doctor), but never did I answer "I want to be a social worker!" I doubt that I even knew what a social worker did and would likely have never thought I would become one. Although there are likely a number of factors that came together to bring me to the field, I usually credit my first internship with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development during my freshman year of college as the start of it all.
Because I had such positive experience with CCHD I have been saddened to watch extremists right winged political pundits smear the name of the program and those associated with it. No, CCHD is not a traditional charity, that is not the point of the program. Instead of handout food or clothing, CCHD attempts to alleviate domestic poverty by looking at the root causes of poverty and responding with programs derived from the two major thrusts of the program: community organizing and economic development. Some may view the Church's involvement in this sort of social justice activism as 'radical,' but my question to them is, was not Jesus quite the radical in his own time and place? His message of love was not all about butterflies and hugs. His message vigorously questioned and challenged the status quo so the dignity of all people would be respected. Is not CCHD attempting to do the same?
The following is another more comprehensive response to the anti-CCHD chatter by a National Catholic Reporter columnist:
An indecent, unchristian witch-hunt National Catholic Reporter
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
How is it that such a large portion of the Church firmly believes that working with non-Catholics to alleviate poverty is "anti-Catholic"? It is incredibly disturbing to me that so many people cannot look past two specific moral differences and be willing to do good with people who disagree. This attitude strikes me like the Pharisees in the Gospels.
ReplyDeleteIt also begs a question for me: what's "worse," supporting homosexual relationships or allowing unjust social systems to keep people impoverished?