Parishes can play a significant role in preparing the faithful to cast their votes in the November elections, said a national Catholic lay leader.
Tom Chabolla, associate director for programs for the Washington-based Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), urged parish leaders to get involved in equipping their parishioners with critical thinking skills rooted in a faith perspective as voting decisions are pondered and made.
More than 100 parish leaders, teachers and religious participated in "Getting Ready to Vote: Faith, Justice and Elections 2004" sponsored by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary at their Provincial Center in Montebello Aug.29.
"Our faith gives us a lens through which to see the world," said Chabolla. "The church is to be the sign and safeguard of human dignity in the world." Chabolla previously served as director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The CCHD is the domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops.
For Catholics, the principal question is how they can leverage their formidable institutional experience, social position and moral framework when it comes to establishing local, state and national laws and policies that govern the country and have world-wide impact.
Chabolla said he doesn't propose that Catholic parishioners be urged to vote as one national bloc. Rather he advocates that Catholic parishes engage in non-partisan activities like voter registration or facilitate discussion groups to reflect on upcoming election ballot measures. A Catholic social teaching component could be added to already existing parish activities.
Part of the Aug. 29 workshop included a session led by Social Service Sister Martha McCarthy in which participants deliberated the pros and cons of the 16 California initiatives citizens will vote on in November. Sister McCarthy directs education and member services for Jericho, an interfaith, non-partisan public policy organization.
While many people equate faith with trust, Chabolla suggested that faith also informs a person's decision making. "Faith is the hierarchy of our values…the values that guide you," he said.
Among core Catholic values, he added, are an appreciation for the dignity of each person, the importance of the family, concern for the common good, care for creation, and recognition of the rights and responsibilities of each person.
"The lens of justice is a wide-angle lens that sees a broad spectrum of issues that promote or threaten human dignity," he said.
As electoral candidates offer economic plans to voters, Chabolla offered some startling statistics voters would do well to keep in mind in evaluating the merits of any proposed programs.
In the U.S., said Chabolla, some 10 percent of families own 70 percent of the wealth (including investments, homes, pensions and cash, minus debt). Of this 10 percent, one percent owns 40 percent of the wealth.
The middle class and the working poor, left with the remaining 30 percent, can maintain an appearance of wealth through the use of credit cards, he added. But more and more "many people use credit cards to pay electric bills and make ends meet," he said.
Admittedly, while it has been more difficult for Catholics to have influence on the national level, more is possible on the local and state level, said Chabolla. "Parishes as institutions have a critical role in the community around them," he said.
Parishes will have a greater impact as they work towards a clear vision of how to engage in local issues, he added.
Workshop participants said they would return to their parishes and schools with new ideas for how to get more involved in the upcoming election. John Hernandez, parishioner at Our Lady of the Assumption in Claremont said he was interested in assisting the homebound in his parish to vote.
Tom Portman, a social justice teacher at Loyola High School in Los Angels, said he hoped to guide his students in learning how to make "good moral choices" even before they reach the voting age.
Guadalupe Coronado, catechist at St. Martha Church in Valinda and president of Hispanic Leadership, said she hoped to encourage parish-wide reflection on election issues and encourage more Hispanics to get involved.
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary Sister Cathy Minhoto said she was pleased to see people working towards becoming "true global citizens." There's growing recognition, she added, "that what I do or we do as a country has consequences throughout the world."
Sister Minhoto --- who coordinates the justice, peace and environmental activities of her religious order internationally --- said she hoped that the U.S. could transform itself from a "superpower" to a "servant power of Jesus."
The day concluded with Eucharist celebrated by San Gabriel Region Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala. Editor's note: Election resources for parishes include the Faithful Citizenship parish resource packet through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; a CCHD web site www.poverty usa.org; and Jericho's site www. jerichoforjustice.org which has "Jericho's Summary of California's 2004 Ballot Measures." |