TexLaMex, Jan 2005, Page 3

Father John Korcsmar and Barbara Budde flew from Austin to Redondo Beach for the Annual Target Meeting with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (C.C.H.D.)  The purpose of the Target program is to center the justice agenda in the life and mission of the diocese and of the parishes.  Of course, the annual collection for CCHD is one area of concern,  but also teaching the social doctrine of the Church, helping people to be aware of the needs of the poor are also part of their mission.   CCHD funds projects which are proposed and planned by the poor (at least 51% of the board of directors must be involuntarily poor--priests, brothers, and sisters do not count towards the 51% because they are voluntarily poor).  Austin Interfaith has been funded by CCHD.

John noted that Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in New Orleans received a CCHD Stewardship Award in 2004.

There were many things discussed at the CCHD Target meeting:

The Poverty Awareness program is done during each January by CCHD.  Among the information to be found there:

• For the third consecutive year, the poverty rate and the number of Americans living in poverty both rose from the prior years. Since 2000, the number of poor Americans has grown by more than 4 million. The official poverty rate in 2003 (the most current year for which figures are available) was 12.5 percent, up from 12.1 percent in 2002. Total Americans below the official poverty thresholds numbered 35.9 million, a figure 1.3 million higher than the 34.6 million in poverty in 2002. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003, Current Population Reports, August 2003)
• On average, one out of every three Americans - 34.2 percent of all people in the United States - are officially classified as living in poverty at least 2 months out of the year. (U.S. Census Bureau, Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty 1996-1999, July 2003.)
• The number of Americans living in severe poverty - with incomes below half of the poverty line - increased by 1.2 million in 2003, to 15.3 million. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003, Current Population Reports, August 2003)
• Since 1999, the number of poor Americans suffering from "food insecurity" and hunger has increased by 3.9 million - 2.8 million adults and more than one million children. In 2002, 34.9 million people lived in households experiencing food insecurity - that is, not enough food for basic nourishment - compared to 33.6 million in 2001 and 31 million in 1999. (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Household Food Security in the United States, 2002, October 2003.)
• The American Midwest and South saw the greatest numbers of people entering poverty in 2003; the number in the Midwest rose from 6.6 million to 6.9 million, while the South rose from 14 to 14.5 million people. Yet the two regions stand at the opposite ends of the percentage of people living in poverty for all regions in America. In the Midwest, 10.7 percent of all people live in poverty, compared to 11.3 percent for the Northeast, 12.6 percent for the West, and 14.1 for the South – the highest of all. And within those regions, the central cities and the suburbs saw the greatest rise – to a combined rate of 12.1 percent and 28.4 million people in 2003, up from 11.6 percent and 27.1 million in 2002. (U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003, Current Population Reports, August 2003)

Interesting facts for a Congregation that sees the option for the poor as a mission priority.

You can see more at http://povertyusa.org or at http://pobrezausa.org.  There is information and resources there that can be used in parishes and in Catholic schools.

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