Called to be givers when giving is hard for all

BY BISHOP HOWARD J. HUBBARD

The economic woes of the past two months have been catastrophic. The meltdown on Wall Street has set in motion a domino effect that has implications for people from Main Street to the foremost corners of the globe. 

There is anger towards corporate executives and financial speculators whose greed and irresponsible behavior created this nightmare, and towards governmental leaders who enacted policies which failed to regulate properly the so called "invisible hand" of market forces, and who, then, "bailed out" the perpetrators. 

There is also fear about the future as people seek to deal with shrinking 401Ks and soaring healthcare premiums, transportation costs, and mortgage or rent payments. And there is a specter of further business failures, job losses and an inability to balance the family budget in what is projected to be a long and painful period of economic recovery.

Economists have described what is happening as the "perfect storm," creating an economic disaster analogous to the devastation Hurricane Katrina wrought upon New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. 

Everyone is being affected to one degree or another by this economic downturn. But the group that will suffer the most is the poor. 

Prior to this economic tsunami, six percent of our nation's workforce was unemployed, 40 percent of workers were earning less than what economists deem a living or sustainable wage, 37 million Americans were living below the federal poverty line, and 45 million Americans lacked healthcare insurance. 

What will happen when the full extent of this economic deluge trickles down remains to be seen. However, we can be sure of one thing: the impact will be felt most severely by the poor. 

For those at the margins of our society, this economic crisis will not be the matter of a devalued portfolio, but of going without the basic necessities. This winter, many low- and middle- income families will be forced to choose between food, fuel or medicine.
That is why the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is more critical than ever before.

Founded by the bishops of the United States in 1970, this campaign has sought to create a greater awareness among our Catholic community about the plight of poor in our nation and to assist poor and low-income groups to help themselves by developing the skills and resources which will enable them to break the vicious cycle of poverty. 
These programs consist of a variety of approaches, ranging from policy changes affecting the minimum wage or creating affordable housing, to reforming education curricula and tackling the systemic causes of poverty in our country.

CCHD has sought to promote the social teaching of our Church stemming from Pope Leo XIII's 1891 landmark encyclical, "Rerum Novarum," and upheld by all subsequent popes. This social teaching challenges the basic assumptions that have led to the present crisis: namely, that economic and market forces are autonomous and not subject to moral judgment. 

Rather, Catholic social teaching has always stressed the priority of labor over capital, of people over profits, of the common good over personal gain, and of the needs of the weak over the demands of the strong.

This teaching also insists that the government does have a responsibility to intervene to prevent market outcomes that are harmful for the society at large.

That is why the present economic meltdown provides opportunity to revisit an economic system that has become ruled by greed and unacceptable risk, and to insist upon much higher standards for the conduct of our economy. 

As we review this system, it is critical that the poor have a voice at the table. 

Yes, in the short term they will need financial assistance for food, clothing and shelter to weather the present economic storm. But equally, if not more important, the poor must be empowered to help shape an economy that is more just, equitable and humane.
This is what CCHD has been seeking to do for the past 38 years. In our diocese, for example, CCHD is funding four projects designed to make positive and lasting change in the lives of the economically deprived:

• The United Tenants of Albany works on low-income housing problems with a combination of direct services to tenants and community organization activities. 

• The Albany Community Loan Fund strives to revitalize neighborhoods by acquiring and renovating deteriorating building that are, then, sold to low-income families. This land trust mechanism of individual ownership enables these homeowners to build equity for their families and preserve housing stability and affordability for future generations.

• ARISE (A Regional Initiative Supporting Empowerment) works with 30 church organizations and community groups in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties to make the voice of the poor heard in the corridors of government. 

• The Capital District Community Loan Fund has enabled socially-conscious donors and investors to pool funds and make affordable loans to non-profit organizations and to minority and women-owned businesses. Over the past 23 years, the loan fund has provided over $20 million, with a default rate of less than two percent.

I am proud to have been a member of the CCHD committee for the past 30 years, three of these as chair. I can testify not only to the empowerment and development it has fostered among the poor in rural and urban areas of our diocese but in every part of the United States.

The mission of CCHD, which has raised over $400 million since 1970, is supported primarily by the annual collection taken up in the parishes of our nation. 

When the collection is conducted on the weekend of November 23-24, I asked you to be especially generous. 

Indeed, given the tenor of the times, I urge you to contribute not only from your abundance but from your sustenance so that we can enable the poor not only to survive our present economic difficulties but to also become self-sufficient and productive members of our community.

(11/20/08)