Catholic Social Ministry Gathering

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Register Now for the 2023 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering

Register Now for the 2023 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/CSMG-logo.png.jpg 512 237 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png October 26, 2022 October 26, 2022

“Blessed are the Peacemakers” (Mt 5:9)
January 28 – 31, 2023, Washington, D.C.

Don’t wait, special early bird registration ends November 15!

Don’t miss this transformative annual gathering for leaders in Catholic social ministry and advocacy! This year, we will gather in person to pray, learn, and advocate together on our Catholic call to help heal a world broken by conflict, division, and inequality.

For more than 30 years, the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) has brought together hundreds of current and emerging leaders in Catholic social ministry from across the United States, including bishops, diocesan, and parish leaders, as well as representatives of major national and international Catholic organizations, volunteer organizations, and university faith and justice programs whose faith inspires them to address pressing current domestic and global challenges affecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at home and around the world.

Dynamic and thought-provoking presentations and workshops will invite us to work together as a Church to think creatively and boldly about how we can create opportunities for healing and renewed encounter. Then, we’ll raise our voices in solidarity by advocating with our members of Congress.

This year’s in-person gathering will include:

Inspiring leading voices in Church and society.
Workshops with policy experts and community leaders.
Intentional opportunities for best practice-sharing
Resources from dozens of Catholic social ministry organizations.
Advocacy visits with elected officials.
And much more!

Financial assistance is available for leaders from under-represented ethnic, cultural, or disability communities. The program at CSMG 2023 will include offerings for Hispanic/Latino leaders who play an important role in forming disciples on mission in their communities. Act now to be part of our special initiative for young leaders in Catholic social ministry and learn more about our Diversity Outreach Initiative.

Join the discussion and be part of the solution! Don’t wait, register before November 15, 2022, to take advantage of special early bird registration.

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A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1-20-2022

A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1-20-2022 https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Matambanadzo_Pam_lo-res.jpg 1365 2048 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png January 19, 2022 January 19, 2022

Connect, Learn, Pray and Advocate!

Each year at the end of January, Catholic leaders gather in Washington, D.C. for the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG). For the past 30 years, this has been a must-attend event! I was fortunate to attend the last two in-person events in 2019 and 2020. As I reflected on how best to share the experience, I realized that a large part of what ignited me was the gathering in one place. There is something to be said for stepping away from our daily grind to connect, learn, pray, and advocate for others. This year, as we did last year, CSMG will be meeting virtually.

While, yes, it does not have the same level of impact as traveling to D.C., nor the wealth of knowledge gained in the weeks leading to the gathering – the planning, scheduling, and getting to know like-minded people that I would not otherwise have met – the Hill visits (Capitol Hill) themselves are structured in such a way that you are not randomly seeing any representative. When we do the Hill visits you visit your representative as a constituent.

I have been able to apply all the things I have learned through the CSMG to issues that come up locally. You see, living in Chicago we have a huge homeless population. While we may say the poor will always be with us the situation becomes hard to look at when the temperature dips as it has done. I know that my Conference alone cannot solve the problems of homelessness. Using what I learned preparing for my Hill visits with CSMG, I was able to confidently send an email to my alderman asking if he might spare some time to talk about the plight of our neighbors sleeping in tents under the viaducts and on the lakefront. We center a large part of the work we do towards wrap-around services for those homeless, but we are well aware that alone, the problems are insurmountable.

When doing Home Visits, we pray to ask the Holy Spirit to be with us so that it is with Christ’s eyes, ears, and heart that we see those we visit. In a continuation of the same process, when we advocate, we leave ourselves behind so that we are only speaking for those we serve. Our work as Vincentians affords us an opportunity to know the plight of the poor in the many ways we serve. We should not shy away from putting a face to the statistics that our legislators use to develop policy.

Pope Francis in his book, “Let Us Dream: The Path to A Better Future,” refers to the pandemic as our “Noah Moment.” We are being tested. We have an opportunity to help shape the world and rebuild a more just world. Since we continue to climb “the stairs to the poor man’s garret, sitting by his bedside, feeling the same cold that pierces him,” it is now time for us to be the vessels that carry the message.

Please consider joining us at the 2022 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering. Let’s connect, learn, pray and advocate together.

Sincerely,
Pam Matambanadzo
SVdP National Board Member