Catholics learn how to ‘keep working for change’ through their legislators
By Armando Machado
When the state Legislature convenes Jan. 13, elected officials can expect to hear about poverty, immigration and other social justice issues from Catholic constituents like Nancy and Paul Orlowski.
Programs designed to help the poor are “very dear to my heart,” said Nancy Orlowski, a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Bellingham. While attending a Dialogue for Justice session at her parish last fall, Orlowski was disappointed to learn that insufficient housing for the poor remains a significant problem in Western Washington.
“It kind of made me realize that things take a long time to change,” she said. “I’m impatient. But it’s very important to stay the course, and to keep working for change.”
That’s what organizers of Dialogue for Justice aim for Catholics around the archdiocese to do, both during and after the 60-day legislative session. “Over the last four years we have taken significant cuts in social services, and we’d like to restore some of those if it’s possible,” said Dominican Sister Sharon Park, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference.
Dialogue for Justice is an archdiocesan-wide initiative coordinated by the conference, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington and the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center.Last fall, Sister Sharon conducted Dialogue for Justice regional gatherings at Sacred Heart Parish in Bellingham, St. Michael Parish in Olympia and St. James Cathedral in Seattle. During the sessions, more than 200 people were educated about the state’s needs in the areas of housing, temporary assistance for needy families, health care and immigration.
Catherine Grunenfelder, who attended the Olympia session, found the gathering valuable as she prepares to attend her fifth Catholic Advocacy Day. “It gives me the opportunity to hear that information early on, get updated on the current situation, and then receive the most current information on advocacy day,” she explained.
Participants in the educational sessions were encouraged to educate others in a variety of ways — by inviting relatives and friends to Catholic Advocacy Day, holding informational meetings in their parishes and urging people to contact their state legislators.
At St. James Cathedral, Catholic Advocacy Day will be promoted through the parish bulletin and coffee hours, said Patty Bowman, the parish’s director of social outreach. In addition, “we’re going to ask each person who attended last year not only to attend this year, but also invite five other people to attend with them,” she said.
Join the effort “Proclaim Justice & Life for All” is the theme of this year’s Catholic Advocacy Day, slated 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 21 in Olympia. Participants will hear legislative briefings, attend Mass and then meet with their legislators. Bus transportation for registered participants will be provided from several locations in the archdiocese. Register by Feb. 1 by visiting www.ccsww.org/dialogueforjustice. For more information about Dialogue for Justice or Catholic Advocacy Day, call 206-328-5792 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloakdad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addydad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b = 'dialogueforjustice' + '@'; addydad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b = addydad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b + 'ccsww' + '.' + 'org'; var addy_textdad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b = 'dialogueforjustice' + '@' + 'ccsww' + '.' + 'org';document.getElementById('cloakdad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b').innerHTML += ''+addy_textdad73403defd1d1a54264a9f5896795b+''; .
January 7, 2014