[Apologetics] Fwd: Urgent-- please pass on to your pastor!

Thu Nov 13 18:39:06 EST 2008

Dear friends,
Please see the below email we received from our pastor in Norcross, Fr. David Dye, regarding the proposed second collection that was to be taken up during all masses this weekend to benefit the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  Apparently this money is being spent in ways that faithful Catholics would very much disagree with.  This is an archdiocesan wide collection, if not nationwide, so please pass it on to others.  Beneath Fr. Dye's words is more information a friend sent me on an appeal that was sent to the US Catholic Conference of Bishops.
Love in Christ,
Julie

A second collection was scheduled for this weekend’s Masses for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).  I have decided to postpone this collection.

There is an envelope in your packets for this collection.  Any cash or checks made out to Mary Our Queen received in these envelopes will be given to our own St. Vincent de Paul Society.  Checks made out to CCHD, if the donor can be determined, will be returned and if not, will simply be destroyed.

CCHD made grants to ACORN, the community development organization that has been much in the news lately, in the amount of slightly more than 1.1 million dollars.  In June of this year, it was discovered that one of the principle leaders of this organization embezzled over a million dollars.  CCHD stopped all further grants at that time.

Because of its many associations with groups that are blatantly in opposition to Catholic moral teachings, gifts to ACORN from funds collected from Catholics in the pew are highly questionable.  This, coupled with the scandal of embezzlement, makes me think it is inappropriate to ask for gifts at Masses at this time.

There are many other allegations of grants being made to other groups that are blatantly opposed to Catholic moral teachings.   Some of these organizations are alleged to be controlled by individuals who support the radically dissident group Call to Action, a group outside the Church which seeks to organize laity against the church.

There has been for some years an ongoing debate and criticism about CCDH making grants in opposition to Church teachings.  It seems to me to be too uncertain to pass the collection baskets for CCHD at this time.

Faithfully yours in Christ Jesus,

Fr. David Dye

Laity for Life has asked the bishops to permanently cancel the
annual Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) collection.

See press release below and a PRESS KIT at http://www.LaityforLife.org.

Fran Griffin

BISHOPS URGED TO SHUT DOWN CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Click here to view the PRESS KIT.                              
Lay Group Calls for Disbanding of Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Ties to ACORN, embezzlement, and funding of left-wing
causes cited

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND- A lay, pro-life Catholic organization has called on the U.S. Catholic Bishops to disband the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). "For years, Catholics have supported -- unwittingly -- left-wing pro-abortion causes when they donate to the annual CCHD collection," said Kathleen Sullivan, Chairman of Laity for Life, Inc. "It is outrageous that millions of hard-earned Catholic dollars have been funneled from CCHD into ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) and other radical causes."
Laity for Life, Inc. has submitted a resolution to Bishop Roger P. Morin, Chairman of the CCHD Subcommittee of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), to dissolve the Catholic Campaign for Human Development at the Bishops' meeting this week in Baltimore. The resolution has also been submitted to other key bishops who are attending the conference.
"ACORN received $1,037,000 in 37 grants in 2007 from CCHD, and $7.3 million over the past 10 years," explained Kathleen Sullivan, Chairman of the Board of Laity for Life based in Naples, Florida. "Ralph McCloud, the Executive Director of CCHD, has admitted that some funds donated by the Catholic campaign went into voter registration drives in "swing states" during this 2008 election. Many of these are currently being investigated by the FBI. This is an outrage."
The link between ACORN and the Obama campaign has been widely reported in the media. An October 26, 2008, article in The National Catholic Register, "ACORN's Collection Plate Money" describes how the Catholic Campaign for Human Development "aggressively funded ACORN as it undertook new voter registrations - mostly in states that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama needs to win." See http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/16313.
"The CCHD has 'suspended' but not cancelled the grants to ACORN in light of the $1 million dollars embezzled by ACORN's founder, Wade Rathke. But this is not good enough. It has long been known that funds donated in this annual national collection in Catholic parish churches on the Sunday before Thanksgiving have gone to projects and activities not in concert with the teachings of the Catholic Church, " Mrs. Sullivan said. "It's high time that CCHD bit the dust."
Laity for Life's proposed resolution states that "From its earliest years of funding Marxist-organizer Saul Alinsky's Industrial Areas Foundation, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has been embroiled repeatedly in public controversy resulting from its funding highly politicized left-wing organizations and activities, many of which have operated in blatant contradiction to Catholic doctrine and teaching."
The proposed resolution says that the ACORN controversy "has necessitated further expenditure of already strained USCCB time and resources for 'forensic accountants' and other investigative efforts."
In addition, it discusses the fruitless repeated efforts over the years by bishops to reform the funding policies of the CCHD to bring them in line with Catholic teaching and doctrine.
In light of the fact that the CCHD not only is not in conformity with Catholic principles and doctrines but instead embroiled in controversy over its funding of left-wing causes and campaigns, the proposed resolution states: "BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is hereby dissolved, effective immediately," and that there be "the immediate withdrawal of all outstanding CCHD funding commitments."

"We hope that Bishop Morin and all the prelates attending the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting will quickly act to abolish the CCHD," Mrs. Sullivan concluded.
An electronic press kit with the proposed resolution and more information is available. See the Laity for Life website at www.LaityForLife.org, e-mail Laity for Life at info at LaityForLife.org or contact Kathleen Sullivan at 239-417-9436.

PRESS KIT:
http://onekit.enr-corp.com/1004691/

CONTACT Kathleen Sullivan
239-417-9436
email                                                                                  
INFORMATION LINKS
Resolution to Disband CCHD

Phyllis Schlafly on "The Catholic Connection to Obama"
Catholics for Obama from CatholicDemocrats.org

WEB LINKS
Laity for Life

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