Catholic Charities Connections
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National disaster training CATHOLIC CHARITIES coming to Little Rock . 10 ‘Choose Life’ license plates support diocese’s adoption agency . 11 SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS CATHOLIC •Connec CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF ARKANSAS • 2415 N. TYLER ST. • LITTLEt ROCK,ions ARKANSAS 72207 • JUNE 20, 2015 AT A GLANCE Catholic Charities of Arkansas serves DACA dream leads to Notre Dame ■ Adoption Services: Birth Door opened when parent services, adoptive family services and search Castellano got legal and reunion status, work permit ■ Immigration in North- west Arkansas: Family-based legal assistance, domestic hen he was 3, Agustin violence and crime victims Sanjuan Castellano was services, refugee resettle- brought to the United ment, employer trainings, States. He doesn’t re- Wmember anything about his birth education and advocacy, legal assistance with applica- country, Argentina. tions for DACA “All of my memories are from the United States,” he said. ■ Immigration in Little He grew up never knowing he Rock: Family-based legal was diff erent from his classmates assistance, domestic violence in one vital way: Castellano had and crime victims services, overstayed his visa, unknowingly supporting survivors, legal becoming one of the thousands assistance for foreign nation- of undocumented students in Ar- al priests, legal assistance kansas languishing with uncertain with applications for DACA, futures. education and advocacy Castellano fi rst learned he was ■ Parish social ministries: undocumented when he was 13. Parish-based ministry devel- He remembers students talking opment, disaster recovery about going to high school and parish-based teams, emer- learning to drive and he went home gency assistance and spoke to his parents. Th ey told ■ Social Action: Prison him he wouldn’t be able to get a ministry, Catholic Campaign driver’s license because he didn’t for Human Development, have immigration status in the legislative advocacy, alcohol U.S. Although his parents wanted Agustin Sanjuan Castellano receives his diploma from principal Ilker Fidan May 22 at Lisa Academy, a STEM charter and drug, Catholic Charities him to have the better education school in Little Rock. He will enter the University of Notre Dame this fall. Summer Institute and opportunity the U.S. off ered, Castellano found many doors were remembers his parents calling old when they apply but not older opportunity for me,” he said. “A ■ Westside Free Medical shut to him. him to watch President Barack than 30 as of the date of the an- new world had suddenly opened Clinic: Medical and derma- Castellano wanted to go to col- Obama’s announcement on tele- nouncement; be in school, have up all of a sudden and there were tology clinics for noninsured lege, but he knew he wouldn’t vision about immigrants who were graduated from high school or ob- so many possibilities for me. Peo- adults, outreach and com- qualify for in-state tuition or gov- brought to the U.S. as children. tained a GED; came to the United ple don’t understand how diffi cult munity education ernment grants. He knew he could Obama described an administra- States prior to age 16; have been it is when you can’t just get a job ■ Development: Grants only go to college if he earned aca- tive program call Deferred Action continuously residing in the U.S. and a driver’s license like every- management, Bishop demic scholarships. He was inter- for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, since at least June 15, 2007; and one else. Th is was an opportunity McDonald-Catholic Charities ested in math and science and in which was intended to allow some must pass a criminal background for me to be on a level playing Golf Classic, Catholic Relief 2008 he entered the sixth grade at young people to remain in the U.S. check. fi eld.” Services Rice Bowl and St. Lisa Academy, a charter school in provided that they meet certain Th e announcement gave Cas- As soon as Castellano turned 15, Nicholas Partners Little Rock. criteria. In order to qualify, ap- tellano hope. On June 15, 2012, Castellano plicants must be at least 15 years “I felt like this was a fresh new See Dream page 2 FOR MORE INFORMATION Catholic Charities of Arkansas 2415 N. Tyler St. Why we need RFRA and the Fortnight for Freedom Little Rock, AR 72207 (501) 664-0340 n the Arkansas debate over the then check a popular Arkansas specifi cally have been under seri- Morse, of telegraph fame, gained www.dolr.org Religious Freedom Restoration blog. Blog comments, given unre- ous political attack for some time. greater notoriety in his day not for Act (RFRA), one of strained voice by their At the time of the Declaration of being an inventor, but for being a CATHOLIC CHARITIES’ the main arguments pseudonyms, seethe Independence, to be a Catholic in much sought after speaker who MISSION STATEMENT Iused by opponents with religious bigotry. America meant to live in a colony fi lled halls lecturing on the evils of The mission of Catholic Chari- was that it was unnec- For a current view that did not allow the free practice the Catholic Church. ties of Arkansas of the Diocese essary. RFRA oppo- of religious bigotry of the Catholic faith. Even after the Even the Ku Klux Klan spent of Little Rock is rooted in the nents blithely asserted in its crassest form, U.S. Constitution was signed, sev- a disproportionate amount of its challenge of the Gospel: To there was no religious Google “Sisters of Per- eral of the states still maintained history practicing hatred against serve persons who are poor discrimination — cer- petual Indulgence.” anti-Catholic laws. New York, for Catholicism. or marginalized; to advocate tainly not in Arkansas. For this internation- instance, did not allow Catholics Today, secular political forces on behalf of the most vulner- Religious discrimi- ally chartered group, to vote or hold public offi ce until attack key tenets of the Church. able; and to actively promote nation is rampant in no sacred aspect of well into the 1820s. Th e so-called Oregon, California and New York, charity, justice, and the sanc- America and in Arkan- Catholicism is beyond “Know-Nothing” Party, active un- since the early days of this century, tity of life in the Church and sas. Just say the word pornographic assault. til just before the Civil War, was a have imposed on the Church, as an the community. “Catholic” or “priest” From the Director Religion in gen- nativist political party dedicated out loud in public, Patrick Gallaher eral, and Catholicism to anti-Catholicism. Samuel F.B. See Freedom page 2 2 ARKANSAS CATHOLIC CATHOLIC CHARITIES[ TOPPER OF] ARKANSAS June 20, 2015 BRIEFS Disaster training coming diocesan and parish ministry-based behalf of a parishioner staff and volunteers for disaster ■ The amount and purpose of the Catholic Charities USA will host strategies specific to the unique request its national Applied Institute for needs of the diocese and parish. ■ The circumstances that created Disaster Excellence at the Arkan- The tentative schedule for the the need sas 4H Conference Center in west institute may be found at http:// ■ Whether one-time financial Little Rock Nov 2-6. bit.ly/ccusatraining. assistance will resolve the issue AIDE is an annual training pro- Lodging, meals and training ■ Who has the most pressing gram that equips the Catholic materials for those registering need Charities network, diocesan and before July 31 is $479. After July ■ How well the need can be parish staff and partner agencies 31, the cost rises to $525. For those documented such as the Society of St. Vincent within commuting distance to the ■ Available funds, especially in rela- de Paul and the Knights of Colum- 4H Conference Center, a special tion to days remaining in month bus, for their roles in disaster pre- rate of $250 has been arranged. ■ Source of referral to Catholic paredness and response. Funding to assist parish and Charities “This is a once-in-a-lifetime diocesan representatives defray It is important to note that opportunity for parishes in our the costs is available. For informa- EA does not involve case man- diocese to take advantage of cut- tion on funding, contact Gallaher agement. Contact with people ting edge instruction,” said Pat- at [email protected]. requesting assistance is handled rick Gallaher, executive director of CNS / Jake Lyell, CRS almost exclusively by phone, fax, Catholic Charities of Arkansas. Relief for Nepal quake Earthquake survivors are seen amid aid supplies from Catholic Relief Ser- and e-mail. However, having vol- AIDE is a hands-on conference vices near a village in Gorkha, Nepal, May 3. CRS has committed $10 million The Diocese of Little Rock’s col- unteers, interns and seminarians providing instruction on prepared- to Nepal’s relief and recovery from two powerful earthquakes. all working with EA means that ness, response, recovery and miti- lection for Nepal currently stands at $71,532.73. The money will be more time can be spent with each gation training. The goal of the Rice Bowl helps here people have called EA for help. person reaching out to us. conference is to make parishes directed to Catholic Relief Services Eighty-two people, about 12 per- more resilient in the face of catas- to assist victims after two power- CRS Rice Bowl fights hunger cent, received financial assistance. Envelope for poor fund trophes. Because of its central ful earthquakes struck there April around the world, but it also helps Because CRS Rice Bowl is the location in Little Rock, parishes 25 and May 12. When the second people in need here in this dio- main source of funding for EA, This issue of Arkansas Catho- from Arkansas and the border- earthquake hit, CRS teams were cese.