| The following comes from a November 8 story in the Wanderer. Catholics who are conservative, either politically or theologically, have been critical of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) for at least 15 years. The criticism, in print and online, though pointed and persistent, has been largely unproductive. Part of the reason for this failure is the limitation of the criticism to doctrinal matters, principally surrounding abortion, contraception, and homosexuality. But, the fundamental problem with the design of the CCHD grants process is ideological…. [On November 6] Californians voted on an initiative proposition to raise the sales tax rate for all citizens, and increase the state-income tax rates for upper-income earners. California already has the highest sales tax and the second highest income tax in the country. The proposed increases were significant, perhaps enough to cause some very affluent people to move from the state. How surprising, then, to find that the California branch of PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing) donated $259,000 to the campaign to pass Proposition 30. In the 2011-2012 grant year, Catholic Campaign for Human Development awarded 12 grants totaling $470,000 to PICO-affiliated organizations in California, more than half of its total California grants. The goodhearted Catholic givers could not realize that Pico California had enough cash that it could donate more than half the amount received from the Campaign to the campaign for Proposition 30, an initiative to which many of the givers were opposed. This unfortunate situation is made worse by the fact that PICO California’s ally in supporting Proposition 30 was the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. The Alliance is the successor to California ACORN. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stopped funding ACORN in 2008, but the end result of funding PICO affiliates is that the same old activists were empowered. Of course, not one in a hundred of the generous people who donated the $470,000 to the PICO groups is aware of this problem, and some will say that the political dollars were not the donated dollars. But the commonsense view is that this problem is another example of the need to fully and forthrightly disclose to Catholic givers the design of the Catholic Campaign grant program. |
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“of the need to fully and forthrightly disclose to Catholic givers the design of the Catholic Campaign grant program” ends the article. That’ll never happen! I once went through the list of groups getting CCHD funds and it was very evident who these groups were, very left wing, very anti-capitalist, very strident, very community organizing, very social justice. The surveys of the Catholic vote in last week’s election might give you a hint, but it is hard to tell how really screwed up are the minds of the pew potatoes. If the CCHD gave a listing of their grantees to the typical PP with a truthful description of what that group is really up to (political, abortion, same sex marriage ideology) would the PP be abhorred and not give? Would they say “that’s great, I’ll give more”? Would they shrug their shoulders and not care? It is in their self-interest for CCHD to only use ‘heart wrenching adjectives’ in describing who gets the cash and keep the ‘dirty little secrets’ hidden. It does take some time to investigate these groups but I believe most PPs prefer to embrace that Capital Sin, SLOTH!
Until and unless the USCCB stops giving to politically motivated groups, or groups that oppose our religious beliefs, we must not donate to CCHD (Campaign for Human Development) or CRS (Campaign Relief Services).
The CCHD national collection is this Sunday the 18th.
(You may want to drop a note in the collection plate why you will not give to the CCHD or other USCCB collections – so your Bishop will understand the problem.)
Btw – you already give to the USCCB itself through your regular Sunday collection. Each Diocese is assessed by the USCCB to pay for the bureaucracy.
We do have an obligation to help the poor, so please consider giving DIRECTLY to the Catholic charity of your choice. Cut out the middle man which cuts down the administrative costs as well – meaning more of your money going directly to the poor.
Donations of money, food, or clothing would be helpful.
For the latest 2012 -2012 comprehensive report on USCCB donations to groups supporting abortions, gay-marriage or marxism:
search:
” Reform CCHD Now “.
For more info on CRS in 2012 search:
” Catholic Relief Services Scandal hits the blogosphere ” LifeSiteNews.
(Also search: ” Defrauding the Faithful ” by ChurchMilitantTV. )
These “Catholic” community organizing groups are the religious face of the secular democrat socialists because they promise government money not only to the citizens, but to the organizations themselves. I ended SDOP at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in San Diego and one here at St. Mary because they dismissed our Catholic issues in favor of social welfare, but not true Catholic social justice.
Thank you Father for speaking out.
Catholics wake up. This is all bad enough, but if the HHS mandade continues, you will really see what poverty really looks like.
On another note, taxing the wealthy will not get us out of the economic or spiritual mess we’re in.
During the election, many of us handed out the Catholic Non Negotiables in Spanish at the SDOP run parishes….suffice to say, not one person was aware of these. But they sure knew that if the voted for Obama, they would get stuff. As well as the Dream ACT, etc.
We have a fifth column in our Diocese and the Bishop and the priests in those parishes allow it.
Please get active and tell your priest NOT to allow this collection.
I stopped contributing to CCHD about 25 years ago when the Wanderer exposed the corruption of the program. It’s about the same that Cardinal Mahony forbid the putting copies of the Wanderer in church vestibules.
Aaaaargh! Conservatives are going crazy (in other words libertarian)! A conspiracy around every corner! I am unwittingly giving to the CCHD because I drive on roads built by the state of CA!! If the Big One hits CA, I am not accepting ANY disaster relief or one bottle of water. Who know what I would be supporting unwittingly!?!?
Katherine, when you donate directly to a Charity or to a secular organization such as Red Cross, etc., you know exactly what you are doing.
It’s the FRAUD of the CCHD and CRS that allows one to assume that our money is only going to organizations only to help the poor,
and that do not conflict with our religion.
At the televised USCCB Conf, it was stated that 70% of the money to supposedly help the poor – recd by CCHD and CRS comes from the government.
This is an eye opener and tells you why the USCCB violations continue.
Please go to the sites in MIKE’s post above.
He is providing links to prove the statements are 100% accurate.
Follow the money.
CCC: ” 1759 An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6).
The end does not justify the means. ”
We must cut the cancer out of our Church.
Earth to Katherine. If you do not think we’re in a spiritual warfare and that the enemy utilizes ‘useful idiots’ to say there’s no enemy and it’s all our imagination, then you really are ‘useful’ indeed! Just look around us…who would have thought even five years ago we’d have same sex marriage PASS in state voter referendums?! Who would have thought that millions of our Church donations would have gone to support abortion, homosexual and militant anti-American groups? What amazes me is that there are so many gullible souls who think this is a big joke and that those of us who smell a rat when there’s definitely a rat are wackos. The so-called big one has already hit California , but they don’t know it yet…it’s all in our fervid imaginations that your state is already burning. Sometimes the biggest disasters are not earthquakes and hurricanes…sometimes they are man-made. I don’t mean it uncharitably, just sayin’.
The conspiracy theorys are starting anew. When President Bush, the younger, was in office he tried to use all of the faith based organizations to help distribute goverment services to poor people. He was hailed for his good deeds. When President Obama uses faith based groups to distribute government services it is suddenly a sin. I know a little about how government programs are run and how the money gets to the street level where people need services. If organizations that met all of the Catholic requirements that many on this site expect them to meet, there would be no services. The government itself is not set up to do a lot of things at the street level. The “Obama Care” law is an example on this point. It does provide for contraceptives and abortions. We don’t approve of that. But is that “fault” of the plan reason enough to throw out the whole law? Now, the HHH mandate is another story, because it is an infringement of religious liberty and we should fight it with vigor. But refusing to provide basic health insurance services to the rest of the population because of one of our beliefs is a bit far fetched. Did you notice in the last campaign that the Romney camp went after contraceptives and took the whole issue of abortion out of the argument? The problem with that is that 90% of the women in the country support the use of contraceptives, even when they don’t support abortion on demand. That was one of the reason for the huge loss at the polls. There were many similar mistakes, and the all involved people telling women how to control their bodies. The problem is that most women were not listening or were discusted with some of the campaign comments – like new definitions of rape, stupid comments on basic biology, etc. I think that the right wing religious conservatives, like us, drove the voters to the liberal side.
Lesson learned honorable children friend: know, I mean really know every and any organization and all of its layers of benefactors connections before you think about giving them even one penny. There is so much deception going on that even organizations complimented or even sponsored by the church that you think would be safe and would support your christian values have turned their energies and our church contributions against us, our own free will. Recall back in the 2008 election campaign era it was reported even in the main stream news media of people donating to deceptive organizations posing as some group they really weren’t and in turn sending our donations to the arab world which found its hard to track various ways in the Al-Quada weapons trenches to kill our own soliders and marines. Once again beware where we donate our charities.
Also see: “Ripping Off the Flock 11-15 ” by ChurchMilitantTV”.
CCHD gives $50,000 to group advising prostitutes on how to “avoid cops” in Cardinal Wuerl’s Diocese of Washington DC.
Pete, I watched the video. You have accurately related what Michael Voris reports in the video. Unfortunately, Mr. Voris has misrepresented the information in the grant report from Reform CCHD Now. The group that issued the pamphlet that Mr. Voris reports on was not given any money by CCHD. However, the organization that received a grant from CCHD posted a link to the pamphlet on its blog. That was the complaint.
Thanks k. Sometimes Mr.Voris goes abit overboard in trying to state his case.
There are two political parties in the United States today: the Evil Party, and the Stupid Party. I’m a proud member of the Stupid Party. This time, it looks like Catholics have been stupidly aiding the Evil Party.
USCCB needs to close it CCHD office immediately, bank the funds for real Catholic charities and let the CCHD staff go. This is so long over due it’s scandalous.
Just the title, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, is enough for me to question where the money is spent. Beautiful California, going mentally ill. Once again, my grandmother always said, ” evil is insanity.” “Come Holy Spirit come, by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.” The world in turmoil, look to the Queen. Viva Christo Rey!
Catholic Charities give Christian’s monies to Acorn community organizers. Not a penny for them. Save your money for when our bishops allow Personal Parishes. I do contribute substantially to my OF and EF parishes, hope not too much of that filters down to evil communist organizers.