Useful Resources for Dioceses & Parishes
From its inception in 1993, the USCCB Environmental Justice Program
has sought to urge Catholics throughout the country to become more
aware of the links between reverence for the environment and social
action on behalf of those negatively impacted by the environment.
As a result, a primary thrust of the program has been to develop local
programs and local leadership to ensure that the message of environmental
justice became part of the fabric of Catholic life, especially as
that life impacts low income communities. One of the ways this has
been accomplished is through a grants program.
The first grants were rather small ($500 to $2,000) to assist parishes
with projects ranging from community gardens to school curriculum
development to community education campaigns. EJP funded over 130
such projects. Later, larger amounts of money helped fund projects
that were state-wide or regional in scale. Unfortunately, the ability
to fund such projects is no longer an ongoing part of our program
on a consistent basis.
Nevertheless, we share with you stories of some of these programs
in the hope that you might want replicate one of these projects in
your own parish or diocese. We have organized many of the small grants
according to the categories found in the 1993 U.S. bishops' statement,
Communities of Salt and Light . This document suggests that the best
social ministry programs are those that are integrated into all aspects
of parish life, rather than being add-ons or optional efforts.
> Education
and Youth Ministry
> Family,
Work and Citizenship
> Outreach
and Charity
> Legislative
Advocacy
> Organizing
for Justice
> Building
Solidarity
> Bishops' Statements
> Columbia
River Project
> Northeast
Bishops’ Letter on the Environment
> Alaska
Bishops’ Letter on Subsistence
> Nathan
Cummings Foundation Projects
> Examples
of Regional Grant Awards
> From
the USCCB Office for Publishing Services
> Catholic
Coalition for Children and a Safe Environment
(CASE)