This site provides a wealth of resources for both new and experienced diocesan directors and contacts as well as tools to facilitate interaction between diocesan directors around the country and CCHD national staff.
Foundational Resources from Justice, Peace and Human Development
The following resources are available on the JPHD Resources and Tools page. (Recursos para la misión social)
The Two Feet of Love in Action (English and Spanish)
Catholic disciples on mission are called to put Two Feet of Love in Action! This foundational tool describes two distinct, but complementary, ways we can put the Gospel in action in response to God's love: social justice (addressing systemic, root causes of problems that affect many people) and charitable works (short-term, emergency assistance for individuals).
Sacraments and Social Mission (English and Spanish)
This resource series can help you to better understand the connections between the celebration of the sacraments and our social mission as followers of Jesus and the Body of Christ.
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
The Catholic bishops of the United States are pleased to offer once again to the Catholic faithful Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (en Español), our teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. This statement represents our guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy.
Catholic Social Teaching Resources (English and Spanish)
Catholic social teaching is a central and essential element of our faith. Discover resources, handouts, videos, and more about CST.
Catholic Social Teaching Timeline Activity
How well do you know your Catholic social teaching documents? Challenge yourself with this activity, which can be completed either individually or in small groups. During the activity, you will increase your familiarity with the major social teaching documents and explore the development of the Church’s social teaching since 1891.
Sign up for JPHD emails, including the Notes for Neighbors newsletter, action alerts, and CCHD updates.
Educational CCHD Resources and Events
Telling the Story of CCHD
Being able to effectively articulate the Catholic mission and identity of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is essential for all diocesan leaders. This resource can help you explore more deeply why the work of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is, at its core, an irreplaceable expression of our Catholic faith and mission.
Poverty Education
The following resources will help Catholics engage in meaningful discussions about poverty in America today.
PovertyUSA.org | PobrezaUSA.org
Poverty USA is an initiative of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and was created as an educational resource to help individuals and communities to address poverty in America by confronting the root causes of economic injustice—and promoting policies that help to break the cycle of poverty.
Follow PovertyUSA on Facebook and Twitter.
Celebrate Poverty Awareness Month in January
During Poverty Awareness Month, join the U.S. Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and the Catholic community in the United States in taking up Pope Francis' challenge to live in solidarity with the poor!
Building Diocesan Capacity (Coming soon)
Catholic Social Ministry Gathering and annual CCHD Directors Meeting
For more than 30 years, the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG) has brought together hundreds of participants whose faith inspires them to address pressing current domestic and global challenges affecting our most vulnerable brothers and sisters at home and around the world. Be sure to come for the annual CCHD Diocesan Directors Meeting at the beginning of CSMG.
Helping People Help Themselves
CCHD's quarterly newsletter, Helping People Help Themselves, features a message from the Director, Ralph McCloud, and offers inspiring examples of the good work CCHD funds.
Journey to Justice Day Guidebook
Journey to Justice is a day-long retreat that facilitates an experience of encounter with persons living in poverty and helps participants grow in understanding of the root causes of poverty in their community and reflect on how the Gospel challenges us to respond.
Youth and Young Adult Resources
Poverty USA Student Action Project
This project uses Catholic social teaching as its starting point. It is grounded in the belief that our faith calls us to engage in both charitable works and social justice. Our Catholic social tradition can be summarized in seven themes, which run through each of the lessons in this toolkit.
Ending Poverty in Community: A Toolkit for Young Advocates
This resource is an interactive, interdisciplinary curriculum for youth ministry programs and high school classrooms. The lessons will introduce participants to the epidemic of poverty in the United States and to the steps they can take to work with the poor in eliminating the root causes of poverty today. The curriculum comprises six lessons with classroom-ready handouts, warm-up exercises, and reflection activities that reinforce student learning and inspire a faith response.
Creating on the Margins Contest (English & Spanish)
The Creating on the Margins contest toolkit provides a framework and sample materials for dioceses, parishes, and schools to adapt and implement locally. By implementing a local contest, you can help middle school and high school-age youth to learn about poverty in the U.S. and reflect on its causes in light of their faith and the Church’s work to address it. Youth then create artwork in any medium (painting, song, video, PowerPoint, short story, poetry, drama, or photography) in order to share what they have learned with others.
Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award
The Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award, an activity of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, recognizes the leadership, energy and diverse skills that young people bring to the anti-poverty work of low-income projects and Catholic parishes. The Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award highlights the gifts of young leaders and their Gospel commitment to the poor.
Stack of the Deck Game (English & Spanish)
This experiential educational activity uses three volunteers and a series of guided exchanges of playing cards to illustrate how a person's background, experiences, and choices can impact his or her opportunities and economic status.
Take a Step Activity (English & Spanish)
This activity gets participants participants out of their seats to prompt reflection on the "unequal playing field" that benefits some while leaving others behind.
Scripture and Justice Timeline Activity
This activity illustrates how Scripture provides a foundation for our concern for those who are poor and vulnerable.
Biblical Justice Challenge
There are hundreds of passages in Scripture that exhort us to work for justice. In this fun activity, small groups compete to find scriptural references related to concern for those who are poor and vulnerable.
Start a Campus Partnership to Address Poverty
CCHD funds a number of stipend-provided summer, semester, and year-long internships for Catholics in the United States to gain experience working with and on behalf of the poor. These internships occur in around thirty CCHD diocesan offices in the United States.
CCHD internships combine practical work in carrying out the mandate of CCHD at the local level, opportunities to develop relationships with community leaders, reflection on Catholic social teaching, and opportunities for sharing the experience with other CCHD interns.
View Diocesan Director training videos and presentations.
(Password required. Contact your Grant Specialist for access.)