Bishop Soto Named Chairman of Subcommittee on Catholic Campaign for Human Development

WASHINGTON (November 19, 2010) — Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, has been named the new chairman of the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the domestic anti-poverty program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The appointment was announced November 17, during the executive session of the Fall General Assembly of the USCCB.

“I am honored to have the confidence of my brother bishops as I assume the chair for the subcommittee for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” said Bishop Soto of the appointment. “CCHD has been an important national pastoral enterprise dedicated to infusing American Society with the Catholic values of human dignity, solidarity, and communion.”

Bishop Soto succeeds Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Mississippi, who in his last public report to the bishops said, “At this time of growing poverty, we need a renewed, strengthened, faithful CCHD more than ever.” The bishops expressed their gratitude for Bishop Morin’s leadership in challenging times.

On the recent Review and Renewal of CCHD, Bishop Soto said, “I am grateful for the work of the previous committee that has re-tooled CCHD so that it can be even more effective in its mission. I am eager to have CCHD serve as an agent for bringing the pastoral priorities of the USCCB to the neighborhoods and towns where Catholic people strive to practice their faith, especially those who are poor and marginalized.”

He added, “My committee will continue to monitor the progress for the implementations of the new guidelines. God's people are the Church's best resource for the mission of New Evangelization. CCHD will continue to invest in them so that they can be the protagonists of the Gospel, announcing the joy and hope of the Lord Jesus to a weary world.”

Bishop Soto has served as bishop of Sacramento since 2008. He is chairman of the USCCB Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church, a member of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, and a consultant to the Committee on International Justice and Peace. He has also served as chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) for the past four years.

Founded in 1969, CCHD’s mission is to address the root causes of poverty in the United States by promoting community self-help organizations and transformative education. To learn more about CCHD, visit: www.usccb.org/cchd/
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Keywords: Catholic Campaign for Human Development, CCHD, U.S. bishops, anti-poverty program, USCCB, Bishop Jaime Soto, Sacramento, chair, chairman, subcommittee, self-help, Review and Renewal, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops