CCHD - Boycott This In November - ALL Localities!

With all the rightly-placed focus on the elections that will occur in two days, I can understand that the upcoming annual CCHD collection this November has slipped the minds of many.  Alas, it is a reality that now cries for our attention.

In previous posts, I had suggested that we all boycott the CCHD collection in all localities with the exception of the Chicago Archdiocese.  At the time, their local CCHD director had taken significant steps to improve the grant-making process, defunding various progressive organizations and redirecting those monies to pro-life organizations and those actively engaged in the Works of Mercy.  Sadly, but not too surprisingly, that director was released from his position.  There was an internal drive to have him fired. 

This latest development in Chicago, plus the unusual delay in CCHD's release of the names of current grantees, leaves me with the regretable but necessary task of calling for the boycott of the CCHD in all locations, no exceptions.

Boycott CCHD Collection THIS Weekend!

(This originally appeared Sunday Aug 5th.  Now the collection is here - DON'T GIVE!)

The CCHD collection for the Archdiocese of Washington will occur on the weekend of Aug 11-12 (THIS WEEKEND!).  In the August 2nd edition of the Catholic Standard, Mark Zimmerman waxed lyrical about the "virtues" of the CCHD.  Read it.  Notice that one of the CCHD recipients is the Washington Interfaith Network.  Zimmerman describes WIN as being an organization that "advocates for the poor and forgotten in our community".  Well, not exactly!

At the very first glimpse of the WIN website, we see that they are an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation.  The IAF (and thus, WIN, the recipient of CCHD funds from the Washington Archdiocese) was founded by Saul Alinsky himself.  Barack Hussein Obama launched his career as a community organizer along the model of Alinsky, working for both the Gamaliel Project and the now-disgraced ACORN (the latter having received thousands from the ADW in the past).  Here are some quotes, by the way, from Rules for Radicals, Alinsky's signature work.  Notice therein the tribute to Obama issued by David Alinsky, Saul's son.

Now consider where this "community organizer" sits - in the White House.  He, with assistance from faux-katholics Nancy Pelosi, Kathleen Sebelius and others, have enjoined upon each and everyone of us a draconian mandate to fund abortifacients for everyone who thus demands them.  He has been propelled into power with the assistance of Alinskyan organizations such as WIN.  And the Catholic Standard continues to shill for them??? 

I will now go into another personal irritation with Zimmerman's shill piece.  He mentions "Gabriel Network of Prince George's County".  What???!!?!  Whazzup with this "of Prince George's County" nonsense???   The Gabriel Network is a state-wide organization that is over ten years old!   As a former board officer of the Gabriel Network, I am rather familiar with the structure of the organization - it is not limited to PG County.  This gaffe on the part of the editor of an archdiocesan publication is absolutely inexcusable!!!!

The Gabriel Network is most definitely a worthwhile charity, offering practical aid to mothers in crisis situations.  Here is their website.  If you are inclined to support their excellent work, please donate directly to them.  That is in fact a suggested practice for any favorite charity.  Donate directly to them.   Why trust a "middleman"?

To render more effective your boycott of the CCHD collection, I make available to you now a flyer that you can place in that CCHD collection basket.  Last year we sent this out as a postcard to Catholics in the Baltimore area to urge a boycott of their CCHD collection.  We didn't have time to do the same here, but you can still use this.  Print it out, preferably in color.  If you have a duplex printer, you can print the two pages on both sides (flipping on the long edge).  In the big white space, you can sign your name or write a note elaborating on the need for a boycott; of course you'll want to maintain respect and decorum as you write that note.  You can fold it and put it in your envelope if you use them.  Who knows?  If the chancery sees enough of these notes, they might finally wake up.

Those of you outside the DC area who might want to use this template for your own locality, please contact me via the comments and I'll be happy to email the original file (in Microsoft Publisher 2010) to you.

USCCB's Lame Defense Of The CCHD

Preface: As I was writing my commentary below, Stephanie Block's commentary was published on Spero Forum.  It is excellent and I recommend that all read it.
___________________________________

Well, it had to happen.  The USCCB has come out with an attempt to rebut the American Life League's report of ongoing misuse of Catholic donation dollars by the CCHD.  The USCCB rebuttal is here.

The USCCB alleges that ALL's report is nothing but a "repackaging of past charges already addressed by CCHD".  To the USCCB: What are some examples of these "past charges" that have been corrected?  I for one see no specific examples cited in the USCCB rebuttal.  If no evidence of reform exists, I think it quite fair for ALL to broach those charges again.

One paragraph in the USCCB missive states, "They rely almost exclusively on unverified web-based information and primarily on internet sites of organizations that are NOT funded by CCHD.  These accusations are almost always made without contact with the CCHD funded groups or diocesan staff."  Again, I'd like to see some specific examples.  While we wait for such (and please don't hold your breath), let's look at some examples where the damning evidence is indeed on the CCHD grantees' websites.

I wrote an article last month that was published on Spero Forum and Defend Life.  In it I examined some Maryland-based CCHD recipients.  In the case for "Out For Justice", I pointed out where the very act of CCHD's funding of Out For Justice put them in partnership with the Open Society Institute.  I then pointed out how the very website addresses themselves made plain that "People Acting Together in Howard" and "Partnership for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland" are branches (respectively) of the Industrial Areas Foundation and the Gamaliel Foundation.  Of course both these organizations - in their own websites - state quite openly their national affiliations with their Alinskyan parent organizations.

Here's a very confusing paragraph in the USCCB rebuttal: "Groups which work on legitimate issues were listed as 'partners' or 'members' of another organization which allegedly took actions in conflict with Catholic teaching. The CCHD funded group had never agreed to be a partner nor was a member of the other organization and had not participated in the development of an offending policy and was not even aware of the position that they were alleged to support. CCHD groups have asked that their names be removed and have protested the identification of their group with a policy that they had no role in developing, approving or advocating."  Some clarification is in order.  To wit:

• If a CCHD group was unaware of an aberrant position taken by another "partner" or "member" organization, how could they have known that they should "protest identification"? (Refer to underlined portion.)
• If indeed they were aware of another groups' anti-Catholic position and their name was misappropriated, why would not a CCHD group have initiated stronger action, such as a lawsuit?  At the very least, one might have hoped that they would post a disclaimer on their own site.
• Again (the perennial question), what are specific examples of such victimized CCHD groups?  Also please cite the actions they have taken to correct those unfortunate identifications.

Here's some more smoke and mirrors. "Other accusations involve several CCHD funded groups offering sessions on their good work at a large meeting of thousands of people and a thousand other workshops, including some workshops and other activities in conflict with Catholic teaching.  In researching these allegations with local dioceses and groups, there was no evidence of CCHD funded groups supporting or participating in the objectionable workshops or activity, but rather they shared their own experiences on issues of common concern with the Catholic community and CCHD."  I don't know of any conference, etc that offers a "thousand other workshops".  Usually these affairs offer maybe ten or twenty of them on given days during the conference.  By the very act of joining in a conference, an organization lends to other organizations the credibility (or lack thereof) of its reputation to that of the other organizations; conversely it assumes some credibility (or lack thereof) of the others.  Do the bishops think us so naive as to not realize that?  In fact, would they be so blithe if the CCHD were giving a workshop just down the hall from a Ku Klux Klan or neo-nazi workshop?  I think not.

Let me now call to all our minds an instance were indeed there was a real, authentic attempt to reform a diocesan CCHD program.  In August 2010, Rey Flores, who was then the CCHD Director for the Archdiocese of Chicago, did initiate some real reforms.  He rooted out a number of local grant recipients who were involved in anti-Catholic activities and replaced them with some pro-life pregnancy centers.  However, the old progressive cartel in the archdiocese, led by liberal priests, rose up to dismantle the reforms and to return the Chicago CCHD to its function of siphoning Catholic dollars to progressive organizations.  Flores himself was fired.  So much for "real reform" of the CCHD!  We heard not so much as one peep from the national CCHD office about this debacle in Chicago.  By the way, if ever there was a flouting of true social justice, it would be the treatment meted out to Rey Flores, who was fired for doing what he should have been doing - directing Catholic monies to worthwhile charities.  Where was the justice due to Flores, when he, a father of a young family was fired and had to scramble for another job to feed his children?

It is my serious contention that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is beyond reform.  It is a blight upon Catholicism that should be abolished as soon as possible. At the very least, it should be stripped of the name "Catholic" (which it did not have originally) and expunged from the Church.  Let's boycott any and all future collections and starve this nefarious beast.

Guess Who Baltimore CCHD Is Funding?

Just what stellar organization won grants in 2008 from Baltimore's Catholic Campaign for Human Development? Hint - you'll go NUTS over them!
Yes. Catholics of Baltimore, watch the following (two parts ) to see your contribution dollars - at work!




Now let's take a look at the Baltimore CCHD's 2008 Grants. Some careful examination is in order because this thing might be a bit tricky. For instance, look at the "National Economic Development Grants" section. What's the second item? Why, it shows that $35,000 was granted in 2008 to that same organization you just watched in the above video. Did you note the identical addresses? Just below that you read a disclaimer stating that "no national CCHD funds will go to ACORN.."

Well, that's nice! But what about local CCHD funds??

Go further down in that report - to "Local Grants". Does the recipient listed in item 4 look familiar? It would seem that between national and local CCHD, the would-be facilitators of underage prostitution received $45,000 of Catholic grants, funded (at least in part) by your donations during that second collection in November.

Speaking of November, yet another CCHD pew shakedown is looming upon us. Once again, we are urging a total boycott of this collection. Instead, please give directly to a truly Catholic pro-life organization, such as Human Life International, American Life League, Priests for Life or a truly faithful religious order such as Marians of the Immaculate Conception or the Missionaries of Charity.

The effectiveness of the boycott is magnified greatly if you communicate to the "boycottee" why they are being boycotted. Please go to this blog's sister site and scroll down halfway to the "Boycott the CCHD" posting. Therein you'll find some flyers that you may wish to put in that second collection envelope in lieu of money. Also, please see this page from the Catholic Media Coalition to see more ways that the CCHD monies are used to undermine Catholic faith and morals in public life.


Now it's time for another guessing game. What was one major catastrophic result of the CCHD/ACORN collusion? Give up? Well, here's a hint!

Yes, indeed. The Messiah Most Miserable got his start in Chicago as a "community organizer" for Alinskyite organizations such as ACORN. Currently ACORN is under investigation in several localities for alleged voter fraud - fraud that most likely put into the White House a most dangerous occupant - for the unborn children, the vulnerable sick and elderly and Christian civilization at large.

This Weekend!! Boycott CCHD Collection

Most dioceses still retain the old second collection schedule whereby the second collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development occurs in November.  A few years ago, as calls for boycotts resulted from the CCHD scandals unearthed by faithful Catholics, a few dioceses tried various tricks to sidestep boycott efforts.   One of these is my own diocese, the Archdiocese of Washington (DC).

They not only moved that second collection to August, they decided to combine it with the collection for the Catholic Communications office.  Thus not only did they reschedule it, they renamed it - ostensibly to recognize the other organization.  So now we have the "Catholic Communications and Human Deveopment" collection.

If you go to this page for the Archdiocese of Washington second collection schedule, please click on the link entitled "2016 second collection schedule", you'll notice that for most parishes, the CCHD collection will occur this coming weekend - that is, today and tomorrow.  I said "most parishes" for a reason.  My parish, according to its bulletin from last week (go here and click on the 7/31 bulletin and go to page 6) you'll see the CCHD collection scheduled for the following weekend.

I've written copiously about the many problems of CCHD, including its extremely inauspicious origins.  I needn't rehash all that here but now link to an anthology for your information.  I will highlight one of those posts for in it is a flyer that you can print and put in the CCHD envelope in lieu of money.

Please do not give any money to CCHD.  It's time to starve this beast once and for all.  Say #no2cchd.  Please spread this word on email and your social sites.

"Reform OF CCHD" - Smoke And Mirrors

You may recall that after the CCHD was embarrased by the publicity garnered by the ACORN scandals of last year.  ACORN, a major community-organizing conglomerate, made national news with its various corrupt activites including (but not necessarily limited to):

• Voter registration fraud
• Misappropriation of funds by high-ranking officials (most notably the Ratke brothers)
• Video stings showing ACORN giving advice on how to exploit underage girls for sex-trafficing to undercover reporters masquerading as pimps (This occurred in Baltimore!)

In the past, ACORN was a major recipient of CCHD funds.  Over the years, faithful Catholics have been warning the denizens of the CCHD, and the USCCB, of the corruption within the very foundation of ACORN.  Our warnings fell on deaf ears.  Thus, the humiliation of last year was long in coming - and totally avoidable.  The USCCB promised us that reforms have been undertaken, and now all is hunky-dorry with the CCHD.  Or is it?  The evidence points to the contrary.

Today the American Life League released a report of its review of the 2010-2011 CCHD grantees.  It is posted on the site www.reformcchdnow.com.  It is downloadable, as is the CCHD's list of grantees.  Take a look to see how the CCHD still funnels large sums of dollars donated by Catholic in the pew to organizations that work against the Church, against unborn children and that tear at the fabric of civilization itself.

For now, I'll direct your attention to pages 65-70 of that report, for it gives details on the anti-life leanings of a Maryland CCHD grant recipient, the United Workers' Association.  You'll see on that site how they've aligned themselves with Progressive Maryland and Equality Maryland.  On Speroforum is an expose on two other Maryland-based recipients of Catholic donation dollars.  Also on Speroforum, my colleague fron the Catholic Media Coalition, Stephanie Block has commenced a multi-part series that also examines recent grantees of CCHD funds.  Part 1 went online last weekend.

I will go out on a limb and say that there was no real intention on cleaning up the CCHD.  Ladies and gentlemen, it was founded with the intent of diverting the donations of unsuspecting and unquestioning Catholics towards "community organizing" outfits that are at emnity with the Church.  The empty promises of the USCCB to "reform the CCHD" was nothing more than a "CYA" strategem to once again lull Catholics into a false sense of well-being.  It's not working this time.  As more material is published online, I will be directing your attention to these.  We must all be informed.

For the Archdiocese of Washington, the CCHD collection has already occurred.  The collection for the Archdiocese of Baltimore is still in November.  I call upon all in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to boycott the CCHD collection this November.  Please redirect your donations to a truly Catholic and/or pro-life charity that will utilize your donations to the real benefit of people and the Church.

I now repost below an hour-long Vortex presentation on the CCHD, including its shady origins.  It's well worth the time spent in watching it.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.

Vortex - "CCHD Should Demand Return Of Grants"

Some folks opine that Michael Voris' Vortex is a tad too hard-hitting: that he's too strident and blunt.  Or, to use their politically-correct lexicon, he's "mean-spirited, unkind, uncharitable".  In this particular episode, I'm of the opinion that he may actually be soft-pedalling the situation a bit.

CCHD's Pathetic Excuse For Vetting

Remember how the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, in the afterthroes of the ACORN scandal, promised us that all was hunky-dorry with its "vetting process"?  Well, you'll be shocked (just SHOCKED, I tell you!) to learn that this wonderful vetting process isn't as wonderful as it was cracked up to be !  Surprise, suprise, suprise!!

Lifesite News has details of the NYC AIDS Housing Network, a current CCHD grantee, and its flagrant violation of CCHD guidelines.  In its distribution of condoms, it violates Catholic teaching regarding contraception.  NYC AIDS Housing Network allegedly lied to the CCHD when applying for their grant.

The USCCB wrote about this group on their Facebook page, "During the time it was funded by CCHD, the organization went through the same rigorous vetting process that included the support of the bishop. If at any point the the dioceses or CCHD had found evidence that the organization was in any way involved with condom distribution, the grant would have been immediately canceled. There was no evidence of this."  However, the group was listed as a condom distributer on a governmental website.  How is it that this "rigorous vetting process" failed to determine that?  Additionally, private investigators phoned the group and were told that they indeed distribute condoms.  I suspect that these investigators did not expend much effort to learn that information; could not the CCHD vetting crew have at least done as much due diligence?

Moreover, on September 22nd, Michael Hichborn of American Life League met with senior CCHD officials to discuss these findings with them.  At the time, they remained adamant in dismissing Hichborn's findings, preferring to rely only on their perfunctory phone call to the NYC AIDS.  One can reasonably assume that such was the "rigorous vetting" to which they subjected all their grant applicants - so much for their due diligence with the hard-earned money donated to them by the Catholics in the pews.

Let's take a look now at the CCHD Grant Agreement.  On that pdf, please go to page 5.  Of interest is Section G-2.  It says, "In the event of termination of this CCHD grant, USCCB shall provide Grantee written notice of such termination and of the cancellation of any portions of the grant that remain to be paid. USCCB may, in its discretion, require Grantee to  refund to USCCB the full amount of the CCHD grant and to transfer title to USCCB of any property purchased by the Grantee with CCHD grant funds."   Will the CCHD leaders have the decency to demand return of the money?  I think not, but not because they lack courage.  I think in many ways they are of like mind with the leaders of NYC AIDS and all the progressives who strive to undermine our Christian moral underpinnings.

Please boycott the CCHD and let's help bring this monster down.

Washington's CCHD Collection In August - Not November

A friend of mine alerted me to this  I wouldn't have learned of this otherwise, since I don't use parish envelopes. 

Anyway, the Archdiocese of Washington is doing their in-pew collection for the CCHD in August.  In prior years they followed the rest of the country in adhering to a November schedule.  Here is the link to the Second Collection Schedule.  There does seem to be some error here.  The hyperlink clearly says "2011 Second Collection Schedule", but the pdf itself does state "2012 Schedule".  Therein the CCHD is slated for August 12, which would be the 2012 Sunday.  However, my friend has confirmed that her envelope states that the CCHD collection will happen this coming August 14th.

I checked the schedule for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  Their CCHD collection remains in November - at least for now.  So why is Washington accelerating their CCHD collection?  One can only speculate, but perhaps one hypothesis is that the CCHD offices don't want you to be informed as to the usage of your donation dollars.  This blog, and others, devoted much time to detailing the sordid origins of the Campaign for Human Development (the word "Catholic" was a relatively recent addition to the term).  Were they trying to "get a jump on us", as it were? 

One indication of an affirmative answer to that question lies in the minor name change to the collection.  Look at the ADW schedule again.  Notice that it's called "Catholic Communications and Human Development".  So they removed "Campaign for" and replaced it with "Communications and".  Well, so much for that ploy!

I urge you all to put the words "CCHD" in the "magnifying glass" box and read the material.  In particular, I make two suggestions.  First, examine all the material supplied by the Vortex, particularly the "CIA" piece on the CCHD and Saul Alinsky.  Second, go to the top right-hand corner and click on the "Catholic Media Coalition" logo.  That will take you to the CMC page, which itself contains a wealth of information on the CCHD.  I also urge you to google the words "CCHD Stephanie Block".  Ms. Block is a CMC colleague who has done yeoman's work in researching the CCHD; read that material.  This information will give you ample reason to not only boycott this CCHD collection, but to encourage others to do the same.

Reason # 5,289 To Boycott The CCHD Collection - Say #no2cchd

Aleteia published a piece today by Steve Weatherbe entitled "Bishops React to Obama's Executive Order on Hiring Discrimination".  The article offers commentary on the USCCB's reaction of July 21 to Obama's action.  It's worth noting that one of the two authors is Archbishop Lori of Baltimore - who just applied for a federal grant to finance his aiding and abetting of illegal aliens.

He too seems to see through the smoke and mirrors that the USCCB is throwing up in the wake of this order.  They know that the federal funding spigot is about to be closed.  He quotes a statement by Michael Sean Winters of the Not-At-All Catholic Reporter: "Call me foolish, but I find it astonishing that a statement signed by an archbishop and a bishop on behalf of other bishops fails to mention God, makes no reference to the Bible, and is so utterly devoid of pastoral sensibility. This is the work of a lawyer, not a bishop."

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe this is the first time that I find myself in agreement with Winters.  They are not acting as successors to the Apostles.  Another "case in point" many years ago was the so-called "child-protection policies" crafted to ostensibly deal with the clergy sex-abuse scandal.  In the one found on the Archdiocese of Washington's site, not one mention of the words "sin" and "repentance" could be found.  They act like politicians, lawyers, insurance agents, social workers - anything but Catholic bishops!

Weatherbe also points out the reaction of Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities.  Apparently, Father is quite pleased with the executive order as it stands.  Now bear in mind that 67% of Catholic Charities' budget is funded by the US government.  A reasonable person might assume that Fr. Snyder would be concerned that his funding would be significantly reduced.  But he's not!  Why could that be?  I can think of only two reasons:

1. Father Snyder is hopelessly naive in thinking that federal dollars don't come with strings, OR
2. Father Snyder has no intentions of running counter to the "directives" to admit actively gay people into Catholic Charities circles.  They pulled out of gay adoptions, but that was largely at the orders of individual bishops.  Who can forget the lobbying firm, owned by an openly gay man, that they retained in 2011?  I'm also posting a video below in which Sister Jeannine Grammick of New Ways praises Catholic Charities for being gay-friendly; regrettably, she's probably correct. 

Guess which of the two I think is most likely the case?  Do we think it will be different for Catholic Relief Services or the Catholic Campaign for Human Development?  I certainly don't: especially when they're playing "henchman" for the Obama cartel's Central American human trafficking.

Next month the Archdiocese of Washington will have a second collection for the "Catholic Communications and Human Development Campaign".  It'll be during the weekend of Aug 9 - 10.  This is the third year, I believe, that they combined the CCHD collection with that of the Catholic Communications Campaign so that the name of the CCHD collection could be disguised.  As a further step in the deception, the ADW moved the CCHD collection from November to August.  The CCHD collection had come under well-deserved scrutiny and probably shrunk as a result.  They can't fool us.

I am urging a boycott of the second collection during the weekend of August 9-10 in the Archdiocese of Washington.  It is the CCHD collection.  Those of you in other dioceses should check to see when your CCHD collection will occur and boycott that.  Most are still in November, but some diocese have moved the collection.  At any rate, just say #no2cchd.   Now the video.  It's from last year, but quite relevant today.

Catholic Media Coalition: Boycott The CCHD Collection

The Catholic Media Coalition (of which this blog is a member organization) has released the following statement regarding this year's CCHD collection:

CATHOLIC MEDIA COALITION ENDORSES BOYCOTT OF ANNUAL CCHD COLLECTION

For years the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has awarded grants to organizations that work against Catholic teaching, particularly with regard to human life and marriage. Not only have donations from generous Catholics in the pew gone to groups that organize and lobby against Church teaching, but they have indirectly, and even directly, helped to elect liberal politicians who advance evil causes.

In view of the recent devastating report from American Life League and ReformCCHDNow which indicates that the problems continue and have even worsened, the Catholic Media Coaltion endorses a boycott of the annual CCHD collection and urges Catholics to give instead to local organizations that serve the poor. Crisis pregnancy centers, Catholic free clinics and food pantries, Catholic shelters and homes for unwed mothers, organizations that serve the third world through clean water and immunization projects are all worthy alternatives to CCHD.

Despite their assurances to the contrary CCHD continues to funnel a large percentage of donations into community organizing groups and coalitions that are hostile to the faith and undermine the family. That is, certainly, no way to help the poor.

Faithful Catholics of MD/DC, Inc adds its "amen" to that statement.
 
Update: the CIA episode to which I linked in yesterday's post is now in youtube format, so here it is.  Again, it's a long one, but only because it contains much worthwhile information.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.
 

Real Reform At Chicago CCHD!

Lifesite News reports that the Chicago office of the CCHD has undertaken significant reform since a new director, Ray Flores, took the helm a year ago.  He has moved to defund several recipient groups that espoused philosophies at variance with Church teaching in life/morality matters.

Local pregnancy centers have so far benefitted significantly.  One of them was able, as a result of monies received from CCHD, to upgrade to a 4D sonogram.  Hitherto, CCHD policy prohibited donations to pro-life groups (I believe that is still the case on the CCHD national level).  Chicago CCHD is now able to retain 50% of donations from the local parishes, as opposed to the 25% retention allowance for the rest of the nation.

Please read this entire Lifesite News report.  This is extremely significant, as the Chicago CCHD collection is the largest in the nation, and CCHD started in Chicago in 1959.

The question of the day is, "Will the national CCHD follow Chicago's lead and start to adhere to Catholic social teaching?"  At present, it doesn't.  Thus, at this time I must suggest another nationwide boycott of the CCHD collection, with the obvious exception for the Chicago area.

Local CCHD Funds Alinskyite Organization

If anyone thought that the local CCHD in the Archdiocese of Washington was not funding any innimical organization, please be advised that they are.  Proof can be found in the November 11th issue of the Catholic Standard, page 9.  If you don't have a copy, no problem - it's online right here.

We read that Holy Comforter-St Cyprian parish has a "relationship" with the Washington Interfaith Network (WIN), which in turn receives CCHD funding.  Let's look at the website of the Washington Interfaith Network.  Right off the bat we see that they are affiliates of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF).  Let's look at the "about the IAF", then "overview" page.  They unabashedly admit to being founded by Saul Alinsky, the self-proclaimed "radical" who has made it his publicly-stated aim to remake our country into his image of a socialistic utopia.  Read his book, "Rules for Radicals", obtainable anywhere online.  Read as he states quite plainly that he believed that the "ends justify the means".

Let's go to the "links" page and look at VOICE.  My colleague at Les Femmes, being based in Virginia, has done much research on them.  Rather than rehash what she's learned, I post two of her links:
http://lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/2009/09/fr-mitch-pacwa-and-thoughts-on-alinsky.html
http://lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/2009/09/fr-gerry-creedon-trivializes-murder-of.html
http://lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/2009/09/turn-up-heat-on-catholic-campaign-for.html

Have you noticed something that seems to be a problem for the CCHD, everytime there's an effort to convince Catholics that the CCHD is "on the up-and-up"?  Their very attempts betray more squalid associations.  They simply can't get away from the putrid stench of Alinskyite organizing.  I regret saying that there is an obvious reason to this plight of theirs.  That foul stench doesn't merely permeate them; it is the very essense of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Let's step away from the dubious entanglements and look at some of the problematic statements made by archdiocesan officials.  Anthony Bosnick, the director of the archdiocese's Department for Charity and Justice, stated that the CCHD helps to "reach out to the poor and vunerable and that's really the most important thing that we can do as a community."  Well, that's not my understanding of the mission of the Church.  As I see it, and as I've been taught, the primary mission  of the Church is about the saving of souls.  That's not to say that "reaching out to the poor and vulnerable" isn't important.  It is an important thing that we do, but it is NOT "the most important thing."  Msgr Charles Pope, pastor of the church mentioned above, said something similar, "Certainly care for the poor is central to the Gospel, and every Catholic should support the poor."  Again, is not eternal salvation central to the Gospel?  Of course it is.

Now why do you think there is the emphasis on "reaching out to the poor" at the expense of eternal salvation?  Here it is, in a nutshell.  Saul Alinsky, the inspiration behind the CCHD, was an atheist.  As a non-believer in eternity, he saw only the here and now as being reality.  Unfortunately, some of the apologists for the CCHD are unwittingly chanting that Alinskyan mantra, even though they themselves believe in eternity.

Again, I urge a complete boycott of the CCHD collection this weekend.

More Details On The Chicago CCHD Mess

Up until a week ago, I had advocated the boycott of the CCHD with the exception of the Chicago CCHD.  Just recently, I learned that the reforms of the Chicago CCHD were to be short-lived and gave some details in that post.  Please re-read it, as well as the linked article by Stephanie Block.

Today, Catholic Culture reveals that the backlash against the reform of the Chicago CCHD is spearheaded by - priests!  Regretably, I'm not surprised!  Father Larry Dowling of St Agatha's parish appears to be the ringleader.  According to Catholic Culture, he is a "community activist (organizer?)" who has his own squalid ties to pro-abortion groups; among these is the local Planned Parenthood.

So now we call for an "across-the-board" boycott of the CCHD collection in the entire country.

CCHD Monies Going to DC-Area Alinskyan Groups

I had searched the website of the Archdiocese of Washington (DC) to examine grants given to local groups, both from the national fund and the local fund. None were to be found. I contacted Mary McGinnity who runs the social justice efforts of the Archdiocese to ask where I could find these.

Ms McGinnity was very cordial and replied that many of her staff, including the CCHD Director, were laid off this past year due to cutbacks (I do remember that happening). She knew off the top of her head four local groups that received national funding last year. They are:

Washington Interfaith Network
Project Action
Partnership for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland
Empower DC

Let's look at two of these, one by one. As I describe each, please click on its hyperlink to note interesting and troubling points.

Let's look at the Washington Interfaith Network. Right away, you'll notice that it is an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation. This foundation was established by Saul Alinsky in 1940 "to restore the democratic way of life for modern society." Alinsky was an atheist and a socialist: qualities about which he was very frank in his book, "Rules for Radicals". In that book, he outlines what he considers to be principles for "community organizing": ostensibly to better the lot of marginalized people, but also to foster socialism. I would urge its close study, since that has become a key guidebook to all such "organizers", including Barack Hussein Obama himself. It is interesting to note that Alinsky dedicates his book to Lucifer, "the first community organizer..who at least won his own kingdom."

The motto that flashes through the lead WIN page is "we organize for power to transform communities." Well, gee whiz, if that's true, why did I not see any sign of them at last Sunday's "The People's Rally", where hundreds of local DC residents gathered to insist that they be allowed to vote on the DC Council's same-sex-marriage recognition? (Note: see my post a few down this page to see what happened at that rally).

Partnership for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland is an affiliate of the Gamaliel Foundation. An examination of their website reveals their position on the Obama health care behemoth before Congress. They itch for the public option and they utter not one peep in protest about the multiple threats to the unborn and elderly that is inherent in this bill. At the bottome of the Partnership website is a link to the Gamaliel Foundation website. Click on that and scroll all the way to the bottom. You'll see extolled thereon the Messiah Most Miserable himself; they gush over Obama's former affiliation with them. But wait! Who else appears on that page? Why, it's Valerie Jarrett, long-time Chicago-political-hardball crony of the Messiah Most Miserable. Now an organization such as Gamaliel that ostensibly prides itself on championing the poor and downtrodden feature a woman who has had uh, some troubles managing residential real estate?

While it's true that CCHD might have disowned ACORN (after many years of pleas on the parts of alert, faithful Catholics), recipient organizations such as the two just described do indicate that the CCHD remains unacceptable as a recipient of donation dollars on November 22.

We urge a complete boycott of the CCHD collection on November 21-22. Please visit the CCHD-related and ACORN-related posts on this blog for more information and tools for the boycott. Also, please visit the blogs listed at the right. I also urge close study of the information posted on the website of the Catholic Media Coalition. Comments and questions welcome, given the already-stated rules for such.

If You Saw Our Postcard

Welcome to this blog, if this is your first visit.  We are dedicated to reminding one and all of the timeless truths of our Faith and to bringing Catholics back to fidelity to the Magisterium.  That includes reminding of the primacy of the sanctity of life and family in matters of morals, as opposed to dilution and even pollution with other issues that can be a segue into socialism and eventual atheism.

The postcards that you may have seen, either in the mailbox or at church this weekend, are part of an effort to thwart the siphoning of Catholic resources that would otherwise be surreptitiously sent to organizations that are opposed to Catholic moral teachings.  The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), since its inception, has been an avenue for diverting the donations of sincere Catholics towards causes that they no doubt would find abhorrent.  You might remember that a few years ago, a "community organization" known under its acronym "ACORN" was involved in massive voter-fraud schemes in several states.  They were also shown to be coaching (undercover agents posing as) pimps into "best practices" for running brothels.  During the past few decades, the CCHD has funneled millions of dollars towards this nefarious organization.  We had been pleading with CCHD to cease these grants, but their ears were deafened to us.  Only when these scandals made national news was CCHD shamed into defunding ACORN.  However, CCHD continues to fund many other questionable organizations.

I link now to a previous post.  It was written just after we released our postcards into the mail.  In that post is a downloadable link to the postcard, as well as links to valuable background information regarding the CCHD.  Please take the time to study it.  I realize it'll take a bit of time, but there's years of sordid CCHD history with which you should become familiar as you evaluate any course of action to take with them.

Please boycott this collection and send your donation dollars to an organization that respects Christian morality and actually practices the Works of Mercy.  In your collection envelope next week, you might want to write a note explaining why you won't donation.  For instance, you could write, "I cannot donate to CCHD because it funds organizations that work to undermine the Catholic faith and Christian morality".

Please spread the word.  If you use Facebook and/or Twitter, please use hashtag #no2cchd.  Thank you.

CCHD And CRS - And Time To Boycott The CCHD Collection Again - Say #no2cchd

My Catholic Media Coalition colleague Stephanie Block recently published an article entitled "What Is Going On With Catholic Relief Services?"  I urge all to read it, as well as previous blog posts here regarding this entity.  She points out that CRS has a history of providing only real aid to needy people overseas, but has been going astray since it started receiving government funds in 1961 and then it started spouting "community organizing noises" like its CCHD cousin.  So what induced CRS to accept government funds?  I suspect such acceptance was merely par for the course, owing to the fact that CRS, like CCHD, is under the direction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  There are some who hold out a hope that these two organizations can be reformed.  Not I.  The entire USCCB needs to be tossed into the garbage.  But that is way in the future.  Right now we have another related duty that requires immediate attention.

Right now the federal government is operating under reduced capacity.  While the federal government has shut down many times in the past, never has it shut down under such a petulant man-child like Barack HUSSEIN Obama.  Life could go on as normal were it not for the fact that he and his Minions Most Mindless, particularly those in the Senate, are doing all they can to maximize discomfort to vulnerable people: aged veterans, military families, etc.  All during this, though, folks are beginning to wake up to the fact that Obamacare will be an unprecedented disaster.  But how did Obama get to the position that he currently holds?

In large part, we have the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to thank/blame for this mess.  Over the years, they have diverted millions of dollars (mostly collected during the November collection) to "community organizing" organizations who have in turn helped Obama and other progressives advance their political careers to where they know are in positions to inflict incredible damage.  Think ACORN, Gamaliel Foundation, PICO, etc - just a few of the recipients of Catholic cash.  Put "Catholic Campaign for Human Development" or "CCHD" in this blog's search box for much more information (actually, those phrases are hyperlinks).

Traditionally the CCHD collection was held in November throughout the US.  Because of the well-deserved criticism and the resulting boycotts of the collection, some dioceses have been holding their collections at other times (and even disguising the names, as did the Archdiocese of Washington) to catch us off-guard.  The DC collection was held in August, but was met with our "say #no2cchd" campaign.  Most of the nation's dioceses, however, will still conduct their CCHD collections in November - in other words, next month.  Click on the above link for more information.

Perhaps if the CCHD collection had dried up a few years ago, Obama's career might not have gotten off the ground.  Let's ensure that no other progressive lout derives benefit from our collection dollars.

Baltimore CCHD Directly Funding Promotion Of Contraception And Abortifacients

On the website of the Baltimore CCHD is a list of its grantees for 2013.  Notice under "local grants" that $13,000.00 of donations bilked from Baltimore-area Catholics went to an organization called New Lens.  They appear to be a youth-targeting community-organizing bunch that specializes in the usage of new media to sell its philosophies and wares.

A look at New Lens' "projects" sub-page gives more detail regarding the misuse of Catholic donations.  They work with "a wide variety of organizations and topics".  These organizations include Planned Parenthood and ACLU.  Using their new media training, proteges of New Lens have produced a video about "making good contraceptive choices for the Health Department of Baltimore City".  Now ponder this, if you will.  Catholic donations are being used to shill for contraceptives and abortifacients, and this promotion is then being donated to the City of Baltimore?  It's bad enough that the City of Baltimore would do this deed on their own, but now Catholics are donating to this over and beyond their tax dollars?  Ladies and gentlemen, how many things are so wrong with this picture???  Anyway, here's the results of Baltimore Catholic dollars - promoting contraception and abortifacients.  Now here's another video, a joint effort of New Lens and Planned Parenthood, called "Birds and the Bees".  If you do watch this, pay attention to the girls on the swings.  There is an outright lie regarding Plan B; it acts by inhibiting implantation of the newly-conceived child into the uterus.  That is an early abortion.  The video ends by thanking Planned Parenthood of Maryland and referring additional questions to them.  So Catholic dollars are purchasing free advertising for the death peddlers known as Planned Parenthood.

UPDATE - Michael Hichborn of American Life League has placed much of the New Lens information into a Power Point presentation.  The pdf of that is located here.  Please download it for your reference.

I understand that the Archdiocese of Baltimore will hold its in-pew collection for the CCHD during the weekend of Nov 23-24.  Might it not be time to say #no2cchd?

ADDENDUM
I forgot to provide some historical perspective.  This is NOT the first time that Baltimore CCHD directly funded immoral activity.  Four years ago this blog reported that Baltimore CCHD funded a local ACORN office that James O'Keefe targeted in one of his stings as ACORN staffers advised him on "best practices" for running a brothel filled with underage girls.  The post is here.

With this in mind, we cannot reasonably ascribe the New Lens funding to inadvertent error.  Think of it; I and others easily exposed New Lens as peddling instruments of baby-murder.  A little "due diligence" on the part of Baltimore CCHD staff would have revealed the same information.  Do we really believe that people with any modicum of intelligence and integrity would not have learned from their lessons of four years ago?   In all honesty, I believe that Baltimore CCHD directors are completely complicit in funding grave moral evil.  Do we have all elements necessary for mortal sin to have been committed - in the name of the Archdiocese of Baltimore?

Baltimore Catholics, please boycott your CCHD collection.  Say #no2cchd.

More CCHD Follies At The Bishops' Meeting!

As if we needed yet more reasons to deny them another penny of our hard-earned money, the CCHD committed some more nonsense.  Well, I suppose they're just being who they are.

From the National Catholic Reporter we read the CCHD bestowed upon Rosibel Mancillas Lopez the Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award at the bishops' meeting in Baltimore on November 14th.  Cutting through the NCR's liberal-code talk, we see that she helps illegal immigrants continue to break US law.  Although this young lady is studying law, she seems to have little appreciation for it - and she seems not to have much grasp of Catholic morality as she thinks she has.  While she talks of "the rights of immigrants", I see absolutely no mention of the immigrants' corresponding obligations to obey the laws of their host country. 

When she complains that "immigrants are stripped of their human dignity just because they were born in a different part of the world", she misstates the matter to the point of being absolutely disingenuous.  It is not a "stripping of human dignity" to insist that they obey the rule of law that is enjoined upon one and all who live and seek to come to this country.

As you read the NCR article, you'll notice that Lopez got her start in a church affiliated with the San Diego Organizing Project.  If you've read any of Stepanie Block's articles, you'll recall that it is a PICO affiliate - in other words, a "community organizing" bunch.  PICO lent its support to the Obamacare bill that is ensconsing abortion into our cultural landscape with our tax dollars.

Further down the article, we read that Lopez was commended by Bishop Soto - the same bishop who wrote that lame excuse for a rebuttal of the American Life League's well-documented report on the current dismal state of affairs at the CCHD.  I dealt with that here. 

By the way - after you read the NCR article, read the comments at the bottom.  They're quite heartening!  Many people are seeing through the smoke and mirrors of the CCHD.

Enough of Lopez.  In an earlier NCR article, you can read how the "CCHD wants to woo back bishops who left the reservation campaign".  As you read this, just imagine a scene from the "godfather" movie, where the old man says "I'll make an offer he can't refuse" or something to that effect - you get the point!  Does that mean there's arm-twisting going on in Baltimore even as I type this post?

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS GIVE TO CCHD!

BOYCOTT THE CCHD COLLECTION!

CCHD = Catholics Colluding with Homosexual Deviants

What else would you call this?  I'm talking about the (drum roll, please!) "41st Annual Social Minstry Convocation".  It will happen Saturday, Feb 29, at Mercy High School in Baltimore MD. 

Take a visual stroll through this flyer.  It's chock-full of the usual "social justice" dribble: environmentalism, poverty, immigration, etc, with one striking addition.  Item 9 touts a workshop entitled "Why Our Parishes Need LGTBQ+ Ministries" - for safe places and all that!  You notice there's no talk of assisting these people out of their sinful lifestyles.  Given what we've seen of St. Ignatius and their group, we could safely surmise that these "ministries" aren't much more than dating services for deviants.  In other words, these "ministries" are about the sordid business of cooperating with mortal sin.  Is that what they mean by "social ministry"?

Now go to the very last page, the registration section.  To whom does one make their check to attend this gab-fest?  Why, to CCHD/Archdiocese of Baltimore!  So the Archdiocese of Baltimore is actually putting on this claptrap?  Well, let's look at their own webpage versus the flyer, which was found on St Matthew's site.  Shrewdly they did not post that flyer on their own site, but they do tout this "convocation".   Now look at the subpage for the awards presented.  You see that the same awards mentioned are similar to those in the flyer.  Despite their attempts to be discreet about their pro-gay shilling, Baltimore's CCHD has been caught with its hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.

So can one imagine CCHD facilitating sinful conduct?  Would they do it for any other destructive lifestyle choices, like usage of "recreational" drugs?  Well, yes.  Nationwide, they have given grants to marijuana farms and funded needle-exchange programs. 

As if we needed it, here is yet another reason to boycott the next CCHD collection.  For Baltimore, that will happen in November.  If you need additional reasons to boycott the collection, I'm sure some will sprout up between now and November.