Help address root causes of poverty through supporting Catholic Campaign for Human Development

“I have Loved You” (Rev. 3:9)

“We must talk about poverty, because people insulated by their own comfort lose sight of it.”

This quote from Servant of God Dorothy Day would make most of us uncomfortable, which would seem to be the point. How easy it is to not see or to ignore the suffering of those who experience poverty? How easy it is to accept simple answers that only judge and place blame on those who are poor instead of taking a deeper look at the root causes of poverty.

Our Church does take this deeper look and does not shy away from it through the work of the Catholic Campaign of Human Development (CCHD), the anti-poverty initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The collection for CCHD will take place at your parish during the weekend of November 14th and 15th. Your support assists with this initiative to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations, and through transformative education.

Founded in 1969, CCHD’s ministry for justice is rooted in our baptism and faith commitment. The grants, economic development, and education for justice programs of the Campaign, implemented in collaboration with local dioceses, are supported from this annual collection in U.S. Catholic parishes.

The belief that those who are directly affected by unjust systems and structures have the best insight into knowing how to change them is central to CCHD. It works to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. CCHD offers a hand up, not a handout.

There was great anticipation to know what the first Apostolic Exhortation would be from Pope Leo XIV after his election in May of 2025. In continuity with Pope Francis, Pope Leo released Dilexi Te (“I have loved You”). This apostolic exhortation was written to all Christians on love for the poor. It followed Pope Francis’ last encyclical, Dilexit Nos (“He has Loved You”), which framed how God has chosen to love each one of us with the Heart of Christ. A Heart that enters our world in humility, charity and sacrifice to show us the depth of God’s love. 

In Dilexi Te, Pope Leo states that no Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our “family.” They are “one of us.” 

He boldly states that “some dismiss or ridicule charitable works, as if they were an obsession on the part of a few and not the burning heart of the Church’s mission, convinces me of the need to go back and re-read the Gospel, lest we risk replacing it with the wisdom of this world.” 

In addition to contributing to this collection, what can we do here in our local archdiocese in Alaska? 

CCHD has a complementary mission of educating on poverty and its causes. You can learn about the facts and realities of poverty in the U.S. by going to povertyusa.org. This strategy of education for justice and helping people who are poor speak and act for themselves reflects the mandate of the scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching.

The Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau has consistently supported local and national efforts to address the root causes of poverty related to the lack of affordable housing and childcare, food insecurity in rural communities as well as promoting economic development for low income and immigrant communities. You can learn more about CCHD by going to https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-campaign-human-development.

In Dilexi Te, Pope Leo acknowledges that we are all called in different ways to love as Christ loved. He states that “Through your work, your efforts to change unjust social structures or your simple, heartfelt gesture of closeness and support, the poor will come to realize that Jesus’ words are addressed personally to each of them: ‘I have loved you.’ ” 

May we all remember those experiencing poverty and its realities in our CCHD collection but also through this prayer for the poor:

Prayer for the Poor

God of Justice,

open our eyes,

to see you in the face of the poor.

Open our ears

to hear you in the cries of the exploited.

Open our mouths

to defend you in the public squares

as well as in private deeds.

Remind us that what we do

to the least ones,

we do to you.

Amen