Social issues + ministries
Explore resources
Click below to learn about ministries and resources for peace and justice or to find a contact for immediate assistance.
USCCB Publications (in order of publication date):
- Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love, A Pastoral Letter Against Racism
- Racism: Confronting the Poison in Our Common Home January 2016
- Reconciled Through Christ | En Español– Published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2013, this publication explores the reconciliation and greater collaboration between Hispanic American Catholics and African American Catholics.
- Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself: U.S. Catholic Bishops Speak Against Racism– 2001. collated in 2013
- 25th Anniversary Executive Summary – We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight: The Church’s Response to Racism in the Years Following
- Brothers and Sisters to Us– U.S. Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter on Racism, 1979
- On Racial Harmony– A Statement by the Administrative Board, National Catholic Welfare Conference (August 23, 1963) that reaffirms the U.S. Catholic bishops’ official position against racial discrimination and segregation.
USCCB Bishops’ Letters on Racism:
- USCCB President Calls for Dialogue, Peace in the Midst of Violence – July 18, 2016
- USCCB President Calls for Prayers, Reflection, Civility and Dialogue
July 8, 2016 - Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself: U.S. Catholic Bishops Speak Against Racism– 2001. collated in 2013
- The Catholic Church and the Black Lives Matter Movement: The Racial Divide in the United States Revisited… Bishop Edward Braxton, Diocese of Belleville, IL
February 26, 2016 - The Racial Divide in the United States:
A Reflection for the World Day of Peace– Bishop Edward K. Braxton, Diocese of Belleville, IL – 2015 - Statement on Race Relations
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky - Statement on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky
May 7, 2010 - What We’ve Seen and What We’ve Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization| En Español
From the Black Bishops of the United States – September 9, 1984
Other Racial Equity Resources:
When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected. (Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si’], no. 117)
Abortion
- Project Rachel
- Find local help
- Program and Prayers
- Spiritual Adoption Brochure
- Healing and Grace After Abortion Video
End of Life
- Resources for end of life care
- Catholic teaching on end of life care
- Catholic teaching on euthanasia
- Advance directives
- What it means to be a Catholic hospice care provider
- Catholic Medical Association
Suicide Prevention and Healing After Suicide
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255 (Press 1 for veterans’ line) - Crisis text line
Text START to 741741 - Alliance of Hope
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- TAPS Military Suicide Loss
- Coping with a Suicide
- Catholic Charities Disaster Relief
- Disaster Distress Helpline
1-800-985-5990 / Text TalkWithUs to 66746
TTY for deaf/hearing impaired: 1-800-846-8517
- Catholic Charities International (International or Intercountry Adoption Services)
- Catholic Miscarriage Support (For those who have experience loss through miscarriage)
- Gabriel Network (For pregnant homeless women)
- Holy Innocents (Burial ministry for families who have lost children to miscarriage)
- How Do We Bridge the Abortion Divide? The Debate (Podcast featuring Rakim Brooks, President of the Alliance for Justice, and Gloria Purvis, host of the Gloria Purvis Podcast)
- Infertility – Office of Marriage and Family Life
- Isaiah’s Promise (For families with adverse prenatal diagnosis)
- Joytob: with Damon & Melanie Owens (Joytob is a new teaching ministry dedicated to proclaiming the joy of being made in the image and likeness of God, male and female…
- Natural Family Planning (Contraception approved by Catholic Church)
- Rachel’s Vineyard (A safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion)
Eating Disorders
- National Eating Disorders Association
1-800-931-2237 (M-F 11:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. EST)
Grief Support
- American Association of Suicidology
- BetterHelp.com, Grief Support Counseling
- Center for Infant and Child Loss
- Centering and Grief Digest Magazine
- Death Cafe
- Death Doula
- Grief and Loss Resources
- National Alliance for Grieving Children
- National Institute of Health Coping With Grief Resource
- Victim Connect
Mental Health/Brain Health and Behavioral Therapy
- Crisis Text Line: if you’re experiencing a crisis and need to chat with someone, please text TRIBE to 741741 in the U.S. to chat with someone at the Crisis Text Line.
- Mental Health America, 800.969.6642
- MentalHealth.gov
- Mental Health First Aid Maryland — Behavioral Health Resources in Maryland / Download PDF
- National Suicide Hotline can be reached by calling or texting 988
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1.800.950.NAMI, Monday to Friday 10AM to 6PM EST, or in a crisis, text “NAMI” to 741741 for 24/7 confidential & free crisis counseling
- Navigating Injustice: A Closer Look at Race, Faith & Mental Health, published by Springtide Research Institute
- Psychology Today
- SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- Sound It Out Together – Music can help bridge the gap between you and your kid, making for earnest and constructive conversations about emotional wellbeing.
- Therapy for Black Girls
- Department of Homeland Security Resources
- National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888
Text HELP to: BeFree (233733) - National Runaway Safeline
1-800-786-2929 - The Samaritan Women Institute for Shelter Care
Sex Trafficking in American FAQ - USCCB Resources
- Catholic Mobilizing Network
- Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition
- Dismas Ministry
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), founded by Bryan Stevenson. The EJI produces a History of Racial Injustice Calendar, which can be purchased here
- Joseph House in Tallahassee, FL provides safe housing and transition services for those re-entering society.
- “When We Visit Jesus in Prison: A Guide for Catholic Ministry” by Chaplain Dale Recinella
- ‘Holding Still’ is a riveting, candid and insightful short documentary film about practicing centering prayer while incarcerated at Folsom Prison.”I had not realized how powerful and transformative centering prayer— an ancient form of prayer in the Catholic tradition—could be. When I see how God is healing these men through prayer, I believe more than ever that God wants us all to have life, and life in its fullness … beginning in this world.This video was co-produced by the Catholic Prison Ministry & the Prison Contemplative Fellowship. I highly recommend it.
- U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Deputy Attorney General — Federal Funding & Services for Prisoner Reentry
- Re-Entry Partnerships — A Guide for States. Faith-Based and Community Organizations.
- MD Courts Legal Help — Expungement. If your case meets certain conditions, you may ask the court to expunge a criminal record. Expungement removes information about a case from court and law enforcement records.
A will may be the most important document that you ever write, because it allows you to select the persons who will receive what you own when you die. If you don’t have one in place, you cannot select the recipients of your property and the state you reside in will determine how your property is divided.
There are several on-line resources to help you create a will. Some are free and some are fairly inexpensive, but all are easy to use:
Planning for end of life or critical care is not a favorite topic of conversation, but it is an important one. Having health care advance directives (also called Living Wills) in place can help ensure your wishes are made clear to your loved ones and physicians when you are not in a position to advocate for the type of care you wish to receive.
There are several on-line tools to help you create an advance directive, and some are free and some charge a reasonable fee:
Once it’s completed, you can print out the will. In most states, you’ll need to sign it in front of witnesses to make it a valid document. After that you might create an electronic file. “Digitally store and share your will so that no matter if family is nearby or thousands of miles away, they have access to your will so your wishes are known and protected,” Fry says.
You can also keep a printed version of the will and store it in a secure spot, such as a safe or lockbox. Tell a trusted relative or friend where the will is and how to access it.
For more information about the process of creating a will, US News & World Report has a great article that will help: “How to Write a Will Online.”
Foundations of Faith
Catholic Social Teaching
Browse Church documents on justice and the dignity of human life, along with statements on issues specific to our time.
Contact Us
Reach Out and Ask for Prayers
Reach out to our Black Catholic community for prayers of support and healing, or to share praise for prayers answered.
