Living Justice Ministries’ Advocacy Table Letter Writing
~ The St. Margaret of Scotland Living Justice Ministries has supported an Advocacy Letter Writing table for many years. Prior to COVID, the letter writing entailed individuals composing letters, once a month, either downstairs or in the back of the church. I remember writing letters advocating for support of benefits for children, pregnant moms, and low-income adults through Bread for the World.
After the pandemic, Living Justice Ministries decided to up our game, advocating for those whose voices were unheard. We opted for an Advocacy Table in the church hall every Sunday after the 8:00 and 10:00 Masses. Rather than writing letters, out of respect for parishioners’ busy lives, we author a weekly letter and simply ask for signatures and addresses. Some of our advocates go the extra mile, adding a handwritten note; these letters count for more when read and counted by the legislator’s staff.
All of our letters are grounded in the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching, so often articulated by Pope Francis and Pope Leo. Over the last three and a half years, we have highlighted each of the principles, always grounded in “Life and Dignity of the Human Person”, in our letters.
- Our letters to the governor of Missouri, among others, have insisted on alternatives to the death penalty. Loudly and clearly, our voice promotes the Life and Dignity of the Human Person.
- Our many letters concerning immigrants remind our readers of the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, so clear in both the Old and New Testaments.
- Calls for ICE officers to remove their masks and carry legal warrants; demands for decent conditions in detention centers; promoting due process; and declaring attitudes of welcome and acceptance. All of these flow from our obligation to the poor and vulnerable.
- Our many letters to Missouri legislators have called for all to attend to CST’s Rights and Responsibilities.
- We have used this principal urging our state lawmakers to balance the emphasis on the 2nd Amendment ownership of firearms with laws that protect people and promote public safety: laws requiring secure storage, banning assault rifles in the city, and “red flag” laws.
- Every year, we join Bread for the World in their letter-writing campaign, calling for increases rather than decreases in SNAP, world aid, medical care, and so much more.
It is quite possible that some of our federal, state, and local lawmakers know St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church by name as a result of the 3,000 or so letters they have received from us. So, if you haven’t done so yet, please join us next Sunday! Take time to use your voice for justice and visit our Advocacy table – even when there may not be donuts!
During the Summer months, this column will be highlighting the good work and parishioners involved in one of our various Social Justice Ministries. Each week, we will feature an article from a different ministry, written by one if its members, as a reflection on the calling to Catholic Social Teaching at St. Margaret of Scotland.
