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—
ATHOLIC
News & Herald Volume 5 Number
Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
NC Council
13*
December
15,
1995
Churches Opposes Congressional Budget Measures RALEIGH
of
— The Executive Board of
also called
upon President Clinton to
the North Carolina Council of Churches has
veto budget
expressed alarm and distress over budget measures in the U.S. Congress that would
children and poor families.
damage on children and disadvantaged women.
tor Collins Kilburn said,
inflict serious
A statement adopted by the Council contends that portions of budget bills that have
passed the House and Senate would remove health care coverage from 7 million children, cut good and nutrition programs for 14 mil-
low income children, and increase taxes working poor families. "We join with the National Council of Churches, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and other religious groups in protecting and decrying this assault upon the poor," said the ecumenical body. The group lion
for
damage
bills that will
The Council's Executive Direc-
"We do
not
normally use language this strong in our public statements, but these budget measures are extremely harsh, and they will inflict a great deal of sickness and hunger upon God's special people, the orphan, the widow,
and the sojourner." The North Carolina Council of Churches is an ecumenical organization comprised of 25 denominational bodies and five individual congregations.
Budget Impact Upon The Poor: A Statement By The NC Council Of Churches Photo by
JOANN KEANE
There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. " Luke 2: 8-10. This fresco is located in the Catholic Church at Shepherds Field outside Bethlehem.
Profile In Faith: St. Joseph Sister Gretchen Rientas
Determined Sister Rallies Troops To Help The Needy By
MARY COYNE WESSLING
Wherever she goes, she brings with
—
her a strong sense of justice while being ever watchful for other committed Catholics who might join her.
GREENSBORO
—
Ask
Sister
Gretchen Rientas to think back to when she first decided to become a Sister of St. Joseph and she's likely to balk. It's not because she can't recall the moment or because it's an uncomfortable subject. More likely it' s because Sister Gretchen lives for today and tomorrow. Yesterday is the stuff of memories; the future brims with possibilities to act on God's will.
While appears
this
at first
nun of some 40 years
glance to be a throw-back
to the '50s with her full length black
habit and starched white headpiece, Sis-
Gretchen can hardly be labeled a traditionalist. In fact, she'd prefer not be pigeonholed at all. Her drum may be different from the rest, but it sounds a steady beat that calls her daily to seek
ter
God's grace and to do God's will. Wherever she goes, she brings with her a strong sense of justice steeped in the social teachings of the
Church. Sometimes her drumbeat takes her to the back streets of low income neighborhoods where she stands up to the landlords, seeking better living conditions for the poor
and needy. Other times she marches main streets of Greensboro to raise the community's conscience about AIDS. Along the way, she is ever watchful for other committed Catholics who might join her. Sister Gretchen came to North
the
Carolina in 1981 to care for her
ail-
was there, she ministered to low income families in the Morehead City area. Following ing mother. While she
her mother's death nine years
later,
Gretchen returned to her community in Minnesota. A short time Sister
"One of the clearest and most persistent themes of the Bible is God's special care for the weaker members of society, i.e., the orphans, widows, and refugees. Equally clear is God's requirement that protection and provision be made for them. (Deuteronomy 24:19, Exodus 22:22, James 1 :27) God requires that justice and mercy be done, and these imperatives are addressed to the entire community. (Mica 6:6) Justice, in the Hebrew scriptures, means defending the cause of the poor and
rity
New Testament, Jesus is presented as one who was anointed to liberate the oppressed (Luke 4) and who identified with the destitute and the despised, "the least of these ..." (Matthew
states, in the
tion programs. This represents aban-
25:31)
minimal protection to children born
Because our conscience has been informed by these themes, we are alarmed and deeply distressed by the strength of certain attitudes in our political culture today which are hostile or indifferent toward the poor. We are particularly concerned at this time about budget measures being put forth by the U.S. Congress that would inflict serious damage on the vulnerable, especially upon children and disadvantaged women. It is right and proper that action be taken to reduce the federal deficit. It is wrong, however, that the burden be placed mostly upon low income families. Half of the program reductions in the proposed budget will fall upon the poorest 20% of the population. Twenty-five percent of the cuts will fall on
into difficult circumstances.
the needs. (Jeremiah 22) In the
the next poorest
20%. The
tax breaks will
5% of the populaObserver, Oct. 30,
benefit mainly the richest tion.
(Raleigh
News and
Profile,
next page
The Children's Defense Fund reports the following consequences for children: reductions in Medicaid will mean that 7 million will lose basic health care coverage; food and nutrition programs will be cut for 14 million low-income children; taxes of low-income
Tax Credit
AFDC.
cuts in
The poverty dren
rate
already high
is
among
impending cuts will push
more children
More cuts
chil-
— 35%. The 1
.5
million
into poverty.
serious than the specific
the plan to turn over to the
is
form of block grants,
welfare, Medicaid, and child nutri-
donment of a long-standing commitment of our nation to provide at lease It
will
make more children sick, poor, and hungry, and it will make it more surely
difficult to rebuild
programs
in the
future.
We join with the National Counof Churches, The U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops, and other church bodies and religious groups in protesting and decrying this assault upon the poor. The above measures are unconsciocil
nable.
represent the most seri-
They
ous threat to the social safety net we have seen in many years. They represent a tragic dren,
many
backward step
for chil-
of whom are already
left
behind.
We
urge President Clinton to veto budget bills that will damage urge children and poor families.
We
1995)
families will increase as the Earned
See
Income will be taken from 150,000 children with disabilities; and more than 3 million poor children will be denied benefits due to
is
Income
reduced; Supplemental Secu-
and policy makers to work against these and similar measures at the federal and state levels. And we urge churches of our constituency to engage the struggle for justice and mercy and to work for a renewal of our political culture. political leaders