Social Justice Activities

Some unique activities:

• Habitat.  Resurrection Parish maintains a covenant membership with Habitat, and a parishioner serves as a liaison between Habitat and the parish.  During our Sesquicentennial Year (2007), however, parishioners gave hours of service and varied forms of talent to build a Habitat House.  Parishioners also contributed many donations of building supplies and money.
  
  
• Disaster Outreach.  Five teams of parishioners went to New Orleans to help with clean-up of Katrina.  Teams also went to Parkersburg and the recent flood areas.  Additionally parishioners contributed to make a large donation to Postville to help immigrant families affected by the recent raid there. 

More stable activities include:

• Local Needs.  The Committee regularly chooses a charity to receive the loose change collection.  It also organizes the parish to provide and serve three annual meals at the local Rescue Mission, and it seeks opportunities to be involved in Every Child, Every Promise. 
            The committee makes a special effort to educate themselves and parishioners about social justice issues.  One method is by putting a “Justice Jogger” in each issue of the Bulletin.  They also sponsor periodic workshops, often in conjunction with the city-wide Social Justice Committee.  And the committee works with St. Vincent de Paul Society on their varied projects.
  
  
• Partner Parish.  St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Wanblee SD on the Pine Ridge Reservation has been our partner parish for a number of years.  On the third Sunday of each month we pray especially for them, and parishioners hold baskets for donations to the mission.  During the summer teams go from Resurrection to help with whatever needs to be done at the reservation, or a group comes from the reservation to visit our parish.  The goal of having partner parishes is to enable each parish/culture to learn about the other in a true and equal exchange of faith and culture.
  
  
• Mississippi Outreach.  Each summer a team of people travels to Okolona to help with tutoring, or in the re-sale store, or with repairs and maintenance.  This has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about the African American culture and to meet and get to know individuals personally.
  
  
• Mission Outreach.  Each year parishioners contribute to a national or international mission.  A missionary assigned to our parish by the Archdiocesan Office for the Propagation of the Faith preaches at the Masses on a given Sunday, after which contributions are made for the specified mission.
  
  
• Sponsorship.  For several years we have provided for the needs and education of a child from the Third World through the Catholic Foundation for Children and the Aging.  José, our current child, has sent letters to us, as have the children before him, making, again, an exchange of culture and life.
  
  
• Green Initiative.  The committee sponsored a workshop for parishioners on this movement and also hosted one of the two city-wide “Celebration of Creation” events.  Regularly a subcommittee of the Social Justice Committee educates the parish through the Parish Bulletin regarding ways in which parishioners can “stay green.”  The parish offices and Resurrection Site of Holy Family Schools have made consistent efforts to “go green.”
  
  
• Accessibility Committee.  A sub-committee of the Social Justice Committee, this group arranges rides to church for seniors in need, and pays special attention to provisions for those with disabilities so that the parish can respond to their needs.
  
  
• Equal Exchange.  The committee sponsors the sale of Fair Trade Coffee and other products of Equal Exchange.

Closely allied with the efforts of the committee is the Right to Life Committee which both educates parishioners and raises money for this organization.  Contributions are also requested throughout the year for various events such as Relay for Life, etc.