Dear Friends,
The Chapter has decided that it is best to be cautious with each other's health and Covid-19 and cancel Sunday's Annual Chapter meeting (March 15 at 3pm) where we where planning to show the video Breaking Down the Box exposing the torture of solitary confinement within the context of mass incarceration in the United States. We encourage you to watch the video using this link
https://vimeo.com/129764024
Please write to Governor Andrew Cuomo using this link: https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form
Tell Governor Cuomo to sign the HALT Solitary Bill now; A.2500 (Assembly bill) and S.1623 (Senate bill) and end the torture of solitary confinement in NYS prisons.
Also let the NYS Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins know that you want her to bring the Senate bill S.1623 to the floor for a vote. Please contact Senator Stewart-Cousins using the following link. (Snail mail is good too!!)
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/andrea-stewart-cousins/contact
The New York State Catholic Conference of Bishops supports the HALT bill and their attached statement of support for the HALT bills gives you some good material to reference in your correspondence to the Governor. Use the following link to read the Bishops statement of support for the HALT bill.
https://www.nyscatholic.org/halt-solitary-confinement-act/#more-96631
Remember that while we have our freedom to move around in communities in NYS we have hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters pulled into the criminal justice system and incarcerated because of the color of their skin. While in prison they are subjected to the torture of solitary confinement.
PLEASE write to the Governor and Senator Stewart-Cousins NOW!!
Peace,
Board of Directors
CTA Metro NY Chapter
You are called to act -- spread the word:
Saint Mary MacKillop, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, reported sexual abuse of children by clergy to her bishop. Initially excommunicated for her action, she was eventually brought back into the church and ultimately canonized. Inspired by her example and in our capacity as advocates for victims of childhood sexual abuse, CTA Metro New York offers the following information for a path towards justice and healing: New York State recently passed law to open the door to justice for old cases. NY's law allows a one-year period for victims of childhood sexual abuse (up to 18) whose legal time limit passed, to bring their case to civil court. The one-year period is from Aug.14, 2019 to Aug. 13, 2020. After that, old cases with expired statutes of limitation will be shut out of the court system. The clock is ticking. Victims whose abuse took place after Feb. 14, 2019, when the bill became law, must file a civil case before age 55, and a criminal case by age 28 for felonies and by age 25 for misdemeanors. It applies to incidents in both private and public settings.
Prayer Cards with this information are available by contacting https://www.cta-metro-ny.org
For more information contact http://www.snapnewtwork.org, or http://www.bishop-accountability.org
LEGAL ACTIONS MUST BE FILED BEFORE AUGUST 14, 2020
Ever generous God, You inspired Saint Mary MacKillop to live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in bringing hope and encouragement to those who were disheartened, lonely, needy or abused. With confidence in your generous providence and through the intercession of Saint Mary MacKillop, we ask you grant our request that everyone spread the word that anyone who was sexually abused as a child in New York State whose statutes have expired has one year to bring civil action in court to seek justice for the damage of the abuse as a child. We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit, so that we too, like Saint Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust and openness. We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The National Call to Action is launching a new project focused on centering our unique Catholic history. The People's History of Vatican II is the way to harness the wisdom and experience gained during the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Are you interested in contributing -- video recordings, written reflections and art projects ?
Call to Action (national & its chapters) is a Vatican II community. This project, the People's History of Vatican II will help strengthen our roots, pass on wisdom to the next generation of Catholic reformers, and build long term capacity as a Catholic social justice organization.
Send your thoughts
(1) What are your earliest memories of the Catholic church? How are they different from the Church you know today?
(2) did you have any hopes for the Second Vatican Council as it was in session? Did those hopes come to pass?
(3) when did you first start to see Vatican II reforms implemented? What did you think of those changes at the time?
(4) What reforms are you still waiting for? What, if anything, would you like to see from a "Vatican III"?
www.cta-usa.org/peoples-history-of-vatican-ii
