Resources

“One person is of more value than the whole world.”
– Sr. Mary Euphrasia

​Searching for ways to reach out to your congressman or senator and explain the importance of voting for justice and compassion? Not sure what to say? 

Want to get your co-workers, friends, family or other religious sisters involved in speaking out so as to empower and lift up those on the margin? 

Look no further as we develop this webpage to make advocacy and activism easy to do. There’s no time to waste.
Visit our Human Trafficking webpages for Resources, Information, Education.

Advocacy Tools & Grassroots Issue Toolkits

Find tips and tools for individuals and parishes or organizations on how to persuade members of Congress to vote for justice and compassion for those living on the margin.

Road to Justice

NAC's Good Shepherd partner agencies offer us on-the-ground information about the needs of their clients - the people whose voices we want heard on Capitol Hill - and they provide examples of best practices for direct service efforts.

Analysis for Action

Learn how to identify the issues at stake in any action and how best to identify an appropriate position and course of action.

Congressional Engagement Post-Pandemic

Prayer for those in Poverty
The Congressional Management Foundation issued a report exploring how Members of Congress and their staff engaged with citizens while navigating the constraints posed by COVID-19, and offers examples of how Congress can substantively connect with constituents using modern technology against the backdrop of a global pandemic.
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  1. Senators, Representatives, and their staffs have become more comfortable using technology. 89% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statements "My Member/Senator is more open to using technology to engage with constituents than they used to be" and "My staff have developed helpful new skills for interacting with constituents."
  2. Senators and Representatives are relying on remote interactions with constituents. When asked about the changes in frequency to remote communications during COVID-19, 65% of respondents indicated conducting "significantly more" video conferences with constituents, and 47% responded "significantly more" telephone town hall meetings.
  3. Congressional offices are having more numerous and more substantive interactions with constituents. Almost two-thirds (63%) of the senior staffers who responded either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "My office is receiving more communications from constituents than we did prior to the COVID-19 crisis."
  4. Congressional offices' approaches to social media and grassroots advocacy campaigns remain unchanged, but personal emails and phone calls are more important. Many offices kept their social media engagement about the same during the COVID-19 crisis, but some significantly increased their use of Facebook. Interviews explained that some offices used Facebook Live for town hall meetings with larger groups of constituents, which increased their reliance on Facebook during this time.
  5. Congressional offices expanded and diversified their constituent outreach and communications strategies. Email newsletters became significantly much more important for communicating the Senator's/Representative's views and activities, with almost half (45%) of the respondents indicating they were significantly more important, and another 41% saying they were more important. Local media became especially valuable, with more than three-quarters (77%) saying it had become more important.
  6. Offices will likely continue virtual engagement with constituents in the future. Many of the respondents expect their offices to increase the time and resources they devote to remote engagement with individual constituents (77%) and online town hall meetings (60%) in the future. Almost half (46%) expect their offices to increase time and resources on telephone town hall meetings.
  7. While the immediate transition to remote working was problematic, congressional offices generally felt existing tools allowed them to effectively engage with constituents. Most respondents felt that the usability of virtual meeting resources had some (31%) or a lot (53%) of positive impact on their office's ability to engage effectively with constituents during COVID-19. Additionally, most said technology available to staff had some (36%) or a lot (44%) of positive impact on constituent engagement.
By: Education for Justice, Center of Concern
 
God of justice and compassion,
 
We ask forgiveness for the widening gulf between rich and poor,
For the use of money as a measure of all things,
For the culture of self-gratification,
For the continuing disparities between those that have so much and those who have so little.
And for the suffering of those people who are excluded from the table of abundance.
 
Forgive us for our focus on material goods,
And our part in the worship of economic growth
In a world where resources are limited
and where we are already using more than our fair share.
 
Forgive us for going along with what is easy,
For failing to come to grips with the problems of change
And to engage in the complexity of social issues.
 
Fill us with a living faith that we may become lively seeds of your kingdom,
Continually growing in your way of love,
Instruments of personal and social reconciliation,
Vehicles for a new dawn when those in poverty
Are welcomed to the table where compassion and justice meet.
 
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our Prayer.
 
Based on a prayer by Alan Litherland
 
 "None of us can think we are exempt from concerns for the poor and for social justice." -Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel
Catholic Social Teaching on Civil Disobedience
Sometimes we are asked to give witness through civil disobedience.
If you are discerning a call to civil disobedience, read this brochure, A Call to Conscience, for a Catholic foundation on civil disobedience and for questions to ask yourself and share with others.