Issue Action Teams

    ISSUE ACTION TEAMS

OSJ's Issue Action Teams are comprised of people from multiple parishes who join together in advocacy around a particular issue.  Together the teams learn about their issue, reflect on Catholic social teaching as it relates to the issue, and devise a strategic plan for affecting public policy as it relates to their issue. We currently have issue action teams focused on:

Health care

Housing

Immigration

Global Warming

Join an issue action team

Immigration Action Team

Visit the Immigration Action Team Website: Click here

Founded in Spring 2006, in response to the growing debate related to federal and state immigration legislation. Has focused on turning out advocacy calls to legislators, sponsoring immigration forums with the Archdiocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry, and assisting with the "MN March for Immigration with Dignity."

Is currently developing tools for parish outreach and creating a long-term advocacy plan.

Contact Patrick Ness (651-291-4484) for more information.

Health Care Action Team

Please visit the Health Care Action Team webpage to find out more about the HCAT, or contact Adam Robinson at 651-291-4477.
Founded in January 2005, the "HCAT" helped stave-off proposed cuts to MN Care during 2005 session by holding a “listening session” for legislators, drawing nearly 300 people and several key lawmakers. Sen. Linda Berglin has credited this experience with helping her realize she is not alone in the fight for policies that positively impact low-income people.
In lieu of further threats to programs serving low-income people, the HCAT decided to focus pro-actively on “incremental steps toward universal health care” in 2006.
The HCAT has developed a forum for parishes called “Reforming the Health Care System: Faith in Action.”

Housing Action Team

Please see this flyer for more info about the HAT, or contact Adam Robinson at 651-291-4536.

After a process of study and reflection beginning in January 2005, the "HAT" decided to focus on “supportive housing.” Supportive housing targets the "chronically" homeless, such as people with physical disability, mental illness, or chemical dependency. Supportive housing provides affordable housing with on-site social services that help people learn how to better manage such life situations. The result is that chronically homeless people achieve permanent, stable housing with greater self-sufficiency. Supportive housing is a key part of the state’s Plan to End Long-Term Homelessness by 2010.

Held “supportive housing tour” in November 2005, focusing outreach in legislatively important parishes. Tour included dinner at Dorothy Day and visits to Mary Hall and St. Christopher Place to illustrate the “spectrum of supportive housing.” 55 parishioners and four legislators attended.
The HAT sponsors parish homelessness forums featuring presentation and conversation with members of the “X Committee,” a community organization by and for the homeless or formerly homeless. 150+ have participated in forums since spring 2006.

Global Warming Action Team

To learn more about us or to join the team, please visit the Global Warming Action Team Webpage click here.
Catholic Social Teaching has long called for us all to serve as stewards of God's great gift of Creation. To access our Catholic Social Teaching pages click here.
GWAT was founded in Fall 2006, with the assistance of a grant from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to engage more Catholics in addressing the moral issue of Global Warming. GWAT had its beginnings in an Archdiocesan event Global Warming: A Catholic Perspective at Pax Christi Parish that drew about 1,000 people from 95 parishes.
Since then, GWAT has served to educate and advocate. In the 2007 legislative session, GWAT advocated for the passage of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard and the Global Warming Mitigation Act, both of which passed. Implementation of these Acts will be our future legislative focus. We continue to work through parishes to educate parishioners and move them to taking personal action to reduce their impacts on Creation.
Contact Deacon Glenn Skuta (651-470-7572) for more information.