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COMMENTARY
April 4, 2017 | The Valley Catholic
Why Catholic Charities is Needed Now More Than Ever
By Gregory Kepferle
CEO, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara
County and President, Charities Housing
Development Corporation
We are living in times of extreme volatility. Because
of this, Catholic Charities clients need our reassurance
and help more than ever. Because they need more of
our help, in turn we need more help from our com-
munity of supporters.
On top of the everyday challenges of living in
poverty in one of the most expensive places on earth,
several thousand of our neighbors were displaced by
the fl oods. On top of the fl oods, many of our immigrant
and refugee neighbors have experienced increased
anxiety over the uncertainty of federal policies, travel
bans, and possibilities of deportation. On top of the
anti-immigrant and refugee policies, the latest budget
proposals from the administration and Congress have
the potential to severely cut services to those who are
the poorest among us – the homeless, frail homebound
seniors, people with disabilities, and poor children in
after-school programs.
So people turn to Catholic Charities for services, for
information, for advocacy, and for reassurance.
We are helping families displaced by the fl oods with
housing search and rental assistance, as well as long-
term advocacy, counseling and support. We continue
to resettle refugees and place refugee foster youth in
loving homes. We are increasing our legal counsel,
citizenship education, information on civil rights and
family emergency plans for immigrants who are trying
to get right with the law, and who desperately want to
keep their families together. We continue to advocate
for aff ordable housing, care for seniors and people
with disabilities, and for after-school programs, even
as we provide quality services with proven results in
each of these areas.
To respond to these increasing cries for help, we
need your investment in Catholic Charities, as we stand
in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable in
our community.
For more information regarding Catholic Charities
of Santa Clara County and how you can help, please
visit, www.CatholicCharitiesSCC.org.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Not Envious Bitterness, But Love and True Mercy
In his article “Moral Theology:
Embittered Moralizing,” in The Valley
Catholic, February 21, 2017, Father Ron
Rohlheiser engaged in ad hominem
attacks against his strawman oppo-
nents’ motives without considering
the merits of their arguments.
Even though the article was written
in the fi rst person plural, which would
appear to imply that Father Rolheiser
was not pointing any fi ngers, from the
start it is clear that Father Rohlheiser
believed that any person who objects
to unrepentant sinners receiving Com-
munion is an “embittered moralizer,”
like the older brother of the prodigal
son, “angry and jealous.” I want to
point out that according to Father
Rohlheiser’s reasoning, St. Paul must
have been an embittered moralizer
when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:27:
“Therefore whoever eats the bread
or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner, shall be guilty of
the body and the blood of the Lord.”
Ad hominem is a logical fallacy
used to distract from the merits of the
opponent’s arguments. In this article,
a typical ad hominem approach is
taken; the person’s words or actions
are not taken at face value but are
pseudo-psychoanalyzed. It’s a cheap
and unfortunately eff ective trick to
smear your opponent when you don’t
have a good defense against an objec-
tion raised in an argument.
Father Rolheiser is casting asper-
sions on those who believe what the
Church has consistently taught on
this matter. Instead of addressing the
merits of the real and weighty argu-
ments against the proposed change
in practice, Father Rohlheiser ever so
subtly mocks the character of oppo-
nents to the change. Father Rolheiser
somehow knows that his opponents
are mean and judgmental, people who
are not merciful as God the Father is
merciful. Father Rohlheiser does not
seem to realize that real mercy gently
reminds sinners not to bring even
more grievous spiritual harm upon
themselves.
Roseanne T. Sullivan
San Jose
Letters to the Editor can be emailed to
[email protected]. Letters must be
200 words or less. Please include name,
email and phone number. Subject to editing.
Deadline for the next edition is Tuesday,
April 7. For additional information please
visit tvc.dsj.org/submissions.
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Born in Valencia to an English father and Spanish mother, Vincent joined the
Dominican friars in 1367 and became a noted preacher, making converts even
among Jews and Muslims. After years of backing the Avignon papal claimants,
Vincent withdrew his support, helping to end the papal schism that had divided
the Western church. He did intensive mission work in France, Spain and Italy,
drawing huge revival-type crowds and gaining fame as a miracle worker. He
died during a preaching tour of Brittany.
By Catholic News Service