The High Tech Catholic Blog is getting better and better!

Brought to you by St. Michael Parish in Livermore, California, we are searching the Cyber Universe to bring you excellent Catholic content on the Internet, iTunes, smartphone apps, blogs, podcasts and more!  A big thank you to the editor in chief, Tina!

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Do you only have music on that iPod?  You're missing out!

Have a smartphone?  Any Catholic apps on it?  Well, how about iMissal, iRosary and the entire Holy Bible?  Check it out!  Most apps are free!

Archbishop Niederauer to Protest Deportation, Breaking Up Families

On Saturday, January 28, Archbishop Niederauer and bishops from the Bay Area will call on Gov. Brown and Attorney General Kamala Harris to stop the separation of families and to end SCOMM.  SCOMM (“Secure Communities”) is separating families by deporting thousands of people each year in California.

Read more at: http://lupitanews.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/immigration-reform-action/

I have thought a lot about this. Yes, it is wrong for people to enter American illegally.  But is it right to grab a husband and father, and suddenly deport him, leaving his wife and children behind?  To be separated for years?  With the whole family struggling financially?  That is not right either. Hence, the US Bishops continuing call for Immigration Reform to find a solution that is morally acceptable.

January is also Poverty Awareness Month

Because compassion for those who are poor and vulnerable was a central part of Jesus' mission, the USCCB's PovertyUSA Campaign seeks to broaden the general understanding of and concern for people living in poverty in America. The Campaign strives to engage as many people as possible in our shared responsibility to care for those who are in need. Help shed light on the seriousness of poverty in America and find ways to do something about it by joining the Poverty Awareness Facebook Event in January. Click on this link and join today!

Go check out the event on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/events/235829976489571/

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January has been declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

As a global institution, the Catholic Church, well positioned to respond to human trafficking, has denounced this horrific crime because it constitutes an offense against human dignity and fundamental human rights.

For more information, Click here

Bay Area Social Justice Forum: “People of Hope Agents for Change”

 

 

Join other concerned people of faith from parishes and schools throughout the Bay Area for the Second Annual Bay Area Social Justice Forum Saturday February 11th 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.  The conference is sponsored by the Holy Names University, Diocese of Oakland’s Office for Life and Justice, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, JustFaith Oakland, Sisters of the Holy Family, Sisters of Saint  Francis and Stop Slavery: Northern CA Coalition of Catholic Sisters.

Keynote speakers Fr. Daniel Groody, University of Notre Dame award winning author and film director and Jack Weinstein.  Workshop topics include: Human trafficking, Immigration, Restorative Justice, Muslim-Christian Dialogue, Water Security, Death Penalty, Affordable Housing, Racism, and many more.

 

The workshops will be held in the Valley Center for the Performing Arts, Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA 94619.  To learn more and register for the forum, go to www.hnu.edu/SocialJustice.  To download flyer, click here.

 

It helps us if you complete the registration process online, however if you prefer NOT to register online, you can download and print a paper registration form here.

Pope to Visit Mexico in 2012.

During his homily on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed he would visit Mexico in 2012. 

The pope called upon the people of Latin America to be defenders of human life from the moment of conception until natural death and promoters of peace; they must also safeguard the genuine nature and mission of the family, strengthen schools and help parents prepare their children to be good and upright citizens, promote reconciliation and solidarity, do more to protect the environment and strengthen efforts to overcome poverty, illiteracy and corruption and eradicate all forms of injustice, violence, criminality, citizens' insecurity, drug trafficking and extortion. 

Read more at Catholic News Service, http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1104859.htm

Book Review: “Exodus from Hunger” by David Beckmann

In the new book, “Exodus from Hunger: We Are Called to Change the Politics of Hunger,” author David Beckmann argues that we can end world hunger in our lifetime.  Ordinary citizens, especially people of faith, can achieve this by mustering the political will of nations. David combines an optimism born from faith and a down-in-the trenches approach to ending hunger. David is Lutheran pastor, economist, and head of Bread for the World, a Christian organization dedicated to ending hunger.  Learn more at: http://www.exodusfromhunger.org

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is Blogging

Our bishops have a blog!  And you can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.   

Hear what our bishops have to say on immigration reform, hunger, unemployment, sexual abuse and all the tough issues of our time: http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com

This blog is for the world to read -- the bishops are really hanging it all out there.  Cool!

Dress a Girl Around the World Sew Fest, St. Michael Hall, Jan 14

Monthly Dress A Girl Around the World Sew Fest
Saturday, January 14, 2012, 9am – 3pm
St. Michael Parish Hall, 300 Block of Maple Street, Livermore

If you like to sew, please bring your sewing machine and creative imagination as we make 100 dresses in a single day for girls in developing countries.  We also need people to setup, clean up, iron, snip, sort, fetch and carry!

For more information, please contact Suzanne: suzanneslu@yahoo.com, 925-352-8447.

Sew fests will be scheduled monthly at the St. Michael Hall for all of 2012.

Why do we make dresses?  To fight human trafficking.  Little girls dressed in rags are a target, while a well dressed girl is assumed to be well cared for by an adult protector.  This project is in concert with the national Dress A Girl Around the World project (http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com) and Hope 4 Women International (http://www.hope4kidsinternational.org/h4wi).

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dress-A-Girl-Around-the-World-CA-East-Bay/211574008875959?sk=wall&filter=1