About Us
Christ gives us a command to live out the Gospel in a social context, to be a witness to the core tenet of our Catholic faith -- the inherent dignity of every person, through an active human engagement in the Church's authentic teaching of the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity, and the common good.
The Human Rights Office strives to embrace and answer this call by working closely with parishes, with community partners and with individuals through programs of pastoral care, education, prayer and worship, and public policy advocacy that provide opportunities for each person to share his or her own unique set of God-given gifts in the service of others.
All programs, activities and events reflect the authentic teachings of Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium and Church Tradition under the direction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
The Human Rights Office strives to embrace and answer this call by working closely with parishes, with community partners and with individuals through programs of pastoral care, education, prayer and worship, and public policy advocacy that provide opportunities for each person to share his or her own unique set of God-given gifts in the service of others.
All programs, activities and events reflect the authentic teachings of Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium and Church Tradition under the direction of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
Our Role
The Human Rights Office works collaboratively with our parishes, with other Catholic agencies and with local and regional community service organizations on issues such as incarceration and reentry, economic development, immigration and cultural diversity. Our mission is accomplished through the faithful works of staff along with dedicated volunteers who serve in parishes and on diocesan leadership committees.
The Human Rights Office has three key roles:
- Support parish Human Rights / Life & Justice ministries -- Human Rights programs designed and developed at the diocesan level are made available to local parishes, schools and Catholic organizations which in turn customize the programs to meet the particular needs of their respective communities. The success of each programs is ensured through the faithful efforts of pastors, teachers, parents, youth and parish volunteers.
- Provide guidance and resources -- Issues regarding dignity of the person affect everyone and the teachings of the Church, although always consistent, sometime require clarification and confirmation. Personal or professional resources in the form of referrals or documentation can also be requested.
- Host diocesan-level activities and events -- Annual events such as workshops, conferences and diocesan Masses are a great way to share in the fellowship and in the Human Rights experiences of all of our faithful.
Our Model
Every Human Rights Office program, activity, and event must meet all three of the following criteria:
- Must directly defend or preserve the dignity of the person.
- Must have a Catholic identity or reflect a core tenet of the Catholic faith.
- Must provide an opportunity for our faithful to give back using their God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure.
A key step in developing all of our Human Rights Office programs is identifying our stakeholders:
- All Human Rights Office programs, activities, and events must be as effective as possible and must meet the needs of everyone who relies on us for education, pastoral care, prayer and worship, and public policy advocacy.
- There will always be important requests for critical assistance or for needed activities that do not necessarily meet the criteria above; therefore, these will be referred to the most appropriate Chancery office, community partner or local parish.
- There will be some requests for assistance or activities that may meet all of the criteria above, but for any number of reasons the Human Rights Office is either not the most appropriate Catholic organization to address the need or another organization is already serving the need. The Human Rights Office will actively work to ensure the need is met in the most effective and most efficient manner.
- The Human Rights Office is truly blessed to be able to focus on so many important and worthwhile activities but there will be times when we are unable to meet every valid request due to either current priorities or a lack of expertise in a specific area. By always working to provide "opportunities for our faithful to give back using their God-given gifts of time, talent, and treasure", we can also ensure all valid requests receive the same level of attention by asking the right volunteers to assist us if and when necessary.
All of our stakeholders fall into at least one of three roles:
- "Shareholders" -- Externally contribute to the work of the office
- "Customers" -- Externally benefit from the work of the office
- "Associates" -- Internally do the work of the office
To reflect that we are truly all doing His work, we label these roles
- "The Father” , the recipient whom we ultimately serve,
- The Son", the donor who made the ultimate sacrifice, and
- "The Holy Spirit", the team member without whom we could do nothing,
Examples:
- Recipients of Ministry Services -- inmate encouraged by a Volunteer in Corrections (VIC) with the Human Rights Office MAX Prison Ministry program.
- Donors -- donor contributes financially to the MAX Prison Ministry program
- Team Members -- Human Rights Office associate manages the MAX Prison Ministry program
- Parish Volunteers & Committees -- parish Human Rights Coordinators organize a MAX Prison Ministry prayer group within their parishes
- Community Partners -- Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas refers incarcerated men and women to our MAX Prison Ministry program
- Chancery Offices -- Family Life Office refers family members to MAX Prison Ministry to find transporation to visit an incarcerated loved one
- Program Volunteers & Committees -- family member of inmate who goes through the Residents Encounter Christ (REC) program decides to assist the Human Rights Office as a MAX Prison Ministry parish speaker or consultant for other families of prisoners
Our Staff
Deborah Cygan Sheppard
Director Human Rights & Respect Life Offices (816) 756-1850, ext. 544 email: sheppard@diocesekcsj.org |
Deborah Cygan Sheppard, MHA, FACHE, has most recently served as Vice President of Women's and Pediatric Services for HCA Midwest Health in the Kansas City Region, where she launched the Maternal-Fetal Health Center, built a maternal transport team, added complex pediatric services, improved the patient experience for expecting mothers, and enhanced the pediatric preparation of all HCA emergency departments and urgent care clinics. She also has previously served at Medical City and Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, TX as Assistant Vice President of Business Development; Children's Medical Center Dallas-Legacy Hospital in Plano, TX; and Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, where she was the Director of Operations and Director of Business Development and Professional Services.
Deb, regarded as a collaborative leader and consensus builder among her colleagues, is an FACHE Fellow and received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Simon School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and her Master of Health Administration from the Washington University School of Medicine. Deb lives in Lee's Summit, MO. Her son, George, is a college freshman in Dallas playing baseball. They both enjoy living on the lake, and cooking for friends. |
Chelsea Voboril
Program Coordinator Human Rights & Respect Life Offices (816) 756-1850, ext. 558 email: voboril@diocesekcsj.org |
Chelsea joined the Chancery in 2022. She has been in a number of advocate roles on behalf of vulnerable populations, including beginning and end of life care, and she served as Director of Religious Education/Youth Minister at Church of the Good Shepherd in Smithville.
Chelsea earned her M.A. in Theology with a concentration in Bioethics from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. She also has a Certificate in Health Care Ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Chelsea earned her B.A. in Theology from Rockhurst University. Chelsea and her husband, Matt, are actively involved in several parish ministries and have several nephews, nieces, and Godchildren. |
Raiza Guevara
Program Coordinator Human Rights & Respect Life Offices (816) 756-1850, ext. 521 email: guevara@diocesekcsj.org |
Raiza joined the Human Rights Office in October 2018.
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