Human Rights Office-Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
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Role of Parish Human Rights Coordinator

The responsibilities of the Parish Human Rights Coordinator depend on the interests of the committee members, the needs of the pastor and the parishioners and the opportunities for volunteers in and around the parish.  For instance, the responsibilities of the Human Rights Coordinator for a parish with a large youth ministry and within walking distance of a local food pantry may be different than those for a parish with a large population of older adults and an active Knights of Columbus council.  Each parish Human Rights Committee must decide what it is that will provide the most benefit to its parishioners and will provide the most opportunities for its members.  

However, by working with the Human Rights Office and with other parishes in the deanery, members of a particular parish Human Rights Committee may have the opportunity to not only participate in additional programs, activities and events, but to also share their own gifts with even more of our faithful.   For instance, one parish may have someone who enjoys organizing and planning events and a nearby parish may have someone who likes making posters and flyers; by working together, both Human Rights Committees benefit from the contribution of each and both parishes have the opportunity to share in a single larger event.  

Getting Started

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  1. What are the current areas of interest for you and for your fellow parishioners?  
  2. What unique skills, knowledge or talents do your committee members or your parishioners have that they would like to share?
  3. What other ministries exist within your parish and what needs within your parish are currently not being met? 
  4. You will want to provide volunteer and donation opportunities for your committee members and for your parishioners.  What existing human rights organizations or activities are near your parish?  
  5. Working closely with Human Rights committees from neighboring parishes can provide additional opportunities and resources.  What other parish Human Rights committees exist within your area?

Parish Tool Kits

In addition to providing on-line educational resources and referrals to local community partners and to other social service organizations, the Human Rights Office has developed a set of pastoral care programs monitored by a dedicated program manager who coordinates the relationship between the diocese, the parishes committee and the community partner, if applicable.  For these particular pastoral care programs, online "tool kits" have been created to assist with the development of parish ministries. 

The benefits: 
  • New Parish Human Rights Ministries -- Provides the necessary materials for small parish Human Rights Committees, or even a single individual who may not yet have the interest and support of others, to establish a viable parish Human Rights ministry from which to grow.
  • Existing Parish Human Rights Ministries -- Provides a quick and easy way to kick-start additional programs by simply utilizing diocesan resources that are already available.  
  • Experienced Parish Human Rights Committee Members -- Provides the opportunity to participate directly in the design, development and implementation of diocesan programs by serving on leadership committees or as a diocesan resource when another parish contacts the Human Rights Office with a requests for program assistance or for expertise in a specific area. 

Below are some "tool kits" of activities and ideas to assist with the development of your own parish Human Rights ministry.   To learn more, please contact the Human Rights Office.

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MAX  is the diocesan program to provide support to men and women who are incarcerated and to their families.   

  • Start a Volunteer in Prayer (VIP) ministry in your parish to celebrate Mass or gather together to pray a rosary for the intentions of the incarcerated members of our diocese or to simply to share the intentions of those in need of prayers.
  • Start a Prison Pen Pal Ministry in your parish. Provide much-needed encouragement by establishing your own parish pen-pal ministry using the guide provided by the Diocese. This simple guide lays out the basic steps for finding a prisoner Pen Pal, offers practical suggestions on how to get started, and provides other tips for fostering a safe, appropriate program based on encouragement and discipleship.
  • Become certified as a Volunteer in Corrections (VICs) and visit the incarcerated.
  • Serve as a mentor with the Catholic Charities Workforce Development Program to help folks get back on their feet after time spent in prison.
  • Help process rosary requests from offenders and assist with packaging and mailing rosaries.​

​For more information on the complete program, please visit the 
MAX webpage.


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​VIA is the diocesan program to provide education and support for immigration and refugee-related concerns.    

Encourage Conversion of Hearts
  • Use Scripture readings such as the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt as “teachable moments” in homilies.
  • Insert quotes from pastoral letters on migration in your parish bulletin.
  • Distribute pamphlets to your parishioners.
  • Include multicultural awareness activities in parish youth programs and activities.
  • Sponsor a parish migration education program.
Express Solidarity with Migrants
  • Celebrate National Migration Week in your parish, traditionally observed the week following the Feast of the Epiphany in January.
  • Establish a “twinning” relationship with a parish that serves poor and immigrant communities.
  • Include prayers on behalf of migrants and refugees in the General Intercessions each week.
Develop a “Parish Welcoming Plan”
  • Distribute welcoming packets for newly arrived parishioners, host welcoming events such as international dinners, visit newcomers to the parish community, and organize outreach activities directed toward migrant populations in the community.
  • Plan multicultural liturgies, sacramental services, intercessions, outreach, and parish ministry training for members of all ethnic groups; provide multilingual resources and materials; and address the pastoral needs of migrant populations.
  • Establish a relationship with the local diocesan refugee resettlement and immigration assistance office and volunteer by organizing charitable drives to benefit migrants and refugees, hosting job fairs, offering English-language tutoring, or planning a parish service day in migrant and refugee neighborhoods.
  • Help keep parishioners informed on current public policy issues, coordinate letter-writing campaigns and visits with legislators, and assist in recruiting local attorneys to provide legal services and advice on immigration matters. ​
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For more information on the complete program, please visit the VIA webpage.


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CRS Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services' Lenten solidarity program that brings Lent to life! The program is used by millions of Catholics throughout the United States, in more than 15,000 parishes, schools, and faith communities. Through CRS Rice Bowl, we reach out to assist our brothers and sisters around the world through traditional Lenten practices, while we learn about the global issues affecting our neighbors overseas, as well as here in the United States.

Time Tables for Participation
  1. Participating schools and parishes should order their supplies on line by the end of September or early October for next Lent. 
  2. Supplies are usually shipped 6 to 8 weeks prior to Lent (assuming an order has been placed). 
  3. Distribution of supplies to participants is ordinarily conducted one to two weeks prior to Lent. A blessing for Rice Bowls is included in the Coordinator's Guide.
  4. The CRS Rice Bowl program officially begins on Ash Wednesday.
  5. CRS Rice Bowl concludes on Easter Sunday.
  6. Donations from participants should be collected by parishes/schools no later than June 30. Ask participants to make checks payable to your parish or school.
  7. A single check and report form from the parish/school should be sent to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph by July 30. Report forms are updated annually and posted as a resource.​
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Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist Mission Warehouse Project — The Sisters of St. Francis built a warehouse to collect household and clothing items to ship overseas. The word spread — both in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and the Third World. Hospitals and medical clinics locally send used equipment and supplies that would otherwise go to a landfill, and the sisters ship them to clinics and hospitals in every corner of the world to whom the supplies are a Godsend.  

  • Contact the Sisters of St. Francis to schedule a parish presentation.
  • Serve as a Volunteer at the Warehouse in Independence—The Mission Warehouse needs volunteers of all kinds, willing to sort and organize the donations, and especially skilled volunteers who can help with minor repairs, or computer technicians who can help put inventory on a database that can be easily maintained.
  • Organize a fundraiser to help ship the containers overseas. Costs to ship each container is $10,000; in order to have the recipients claim ownership, the sisters ask that they find sponsors to take $3,000 of the $10,000. The Sisters of St. Francis community pays $2,000, and the other $5,000 comes from the people of God.
  • Organize a team at your parish to pray for the intentions of women and men who are currently in prison or jail.  Volunteer in Correction leaders will periodically email or text updates and requests for prayers to all parish prayer group leader(s) which can then be sent out to individual parish email/text list or shared at regularly-scheduled parish prayer group meetings.

Contact:  
  • Sister Andrea Kanter via email or telephone (816) 252-1673
  • Paul Wilson, Warehouse Coordinator at (816) 806-5566

To learn about the opportunities for helping the world's poor through the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist Mission Warehouse Project, please contact Sister Andrea.

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Holy Rosary Credit Union is a financial cooperative owned by all its members who share the common bond of our Catholic parishes and familial ties. While other financial institutions are profit-centered, Holy Rosary Credit Union is a not-for-profit organization designed to meet the financial needs of its members. By collectively pooling resources, members can make low-cost loans and earn higher returns on their savings. Affordable access to top-of-the-line financial products and the best in personal service is the core of what our members value. We are sure you will, too!
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  • Contact Holy Rosary Credit Union to schedule a parish presentation.
  • Provide Holy Rosary Credit Union flyers to post in public areas and make available members of your parish

Contact:  Holy Rosary Credit Union via email or telephone
  • Main Office | 533 Campbell St, Kansas City MO | (816) 221-2734
  • Raytown Office | 7043 Blue Ridge Blvd, Raytown MO | (816) 356-8757
  • St. Joseph Office | 1813 South 12th St, St. Joseph MO  | (816) 232-1414

For more information on the complete program, please visit the Holy Rosary Credit Union webpage.

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Unbound is an international nonprofit founded by lay Catholics grounded in the Gospel call to put the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable first. We build relationships of mutual respect and support that bridge cultural, religious and economic divides. We invite all people of goodwill to join us. Working side by side with people of diverse faith traditions in 20 countries, we bring people together to challenge poverty in new and innovative ways.

Unbound inspires confidence and offers opportunity and encouragement to children and families living on the margins of society. We create practical and trustworthy means for people to help others and nurture human connections that uplift us all.
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  • Contact Unbound Church Outreach to schedule a parish presentation. 
  • Provide Unbound posters and flyers to post in public areas and make available members of your parish

Contact:  Unbound via email or telephone (913) 384-6500 or (800) 875-6564

For more information on the complete program, please visit the Unbound webpage.

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Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation is a nonprofit organization which offers free and confidential business coaching in Northwest Missouri. We are a group of over sixty volunteers from six counties who care passionately about the success and sustainability of our rural Northwest Missouri region. We formed the Facilitation Board in order to assist our rural entrepreneurs in creating or maintaining their small business ventures. We do this for the same reason the early pioneers helped their neighbors by barn raising – we know it will strengthen and sustain our rural communities. 

Toolkit:
  • Contact NWMEF to schedule a parish presentation.
  • Provide NWMEF flyers to be placed in public areas at your parish for the members of your parish

Contact:  Keli Morris or call 816-262-9400

For more information on the complete program, please visit the NWMEF webpage.


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Human Rights Office ~ Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph  ~ 20 West Ninth Street ~ Kansas City, MO 64105 ~ ​(816) 756-1850
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  • HOME
    • Catholic News & Current Events
    • Share Your Gifts
    • About Us
  • PASTORAL CARE
    • BCIT (African-American Apostolate)
    • CRS - (Food Security & Global Trade) >
      • CRS Rice Bowl Campaign
      • CRS Emergency Response
      • CRS Ethical Trade
    • Faith in Action (KofC)
    • "MAX" -- (Prison & Jail)
    • "VIA" -- (Immigration & Refugee)
    • "Life & Justice" -- (Stewardship)
    • Pastoral Partners >
      • A Simple House -- (Poverty & Evangelization)
      • Catholic Charities - KC-StJ
      • Catholic Mobilizing Network (Death Penalty)
      • Cristo Rey High School -- (Student Internships)
      • F.I.R.E. -- (Catholic Education & Special Needs)
      • Franciscan Mission Warehouse -- (Global Health Care)
      • Holy Rosary Credit Union -- (Small Dollar Loans)
      • Jerusalem Farm -- (Sustainable Living & Home Repairs)
      • Knights of Columbus
      • Morning Glory Ministries -- (Serving the Homeless)
      • NWMEF (Rural Economic Development)
      • Unbound -- (Global Human Development)
  • EDUCATION
    • Death Penalty
    • Human Trafficking
    • Immigrants & Refugees
    • Racism
    • Rural Life & Stewardship of Creation
    • Papal Encyclicals & Church Documents
    • Additional CST Sites >
      • Acton Institute -- Learning
      • CAPP-USA -- Contemporary Issues
      • Society of Catholic Social Scientists (SCSS)
      • USCCB - Issues & Action
  • PARISH MINISTRIES
    • Committees & Toolkits >
      • Parish Coordinator Sign-Up
    • Priests & Pastoral Leaders
    • Prayer & Liturgy
  • PUBLIC POLICY
    • Contacting Elected Officials
    • Human Rights Advocacy Organizations
  • RESOURCES
    • Criminal & Restorative Justice
    • Death Penalty
    • Human Trafficking
    • Immigrants & Refugees >
      • Emergency Planning
    • Mental Illness
    • Racism
    • Religious Liberty & Conscience Protection >
      • USCCB Religious Freedom Week
    • Rural Life & Stewardship of Creation
  • CONTACT US