Solidarity and Advocacy                  
A JPIC goal in the 2010 parish strategic plan is to broaden participation in social justice activities, including advocacy and direct service, among the many ethnic communities at St. Camillus. Empower these communities to deepen their understanding of local and global social justice issues and to take effective and appropriate action to address these issues.

Over the years the St. Camillus JPIC has organized and/or participated in numerous actions such as: 

• the National Fast4Families to end indiscriminate deportation of immigrants, 
• galvanizing the larger Salvadoran diaspora in the Washington DC Metro area in lending their support to the struggle against the extremely dangerous mineral mining projects in El Salvador, 
• lay leaders from the Catholic Community of Langley Park became involved in addressing concerns about the planned Purple Line, 
• participating in the annual advocacy day in Annapolis with the Maryland Catholic Bishops’ Conference, 
• St. Camillus became a member of Action in Montgomery (AIM), with the goal of  helping our parish to develop an ongoing, working relationships with other local faith communities.  
• Advocate for environmental legislation in Maryland such as the clean job act,
• parishioners have support the work of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network by participating in their annual Polar Bear Plunge. 

Voter Registration. In summer 2016 and spring 2018, St. Camillus hosted workshops to train parishioners to be certified voter registrars in Montgomery County, MD. The registrars staffed tables after masses to ensure that all eligible parishioners were registered to vote. In fall 2016, at least 84 people registered to vote or updated their registration information at a booth after Mass.

Legislative Advocacy in Maryland and the U.S. Congress. Just up New Hampshire Avenue from the U.S. Capitol, St. Camillus parishioners join the Franciscan Action Network and the Franciscan Friars (OFM) Holy Name Province in supporting the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, DC. https://advocacydays.org/. Members of the St. Camillus community also attend the Catholics in Annapolis advocacy day organized each year by the Maryland Catholic Conference. http://www.mdcathcon.org/

Families Belong Together
St Camillus was present at the National Mobilization Families Belong Together. Opposes of cruel, inhumane separation of children from their parents along the U.S. border with Mexico and at other ports of entry into the U.S. We protested the conditions in which these children are kept. We spoke out against the irreversible trauma that has already been perpetrated on these children and their parents for the crime of seeking a better life. 
“...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

AIM (Action in Montgomery)
St. Camillus had a strong and inspiring presence at AIM's Forums. We advocated for equity in education, affordable housing, public transportation, and establishing a deportation defense fund for immigrants.
For more information contact: Karen Simon

For more information about AIM, go to actioninmontgomery.org

March For Our Life
St. Camillus join March For Our Life in support of stricter gun laws in order to protect and preserve lives. 
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March for Life
Every year, St. Camillus joins thousands of marchers in our nation's capital to march in support of a Seamless Ethic of Life. 

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Franciscan Peacebuilding in the Holy Land. St. Camillus proudly supports Franciscan peacebuilding efforts in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In May 2016, St. Camillus collaborated with the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation to organize a pilgrimage for parishioners to meet Christians, Jews, and Muslims working together for a just peace in the Holy Land. Ongoing peacebuilding efforts include selling Palestinian Fair Trade products after Sunday masses, hosting educational events, supporting local organizations through the Alternative Gift Fair, and advocating for positive U.S. policies in conjunction with the Franciscan Province of the Holy Name.

Bread for the World Offering of Letters. For more than 40 years, Bread for the World has been a collective Christian voice urging our nation's leaders to end hunger at home and abroad. Each year since 2010, parishioners at St. Camillus have conducted an "Offering of Letters," hand-writing letters to members of Congress asking them to protect and promote various programs and policies that help families who struggle with hunger. Some parishioners deliver the letters on Capitol Hill during Bread for the World's Lobby Day in June. Throughout the year, parishioners contact legislators by phone and email, speaking up as advocates for those who are hungry. For more information, go to www.bread.org