Local CCHD director commended for jump in annual collection
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
When talking with Sister Roselani Enomoto about her work as diocesan director for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, her passion and dedication to its mission is clearly palpable.
“If we were to put all the people who are poor in one state it would be the second largest state in the union. That is not OK,” said Sister Roselani, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet who is also a program director for the diocesan Office for Social Ministry.
That passion has translated into Sister Roselani being recognized by the national CCHD office in September for her leadership in increasing Hawaii’s contribution to the national 2005 CCHD collection by 23.86 percent. According to Sister Roselani, that is the largest increase ever for the diocese. The total state contribution last year was $69,104.54.
Seventy-five percent of the money collected each year, mostly during the annual parish collection during the weekend before Thanksgiving, goes to the national office and 25 percent stays in Hawaii.
The money funds anti-poverty programs in the United States.
“I’d like to say that for me the 23.86 percent involves the increased level of awareness and education,” said Sister Roselani, who has been the CCHD diocesan director since 2001. “So it isn’t just a money thing. It is a picture of how the Catholic Church truly does help whoever the poor person is locally.”
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops started the campaign in 1969 as a way to fight poverty in the United States. Its goal was and still is to build a stronger connection between the poor and non-poor and to emphasize the importance of social justice in Catholic teaching.
“I’ve watched the growth of the campaign and I always taught about it,” said the former teacher who also spent four years on the CCHD’s national advisory board. “It was part of my social justice classes.”
In her time as diocesan director, Sister Roselani has increased collection funds, formed a board with members from every island, held several “Break the Cycle of Poverty” bike ride events, and worked to reach poverty groups all over Hawaii.
Always the focus is helping people help themselves. One of the requirements for groups applying for national or diocesan funding is that 50 percent of their board members must be living below the poverty line.
Two local organizations have been granted funding from the national office for the coming year. FACE Hawaii (Faith Action for Community Equity) is a nonprofit community organization of different religious congregations and neighborhood associations that advocates for issues such as affordable housing or safer schools. Hawaii ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is a technical assistance organization mostly involved in community organizing.
This year the CCHD board is focusing on increasing awareness among youth by distributing educational packets in Catholic schools and collaborating with the Department of Religious Education.
“One of the reasons we are convinced this is important is that the younger the person is, and the more they learn about the CCHD, the more we’ll be breaking the cycle of poverty,” Sister Roselani said. She noted that of the 38 million people living below the poverty line today, eight million are children.
“The [Campaign] collection has gone up and up and up,” she said. “And I think it’s because people are coming to understand that these are not some far distance folks. These are our own people who are living in poverty. And we have quite a percentage in Hawaii.”
This year’s annual collection is on the weekend of Nov. 18-19.