Call to Action

Call To Action educates, inspires and activates Catholics to act for justice and build inclusive communities through a lens of anti-racism and anti-oppression principles.

www.cta-usa.org

New Campaign Campaigns

  • Girls Belong at the Altar! Support Altar girls in San Francisco parish
    It is discriminatory and it is unfair: As one high-ranking Church official put it: “...excluding girls from being altar servers is 'invidious discrimination' and to do this in this day and age in our culture has no justification." http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/san-francisco-priests-council-debates-pr-disaster-parish The decision was based on a flawed interpretation of Church teachings: Serving at mass is not a priestly function, and it is not a recruiting tool for the priesthood. http://cta-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LETTER-for-petition.pdf The ban “discredits the value of girls’ service in the Church”: Every other parish in the archdiocese allows altar girls, and we do not want Fr. Illo’s ban to set a precedent for other parishes. As one priest from a neighboring parish says: "For one San Francisco parish to choose to limit altar servers to males only is just not their business. It hurts us all when it argues archaic theology that discredits the value of girls' service in the Church.” http://www.siprep.org/page.cfm?p=9377 Read more about Star of the Sea Parish and the ban on altar girls at:  http://www.welovestarsf.com/faq.html
    2,009 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Jim FitzGerald, Call To Action
  • Stand with Catholic Church Workers!
    In recent years, many Catholic workers have been unjustly terminated or deprived of fair contract renewals. These firings have typically targeted those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT), those who are in relationships not recognized by the Church, those who support women’s equality in Church and society, and those who have made decisions about family life in the sacredness of their conscience. These unjust terminations are not only spiritually, emotionally, and financially devastating for the individual, but they also impact students, parishioners, family members, colleagues, and others, often diminishing their level of trust and respect for the Church.
    1,016 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Ryan Hoffmann Picture
  • We support the appeal to replace Archbishop Cordileone
    In a letter published in the San Francisco Chronicle April 16, 2015, Catholics appealed to Pope Francis to replace the archbishop with a leader true to Catholic values. In response to the ad, the archbishops’s reply was "The greatest misrepresentation of all is that the signers presume to speak for the Catholic Community of San Francisco...They do not.” We want Pope Francis to know that YES THEY DO speak for us! "Archbishop Cordileone has fostered an atmosphere of division and intolerance." say leaders. "He has forced Archdiocesan high school teachers to accept a mean-spirited morality code that violates individual consciences, as well as California labor laws He supports a pastor at Star of the Sea parish who marginalizes women’s participation in the church by banning girls from altar service, contrary to your desire to expand women’s roles in the Catholic Church. He has isolated himself from our community, and brushes aside advice from his priests. The Archdiocese of San Francisco is threatened and cannot survive, let alone thrive and grow, under Archbishop Cordileone’s supervision." Full text of the letter is available at: http://bit.ly/1b1ZLhm The story has been covered at: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Prominent-Catholics-call-on-pope-to-oust-S-F-6202539.php Get involved by following the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theyspeakforme?fref=nf
    1,146 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Jim FitzGerald, Call To Action
  • Discrimination and fear don't belong in our schools - Sign Now!
    San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has proposed that teachers and staff at Bay Area high schools within the Archdiocese accept “morality clauses” that condemn homosexuality as contrary to “natural law,” contraception as “intrinsically evil,” ordination of female priests as impossible, and use of assisted reproductive technology as a “grave evil.” Every staff member is expected to “conduct their lives so as to not visibly contradict, undermine or deny these truths.” The Archbishop is also attempting to reclassify all Catholic school employees, including teachers, administrative staff, custodial and food service staff, as “ministers,” a move that could eliminate anti-discrimination and other workplace protections for those staff members. Students need a safe space free of judgment and fear. Not only is the move completely out of step with modern Catholic teachings and beliefs, but we could lose some of our best teachers and staff.
    7,247 of 8,000 Signatures
    Created by Jim FitzGerald, Call To Action
  • Investigate Bishop Dewane
    Since 2006, Catholics in Southwest Florida have been suffering under Bishop Dewane and asking for an investigation into his misconduct. He has intimidated and banished workers and his violent outbursts and unpredictable anger have become a pattern which, in the name of justice, demands an investigation. After years of letter writing and local action, Catholics in the diocese are writing again to Pope Francis, and asking for the support of others around the country. (For more information on the pastors and parishioners leading the campaign, visit www.cta-usa.org/SWFL)
    2,031 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Jim FitzGerald, Call To Action