tvc.dsj.org | April 25, 2017
COMMENTARY
15
Remembering the Forgotten Ones
By Gregory Kepferle
CEO, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara
County and President, Charities Housing
Development Corporation
“Oops, I forgot.” How often do we say that to our-
selves or to others? It may be as mundane as when I
forget to reply to an email or a phone call or forget to
take out the trash. Or it can be more serious forget-
ting, such as failure to fulfill a promise or as a sign of
failing health. And then there is the social forgetting
based on “out of sight, out of mind.”
We forget the thousands of our neighbors who are
homeless until we see someone pushing a shopping
cart full of belongings down the street or pass the blue
tarps under the freeways. We forget the thousands of
seniors or people with disabilities isolated in apart-
ments or nursing homes until we see someone with
a wheelchair or a walker passing by. We forget the
thousands of inmates in our county jails, until we
hear something on the news about crime. We forget
the thousands of children and families silently strug-
gling with poverty even as we pass their modest
homes with two and three families living together
to survive the high costs of the valley.
When we remember them, even as our hearts are
moved with compassion, we may be overwhelmed by
the sheer magnitude of the challenges they face and
become paralyzed by uncertainty with how to make
a difference. That’s where Catholic Charities steps in.
While we can’t serve everyone, Catholic Charities can
make a difference – with your help – to the forgotten
ones in our midst. We build affordable housing and
support families on the path to self-sufficiency. We
serve, support and advocate for seniors and people
with disabilities, including those facing mental ill-
ness. We visit prisoners and help those coming out of
prison reintegrate into the community, find housing
and meaningful work. We break the cycle of poverty
for children and families through early childhood
development, after-school literacy and safe places to
learn and grow. We reduce poverty for immigrants,
refugees, and job seekers through creating opportuni-
ties for employment, financial literacy and integrating
into society. We advocate for policies that will help
alleviate, prevent and reduce poverty of the forgot-
ten ones.
I invite you to remember the forgotten ones by
supporting the work of Catholic Charities. For more
information, go to www.CatholicCharitiesSCC.org.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor,
I have become more and more
disappointed with my Catholic Church.
Let me list some of the reasons.
The Diocese of San Jose has become
more and more liberal as they want to
allow illegal immigrants to stay and be
supported. My problem here is what
is the church’s position regarding the
folks who have applied for citizenship
and have been waiting and who are
being thrown back in line? In addition,
what is the cost to the taxpayers for
allowing the illegal immigrants to stay?
I don’t know but I would bet many of
the taxpayers would like to know what
that price tag is as much as I would. I’m
sure it is enormous. And I believe that if
the cost was provided, a great number
of taxpayers would not be so eager to
support the policy.
Another point: why don’t we survey
the citizens to see how many are for
sanctuary cities who allow illegal
immigrants who have committed
crimes to not be reported to ICE?
One other thing. I realize our church
wishes to help the poor and others
and, except for a short period when I
stopped giving, I have supported my
church, other charities that help people,
the missions, and some building proj-
ects. We have plenty of citizens in our
country and in San Jose that need help
and I feel they should be given first
priority over illegal immigrants.
Sincerely,
Ed Lodi
San Jose
Please email letters to the editor to tvc.submissions@dsj.
org. Letters must be 200 words or less. Please include name,
email and phone number. Subject to editing. Letters will be
published at the discretion of the editor. Deadline for the next
edition is Tuesday, May 5. For additional information please
visit tvc.dsj.org/submissions.
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
For more information contact Karen Levesque,
Business Manager at (408) 983-0262.