Dear Friends of Peace and Justice,

We hope all is well with you! In this latest Update, we have some statistics on family poverty & homelessness in the U.S.; a link to figure our "water footprint;" as well as a quiz on the death "penalty." We also have more listings of upcoming events on the Calendar tab to the left. As always, please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Peace!

The St. Francis Xavier Peace & Justice Ministry

• Help prepare dinners and share a meal with the families
  
• Bring food and prepare bag lunches and participate in recreational activities
  
• Sleep overnight and offer continental breakfast before our guests leave for the day
  

Family Promise works in partnership with Catholic Charities, Connections and Good News and is dedicated to helping families who are temporarily homeless return to permanent housing. Additional information regarding Family Promise and the Family Promise Chicago North Shore is available at: www.familypromise.org. and www.fpcnorthshore.org.

DID YOU KNOW? Family Poverty & Homelessness Statistics When a person "gets off welfare" and obtains a full time job, his or her average wage is $7.00/hr (or approximately $14,000/yr.) Children's Defense Fund In order to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in the area, a person needs to make at least $15.78/hr. (or approximately $31,000/yr.) National Low Income Housing Coalition A person would need to work 90 hours, at $7.00/hr., to afford the 2-bedroom apartment in the area. National Low Income Housing Coalition One in every 25 people (or 4%) needs to go to a food pantry or other emergency food source in this country every year. U.S. Dept of Agriculture 84% of low-income families have at least one parent working. National Center for Children in Poverty In 49 states (except Vermont) the cost of childcare costs more than the tuition at a public college. Children's Defense Fund Families make up 40% of this country's homeless population. National Coalition for the Homeless Between 750,000-1,000,000 children are homeless in America over the course of a year. National Coalition for the Homeless Children make up 25% of the homeless population in America. National Coalition for the Homeless

Know Justice, Know Peace: Ending War at Home and Abroad
On July 16-18, 2010, Pax Christi USA will hold their annual conference again in the Chicago area. The gathering will be held at the Rosemont Hotel O'Hare and will feature presentations by Fr. Bryan Massingale STD, Jeremy Scahill, Elena Segura & Jack Jezreel, founder of Just Faith Ministry. There will also be a pre-conference retreat with John Dear S.J., and an award given to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). This is a wonderful opportunity to hear some great speakers and connect with other people active in peace & justice activities from across the country. Pax Christi USA rejects war, preparations for war, and every form of violence and domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice, and respect for creation. It is committed to peace education and, with the help of its bishop members, promotes the gospel imperative of peacemaking as a priority in the Catholic Church in the United States. Through the efforts of all its members and in cooperation with other groups, Pax Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. Pax Christi is a section of Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace movement. For more information on Pax Christi or the conference, click here: www.paxchristiusa.org

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