Office of Urban Affairs

Mission

“Our faith calls us to work for justice;
to serve those in need, to pursue peace,
and to defend the life, dignity and rights of all our sisters and brothers.
This is the call of Jesus, the challenge of the prophets,
and the living tradition of our Church.”
(A Century of Social Teaching, p. 1)
A Pastoral Message of the Catholic Bishops of the United States

The Office of Urban Affairs is committed to supporting the dignity and basic human rights of all persons in society, at every stage of their lives, who are subject to economic, political, and social deprivation. OUA will collaborate with other Archdiocesan programs and enlist all persons of good will in this ministry of social justice.

Program Areas

Parish Social Ministry
We train parish leaders to integrate parish social ministry into the life of the whole parish community. We highlight the call by the U.S. Bishops to encourage every parish to involve people with the four dimensions of social ministry: direct service, justice education, advocacy, empowerment. We offer training in English and in Spanish.

Advocacy
We work for public policies on hunger, welfare policy, the environment, issues of importance to older adults and children, and in opposition to the death penalty. Parishes in the four Catholic dioceses in Connecticut share in this work through the Action for Justice Network.

We work with the Connecticut Catholic Conference to assist every parish in the four dioceses to act on public policies that they choose from among the priorities of the Connecticut Catholic Conference and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Community Development Ministry
We work with parishes seeking ways to respond to housing and employment needs. We work with AmeriCares to sponsor HomeFront Day on the first Saturday of May each year. Through the CenterEdge Project we are creating new tools to enable every parish and every city and town to see itself and its own story as part of the bigger story of its region.

Enablement
Through the Catholic Campaign For Human Development, grants are provided to organized groups of poor people to develop economic strength and political power in their communities and to either change institutions that impact adversely on their lives or to create alternative ones. Through Cooperative Parish Sharing we raise funds from parishes which are given out as grants to needy parish and Catholic school projects.

Interfaith Collaboration
OUA is committed to work with persons of all faiths in pursuing the goal of dignity and economic and social justice for all people.

Programs and Staff

Administration and Development
Patrick Joseph Smyth, Executive Director
Patricia M. Wallace, Director of Programs
Carmel Alberino, Office Manager
Stephanie Holden, Secretary/Computer Operator

Parish Social Ministry
Carl Gerstung, Regional Coordinator, Northern Region
U. Joyce Weekes, Regional Coordinator, Southern Region
Arturo M. Iriarte, Coordinator, Parish Social Ministry For Hispanics

Advocacy
Graziella Zinn, Action for Justice Network Coordinator

Environmental Justice
Jeanie Graustein, Environmental Justice Ministry Coordinator

Enablement
Patrick Joseph Smyth, Cooperative Parish Sharing
Patricia M. Wallace, Cooperative Parish Sharing
Patrick Joseph Smyth, Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Patricia M. Wallace, Catholic Campaign for Human Development

To contact the Office of Urban Affairs:

P. Joseph Smyth, Executive Director
Telephone: 203-777-7279
Fax: 203-776-3233
Email: jsmyth@oua-adh.org jsmyth@oua-adh.org

Website
www.oua-adh.org