The Catholic Diocese of Auckland, Justice and Peace Commission has supported the Living Wage since 2013 when they made this statement supporting the Living Wage:
“Working people need wages which allow them to live with dignity and participate in society. When used in a particular employee/employer context the Living Wage calculation makes a valuation contribution toward determining whether wages are just.”
Members of the PF1 Young Adult Group (that advocates for justice issues) were pleased that the Diocese supports the Living Wage Movement. However, we were concerned that many parishioners we speak to have very little understanding of the impact of low wages and the importance of advocating the Living Wage. As members of PF1, leaders from Santa Kruz Youth (Papatoetoe Parish) made a presentation to the Justice & Peace Commission of the Auckland Catholic Diocese. There they shared testimonies about how they and their families had been impacted by poverty. They asked Bishop Patrick and members of the Justice & Peace Commission to teach about this in parishes and communities in the Auckland Diocese.
We invite you to watch the video below to hear an important statement from Bishop Patrick Dunn (Bishop of the Auckland Diocese), the testimony shared by Santa Kruz leaders and teaching on a just wage from Deacon Chris Sullivan.
Click below for a copy of the information sheet Catholics and the Living Wage published by the Social Welfare and Anti-Poverty Committee of the Auckland Catholic Justice and Peace Commission in July 2016.
For more information:
Justice and Peace Commission, Catholic Diocese of Auckland – click here
Living Wage Facebook page: (www.facebook.com/LivingWageAotearoaNewZealand/).
“Not paying a just wage, not providing work, focusing exclusively on the balance books, on financial statements, only looking at making personal profit. That goes against God!”
Pope Francis, 1 May 2013
On Sunday 31 July (the eve of Living Wage Week in Aotearoa New Zealand), young people from Santa Kruz Youth in Papatoetoe shared an animation highlighting the effects of living on the minimum wage for them and their families. In this animation they taught about the difference between minimum and living wage and to connect with our theme for World Youth Day 2016 #LiveMercyWithMe they showed how simple acts of mercy made a difference to their lives. Click below for a video of the animation.
