Originally published at Southern Cross
By Elias Rashidi
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the U.S. Catholic bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program.
Serving over the summer as a CCHD intern with our diocese’s Office for Life, Peace and Justice was an eye-opening experience that has shaped my perspective on social justice and the Church’s role in addressing poverty and working with organizations that accompany the poor.
I first learned about the CCHD internship program from a fellow seminarian, John Murcko, who was a CCHD intern in the diocesan Office for Life, Peace and Justice in the summer of 2022. Later, he was awarded a CCHD diocesan alumni follow-on internship in the summer of 2023, working with parishes in the Imperial Valley to address the root causes of poverty.
John spoke constantly about how the program was a fantastic opportunity to contribute to society and the Church. His enthusiasm and passion for the program piqued my interest, and I began to explore what the CCHD program was all about.
This past spring, I was selected as a CCHD intern. My internship began in May with an orientation trip to Washington, D.C., to learn more about the role that CCHD plays in the U.S. Catholic Church.
Among
