You are invited to join Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul and San Jose Clinic.

Street and metered parking will be free, and there will be yeallow Co-Cathedral parking signs placed where parking is available.

January is Poverty Awareness Month. In 2012, 46.5 million people lived below the Federal government's official poverty threshold… which for a family of four is $22,314.00. 2010 marked the fourth consecutive annual increase in the number of people living in poverty. The poverty rate, or percentage of the overall population living in poverty, has steadily increased as well, up to 15.1% in 2010 from 12.5% in 2007. The number of people living in poverty in 2010 (46.2 million) is the largest number seen in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published. (Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010, US Census Bureau) Both the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and local organizations are working together to promote Poverty Awareness throughout the month with a variety of educational tools and resources, including a Mass on Saturday, January 11th, 2014. The Poverty USA website www.PovertyUSA.org (an initiative of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the U.S. bishops' domestic anti-poverty program) has been updated to reflect latest census statistics. These include that 9.5 million U.S. families, or 11.8 percent of families, live in poverty, 25 percent of children under the age of 6 live in poverty and 20.4 million people live in deep poverty or living at less than half the poverty line. Also, 23 million people are unemployed or underemployed. A Spanish version of Poverty USA is also now available at www.PobrezaUSA.org. "We hope Poverty Awareness Month raises the consciousness of Catholics and other Americans about the debilitating poverty that smothers the spirit and weakens the soul of our neighbors everywhere," said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, chairman of the CCHD, in a statement released by the USCCB. "As we wrestle with the effects of the enduring economic crisis, let us work together so that this vital apostolate of justice and mercy will reduce poverty and restore human dignity in our society." Locally, Catholic Charities, San José Clinic, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, with underwriting support from The Kristie Lee Tautenhahn Foundation, are promoting Poverty Awareness throughout the month with a variety of educational tools and resources, including a Mass on Saturday, January 11th, 2014. "Poverty is an issue that impacts so many that all three of our organizations serve," said Paule Anne Lewis, President and CEO of San José Clinic. "We hope that our community will come together to help raise awareness about poverty in our city, state, nation and beyond." The Poverty Awareness Mass will be held at 5:00 pm on Saturday, January 11th at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. All are invited to attend as the three groups join to pray together for those suffering in poverty and those searching for a solution to this worldwide crisis. A Poverty Awareness Month calendar was also created, with educational facts about poverty in our area and nation-wide, as well as ways to impact those who are most affected. Download your copy by clicking on the image below