Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Caritas Rushes Aid to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines, SEPT. 29, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- Caritas is responding to the worst flood the Philippines has seen in 50 years, which killed some 250 people Saturday and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

In just 12 hours, Tropical Storm Ketsana dumped a month's worth of rain on the city of 12 million people, submerging 80% of the capital.

Caritas will initially provide aid for a total of 10,000 families in the seriously affected areas.

Caritas Philippines Executive Director Sister Rosanne Mallillin called the situation "very challenging."

"Many of our local social actions centers are still unable to reach the worse-hit areas because of the debris and the flooding," she explained. "People are in need of food and clean water, as many of the water sources have been contaminated. We’re also sending cooking utensils, sleeping mats and bed sheets."

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On the Net:

Caritas: www.caritas.org/

Monday, September 21, 2009

USCCB, CRS GLOBAL POVERTY INITIATIVE REACHES QUARTER MILLION CATHOLICS

WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) announced that they have reached over 250,000 Catholics through their Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative, a renewed nationwide effort to address the root causes of global poverty through education and advocacy. In less than seven months, they have reached one quarter of their goal to mobilize one million Catholics.

Launched in February 2009 on the heels of Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 World Day of Peace Message on “Fighting Poverty to Build Peace,” Catholics Confront Global Poverty calls on Catholics to learn about and share the stories of those struggling to rise above extreme poverty, to pray for the poorest members of our human family, and to advocate with policy makers on behalf of poor people worldwide.

“The global financial crisis is having a devastating impact on people here and the poor around the world, and the progress that has been made could be wiped out for decades to come,” said Ken Hackett, CRS President. “In a world where an estimated 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty, the message of the Church is clear. As Catholics, we are called to help our brothers and sisters in need.”

With the release of his latest Encyclical Letter, Caritas in Veritate , Pope Benedict XVI reiterated his plea for richer nations to stand with people living in poverty and take action, especially in light of the global financial crisis.
“Through support for economically poor countries by means of financial plans inspired by solidarity … not only can true economic growth be generated, but a contribution can be made towards sustaining the productive capacities of rich countries that risk being compromised by the crisis,” said Pope Benedict.

“Pope Benedict tells us that fighting global poverty and alleviating the financial crisis are not conflicting goals,” said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, N.Y., Chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace. “In fact, by serving the world’s poor, we encourage human development and create a stronger foundation for the global economy. That is just one way Catholics can make a difference as part of this initiative.”

To date, more than 250,000 Catholic individuals in parishes, schools, religious communities of men and women, and universities have been connected to grassroots efforts to raise awareness of global poverty. In addition to social networking, presentations and prayer, many of them have sent messages to and visited with their elected officials regarding key legislative issues that require attention to fight global poverty.

This grassroots advocacy is already paying off. Last July, the tremendous response from U.S. Catholics to resist cuts to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill helped to protect funding for poverty-focused initiatives.

“This is a great example of how our advocacy work benefits those we serve overseas while at the same time providing opportunities for Catholics to act on their faith and join in the work of CRS,” Hackett said.

For more information on Catholics Confront Global Poverty, visit www.usccb.org/globalpoverty or www.crs.org/globalpoverty .

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION week of September 21, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.

VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B) we read from the Gospel of Mark about Jesus' lesson to his disciples about humility and servant-leadership: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” In the Letter from James we hear about an age old problem: people are arguing based in their own jealousy. We are called to be peacemakers.

In Catholic Charities we too are challenged to be servants of those we serve and to be peace builders in our daily work. St. Vincent de Paul, the Patron Saint of Charitable Societies whose feast we will celebrate this Sunday, September 27, reminded those with whom he collaborated that the "poor are our masters" and that we had to be responsive to them just as we would be to Jesus himself. Besides being servants we are also called to be peacebuilders in our daily work of service, advocacy and convening. Caritas Internationalis continues to promote ideas and resources on how Catholic Charities' leaders can model peacemaking in their service delivery.

Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate: "Love in truth — caritas in veritate — is a great challenge for the Church in a world that is becoming progressively and pervasively globalized. The risk for our time is that the de facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction of consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development. Only in charity, illumined by the light of reason and faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanizing value. The sharing of goods and resources, from which authentic development proceeds, is not guaranteed by merely technical progress and relationships of utility, but by the potential of love that overcomes evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21), opening up the path towards reciprocity of consciences and liberties." (Caritas in Veritate, par 9-1).

N.B. Note: Please consider joining our new Twitter account, CCDOY, for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

Some important date(s) this week:

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27 St. Vincent de Paul
(1580?-1660) The deathbed confession of a dying servant opened Vincent's eyes to the crying spiritual needs of the peasantry of France. This seems to have been a crucial moment in the life of the man from a small farm in Gascony, France, who had become a priest with little more ambition than to have a comfortable life.

It was the Countess de Gondi (whose servant he had helped) who persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of able and zealous missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general. Vincent was too humble to accept leadership at first, but after working for some time in Paris among imprisoned galley-slaves, he returned to be the leader of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the Vincentians. These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages.

Later, Vincent established confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick of each parish. From these, with the help of St. Louise de Marillac, came the Daughters of Charity, "whose convent is the sickroom, whose chapel is the parish church, whose cloister is the streets of the city." He organized the rich women of Paris to collect funds for his missionary projects, founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for the victims of war and ransomed over 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. He was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries.

Most remarkably, Vincent was by temperament a very irascible person—even his friends admitted it. He said that except for the grace of God he would have been "hard and repulsive, rough and cross." But he became a tender and affectionate man, very sensitive to the needs of others.

Pope Leo XIII made him the patron of all charitable societies. Outstanding among these, of course, is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by his admirer Blessed Frederic Ozanam (September 7).



Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis


September 19-20, 2009 – Did you know that Legal Immigration Services (LIS) are available in the Diocese of Youngstown? Catholic Charities offers legal assistance recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals at its offices in Ravenna, Ashtabula and Canton. LIS provides family-based immigration assistance to those individuals who wish to obtain legal status in the United States, either for themselves or for their relatives. For more information, call Catholic Charities LIS at 330-297-7250.







PAPAL INTENTIONS:

September 2009
General: That the word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy.

Mission: That Christians in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, who often meet with great difficulties, may not be discourage from announcing the Gospel to their brothers, trusting in the strength of the Holy Spirit.



Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor

1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit those in prison
7. Bury the dead



See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.

For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Immigration: Making Catholicity Tangible

http://www.zenit.org/article-26887?l=english

ZE09091609 - 2009-09-16
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-26887?l=english


Vatican Aide Notes How Migration Helps Ecclesiology

BRASILIA, Brazil, SEPT. 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Immigration makes the nature of the universal Church visible, according to a Vatican aide who was reflecting on migrants and catholicity.

Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, spoke about immigration and ecclesiology when he addressed the third international conference on migrant ministry, which opened today in Brazil.

The prelate affirmed that immigration, which he called a "sign of the times," can be a chance for local Churches to live and feel the ecclesiology of communion and mission spoken about in "Lumen Gentium" from the Second Vatican Council.

The pastoral care of migrants "contributes to making visible the genuine physiognomy of the Church," he contended.

"Also through them," the archbishop added, "God's plan of salvific communion can be carried out among peoples."

Archbishop Marchetto further observed that immigrants themselves have the "privileged though painful opportunity of coming to a greater sense of belonging to the universal Church, beyond any particularity."

He recalled how "Lumen Gentium" teaches that the Church exists as universal and particular, without contradiction.

And the Church's pastoral program with immigrants must be carried out "in hierarchical communion with the bishop, the clergy, the laity and the religious," the archbishop said. He added that a concept of "mission" must also be taken into account.

"Mission is not only carried out in the so-called mission territories, traditionally in Asia and Africa, given that today the inhabitants of the different continents move, and with them, moves the mission," he observed.

"The Church becomes the history of a people on the way who, starting from the mystery of Christ and the circumstances of the people and groups that make it up, is called to build a new history, gift of God and fruit of human liberty," Archbishop Marchetto said. "This is the thread of the history that enters in God's order, in the paschal mystery of death and life, and also the thread of the joys and sorrows of migrants, pilgrims on earth."

Sunday, September 13, 2009

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for week of September 13, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.

VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown, we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B) we read from the Gospel of Mark about Jesus' question to his disciples: "Who do you same that I am?" He continues to probe the disciples inner beliefs, until Peter finally declares that Jesus is the Son of God. But almost immediately afterward Jesus explains to them that discipleship entails sacrifice, a new way of being, and maybe even death, that Peter rebukes Jesus for such an attitude. Sometimes we want discipleship to be easy or on own terms, not God's terms. We hear in the Letter from St. James that our lives will be a witness to our very faith by the works we do: we cannot stand by when someone asks for bread and we give them some pious platitude. We must act; act in a new way: out of love.

In Catholic Charities we provide opportunities for Catholics and others of good will to live out their faith by sharing their gifts to help our brothers and sisters in need. But we too, as Catholic Charities, must remain vigilant about who we are ourselves. We can never just be another good social service agency doing good work. Rather, as Catholic Charities we are called upon to remember that we are rooted in our faith and are the living expression of the Church's healing ministry to care for those who are in need.

Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate: "In 1967, when he issued the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, my venerable predecessor Pope Paul VI illuminated the great theme of the development of peoples with the splendour of truth and the gentle light of Christ's charity. He taught that life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development and he entrusted us with the task of travelling the path of development with all our heart and all our intelligence, that is to say with the ardour of charity and the wisdom of truth. It is the primordial truth of God's love, grace bestowed upon us, that opens our lives to gift and makes it possible to hope for a “development of the whole man and of all men”, to hope for progress “from less human conditions to those which are more human”, obtained by overcoming the difficulties that are inevitably encountered along the way.

At a distance of over forty years from the Encyclical's publication, I intend to pay tribute and to honour the memory of the great Pope Paul VI, revisiting his teachings on integral human development and taking my place within the path that they marked out, so as to apply them to the present moment. This continual application to contemporary circumstances began with the Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, with which the Servant of God Pope John Paul II chose to mark the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Populorum Progressio. Until that time, only Rerum Novarum had been commemorated in this way. Now that a further twenty years have passed, I express my conviction that Populorum Progressio deserves to be considered “the Rerum Novarum of the present age”, shedding light upon humanity's journey towards unity." (Caritas in Veritate, par 8).

N.B. Note: Please consider joining our new Twitter account, CCDOY, for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. http://twitter.com/CCDOY

Some important date(s) this week:

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009. Catholic-Lutheran Covenant Commission Gathering. Topic: Catholic and Lutheran Understanding of Social Justice. 3:00-6:30 p.m.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Warren



Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis


September 12-13, 2009 – Catholic Charities USA has been awarded a contract with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families to provide disaster case management services in the contiguous United States and U. S. Territories. This contract represents an acknowledgement of the quality, professional services that Catholic Charities has been providing in the United States for 100 years.


PAPAL INTENTIONS:

September 2009

General: That the word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy.

Mission: That Christians in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, who often meet with great difficulties, may not be discourage from announcing the Gospel to their brothers, trusting in the strength of the Holy Spirit.



Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor

1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit those in prison
7. Bury the dead



See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.

For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/

Monday, September 7, 2009

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for week of September 7, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.


VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.

MISSION: To provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B) we read from the Gospel of Mark how the prophet Isaiah's foretelling of the time when the Son of Man will come to bring about the Kingdom is here. Jesus heals a man and many others. Jesus breaks forth the Kingdom of peace, justice and mercy. The psalm praises the Lord for being our experience of justice, mercy and healing. The Letter from James reminds us, also, that we should show no partiality in our hospitality and service.

In Catholic Charities we continue to be a sign of the Kingdom of God here among us. By our work of service to others, we encounter Jesus himself every time we provide for a need. We are there as signs of God's love and compassion; our clients who are "hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or in prison, or sick or a stranger" are Jesus to us and bring us Good News as well. In this spirit, we see no distinction when someone walks through our doors for help, no matter their station in life.

Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate: "Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone is to desire that person's good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society. It is a good that is sought not for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity. To take a stand for the common good is on the one hand to be solicitous for, and on the other hand to avail oneself of, that complex of institutions that give structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically and culturally, making it the pólis, or “city”. The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our neighbours, the more effectively we love them. Every Christian is called to practise this charity, in a manner corresponding to his vocation and according to the degree of influence he wields in the pólis. This is the institutional path — we might also call it the political path — of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbour directly, outside the institutional mediation of the pólis. When animated by charity, commitment to the common good has greater worth than a merely secular and political stand would have. Like all commitment to justice, it has a place within the testimony of divine charity that paves the way for eternity through temporal action. Man's earthly activity, when inspired and sustained by charity, contributes to the building of the universal city of God, which is the goal of the history of the human family. In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family, that is to say, the community of peoples and nations, in such a way as to shape the earthly city in unity and peace, rendering it to some degree an anticipation and a prefiguration of the undivided city of God." (Caritas in Veritate, par 7).

N.B. Note: Please consider joining our new Twitter account, CCDOY, for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

Some important date(s) this week:

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. Blessed Frederick Ozanam (1813-1853) A man convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being, Frederick served the poor of Paris well and drew others into serving the poor of the world. Through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, his work continues to the present day.

Frederick wanted to study literature, although his father, a doctor, wanted him to become a lawyer. Frederick yielded to his father’s wishes and in 1831 arrived in Paris to study law at the University of the Sorbonne. When certain professors there mocked Catholic teachings in their lectures, Frederick defended the Church.

A discussion club which Frederick organized sparked the turning point in his life. In this club Catholics, atheists and agnostics debated the issues of the day. Once, after Frederick spoke on Christianity’s role in civilization, a club member said: "Let us be frank, Mr. Ozanam; let us also be very particular. What do you do besides talk to prove the faith you claim is in you?"

Frederick was stung by the question. He soon decided that his words needed a grounding in action. He and a friend began visiting Paris tenements and offering assistance as best they could. Soon a group dedicated to helping individuals in need under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul formed around Frederick.

After Frederick earned his law degree at the Sorbonne, he taught law at the University of Lyons. He also earned a doctorate in literature. Soon after marrying Amelie Soulacroix on June 23, 1841, he returned to the Sorbonne to teach literature. A well-respected lecturer, Frederick worked to bring out the best in each student. Meanwhile, the St. Vincent de Paul Society was growing throughout Europe. Paris alone counted 25 conferences.

In 1846, Frederick, Amelie and their daughter Marie went to Italy; there Frederick hoped to restore his poor health. They returned the next year. The revolution of 1848 left many Parisians in need of the services of the St. Vincent de Paul conferences. The unemployed numbered 275,000. The government asked Frederick and his co-workers to supervise the government aid to the poor. Vincentians throughout Europe came to the aid of Paris.

Frederick then started a newspaper, The New Era, dedicated to securing justice for the poor and the working classes. Fellow Catholics were often unhappy with what Frederick wrote. Referring to the poor man as "the nation’s priest," Frederick said that the hunger and sweat of the poor formed a sacrifice that could redeem the people’s humanity

In 1852 poor health again forced Frederick to return to Italy with his wife and daughter. He died on September 8, 1853. Frederick was beatified in 1997. Since Frederick wrote an excellent book entitled Franciscan Poets of the Thirteenth Century and since Frederick’s sense of the dignity of each poor person was so close to the thinking of St. Francis, it seemed appropriate to include him among Franciscan "greats."



WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 St. Peter Claver (1581-1654) A native of Spain, young Jesuit Peter Claver left his homeland forever in 1610 to be a missionary in the colonies of the New World. He sailed into Cartagena (now in Colombia), a rich port city washed by the Caribbean. He was ordained there in 1615. By this time the slave trade had been established in the Americas for nearly 100 years, and Cartagena was a chief center for it. Ten thousand slaves poured into the port each year after crossing the Atlantic from West Africa under conditions so foul and inhuman that an estimated one-third of the passengers died in transit. Although the practice of slave-trading was condemned by Pope Paul III and later labeled "supreme villainy" by Pius IX, it continued to flourish.

As soon as a slave ship entered the port, Peter Claver moved into its infested hold to minister to the ill-treated and exhausted passengers. After the slaves were herded out of the ship like chained animals and shut up in nearby yards to be gazed at by the crowds, Claver plunged in among them with medicines, food, bread, brandy, lemons and tobacco. With the help of interpreters he gave basic instructions and assured his brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God's saving love. During the 40 years of his ministry, Claver instructed and baptized an estimated 300,000 slaves.

His apostolate extended beyond his care for slaves. He became a moral force, indeed, the apostle of Cartagena. He preached in the city square, gave missions to sailors and traders as well as country missions, during which he avoided, when possible, the hospitality of the planters and owners and lodged in the slave quarters instead.
After four years of sickness which forced the saint to remain inactive and largely neglected, he died on September 8, 1654.



Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis


September 5-6, 2009 – A second quarter snapshot survey conducted by Catholic Charities USA reveals that 90% of agency clients nationwide represent the “working poor - those who are working, but whose wages are inadequate to make ends meet; 55% are homeless; 78% are families. Please pray for those who are struggling to provide for themselves and their families in this economic recession.


PAPAL INTENTIONS:

September 2009

General: That the word of God may be better known, welcomed and lived as the source of freedom and joy.

Mission: That Christians in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, who often meet with great difficulties, may not be discourage from announcing the Gospel to their brothers, trusting in the strength of the Holy Spirit.



Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor

1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit those in prison
7. Bury the dead


See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.

For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/

Thursday, September 3, 2009

US Bishops Send Labor Day Message

Calls for Rebuilding Economy Guided by Ethical Principles

WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 2, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- In a message for Labor Day on Monday, the U.S. bishops are underlining the need to retain hope and pray for those who have lost jobs during the economic recession.

This was affirmed in the message, "The Value of Work; The Dignity of the Human Person," publicized today and signed by Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York.

The prelate, who is chairman of the bishops' conference Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, stated that this day is a time to celebrate "the value and dignity of work and the contribution and rights of the American worker."

He acknowledged that currently, "we face a number of challenging problems," such as the economic recession.

Despite this, the bishop said, "We have an abiding faith in the values that have shaped our nation and an ongoing commitment to work together to address the problems and build on the strengths of who we are."

He underlined Benedict XVI's encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," as "a major point of reference for us all as we give thanks to God for the meaning with which God has endowed work as a reflection of the dignity of every worker, a 'co-creator' with God in this world of human endeavor."

Positive step

Bishop Murphy underlined a "positive step" taken by the conference in respect for workers, leading to a statement titled "Respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions."

This project, he noted, resulted in a "set of principles, processes, and guidelines for a respectful and harmonious approach to let workers in Catholic health care facilities make free choices about unionization."

In regard to the larger health care issue, concerning the proposed reforms currently under debate in the nation, the prelate urged Catholics to "join the bishops in advocating for health care reform that is truly universal and protects human life at every stage of development."

Related to this, he also underlined the need for the reform of immigration laws, to protect both the country and the migrant workers.

The bishop stated: "On this Labor Day, let us remember those without work and without hope. Too often in our public discourse anger trumps wisdom, myth outweighs fact, and slogans replace solutions.

"We can work together and rebuild our economy on the moral principles and ethical values outlined by Pope Benedict in his new encyclical."

He concluded, "We should also ask God's help in living out the Church's call to defend human life and dignity, to protect workers and their rights, and to stand with the poor and vulnerable in difficult economic times."

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On the Net:

Full text: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/labor_day_2009.pdf

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bishop Urges: Find Christ in Immigrants

Bishop Urges: Find Christ in Immigrants

Says American Catholics Cannot Remain Passive

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, SEPT. 1, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- The president of the Pastoral Committee for Human Mobility in Guatemala is stating that a community cannot call itself Christian if it does not welcome immigrants.

Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri of San Marcos affirmed this in a message titled "Migration and the Faith," published on the occasion of the National Day of the Immigrant, to be celebrated on Sunday.

In the message, the prelate reminded the faithful that for years the bishops' commission for the Pastoral Care of Human Mobility has fostered this celebration to awaken the consciences of Christians to the responsibility of living "with consistency the condition of disciples of the Lord, on discovering him present in immigrants and welcoming them with love."

He continued: "No Christian community will be able to consider itself as such if it does not welcome immigrant brothers and sisters with solicitude and affection.

"At the base of this attitude is contemplation of the Lord, thanks to the faith that allows us to discover him in them."

However, Bishop Ramazzini said, it is difficult, pastorally speaking, "to have immigrants welcomed, loved and served in Christian communities."

He noted that "thousands of Christians, Catholics and non-Catholics," are unaware or indifferent to "the sufferings, difficulties, anguishes, dreams and hopes of immigrants."

Immigration reform

The message affirmed that now, given the promise of immigration reform made by U.S. President Barack Obama, "the Catholic Church of the American continent cannot and must not remain in a passive attitude."

It continued, "On the contrary, the commitment to influence immigration reform with a human face becomes an imperative point of reference, to measure the firmness and solidity of our Christian faith."

The bishop asserted that the present world economic crisis "cannot be used as a pretext to impede a just, human and integral immigration reform."

Instead, he stated it "is right to thank God for the apostolic commitment of so many immigrants who, upon arriving at their place of destiny, especially in the United States and Canada, have become evangelizers who share their faith experience in those parishes and ecclesial communities that allow them."

Celebration

The prelate also highlighted the declaration of the bishops who took part in last June's meeting on the world economic crisis and immigration in the city of Tecun Uman, in his diocese.

Bishop Ramazzini invited all Christians in Guatemala to celebrate the immigrant's day "by uniting ourselves in a special way to the relatives of immigrants who feel the suffering of the remoteness of their loved ones."

He added that "in many parish and diocesan communities, this celebration is not given the importance it deserves," and expressed the hope that "in this year 2009 the situation may change drastically."

Finally, the prelate expressed the desire that "all Guatemalan men and women would live the evangelical charity of the Good Samaritan."

He concluded, "May Mary Most Holy, who went on pilgrimage with Joseph and the Child Jesus to Egypt, accompany all men and women immigrants in these difficult moments."

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

One Act a Time, Charity Transforms the World

Carl Anderson Addresses Rimini Meeting

RIMINI, Italy, AUG. 31, 2009 ( Zenit.org ).- As this week's installment of Civilization of Love, we offer an excerpt of the address Carl A. Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, gave last week at the Meeting of Friendship Among Peoples held in Rimini, Italy.

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I believe that Catholics -- and Catholic organizations and movements -- have an excellent opportunity to reach out both to other Catholics, and to the world at large, through charity. As Christians, Christ has called us to be known by the "way we love one another," and the leadership we can exert can be a great force for good. At the Knights of Columbus we have built great and lasting relationships and have been able to exponentially multiply the good that we do by working together with other groups -- at our summit -- and long before that with Special Olympics, the American Wheelchair Mission, Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities, and many others. We have also worked closely, since our founding, with the Catholic Church at every level: within our parishes, our dioceses and with the Holy Father. By putting ourselves at the service of Church and community -- and by working in and with both, we are better able to answer Christ's call to love our neighbor, and by our example to teach all nations.

Such cooperation -- communion if you will -- with the Church and with other organizations striving to do good, is, I believe, an excellent model for Catholic movements as they seek to transform the world by encouraging people to say "yes" to Jesus Christ. And nowhere is the face of our Church more attractive than in our open embrace of our neighbor. Each encounter with those in need is actually an opportunity to create a civilization of love, one person, one act at a time.

But sometimes statistics and the sheer volume of good works can make the practical effect hard to visualize. What makes an organization like ours work -- and keep on working for more than 127 years -- is the effect of each event, each encounter between a member and his neighbor. Both are changed, but the change for the one giving help is often the more profound.

In my role as Supreme Knight, I must admit that what moves me most are those moments when I can see first-hand the effect of our work.

It's not the millions of dollars and hours donated. It's not the number of projects. As Pope Benedict reminds us often, it's not about numbers at all. It's about saying "yes" to Jesus Christ in service to our neighbor -- It's seeing the face of Christ in the face of each person who needs our help.

Every so often this point is driven home for me very clearly. A couple of years ago, I was in Mexico City to help with a distribution of wheelchairs to the handicapped of that city, who were too poor to buy their own.

The experience of giving mobility to a person who previously had to drag him or herself across concrete and dirt is indescribable. And the contribution to the dignity of the person that you have helped support is inescapable.

One of the people I gave a wheelchair to was a young girl named Funy. She wrote a letter in which she called the Knights her "precious treasures," and her "Angels." As my wife Dorian and I lifted her into her chair, our gift in support of her dignity was clear. She was from Mexico City, we were from Connecticut, but we were neighbors.

This is the sort of experience that our members have millions of times each year as they serve their neighbor in councils, drawn into communion with their brother knights, and also with their own community, in prayerful service to God and neighbor. Our members -- through their faith and work together for their neighbor -- actively underscore Pope Benedict's words that "Communion always and inseparably has both a vertical and a horizontal sense: it is communion with God and communion with our brothers and sisters" (Sacramentum Caritatis, 76).

For this reason, the Knights root charity in devotion to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. For Christ's summation of the commandments was that we love God first, then our neighbor as ourselves.

Take two of our principles. Unity -- that communion we have with each other, the parish, the community and the Church -- and in these ways with God himself, and charity -- where we encounter Christ and by giving of ourselves together with our brother Knights.

Not only do we encounter Christ in those we help, we also further strengthen our unity, and in this way provide our members with a strong "formation" through works of charity.

The experience of our charitable work makes clear to us what Pope Benedict wrote when he said: "There is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love. Whoever wants to eliminate love is preparing to eliminate man as such. There will always be suffering which cries out for consolation and help. There will always be loneliness. There will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love of neighbor is indispensable."

Our members -- seeing Christ in their neighbor, and seeking communion with him -- are thus active in what the Pope has emphasized in his most recent encyclical as charity in truth -- "an authentic gift of self" that goes beyond the mere social work that can be done by a state.

Fortified by the Eucharist, and in communion with the Church and our fellow Knights, our charity brings us into communion with Christ in his various distressing disguises. It is faith in action -- concretely, not abstractly -- and through this action we encounter Christ himself in the form of those seen as the "least" of our neighbors by society. Our understanding of the Christian event is thus contextualized through charity.

Charity is as indispensible for those of us giving, as it is for those who receive, for each charitable act speaks the very language of faith and hope, and each time that language is spoken, it builds up a civilization of love.

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On ZENIT's Web page:

Full text: http://www.zenit.org/article-26735?l=english