Saturday, April 30, 2011

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of May 1, 2010

Catholic Charities. 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 (Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/050111.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of John about Jesus’ encounter and appearance to the disciples a week after the Resurrection. On that day of the Resurrection, Thomas was not present in the room when Jesus appeared. He declared that he needed proof. A week later, Jesus again appears now with Thomas present. We witness Thomas’ profession of faith. We also read in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles that the early Christian community grew in their faith. Those early believers would spend time in prayer, breaking bread, and sharing their goods with others.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org ,we too must continue to be witnesses to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We proclaim that hope and love and joy that the world alone cannot give. Like the early Church, we in Catholic Charities continue that heritage of sharing with others, especially those in need, through providing material, emotional and spiritual assistance. Our identity, grounded in our faith, compels us to share the Good News of hope and love as we assist these families; from that encounter we continue to see the Lord in our midst.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate

One possible approach to development aid would be to apply effectively what is known as fiscal subsidiarity, allowing citizens to decide how to allocate a portion of the taxes they pay to the State. Provided it does not degenerate into the promotion of special interests, this can help to stimulate forms of welfare solidarity from below, with obvious benefits in the area of solidarity for development as well.
(par. 60b)

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.

May 1. St. Joseph the Worker. Apparently in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history.
In a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.



May 1. Beatification of Pope John Paul II Visit http://www.usccb.org/popejohnpaulii/index.shtml
On May 1, 2011, the man who canonized more saints than any other pope in modern history will be one step closer to sainthood himself when he becomes “Blessed John Paul II.”
Pope Benedict VXI will preside at the beatification ceremony in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on the Second Sunday of Easter, the last day of the Octave of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
The date has much significance in John Paul II’s life. In 2000, he presided at the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, a countrywoman from his native Poland, on the Sunday after Easter and declared that day should thereafter be known as "Divine Mercy Sunday” in honor of the saint’s lifelong effort to shed light on the mystery of divine mercy. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, just a day before the 2005 celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.






SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Catholic Charities provides financial literacy education so that families can take control of their household budgets. Last year, Catholic Charities provided over 600 people with budgeting and money management information.

PAPAL INTENTIONS: May 2011

General Intention: That those who work in the media may always respect truth, solidarity and the dignity of each person.

Missionary Intention: That the Lord may grant the Church in China the capacity to persevere in fidelity to the Gospel and to grow in unity.

Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead





Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

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/

Saturday, April 23, 2011

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 24, 2011


Catholic Charities. 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 (Easter Sunday: Solemnity of the Resurrection of The Lord Year A http://usccb.org/nab/042411.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about the appearance of an angel to the women coming to visit Jesus’ tomb. Their world, as ours, is transformed. Jesus is Risen. The angel, and then Jesus himself, tell these first disciples, that they should not be afraid, but go and tell the Good News.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we take this Easter message to heart: yes, there is life, joy, hope, peace, and resurrection. Our words and presence not only challenge people, but also give comfort and stability. We know that pain and death are not the final answer. We know that Christ is alive and with us. Like the angel in the Gospel telling of Jesus’ news of resurrection, we too can with a deep faith tell others that the Good News of life continues. As Jesus told his apostles “Do not be afraid;” we too can give this answer to each of our clients. Do not be afraid. We have good news. Jesus lives.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate


In the search for solutions to the current economic crisis, development aid for poor countries must be considered a valid means of creating wealth for all. What aid programme is there that can hold out such significant growth prospects — even from the point of view of the world economy — as the support of populations that are still in the initial or early phases of economic development? From this perspective, more economically developed nations should do all they can to allocate larger portions of their gross domestic product to development aid, thus respecting the obligations that the international community has undertaken in this regard. One way of doing so is by reviewing their internal social assistance and welfare policies, applying the principle of subsidiarity and creating better integrated welfare systems, with the active participation of private individuals and civil society. In this way, it is actually possible to improve social services and welfare programmes, and at the same time to save resources — by eliminating waste and rejecting fraudulent claims — which could then be allocated to international solidarity. A more devolved and organic system of social solidarity, less bureaucratic but no less coordinated, would make it possible to harness much dormant energy, for the benefit of solidarity between peoples.(par. 60a)


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.

April 25 St. Pedro de San José Betancur (1626-1667). Central America can claim its first saint with the July 30 canonization of Pedro de Betancur by Pope John Paul II in Guatemala City. Known as the "St. Francis of the Americas," Pedro de Betancur is the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala.
Calling the new saint an “outstanding example” of Christian mercy, the Holy Father noted that St. Pedro practiced mercy “heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.” Speaking to the estimated 500,000 Guatemalans in attendance, the Holy Father spoke of the social ills that plague the country today and of the need for change.
“Let us think of the children and young people who are homeless or deprived of an education; of abandoned women with their many needs; of the hordes of social outcasts who live in the cities; of the victims of organized crime, of prostitution or of drugs; of the sick who are neglected and the elderly who live in loneliness,” he said in his homily during the three-hour liturgy.
Pedro very much wanted to become a priest, but God had other plans for the young man born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Pedro was a shepherd until age 24, when he began to make his way to Guatemala, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana, he was out of money. After working there to earn more, he got to Guatemala City the following year. When he arrived he was so destitute that he joined the bread line which the Franciscans had established.
Soon, Pedro enrolled in the local Jesuit college in hopes of studying for the priesthood. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could not master the material; he withdrew from school. In 1655 he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later he opened a hospital for the convalescent poor; a shelter for the homeless and a school for the poor soon followed. Not wanting to neglect the rich of Guatemala City, Pedro began walking through their part of town ringing a bell and inviting them to repent.
Other men came to share in Pedro's work. Out of this group came the Bethlehemite Congregation, which won papal approval after Pedro's death. A Bethlehemite sisters' community, similarly founded after Pedro's death, was inspired by his life of prayer and compassion.
He is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night's lodging from their neighbors. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries.
Pedro was beatified in 1980.





SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Catholic Charities’ Regional Agency’s Men Who Cook event will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011. Call 330-744-3320 for ticket information.


PAPAL INTENTIONS: April 2011


General Intention: That the Church may offer new generations, through the believable proclamation of the Gospel, ever-new reasons of life and hope.

Missionary Intention
: That missionaries, with the proclamation of the Gospel and their witness of life, may bring Christ to all those who do not yet know Him.


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

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead






Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

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/

Saturday, April 16, 2011

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 17, 2010

Catholic Charities. 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 (Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/041711.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about the trial, suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. We hear, in the Letter to the Philippians, the powerful hymn celebrating Jesus’ willingness to fulfill His Father’s will by becoming one with us, and suffering death, even death on a tree. Our Savior is one who does not use power for his own glory but rather offers a model of service: love until the end.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we offer this same message of hope and love. We are called, as ministries of the Church in Jesus’ name, to be in solidarity with those whom we serve. We are called to help others to find hope, solace, joy and peace in their daily struggles. Sometimes material assistance is needed; other times, spiritual and emotional comfort. Oftentimes both are required. Jesus prayed, lived and suffered with us. He demonstrates a love that brings hope and joy. That is our model for service.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate


Cooperation for development must not be concerned exclusively with the economic dimension: it offers a wonderful opportunity for encounter between cultures and peoples. If the parties to cooperation on the side of economically developed countries — as occasionally happens — fail to take account of their own or others' cultural identity, or the human values that shape it, they cannot enter into meaningful dialogue with the citizens of poor countries. If the latter, in their turn, are uncritically and indiscriminately open to every cultural proposal, they will not be in a position to assume responsibility for their own authentic development. Technologically advanced societies must not confuse their own technological development with a presumed cultural superiority, but must rather rediscover within themselves the oft-forgotten virtues which made it possible for them to flourish throughout their history. Evolving societies must remain faithful to all that is truly human in their traditions, avoiding the temptation to overlay them automatically with the mechanisms of a globalized technological civilization. In all cultures there are examples of ethical convergence, some isolated, some interrelated, as an expression of the one human nature, willed by the Creator; the tradition of ethical wisdom knows this as the natural law. This universal moral law provides a sound basis for all cultural, religious and political dialogue, and it ensures that the multi-faceted pluralism of cultural diversity does not detach itself from the common quest for truth, goodness and God. Thus adherence to the law etched on human hearts is the precondition for all constructive social cooperation. Every culture has burdens from which it must be freed and shadows from which it must emerge. The Christian faith, by becoming incarnate in cultures and at the same time transcending them, can help them grow in universal brotherhood and solidarity, for the advancement of global and community development (par. 59)


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.



For details on Holy Week, visit http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07435a.htm

THURSDAY, April 21. HOLY THURSDAY

a. Mass of Chrism. This celebration and blessing of the Holy Oils will be held at 10:30 am the Cathedral of St. Columba.

b. Mass of Lord’s Last Supper.

FRIDAY, April 22. Good Friday

SATURDAY, April 23. Holy Saturday

SUNDAY, April 24. Easter. Celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection




Questions to Examine Conscience in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/examine.shtml This examination can be used as a supplement to the traditional examination of conscience during Penance services or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

OPERATION RICE BOWL: PRAY. FAST. GIVE. Weekly reflection. Please consider donating to Operation Rice Bowl due on Holy Thursday at your local parish. If you prefer to donation directly, send check to Operation Rice Bowl/Catholic Relief Services mail to: Social Action Office, Diocese of Youngstown, 144 W. Wood Street Youngstown, OH 44503 or visit www.ccdoy.org



SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

As we prepare for Holy Week, pray for peace. Pray for those who are victims of violence and for those who are oppressed. Pray for victims of abuse and human trafficking. Pray for peace in families, in our communities, in our nation, and in our world.


PAPAL INTENTIONS: April 2011

General Intention: That the Church may offer new generations, through the believable proclamation of the Gospel, ever-new reasons of life and hope.

Missionary Intention: That missionaries, with the proclamation of the Gospel and their witness of life, may bring Christ to all those who do not yet know Him.


Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead





Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

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/

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

USCCB Highlight protecting the poor, fiscal responsibility as moral criteria for budget debate

BISHOPS HIGHLIGHT PROTECTING THE POOR, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AS MORAL
CRITERIA OF BUDGET DEBATE


WASHINGTON—The federal budget should protect human life and dignity, make
the poor a top priority and promote the common good of all during tough
economic times, said the U.S. bishops who oversee foreign and domestic
policy on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB) in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The moral measure of this budget debate is not which party
wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are
jobless, hungry, homeless or poor are treated, Their voices are too often
missing in these debates, but they have the most compelling moral claim on
our consciences and our common resources,” wrote Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
of Albany, New York, and Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California
in their April 13 letter.
Bishop Hubbard and Bishop Blaire chair the USCCB Committees on
International Justice and Peace and Domestic Justice and Human Development,
respectively.
“A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on
disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons,” the bishops
wrote. “It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate
revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and
addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs
fairly.”
The bishops also expressed their gratitude that the FY 2011
budget, which is scheduled for a vote this week, expands funding for the
D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Fund, restores the ban on congressionally
appropriated funds for abortion in the District of Columbia, and that
spending cuts to programs that serve the poor are significantly less than
originally proposed.
The bishops also offered a framework of three moral criteria
that could guide budgetary decisions: “1. Every budget decision should be
assessed by whether it protects or threatens human life and dignity. 2. A
central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least
of these” (Matthew 25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless,
without work or in poverty should come first. 3. Government and other
institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of
all, especially ordinary workers and families who struggle to live in
dignity in difficult economic times.”
The bishops wrote, “In light of growing deficits, Congress
faces difficult choices about how to balance needs and resources and
allocate burdens and sacrifices. We welcome the efforts of those who have
offered serious plans and encourage other leaders to do the same. These
choices are economic, political, and moral. This important national
discussion requires wise bipartisan leadership, clear priorities, and moral
clarity.”
The full text of the letter is available online:
www.usccb.org/sdwp/2012-Budget-Letter-to-House-04-13-11.pdf

Sunday, April 10, 2011

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of April 10, 2011

Catholic Charities. 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 (Fifth Sunday in Lent Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/041011.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of John about Jesus’ experience with his closest friend, Lazarus. We hear that Lazarus is ill, then dies. We hear the words, “Jesus wept.” Then Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave declaring that He is the life and resurrection. We hear Lazarus’ sisters proclaiming their belief that Jesus is the source of new life.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , oftentimes find ourselves concerned and worried about the persons and families we serve. We wonder how some of these families will make it. We, too like Jesus, may even weep. But we are certain of one thing: as a ministry of Jesus in the world, we know that God is the God of life and resurrection. We believe, as Catholic Charities, that Jesus brings new life and hope in our shattered world. We give that hope to each person and family we encounter. We share that joy even in the midst of pain and fear. It is that hope that makes Catholic Charities different.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate


The principle of subsidiarity must remain closely linked to the principle of solidarity and vice versa, since the former without the latter gives way to social privatism, while the latter without the former gives way to paternalist social assistance that is demeaning to those in need. This general rule must also be taken broadly into consideration when addressing issues concerning international development aid. Such aid, whatever the donors' intentions, can sometimes lock people into a state of dependence and even foster situations of localized oppression and exploitation in the receiving country. Economic aid, in order to be true to its purpose, must not pursue secondary objectives. It must be distributed with the involvement not only of the governments of receiving countries, but also local economic agents and the bearers of culture within civil society, including local Churches. Aid programmes must increasingly acquire the characteristics of participation and completion from the grass roots. Indeed, the most valuable resources in countries receiving development aid are human resources: herein lies the real capital that needs to accumulate in order to guarantee a truly autonomous future for the poorest countries. It should also be remembered that, in the economic sphere, the principal form of assistance needed by developing countries is that of allowing and encouraging the gradual penetration of their products into international markets, thus making it possible for these countries to participate fully in international economic life. Too often in the past, aid has served to create only fringe markets for the products of these donor countries. This was often due to a lack of genuine demand for the products in question: it is therefore necessary to help such countries improve their products and adapt them more effectively to existing demand. Furthermore, there are those who fear the effects of competition through the importation of products — normally agricultural products — from economically poor countries. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that for such countries, the possibility of marketing their products is very often what guarantees their survival in both the short and long term. Just and equitable international trade in agricultural goods can be beneficial to everyone, both to suppliers and to customers. For this reason, not only is commercial orientation needed for production of this kind, but also the establishment of international trade regulations to support it and stronger financing for development in order to increase the productivity of these economies. (par. 58)


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm



Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx

See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.

MONDAY, APRIL 11. St. Stanislaus. (1030-1079) Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government.
Born in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26, 1030, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno, then capital of Poland, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072.
During an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II.
The king first excused himself, then made a show of penance, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death, finally excommunicating the king. The latter, enraged, ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused, the king killed him with his own hands.
Forced to flee to Hungary, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak.


SEASON OF LENT:
In his 2011 Lenten Message
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20101104_lent-2011_en.html, Pope Benedict XVI focuses on the Sacrament of Baptism. He notes: “By immersing ourselves into the death and resurrection of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are moved to free our hearts every day from the burden of material things, from a self-centered relationship with the ‘world’ that impoverishes us and prevents us from being available and open to God and our neighbor.”

Questions to Examine Conscience in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/examine.shtml This examination can be used as a supplement to the traditional examination of conscience during Penance services or the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

OPERATION RICE BOWL: PRAY. FAST. GIVE. Weekly reflection
http://donate.crs.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=21965.0&printer_friendly=1


SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Catholic Charities’ First Step program provides material assistance and case management services for pregnant women and low-income families with young children. Last year, 1,765 people were assisted through First Step programs across the Diocese of Youngstown. This program is funded in part by the Annual Bishop's Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church. Thanks for your generous support. Visit http://www.ccdoy.org



PAPAL INTENTIONS: April 2011

General Intention: That the Church may offer new generations, through the believable proclamation of the Gospel, ever-new reasons of life and hope.

Missionary Intention: That missionaries, with the proclamation of the Gospel and their witness of life, may bring Christ to all those who do not yet know Him.


Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit those in prison
Bury the dead





Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
FACEBOOK FAN
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.

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/

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

CARDINAL DINARDO URGES SUPPORT FOR ‘RESPECT FOR RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE ACT’

WASHINGTON— Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the
Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has written to urge all members of the U.S. House
of Representatives to support a bipartisan bill protecting conscience
rights in health insurance.Introduced by Reps. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and
Dan Boren (D-OK), the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011 (HR
1179) “will help ensure that the new health care reform act is not misused
to violate the religious freedom and rights of conscience of those who
offer and purchase health insurance coverage in our nation,” Cardinal
DiNardo wrote.
“Federal law, until now, has never prevented the issuers and
purchasers of health coverage from negotiating a health plan that is
consistent with their moral and religious convictions,” Cardinal DiNardo
explained. “This could change, however, with implementation of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) as now written.” He noted that
the law “establishes a new list of ‘essential health benefits’ that will be
mandatory for most health plans throughout the United States,” and also
“requires all group and individual plans to cover general ‘preventive
services,’ as well as additional preventive services specifically for
women.”
“For months,” Cardinal DiNardo wrote, “Planned Parenthood and
other groups have been urging that mandated ‘preventive services for women’
include all drugs and devices approved by the FDA for
contraception—including those that can prevent the implantation and
survival of a newly conceived human being, and hence are seen as
abortifacient by the Catholic Church and many others.”
“Mandated inclusion of contraception, sterilization and
abortifacient drugs in health plans poses an obvious potential conflict
with rights of conscience,” Cardinal DiNardo wrote. “Such conflicts would
also arise if HHS mandates inclusion of some fertility treatments such as
in vitro fertilization, treatments using material from deliberately killed
unborn children, or other procedures specifically rejected by the teachings
of some religions.”
PPACA “arbitrarily and inexplicably does not protect the many religious
denominations – including those providing the backbone of the nonprofit
health care system in this country – whose moral teaching rejects specific
procedures,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “If religious and other stakeholders
are driven out of the health insurance marketplace by this aspect of PPACA,
legislation whose purpose was to expand health coverage could have the
opposite effect.”
The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act “is modest and
well-crafted legislation…it only prevents PPACA itself from being misused
to deny Americans’ existing freedom to seek health care coverage that meets
their medical needs and respects their deepest convictions,” he wrote. “I
am sure that most members of Congress voting for PPACA did not intend that
it should deny or take away this freedom. Therefore I hope and expect that
Representatives who supported PPACA as well as those who opposed it will
join in co-sponsoring the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act and in
helping to ensure its enactment.”
The full text of the letter may be read at:
www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection/DiNardo-ltr-HR1179.pdf.