Brian R. Corbin's Review of Church's Social Doctrine and Mission

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of January 29, 2012

2012-01-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

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On Sunday (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, B http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012912.cfm) we read in the Gospel of Mark about Jesus’ engagement with people. Some are utterly amazed at the power and Presence of this man; some see him as a new prophet foretold by Moses himself (see first reading from Deuteronomy). Others see Jesus and cry out in their pain for release; Jesus gives that healing touch. Others are ready to betray him.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we know the power of the Presence of the Lord in our lives. Jesus commanded the Church to continue his work of healing and prophecy. Catholic Charities’ services and programs provide that healing to persons and families in need, in distress, in despair, in fear. We also continue being prophets by calling all people, especially governmental leaders, to find ways to address injustices in society. Catholic Charities provides hope for persons in need by our specific services and advocacy efforts.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

As we read in Caritas in Veritate, “The governance of globalization must be marked by subsidiarity, articulated into several layers and involving different levels that can work together.” Only in this way can the danger of a central Authority’s bureaucratic isolation be avoided, which would otherwise risk being delegitimized by an excessive distance from the realities on which it is based and easily fall prey to paternalistic, technocratic or hegemonic temptations.

However, a long road still needs to be travelled before arriving at the creation of a public Authority with universal jurisdiction. It would seem logical for the reform process to proceed with the United Nations as its reference because of the worldwide scope of its responsibilities, its ability to bring together the nations of the world, and the diversity of its tasks and those of its specialized Agencies. The fruit of such reforms ought to be a greater ability to adopt policies and choices that are binding because they are aimed at achieving the common good on the local, regional and world levels. Among the policies, those regarding global social justice seem most urgent: financial and monetary policies that will not damage the weakest countries; and policies aimed at achieving free and stable markets and a fair distribution of world wealth, which may also derive from unprecedented forms of global fiscal solidarity, which will be dealt with later.

On the way to creating a world political Authority, questions of governance (that is, a system of merely horizontal coordination without an authority super partes cannot be separated from those of a shared government (that is, a system which in addition to horizontal coordination establishes an authority super partes) which is functional and proportionate to the gradual development of a global political society. The establishment of a global political Authority cannot be achieved without an already functioning multilateralism, not only on a diplomatic level, but also and above all in relation to programs for sustainable development and peace. It is not possible to arrive at global Government without giving political expression to pre-existing forms of interdependence and cooperation.

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.

JANUARY is Campaign to Reduce Poverty Month

Bishop Murry releases “Who is My Neighbor?” A Pastoral Letter on Poverty. Visit full text at http://www.doy.org/files/Scroller/Pastoral.pdf

See more about domestic poverty with updated statistics on the Poverty USA landing page on the USCCB website (www.usccb.org/about/catholic-campaign-for-human-development/povertyusa/), as well as resources including an interactive poverty tour and a newly-launched presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/povertyusa).

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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2. CANDLEMAS DAY/The Presentation of the Lord

At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany (January 6), the observance of Christ’s birth, and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later—February 15. (Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish worship.) This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than Mary’s purification.
The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas.
At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3. St. Blaise. (d. 316)
We know more about the devotion to St. Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. The Council of Oxford, in 1222, prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise’s feast day. The Germans and Slavs hold him in special honor and for decades many United States Catholics have sought the annual St. Blaise blessing for their throats
We know that Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of Sebastea, Armenia, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blase were written 400 years later. According to them Blaise was a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the Edict of Toleration (311), granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire, was already five years old, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blaise was apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer, but made friends with the wild animals. One day a group of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blaise’s cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves, lions and bears.
As the hunters hauled Blaise off to prison, the legend has it, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone.
Agricolaus, governor of Cappadocia, tried to persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. (English wool combers, who used similar iron combs, took Blaise as their patron. They could easily appreciate the agony the saint underwent.) Finally he was beheaded.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Catholic Charities’ Regional Agency Invites you to a Fabulous Night at Home! In support of the Catholic Charities sponsored Domestic Violence shelter, Christina House. January 2012…any night of your choice! No need to do anything…relax, watch a movie, sleep. Just consider making a donation. For more information, visit http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-night-at-home.html

PAPAL INTENTIONS: JANUARY 2012

General Intention: Victims of Natural Disasters.
That the victims of natural disasters may receive the spiritual and material comfort they need to rebuild their lives.

Missionary Intention: Dedication to Peace.
That the dedication of Christians to peace may bear witness to the name of Christ before all men and women of good will.

February 2012

General Intention: Access to Water.
That all peoples may have access to water and other resources needed for daily life.

Missionary Intention: Health Workers.
That the Lord may sustain the efforts of health workers assisting the sick and elderly in the world's poorest regions.

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 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-Charities-Diocese-of-Youngstown/138817639487339
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/

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

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)

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On Sunday (Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/012212.cfm) we read in the Gospel of Mark of Jesus’ proclamation that the Kingdom of God is at hand; now is the time to change our hearts and our ways. The first reading from the Book of Jonah, recounts God’s call to him to go to Nineveh to proclaim a new time, a moment to repent and turn back their lives and their community to God. The Gospel story continues after this general call to repentance with a follow up and very personal call to Jesus’ closest apostles: we see normal, every day persons called to use their skills and “cast their nets” for the Kingdom of God.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we oftentimes work with persons who have made mistakes; they want to do better. Many tell us that if Catholic Charities had not been there, they did not know where they would have turned. We welcome each person individually and hope to find a way to support their life changing experiences. In Jesus’ name, Catholic Charities continues to cast nets of support to help those seeking to change their lives, or at least willing to be open to try to change. We believe that we give Good News to each person.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

In the tradition of the Church’s Magisterium which Benedict XVI has vigorously embraced, the principle of subsidiarity should regulate relations between the State and local communities and between public and private institutions, not excluding the monetary and financial institutions. So, on a higher level, it ought to govern the relations between a possible future global public Authority and regional and national institutions. This principle guarantees both democratic legitimacy and the efficacy of the decisions of those called to make them. It allows respect for the freedom of people, individually and in communities, and at the same time, allows them to take responsibility for the objectives and duties that pertain to them.

According to the logic of subsidiarity, the higher Authority offers its subsidium, that is, its aid, only when individual, social or financial actors are intrinsically deficient in capacity, or cannot manage by themselves to do what is required of them. Thanks to the principle of solidarity, a lasting and fruitful relation is built up between global civil society and a world public Authority as States, intermediate bodies, various institutions – including economic and financial ones – and citizens make their decisions with a view to the global common good, which transcends national goods.

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.

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FRIDAY January 27 St. Angela Merici (1470?-1540)
Angela has the double distinction of founding the first teaching congregation of women in the Church and what is now called a “secular institute” of religious women.
As a young woman she became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis (now known as the Secular Franciscan Order), and lived a life of great austerity, wishing, like St. Francis, to own nothing, not even a bed. Early in life she was appalled at the ignorance among poorer children, whose parents could not or would not teach them the elements of religion. Angela’s charming manner and good looks complemented her natural qualities of leadership. Others joined her in giving regular instruction to the little girls of their neighborhood.
She was invited to live with a family in Brescia (where, she had been told in a vision, she would one day found a religious community). Her work continued and became well known. She became the center of a group of people with similar ideals.
She eagerly took the opportunity for a trip to the Holy Land. When they had gotten as far as Crete, she was struck with blindness. Her friends wanted to return home, but she insisted on going through with the pilgrimage, and visited the sacred shrines with as much devotion and enthusiasm as if she had her sight. On the way back, while praying before a crucifix, her sight was restored at the same place where it had been lost.
At 57, she organized a group of 12 girls to help her in catechetical work. Four years later the group had increased to 28. She formed them into the Company of St. Ursula (patroness of medieval universities and venerated as a leader of women) for the purpose of re-Christianizing family life through solid Christian education of future wives and mothers. The members continued to live at home, had no special habit and took no formal vows, though the early Rule prescribed the practice of virginity, poverty and obedience. The idea of a teaching congregation of women was new and took time to develop. The community thus existed as a “secular institute” until some years after Angela’s death.
PATRON SAINT OF: Bodily ills, disabled people, handicapped people, illness, loss of parents, physically challenged people, sick people, sickness

JANUARY is Campaign to Reduce Poverty Month

With 15 percent of all Americans, including nearly 1 in 4 children, living in poverty, the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (JPHD) of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is renewing its poverty awareness campaign, Poverty USA, in January.

“Our culture of life begins with a love that binds us to the hopes and joys, the struggles and the sorrows of people, especially those who are poor or any way afflicted,” said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, chairman of the bishops’ domestic anti-poverty effort, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). “We march with immigrant families toward a society made stronger and safer by their inclusion. We embrace the mother and her unborn child, giving to both of them hope and opportunity. We measure our own health by the quality of care we give to those most vulnerable. We labor with those whose work is burdensome.”

The campaign will promote awareness about domestic poverty with updated statistics on the Poverty USA landing page on the USCCB website (www.usccb.org/about/catholic-campaign-for-human-development/povertyusa/), as well as resources including an interactive poverty tour and a newly-launched presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/povertyusa).

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Catholic Charities’ Regional Agency Invites you to a Fabulous Night at Home! In support of the Catholic Charities sponsored Domestic Violence shelter, Christina House. January 2012…any night of your choice! No need to do anything…relax, watch a movie, sleep. Just consider making a donation. For more information, visit http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-night-at-home.html

PAPAL INTENTIONS: JANUARY 2012

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

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

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On Sunday (Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011512.cfm ) we read in the Gospel of John about Jesus continuing to invite new followers as His Apostles. His friends know that Jesus is the One to follow and to know. His Presence brings joy. In this Gospel reading, Jesus embraces Simon as a new disciple with a new name: Peter or “Rock.” We hear in the first reading from the Book of Samuel how this young man hears God’s word and feels his Presence, and ultimately says “here I am, Lord.” We are all called to respond to God’s Word with openness and confidence.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we continue to reply to the call of God to be open and ready to welcome all those who seek assistance and support. As Catholic Charities we help bring that Presence to life as we work to bring Good News to our clients’ lives. We are glad to be there to help others -- we repeat each day, “here we are, Lord” we are open and ready to do your work.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

A supranational Institution, the expression of a “community of nations”, will not last long, however, if the countries’ diversities from the standpoint of cultures, material and immaterial resources and historic and geographic conditions, are not recognized and fully respected. The lack of a convinced consensus, nourished by an unceasing moral communion on the part of the world community, would also reduce the effectiveness of such an Authority.

What is valid on the national level is also valid on the global level. A person is not made to serve authority unconditionally. Rather, it is the task of authority to be at the service of the person, consistent with the pre-eminent value of human dignity. Likewise, governments should not serve the world Authority unconditionally. Instead, it is the world Authority that should put itself at the service of the various member countries, according to the principle of subsidiarity. Among the ways it should do this is by creating the socio-economic, political and legal conditions essential for the existence of markets that are efficient and efficacious because they are not over-protected by paternalistic national policies and not weakened by systematic deficits in public finances and of the gross national products – indeed, such policies and deficits actually hamper the markets themselves in operating in a world context as open and competitive institutions.

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.

JANUARY is Campaign to Reduce Poverty Month
With 15 percent of all Americans, including nearly 1 in 4 children, living in poverty, the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (JPHD) of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is renewing its poverty awareness campaign, Poverty USA, in January.

“Our culture of life begins with a love that binds us to the hopes and joys, the struggles and the sorrows of people, especially those who are poor or any way afflicted,” said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, chairman of the bishops’ domestic anti-poverty effort, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). “We march with immigrant families toward a society made stronger and safer by their inclusion. We embrace the mother and her unborn child, giving to both of them hope and opportunity. We measure our own health by the quality of care we give to those most vulnerable. We labor with those whose work is burdensome.”

The campaign will promote awareness about domestic poverty with updated statistics on the Poverty USA landing page on the USCCB website (www.usccb.org/about/catholic-campaign-for-human-development/povertyusa/), as well as resources including an interactive poverty tour and a newly-launched presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/povertyusa).

MONDAY January 16. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Check local newspapers for various community events. One such event will be a Community Workshop on Poverty, First Presbyterian Church, Wick Ave, Youngstown from 9AM to noon.

SATURDAY January 21 Mass for Life. The Diocese of Youngstown Mass for Life will be held at St. Columba Cathedral, 144 W. Wood Street Youngstown OH at 12:00 noon. For more information visit http://cathdoy.org/files/Scroller/Poster2012.pdf

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

THANK YOU for your generous contributions to the Catholic Charities' annual Keep the Kids Warm campaign -- an important effort to raise utility assistance funds for families served by Catholic Charities throughout the Diocese of Youngstown. One hundred percent (100%) of all funds raised through this effort are returned to the county in which they were collected to help meet needs in the donor's own community. Thank you for your consideration of a donation now. http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-238.html

PAPAL INTENTIONS: JANUARY 2012

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

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

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On Sunday (The Epiphany of the Lord http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010812.cfm) we read in the Gospel of Mathew about the story of the three Magi who search for the Messiah and “offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Today, we celebrate the Good News that Jesus is made known to all the world, to all peoples. A new reality is born in this Child: God is truly with us all.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we help persons and families that struggle daily with basic needs of survival, with addictions, with fears, with hopelessness. As a ministry of the Church, we try to help those who come to us for aid, to feel and see the Presence of God in their midst. Catholic Charities aims to bring abundant life to each person we encounter regardless of their situation. We also believe that each person, no matter how hopeless or poor, have gifts to bring to the community. We work to make each person see their own gifts and how they can share it. It may not be “gold, frankincense, and myrrh,” but each person is endowed by God with talents to help build a better life and community. These gifts, though simple to some, continues to be a shining light in the world. We thank God for our gifts and the talents/gifts of each person we have the privilege to serve.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

The purpose of the public authority, as John XXIII recalled in Pacem in Terris, is first and foremost to serve the common good. Therefore, it should be endowed with structures and adequate, effective mechanisms equal to its mission and the expectations placed in it. This is especially true in a globalized world which makes individuals and peoples increasingly interconnected and interdependent, but which also reveals the existence of monetary and financial markets of a predominantly speculative sort that are harmful for the real economy, especially of the weaker countries.

This is a complex and delicate process. A supranational Authority of this kind should have a realistic structure and be set up gradually. It should be favourable to the existence of efficient and effective monetary and financial systems; that is, free and stable markets overseen by a suitable legal framework, well-functioning in support of sustainable development and social progress of all, and inspired by the values of charity and truth. It is a matter of an Authority with a global reach that cannot be imposed by force, coercion or violence, but should be the outcome of a free and shared agreement and a reflection of the permanent and historic needs of the world common good. It ought to arise from a process of progressive maturation of consciences and freedoms as well as the awareness of growing responsibilities. Consequently, reciprocal trust, autonomy and participation cannot be overlooked as if they were superfluous elements. The consent should involve an ever greater number of countries that adhere with conviction, through a sincere dialogue that values the minority opinions rather than marginalizing them. So the world Authority should consistently involve all peoples in a collaboration in which they are called to contribute, bringing to it the heritage of their virtues and their civilizations.

The establishment of a world political Authority should be preceded by a preliminary phase of consultation from which a legitimated institution will emerge that is in a position to be an effective guide and, at the same time, can allow each country to express and pursue its own particular good. The exercise of this Authority at the service of the good of each and every one will necessarily be super partes (impartial): that is, above any partial vision or particular good, in view of achieving the common good. Its decisions should not be the result of the more developed countries' excessive power over the weaker countries. Instead, they should be made in the interest of all, not only to the advantage of some groups, whether they are formed by private lobbies or national governments.

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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.

JANUARY is Campaign to Reduce Poverty Month
With 15 percent of all Americans, including nearly 1 in 4 children, living in poverty, the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (JPHD) of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is renewing its poverty awareness campaign, Poverty USA, in January.

“Our culture of life begins with a love that binds us to the hopes and joys, the struggles and the sorrows of people, especially those who are poor or any way afflicted,” said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California, chairman of the bishops’ domestic anti-poverty effort, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). “We march with immigrant families toward a society made stronger and safer by their inclusion. We embrace the mother and her unborn child, giving to both of them hope and opportunity. We measure our own health by the quality of care we give to those most vulnerable. We labor with those whose work is burdensome.”

The campaign will promote awareness about domestic poverty with updated statistics on the Poverty USA landing page on the USCCB website (www.usccb.org/about/catholic-campaign-for-human-development/povertyusa/), as well as resources including an interactive poverty tour and a newly-launched presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/povertyusa).

TUESDAY January 10
Servant of God Vico Necchi (1876-1930)

On January 9, 1930, Ludovico (Vico) Necchi, professor of biology at the University of Milan, died. According to his will, his headstone was to be inscribed with the simple words: Vico Necchi, Franciscan Tertiary. An extraordinary man, he is buried in the chapel of the University of the Sacred Heart in Milan in the expectation that one day he will be raised to the altars.
As a young man Vico was deeply in love with Christ, St. Francis and the Church. Invested in the habit of the Third Order, he displayed the enthusiasm of Paul and the gentleness of Francis. He used his position as a physician to counter the secular, anti-Christian attitudes of his age and to bring others to Christ. One of his converts was the radical, Augustine Gemelli, who with Vico was the cofounder of the University of the Sacred Heart.
Vico himself was a prayerful, humble, charming and cheerful man who stood at the forefront of the new Italian Catholic Action. http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius11/P11FAC.HTM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Action Despite opposition and trials, he used his medical profession as a holy apostolate for the conversion of his patients while his charity was being lavished on retarded children.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Catholic Charities' annual Keep the Kids Warm campaign begins on the Feast of the Holy Family (December 30) and runs through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 9, 2012). Keep the Kids Warm is an important annual effort to raise utility assistance funds for families served by Catholic Charities throughout the Diocese of Youngstown. One hundred percent (100%) of all funds raised through this effort are returned to the county in which they were collected to help meet needs in the donor's own community. Thank you for your consideration of a donation now. http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-238.html

PAPAL INTENTIONS: JANUARY 2012

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

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

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On Sunday (The Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010112.cfm) we read in the Gospel of Luke about the visit of the shepherds with the Holy Family. These simple persons tell all about the Good News of Jesus’ birth. All were amazed at their story. The Gospel writer even states that Mary kept these things in her heart. We are then notified of the fact that on the 8th day Jesus is presented for his circumcision, like every other Jewish male then and today.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we encounter supposedly “simple people” each day who are not “important” in the world, or so the world thinks. Many of our clients may never have their 15 minutes of fame. Who would think that such Good News would be told and then re-told to such simple people like those shepherds from of old? So to today; who would think that wisdom might come from persons in need? We believe that such a message of hope and joy is re-told each day by those who visit our offices seeking support. They bring the Good News that Jesus knocks on our door each day for our response. We in Catholic Charities share the Good News in turn by our hospitality and offer of assistance. Jesus can and is found in the ordinary people who walk the streets, visit our offices, live in our apartment houses, and present themselves in our communities. Jesus is found in our very neighbor living among us.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

In the same spirit of Pacem in Terris, Benedict XVI himself expressed the need to create a world political authority. This seems obvious if we consider the fact that the agenda of questions to be dealt with globally is becoming ever longer. Think, for example, of peace and security; disarmament and arms control; promotion and protection of fundamental human rights; management of the economy and development policies; management of the migratory flows and food security, and protection of the environment. In all these areas, the growing interdependence between States and regions of the world becomes more and more obvious as well as the need for answers that are not just sectorial and isolated, but systematic and integrated, rich in solidarity and subsidiarity and geared to the universal common good.

As the Pope reminds us, if this road is not followed, “despite the great progress accomplished in various sectors, international law would risk being conditioned by the balance of power among the strongest nations.”

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.

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JANUARY 4. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children.
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a true daughter of the American Revolution, born August 28, 1774, just two years before the Declaration of Independence. By birth and marriage, she was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of high society. Reared a staunch Episcopalian by her mother and stepmother, she learned the value of prayer, Scripture and a nightly examination of conscience. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, did not have much use for churches but was a great humanitarian, teaching his daughter to love and serve others.
The early deaths of her mother in 1777 and her baby sister in 1778 gave Elizabeth a feel for eternity and the temporariness of the pilgrim life on earth. Far from being brooding and sullen, she faced each new “holocaust,” as she put it, with hopeful cheerfulness.
At 19, Elizabeth was the belle of New York and married a handsome, wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton. They had five children before his business failed and he died of tuberculosis. At 30, Elizabeth was widowed, penniless, with five small children to support.
While in Italy with her dying husband, Elizabeth witnessed Catholicity in action through family friends. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. Many of her family and friends rejected her when she became a Catholic in March 1805.
To support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore. From the beginning, her group followed the lines of a religious community, which was officially founded in 1809.
The thousand or more letters of Mother Seton reveal the development of her spiritual life from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity. She suffered great trials of sickness, misunderstanding, the death of loved ones (her husband and two young daughters) and the heartache of a wayward son. She died January 4, 1821, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

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JANUARY 5 St. John Neumann. (1811-1860) Perhaps because the United States got a later start in the history of the world, it has relatively few canonized saints, but their number is increasing.
John Neumann was born in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying in Prague, he came to New York at 25 and was ordained a priest. He did missionary work in New York until he was 29, when he joined the Redemptorists and became its first member to profess vows in the United States. He continued missionary work in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, where he became popular with the Germans.
At 41, as bishop of Philadelphia, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one, increasing the number of pupils almost twentyfold within a short time.
Gifted with outstanding organizing ability, he drew into the city many teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers. During his brief assignment as vice provincial for the Redemptorists, he placed them in the forefront of the parochial movement.
Well-known for his holiness and learning, spiritual writing and preaching, on October 13, 1963, John Neumann became the first American bishop to be beatified. Canonized in 1977, he is buried in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia.

JANUARY is Campaign to Reduce Poverty Month

PAPAL INTENTIONS: JANUARY 2012

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

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday (Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) http://usccb.org/bible/readings/122511.cfm) we read in the Gospel of John the Prologue to his entire work, that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. “ Jesus -- who we celebrate today at his coming -- is the Son of the Living God. This Only Begotten Son, the “Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” God is with us.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we celebrate this great feast each day as we welcome someone to our offices or on the phone. We believe that as Jesus became Flesh to be with us, we at Catholic Charities continue that mandate to be in solidarity with all persons, especially those who are poor and living in desperation. Christmas is that great day when we see again the power and mystery of God: God is with us. Knowing that, we can give hope to persons seeking that compassionate assurance that we are not alone but graced with the Spirit. Merry Christmas.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

On the way to building a more fraternal and just human family and, even before that, a new humanism open to transcendence, Blessed John XXIII’s teaching seems especially timely. In the prophetic Encyclical Pacem in Terris of 1963, he observed that the world was heading towards ever greater unification. He then acknowledged the fact that a correspondence was lacking in the human community between the political organization “on a world level and the objective needs of the universal common good”. He also expressed the hope that one day “a true world political authority” would be created.

In view of the unification of the world engendered by the complex phenomenon of globalization, and of the importance of guaranteeing, in addition to other collective goods, the good of a free, stable world economic and financial system at the service of the real economy, today the teaching of Pacem in Terris appears to be even more vital and worthy of urgent implementation.

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.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28. Holy Innocents. Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, was unpopular with his people because of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference. Hence he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife, his brother and his sister’s two husbands, to name only a few.
Matthew 2:1-18 tells this story: Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts and, warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt.
Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children...” (Matthew 2:18). Rachel was the wife of Jacob/Israel. She is pictured as weeping at the place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering Assyrians for their march into captivity.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

PAPAL INTENTIONS: December 2011

General Intention: Peace among All Peoples.
That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect.

Missionary Intention: That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.

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

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION For the Week of December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

On Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Advent, B http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121811.cfm) we read in the Gospel of Luke about the story of the angel Gabriel announcing the Good News of the Incarnation to Mary -- a simple, humble, scared young woman. Gabriel calms her with the news of God’s great love, and affirms Mary’s freedom to say “yes” to such an invitation to be the vessel of the Incarnation of God. This powerful story is paired with today’s first reading from 2 Samuel, wherein King David is reminded that as he lives in luxury, God’s Ark resides in a tent. David commits to building a new temple. Mary’s “yes” goes further: the Ark no longer resides in a tent nor in a building but God is With Us, made Flesh.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we know the importance of helping families find a decent dwelling place that is safe, affordable and secure. Caritas Communities’ Eastwood Village, with 152 units of permanent housing, is sponsored by our Catholic Charities Housing Corporation (CCHO) and the Humility of Mary Housing. CCHO sponsors several other single and multi-family housing units in the City of Youngstown; our Catholic Charities of Portage County provides nearly 20 families with safe and secure housing in Ravenna. The Catholic Charities Regional Agency’s homeless outreach efforts provides safety for many people. As well, the Regional Agency and the Catholic Charities of Ashtabula County’s work assisting persons facing foreclosure give help to families facing a major crisis. Because we believe that God is made Flesh, and has built “his tent among us,” we continue to live out that belief by providing help and creating hope for persons and families each day.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

Recognizing the primacy of being over having and of ethics over the economy, the world’s peoples ought to adopt an ethic of solidarity as the animating core of their action. This implies abandoning all forms of petty selfishness and embracing the logic of the global common good which transcends merely contingent, particular interests. In a word, they ought to have a keen sense of belonging to the human family which means sharing the common dignity of all human beings: “Even prior to the logic of a fair exchange of goods and the forms of justice appropriate to it, there exists something which is due to man because he is man, by reason of his lofty dignity.”

In 1991, after the failure of Marxist communism, Blessed John Paul II had already warned of the risk of an “idolatry of the market, an idolatry which ignores the existence of goods which by their nature are not and cannot be mere commodities.” Today his warning needs to be heeded without delay and a road must be taken that is in greater harmony with the dignity and transcendent vocation of the person and the human family.

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.

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24. Christmas at Greccio, 1223
What better way to prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child than to take a brief journey to Greccio, the spot in central Italy where St. Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas crib in the year 1223.
Francis, recalling a visit he had made years before to Bethlehem, resolved to create the manger he had seen there. The ideal spot was a cave in nearby Greccio. He would find a baby (we’re not sure if it was a live infant or the carved image of a baby), hay upon which to lay him, an ox and an ass to stand beside the manger. Word went out to the people of the town. At the appointed time they arrived carrying torches and candles.
One of the friars began celebrating Mass. Francis himself gave the sermon. His biographer, Thomas of Celano, recalls that Francis “stood before the manger…overcome with love and filled with a wonderful happiness…/” For Francis, the simple celebration was meant to recall the hardships Jesus suffered even as an infant, a savior who chose to become poor for our sake, a truly human Jesus.
Tonight, as we pray around the Christmas cribs in our homes, we welcome into our hearts that same Savior.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Last minute gift idea: Don't wrack your brain trying to figure out a gift for that person who has everything.... instead, give a gift in their honor to Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance Program. http://bit.ly/sPYGMq

PAPAL INTENTIONS: December 2011

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

Pope Benedict XVI Speaks of Economic Justice, Solidarity and Cooperatives

2011-12-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

In a world that has been battered by the global economic downturn Pope Benedict on Saturday stressed the duty the Church has at this time to proclaim with renewed vigor the message of Christ which is hope. The Holy Father was speaking to members of the Confederation of Italian Cooperatives and the Federation of Italian Co-operative Banks in the Clementine Hall in the Vatican.

The Pope recalled how the Church down through the years has encouraged the prolific presence of Catholics in Italian society through the promotion of cooperative institutions, the development of social enterprises and many other works of public interest, characterized by forms of participation and self-management.

What has prompted members to join in a co-operative-type organizations, said Pope Benedict was not only for economic reasons, but also the desire to live an experience of unity and solidarity.
The Pope also noted the fact that these institutions had a valuable role to play in promoting evangelical ideals and the culture of life and family.

Taking inspiration from his encyclical Caritas in Veritate, the Holy Father said that even in the field of economics and finance "right intention, transparency and the search for positive results were mutually compatible and must never be separated.”

Drawing his address to a close the Holy Father urged those present to remain faithful to the Gospel and the teaching of the Church which encourages “social development, experiences of microcredit and an economy driven by a logic of communion and fraternity.”

Even in the world economy, said Pope Benedict, it is necessary to draw on our relationship with God, in order to live in love and solidarity.

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of December 11, 2011

2011-12-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

On Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent, B http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121111.cfm ) we read in the Gospel of John about the interrogation between John the Baptist and some leaders. The leaders want to know by what authority John the Baptist is preaching and baptizing. John reminds them of the Prophet Isaiah’s call of one who makes a path for the Lord God; about one who points to a greater One coming. It is a cry in the desert: make a new path. Change your hearts. Come back to God. We also hear in the Letter to the Thessalonians that we must “rejoice always.” We have heard this Good News. We have seen the One. Rejoice.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we rejoice each and every day knowing that families and persons trust us to be a place of welcome and hope. We rejoice also because we know that though we may not have unlimited resources, we are blessed by God’s tender mercy with generous benefactors who share in our mission to provide service, advocate for justice and convene others to do the same. We also rejoice in the knowledge that we see God face to face with each person we encounter. We also rejoice because through our ministry in the Church we can bring joy to many persons and families facing stress, fear, isolation, and hopelessness. We rejoice because we know what authority we have to be there in the communities we serve: we come with the authority of knowing that Jesus is Come, God is With Us.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

The great economic and social development of the past century, with their bright spots and serious shadows, can also be attributed in large part to the continued development of technology and more recently to advances in information technologies and especially their applications in the economy and most significantly in finance.

However, to interpret the current new social question lucidly, we must avoid the error – itself a product of neo-liberal thinking – that would consider all the problems that need tackling to be exclusively of a technical nature. In such a guise, they evade the needed discernment and ethical evaluation. In this context Benedict XVI's encyclical warns about the dangers of the technocracy ideology: that is, of making technology absolute, which “tends to prevent people from recognizing anything that cannot be explained in terms of matter alone” and minimizing the value of the choices made by the concrete human individual who works in the economic-financial system by reducing them to mere technical variables. Being closed to a “beyond” in the sense of something more than technology, not only makes it impossible to find adequate solutions to the problems, but it impoverishes the principal victims of the crisis more and more from the material standpoint.

In the context of the complexity of the phenomena, the importance of the ethical and cultural factors cannot be overlooked or underestimated. In fact, the crisis has revealed behaviours like selfishness, collective greed and the hoarding of goods on a great scale. No one can be content with seeing man live like “a wolf to his fellow man”, according to the concept expounded by Hobbes. No one can in conscience accept the development of some countries to the detriment of others. If no solutions are found to the various forms of injustice, the negative effects that will follow on the social, political and economic level will be destined to create a climate of growing hostility and even violence, and ultimately undermine the very foundations of democratic institutions, even the ones considered most solid.

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.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12. Our Lady of Guadalupe The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.
A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.
He was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared and within it a young Native American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.
Eventually the bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Diego to try to avoid the lady. The lady found Diego, nevertheless, assured him that his uncle would recover and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.
When Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground and the bishop sank to his knees. On Juan Diego’s tilma appeared an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac. It was December 12, 1531.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Remember those who struggle to pay for food for their families. Help us make their Christmas hopes come true. Consider making a donation to Catholic Charities. Contact Nikole Baringer for more information.

PAPAL INTENTIONS: December 2011

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 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-Charities-Diocese-of-Youngstown/138817639487339
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/

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of December 3, 2011

2011-12-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday (Second Sunday of Advent, B http://usccb.org/bible/readings/120411.cfm ) we read in the Gospel of Mark about how St. John the Baptist introduces his entire gospel message. This prophet proclaims that repentance is at hand, and that One greater than him will come to bring salvation. John the Baptist witnesses, with his own life, to the One who is Present and is Coming: Jesus the Christ. In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we hear about the power of God’s coming, with the tender image of a shepherd who cares for his flock. This One who is to come will be our judge modeling love and compassion.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we continue to announce the good news that we serve One who is greater than us, and One who loves us: Jesus the Lord. This understanding infuses all we do: we work on behalf of the Church’s mission as given to us by Jesus to love and care for each other. Besides providing services to care for the material needs of people, as a shepherd would care for his/her flock, Catholic Charities also continues in the tradition of the Prophets to announce good news and advocate for just policies and laws. John the Baptist reminds us to be a voice in the desert proclaiming God’s love and justice.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

Regulations and controls, imperfect though they may be, already often exist at the national and regional levels; whereas on the international level, it is hard to apply and consolidate such controls and rules.

The inequalities and distortions of capitalist development are often an expression not only of economic liberalism but also of utilitarian thinking: that is, theoretical and practical approaches according to which what is useful for the individual leads to the good of the community. This saying has a core of truth, but it cannot be ignored that individual utility – even where it is legitimate – does not always favour the common good. In many cases a spirit of solidarity is called for that transcends personal utility for the good of the community.

In the 1920s, some economists had already warned about giving too much weight, in the absence of regulations and controls, to theories which have since become prevailing ideologies and practices on the international level.

One devastating effect of these ideologies, especially in the last decades of the past century and the first years of the current one, has been the outbreak of the crisis in which the world is still immersed.

In his social encyclical, Benedict XVI precisely identified the roots of a crisis that is not only economic and financial but above all moral in nature. In fact, as the Pontiff notes, to function correctly the economy needs ethics; and not just of any kind but one that is people-centred. He goes on to denounce the role played by utilitarianism and individualism and the responsibilities of those who have adopted and promoted them as the parameters for the optimal behaviour of all economic and political agents who operate and interact in the social context. But Benedict XVI also identifies and denounces a new ideology, that of “technocracy”.

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.

Wednesday, December 7. Inter-Faith Prayer Service, 100th Anniversary of St. Elizabeh’s Hospital. Cathedral of St. Columba. 5 pm. http://www.hmpartners.org/

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Thursday, December 8. Feast of the Immaculate Conception A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church.
In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”
It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching.
Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They point out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.

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Friday, December 9. St. Juan Diego (1474-1548) Thousands of people gathered in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe July 31, 2002, for the canonization of Juan Diego, to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in the 16th century. Pope John Paul II celebrated the ceremony at which the poor Indian peasant became the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas.
The Holy Father called the new saint “a simple, humble Indian” who accepted Christianity without giving up his identity as an Indian. “In praising the Indian Juan Diego, I want to express to all of you the closeness of the church and the pope, embracing you with love and encouraging you to overcome with hope the difficult times you are going through,” John Paul said. Among the thousands present for the event were members of Mexico’s 64 indigenous groups.
First called Cuauhtlatohuac (“The eagle who speaks”), Juan Diego’s name is forever linked with Our Lady of Guadalupe because it was to him that she first appeared at Tepeyac hill on December 9, 1531. The most famous part of his story is told in connection with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12). After the roses gathered in his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, however, little more is said about Juan Diego.
In time he lived near the shrine constructed at Tepeyac, revered as a holy, unselfish and compassionate catechist who taught by word and especially by example.
During his 1990 pastoral visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II confirmed the long-standing liturgical cult in honor of Juan Diego, beatifying him. Twelve years later he was proclaimed a saint.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

Remember those who struggle to find a means to buy a gift for their loved ones due to unemployment, economic strain and/or other circumstances. Consider making a donation to Catholic Charities or offering to purchase a gift for some child. Contact Nikole Baringer for more information.

PAPAL INTENTIONS: December 2011

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

December 1: WORLD AIDS DAY Message from Vatican Pontifical Council and Caritas Internationalis

2011-12-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

PROMOTING UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO HIV/AIDS THERAPIES

VATICAN CITY, 1 DEC 2011 (VIS) - Made public today was anEnglish-language statement from the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workersfor World AIDS Day 2011.

The text, signed byArchbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the pontifical council, says that theDay "must constitute a new opportunity to promote universal access totherapies for those who are infected, the prevention of transmission frommother to child, and education in lifestyles that involve, as well, an approachthat is truly correct and responsible as regards sexuality. In addition, thisis a privileged moment to relaunch the fight against social prejudice".

An estimated1,800,000 people still die every year because of HIV/AIDS, mostly insub-Saharan Africa. "These are people who could lead normal lives if theyonly had access to suitable pharmacological therapies, those known asantiretroviral therapies.

"Deaths arethus witnessed that are no longer justifiable, just as the pain of therelatives of the people involved. ... By now the transmission of the infectionfrom mothers to their children, who often become victims even before they beginto see the outlines of the world that surrounds them, equally, cannot bejustified.

"Although theextension of these therapies to all peoples and to all the parts of apopulation is something that cannot but be engaged in, of fundamentalimportance, on the other hand, remains the formation, the education, ofeveryone, and in particular the new generations, in a sexuality based upon 'ananthropology anchored in natural law and illuminated by the Word of God'. TheChurch and her Magisterium ask for a lifestyle that privileges abstinence,conjugal faithfulness and the rejection of sexual promiscuity, because, as thePost-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 'Africae munus' emphasised, all of thisforms a part of the question of the 'integral development' to which people andcommunities have a right.

"In launchingthis new appeal for commitment and solidarity in favour of all the (both directand indirect) victims of HIV/AIDS, we would like to thank, in union of spiritwith the Holy Father, all those who have striven, often for very many years, tohelp them. We are referring here to institutions, agencies and volunteers who'work in the sector of health care and especially of AIDS'. ... who, withoutdoubt, deserve the operational support, and support without ideological ties,of international organisations and benefactors.

"Lastly, wewish to express our proximity to people afflicted by HIV/AIDS, to those who arenear to them, and to all those healthcare workers who, being exposed to therisk of infection as well, provide all possible care to them, respecting theirpersonalities and their dignity".

CON-AVA/ VIS 20111201 (450)

***************************************************************

Mr. Michel Roy, Secretary General to the 163 National memberorganizations of Caritas

Internationalis, with regard to the Update for the CaritasHAART for

Children Campaign.

As many of you already are aware, the Caritas Confederationhas taken a

lead role, since 1987, in responding to the needs of peopleliving with or

affected by the pandemic of HIV/AIDS and in advocating forgovernmental and

civil society action in response to this pandemic based onthe values of

justice and charity. During the past years, much progresshas been made.

Even though a cure for AIDS is yet to be discovered, we canbe thankful

that increased accessibility of HAART (“Highly ActiveAnti-Retroviral

Treatment”, the combination of medicines used to treat HIV),has turned

what once was an automatic “death sentence” into a chronicdisease.

As we observe World AIDS Day (01 December), Caritas can begrateful that

our organizations are directly sponsoring or supporting HIVprogrammes in

116 countries and on every continent of the world. Therestill are many

challenges ahead of us, however. The Joint United NationsProgramme on AIDS

informs us that, at the end of 2010, some 34 million peoplewere living

with AIDS and that 2.7 million of these became newlyinfected during this

same year. More than 50% of these persons are women, andthey face the

double burden of living with the disease themselves and ofpossibly

transmitting the infection their babies (during pregnancy,childbirth, or

breastfeeding). Treatment is accessible only to some 50% ofthe

HIV-positive persons who need it and, despite the bestefforts of Caritas

and other Catholic Church-inspired organizations, manypeople are not

motivated to change the behaviors that put them at risk ofcontracting HIV

infection.

One particular group has been especially deprived ofopportunities to gain

access to treatment and prevention of HIV – that is, *babiesand young

children living with the virus*. Without anti-retroviraltreatment, 50% of

children living with HIV will die before their secondbirthday. For this

reason, Caritas launched its “HAART for Children” Campaignin March 2009 in

order to invite Caritas and other faith-based organizationsto advocate

more assertively for early diagnosis and treatment ofchildren living with

HIV or HIV/TB co-infection and to facilitate better accessfor

HIV-positive, pregnant women to gain access to the medicinesthat could

prevention HIV transmission to their children and to keepthemselves alive

and healthy.

Since that time, thousands of Caritas workers and volunteershave appealed

to governments, research institutes, and internationalinstitutions to

develop and make available “child friendly” formulations anddosages of

“HAART” medicines and to adapt them for use in low-incomecountries where

it is difficult to maintain liquid formulations because oflack of

refrigeration. We also have been advocating for developmentand access to

low-cost/ low-technology testing equipment so that mothersand children

could be diagnosed earlier and thus so that appropriatetreatment could be

initiated.

With this letter, I am pleased to share with you our“Caritas Campaign

Update: HAART for Children”. This report provides updatedinformation about

the plight of children living with HIV or HIV/TB

Co-infection. The report also includes detailed recommendations on how Caritas andother organizations could engage in the Campaign. Please follow this link tofind

this report on the Caritas Internationalis website

http://www.caritas.org/activities/hiv_aids/CaritasWorldAIDSDay.html.

On this occasion of World AIDS Day 2011, let us ask God togrant comfort

and healing for all persons living with or affected by HIVand to eliminate

all stigma and discrimination toward them. Let us engagewith greater

energy in advocacy for Universal Access to HIV treatment,care and support,

most especially for children living with this infection.Finally let us

recall the words of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, inthe recently

released Apostolic Exhortation, *Africae Munus*:

*In the name of life – which it is the Church’s duty todefend and protect

– and in union with the Synod Fathers, I offer an expressionof renewed

encouragement and support to all the Church’s institutionsand movements

that are working in the field of healthcare, especially withregard to

AIDS. You are doing wonderful and important work. I askinternational

agencies to acknowledge you and to offer you assistance,respecting your

specific character and acting in a spirit of collaboration.*

2011-11-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday (First Sunday of Advent http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112711.cfm ) we read in the Gospel of Mark about Jesus’ call to be on the “watch” for you never know the day of His coming. Be watchful. Be ready. Sounds like a Scout’s pledge but it is more. In this time of new beginnings in the Church’s Liturgical calendar, we celebrate the first Sunday of the year. As we prepare for Christmas during this Advent, we are called to reflect upon our lives and ask the questions: “Am I ready for the Lord’s coming? Am I awake? Am I ready to allow God to enter into my life/world”?

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we see the face of God in each person we meet. Sometimes persons coming to us for assistance are not always prepared; sometimes the stress, anxiety and fear overtakes them. Our staff work to help these persons to try to prepare for the future through the immediate assistance we might offer. Our goal, however, is always to help a person/family break out of poverty. We try to help them be on the look out for opportunities and new ways of doing things. During this Advent Season, I ask you to pray for all of our staff, volunteers and donors, and especially for those persons/families that come to our agencies, that God may bless them in their work to unloosen their fears, anxieties and stress as we await together the Coming of the Lord.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

After the Second Vatican Council in his Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio of 1967, Paul VI already clearly and prophetically denounced the dangers of an economic development conceived in liberalist terms because of its harmful consequences for world equilibrium and peace. The Pontiff asserted that the defence of life and the promotion of people’s cultural and moral development are the essential conditions for the promotion of authentic development. On these grounds, Paul VI said that full and global development is “the new name of peace”.

Forty years later, in its annual Report of in 2007, the International Monetary Fund recognized the close connection between an inadequately managed process of globalization on the one hand, and the world’s great inequalities on the other. Today the modern means of communication make these great economic, social and cultural inequalities obvious to everyone, rich and poor alike, giving rise to tensions and to massive migratory movements.

Nonetheless, it should be reiterated that the process of globalisation with its positive aspects is at the root of the world economy's great development in the twentieth century. It is worth recalling that between 1900 and 2000 the world population increased almost fourfold and the wealth produced worldwide grew much more rapidly, resulting in a significant rise of average per capita income. At the same time, however, the distribution of wealth did not become fairer but in many cases worsened.

What has driven the world in such a problematic direction for its economy and also for peace?

First and foremost, an economic liberalism that spurns rules and controls. Economic liberalism is a theoretical system of thought, a form of “economic apriorism” that purports to derive laws for how markets function from theory, these being laws of capitalistic development, while exaggerating certain aspects of markets. An economic system of thought that sets down a priori the laws of market functioning and economic development, without measuring them against reality, runs the risk of becoming an instrument subordinated to the interests of the countries that effectively enjoy a position of economic and financial advantage.

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.

http://www.monasteryicons.com/graphics/products/large/398.jpg

SATURDAY DECEMBER 3. St. Francis Xavier
(1506-1552) Jesus asked, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Matthew 16:26a). The words were repeated to a young teacher of philosophy who had a highly promising career in academics, with success and a life of prestige and honor before him.
Francis Xavier, 24 at the time, and living and teaching in Paris, did not heed these words at once. They came from a good friend, Ignatius of Loyola, whose tireless persuasion finally won the young man to Christ. Francis then made the spiritual exercises under the direction of Ignatius, and in 1534 joined his little community (the infant Society of Jesus). Together at Montmartre they vowed poverty, chastity and apostolic service according to the directions of the pope.
From Venice, where he was ordained a priest in 1537, Francis Xavier went on to Lisbon and from there sailed to the East Indies, landing at Goa, on the west coast of India. For the next 10 years he labored to bring the faith to such widely scattered peoples as the Hindus, the Malayans and the Japanese. He spent much of that time in India, and served as provincial of the newly established Jesuit province of India.
Wherever he went, he lived with the poorest people, sharing their food and rough accommodations. He spent countless hours ministering to the sick and the poor, particularly to lepers. Very often he had no time to sleep or even to say his breviary but, as we know from his letters, he was filled always with joy.
Francis went through the islands of Malaysia, then up to Japan. He learned enough Japanese to preach to simple folk, to instruct and to baptize, and to establish missions for those who were to follow him. From Japan he had dreams of going to China, but this plan was never realized. Before reaching the mainland he died. His remains are enshrined in the Church of Good Jesus in Goa.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

During the month of November, as we prepare for our national holiday, Thanksgiving, we want to give thanks to persons, parishes, groups, and schools who have supported the work of Catholic Charities throughout the year. This week, I would like to give special thanks to Mercy Medical Center http://www.cantonmercy.org/ -- its hospitals, clinics, and all of its system -- for their on going commitment to serve those in need.

PAPAL INTENTIONS: November 2011

General Intention: That the Eastern Catholic Churches and their venerable traditions may be known and esteemed as a spiritual treasure for the whole Church.

Missionary Intention: Justice and Reconciliation in Africa.
That the African continent may find strength in Christ to pursue justice and reconciliation as set forth by the second Synod of African Bishops.

December 2011

General Intention: Peace among All Peoples.
That all peoples may grow in harmony and peace through mutual understanding and respect.

Missionary Intention: That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation.

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

2011-11-24T19:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas Gifts Anyone? Fair Trade Coffee, Teas and Other Goods

Please consider purchasing Fair Traded goods for gifts for family, friends, neighbors and
colleagues. Consider giving yourself Fair Traded coffee or tea for your daily routine. Your investing in
Fair Traded goods helps to promote international and local economic justice by paying fair wages to
many persons throughout the world that live on less than $2 a day. Visit http://www.crsfairtrade.org/ for access to fair traded products sponsored or related to Catholic Relief Services.

In the local Youngstown area, economic justice can also be done by utilizing the services of locally cooperatively owned businesses for your needs, like the Beatitude House Green Clean Cooperative, which recently obtained a national grant from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). This cooperative provides residential and commercial cleaning services.

2011-11-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Below is a Thanksgiving Day Message and Blessing from Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, and from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown.

During this holiday season, we at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown are faced with an increased demand for services such as our food pantries and St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchens.

For additional information on our local programs and services and to learn ways you can help, please contact Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown.

May you and yours have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day Message and Blessing

“Do not forget the millions living in poverty that aren’t as fortunate as we are”

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), among the nation’s largest human services organizations working to reduce poverty in America, is mindful this Thanksgiving of the millions in our nation that face the challenges of hunger, unemployment, and homelessness. This week, as families with the resources to do so gather to share in thanks and gratitude, Rev. Larry Snyder, president of CCUSA, reminds us to reach out to those in need:

“Soon, we will be sharing food around the Thanksgiving table with our friends and family. But we must not forget the millions of individuals living in poverty in communities across the country who are not as fortunate as we are.

“This is especially true around the holiday season, as food pantries face increased demand and some struggle to keep enough food stocked to meet the needs of individuals that seek assistance.

“Feeding the hungry is mandated by Scripture and is one of the core tenets of Catholic social justice. Across the country local agencies support a vast network of soup kitchens and food pantries, emergency shelters, temporary and transitional housing and permanent affordable housing, to help homeless families and individuals.

“On this Thanksgiving, I am eternally grateful for the backbone of the Catholic Charities network-- the hundreds of thousands of individuals that lend their hearts and hands at local Catholic Charities agencies each year.

“Our Catholic values, teachings, and traditions are the foundation for the work we do at CCUSA. I urge everyone to think of the millions of individuals living in poverty which represent children, single parents, and consider donating at least one dollar, one hour, one canned good, to support programs and services in your community that provide assistance to those in need.”

***

Each year Catholic Charities serves over 10 million people regardless of their religious, social or economic backgrounds. To learn more about the programs and services in your local community, please visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday (Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King

Year A http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112011.cfm ) we read in the Gospel of Mathew about the parable of the Last Judgment. In the first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel, we hear of God’s concern for us: “The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal...” Jesus parable of the Last Judgment brings to sharp focus the essence of this Old Testament prophecy: “when i was hungry.....you gave me food...” In this last Sunday in Ordinary Time, we celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus Christ as the King. Jesus’ proclamation of the end times reminds us that we will be judged by our intentions and actions, especially regarding our concern for our most needy brothers and sisters.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we are the arm of the bishop -- The Church -- called upon to help organize our response to those who are hungry, thirsty, in prison, sick, a stranger or without shelter. All believers -- disciples -- are called to see Jesus in the face of those in need right in our own midst and throughout the world. Catholic Charities, with Caritas throughout the world, helps to organize that love -- bringing people together in solidarity with each other. In these last week of the Church year, I ask you to reflect upon how you respond to Jesus’ call to “do it to me.” Thanks for all you do.

Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements

Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace
TOWARDS REFORMING THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND MONETARY SYSTEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AUTHORITY, October 24, 2011

A liberalist approach, unsympathetic towards public intervention in the markets, chose to allow an important international financial institution to fall into bankruptcy, on the assumption that this would contain the crisis and its effects. Unfortunately, this spawned a widespread lack of confidence and a sudden change in attitudes. Various public interventions of enormous scope (more than 20% of gross national product) were urgently requested in order to stem the negative effects that could have overwhelmed the entire international financial system.

The consequences for the real economy, what with grave difficulties in some sectors – first of all, construction – and wide distribution of unfavourable forecasts, have generated a negative trend in production and international trade with very serious repercussions for employment as well as other effects that have probably not yet had their full impact. The costs are extremely onerous for millions in the developed countries, but also and above all for billions in the developing ones.

In countries and areas where the most elementary goods like health, food and shelter are still lacking, more than a billion people are forced to survive on an average income of less than a dollar a day.

Global economic well-being, traditionally measured by national income and also by levels of capacities, grew during the second half of the twentieth century, to an extent and with a speed never experienced in the history of humankind.

But the inequalities within and between various countries have also grown significantly. While some of the more industrialized and developed countries and economic zones – the ones that are most industrialized and developed – have seen their income grow considerably, other countries have in fact been excluded from the overall improvement of the economy and their situation has even worsened.

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.

http://yarsawich.com/ccd/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/give-thanks-to-the-lord.jpg

THURSDAY, November 24. Thanksgiving Day. Thank you for all your talents of time, talents and treasure. May God bless you and your family during this time of thanksgiving.

SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.

During the month of November, as we prepare for our national holiday, Thanksgiving, we want to give thanks to persons, parishes, groups, and schools who have supported the work of Catholic Charities throughout the year. This week, I would like to give special thanks to Humility of Mary Health Partners http://www.hmpartners.org/ -- its hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, hospice, and all of its system -- for their on going commitment to serve those in need. This year St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Youngstown celebrates its 100th anniversary. Last week we celebrated the feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, their patron saint.

PAPAL INTENTIONS: November 2011

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