Crisis Could Turn Into "Catastrophe," Says Pope Urges Rich Nations to Increase Aid to Developing Ones

ROME, MAY 29, 2009 (Zenit.org).-

The current economic and social crisis could lead to a "catastrophe" if richer nations don't come to the aid of poorer ones, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today upon receiving the letters of credence from eight new ambassadors to the Holy See. The envoys present represented Mongolia, India, Benin, New Zealand, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Namibia and Norway.He warned those present of the dangers of inequality, and the conflicts it sparks.

Speaking to the eight in French, the Pontiff noted that "in the midst of a worldwide social and economic crisis, it is necessary regain an awareness of the need to struggle in the most effective manner to establish true peace, with the aim of constructing a more just and prosperous world."

He said injustices "represent attacks against peace and create a grave risk of conflict," and that peace "cannot be built except by intervening firmly to eliminate the inequality engendered by unjust systems, and so allowing everyone a standard of living that enables them to live a dignified and prosperous existence."

Benedict XVI said the current economic crisis has particularly affected low-income countries. He noted such negative effects include "the tailing off of foreign investment, the fall in demand for raw materials and the tendency for international aid to diminish," as well as "the drop in remittances of emigrants, likewise victims of the recession, which also affects their host countries."

The Pontiff warned that the current crisis could become a "catastrophe," especially for poorer nations, as "desperation" leads people to undertake "individual or collective acts of violence that can further destabilize already-weakened societies."

One suggestion made by the Pope was for richer nations to increase aid to poorer ones, rather than cutting it, "so that the neediest countries are able to sustain their economies and consolidate social measures designed to protect the most needy sectors of the population."

He also launched an appeal for "greater fraternity and solidarity, and real global generosity," and for "developed countries to rediscover a sense of proportion and sobriety in their economies and lifestyles."

Bishop: Health Care Begins With R-E-S-P-E-C-T Offers 8 Principles For Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C, MAY 25, 2009 (Zenit.org).-

As a U.S. Senate committee is discussing the future of health care in the country, the nation's bishops are reminding the legislators that respect for life needs to be the foundation for any reform. Bishop William F. Murphy, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said this in a statement sent last week to a U.S. Senate committee discussion on "Expanding Health Care Coverage."

The bishop of Rockville Centre, New York, expressed his hope that the discussion would bring about "true reform to the nation's health care system," and offered eight principles that could serve as a framework for reform.

"The Catholic bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform leading to accessible and affordable health care for all," he said, recalling the 2007 document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship."

"In a nation with the resources we have," he added, "health care should be such that all our citizens receive the kind of health care that provides for the needs of all in a coherent and consistent way." While noting that the dignity of life is foundational to any health care reform, Bishop Murphy recalled that it is also "a critical component of the Catholic Church's ministry."

"The Church provides health care, purchases health care and picks up the pieces of a failing health care system," he explained. "The Catholic community encounters and serves the sick and uninsured in our emergency rooms, shelters and on the doorsteps of our parishes.

"One-out-of-six patients is cared for in Catholic hospitals. We bring strong convictions and everyday experience to the issue of health care."

Life

Bishop Murphy stated that abortion and other "procedures or technologies that attack or undermine the sanctity and dignity of life" should not be included "as part of a national health care benefit." He added that "no health care reform plan should compel us or others to pay for or participate in the destruction of human life.

"Nonetheless, he continued, "decent health care is not a privilege, but a basic human right and a requirement to protect the life and dignity of every person.

All people need and should have access to comprehensive, quality health care that they can afford, and this should not depend on their stage of life, where or whether they or their parents work, how much they earn, or where they live or where they come from." The prelate then offered eight principles for framing health care reform: respect for life, priority concern for the poor, access for all, comprehensive benefits, pluralism, quality, cost controls and equitable financing.

"Health care is a social good," Bishop Murphy concluded. "And accessible and affordable health care for all benefits both individuals and the society as a whole.

"The moral measure of any health care reform proposal is whether it offers affordable and accessible health care to all, beginning with those most in need. This can be a matter of life or death, of dignity or deprivation.

Pontiff Calls for Solution to Unemployment Crisis

Inaugurates House of Charity for Homeless Immigrants
CASSINO, Italy, MAY 24, 2009

(Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is calling for solutions to the unemployment crisis, for the creation of jobs to help and protect families who are facing critical economic situations. The Pope stated this today in his homily during a Mass celebrated in Cassino's Miranda Plaza, the square that will be renamed after him, in the town east of the Monte Cassino Abbey.

The Pontiff spent the day visiting the monastery founded by his patron, St. Benedict, the cradle of the Benedictine order.He called on his listeners to "reinvigorate" their "faith in the real presence of Jesus," because "without him we cannot do anything of value in our life or apostolate."

The Holy Father explained the purpose of his visit, to "encourage you constantly to build, found and rebuild" the diocesan community on Christ, following the example of St. Benedict, who recommended in his Rule to "put nothing before Christ.

"He underlined the saint's call to "keep our hearts fixed on Christ and put nothing before him," by the evangelical program found in the Benedictine motto: "ora et labora et lege" -- "prayer, work, culture."

"Prayer," the Pope said, "to which grave peals of the bell of St. Benedict calls the monks every morning, is the silent path that leads us directly to the heart of God; it is the breath of the soul that gives us peace again in the storms of life."

Critical situation

Speaking next about work, he noted that "humanizing the world of work is typical of the soul of monasticism."Benedict XVI continued: "I know how critical the situation of many workers is. I express my solidarity with those who live in a troubling precariousness, with those workers who are on unemployment assistance and those who have been laid off."

He called on "the entrepreneurs and those who are able, to seek, with everyone's help, valid solutions to the employment crisis, creating new places of work to safeguard families."

The Pontiff added: "In this respect, how can we not recall that today the family has an urgent need to be better protected, since it is gravely threatened in its very institutional roots?

"I think also of the young people who have difficulty finding a dignified job that allows them to build a family."

To them I would like to say: Do not be discouraged, dear friends, the Church will not abandon you!"

He recalled the more than 25 young people from the diocese who participated in World Youth Day in Sydney, and urged them to use that "extraordinary spiritual experience" to be leaven among their friends, and to "be the new missionaries in this land of St. Benedict!"

Addressing the world of culture, the third part of Benedictine spirituality, the Holy Father noted the testimony archived by the Monte Cassino monastery, that "European culture has been constituted by the search for God and availability to listen to him.""In today's cultural effort aimed at creating a new humanism," he said, "faithful to the Benedictine tradition you rightly intend to stress attention to the fragility, weakness of man, to disabled persons and immigrants."

Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude for the possibility of "inaugurating the 'House of Charity,'" for homeless immigrants, "where a culture attentive to life will be built with deeds." The project is being carried out in a former hospital under the sponsorship of the abbot of Monte Cassino.

He encouraged his listeners to live the spirit of St. Benedict, to "proclaim that in your life no one and nothing must take Jesus away from the first place; the mission to build, in Christ's name, a new humanity to teach hospitality and help of the weakest."

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for week of May 24, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.

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

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

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Committed to work 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 (Seventh Sunday of Easter/Ascension Sunday celebrated in Diocese of Youngstown, Cycle B) we continue to hear the story and the challenge of the spreading of the Good News of Jesus' appearances and his ascension. The Lord gives his Great Commission to go out into the world -- as his disciples -- to bring abundant life to all.


Catholic Charities continue that Great Commission by being the Church's presence in the world to offer service to those in need, a voice to those who are voiceless, and to bring people together to do the same. Catholic Charities -- as an organized structure of the Church -- offers aid to those who are need help and brings hope to those who may in despair through our voice for justice. Discipleship does have its costs. Sometimes others do not and will not agree with our positions on human life, dignity, and justice. But empowered by the Holy Spirit as promised by the Lord, we remain steady in our witness and outeach to those in need.


Some important date(s) this week:

MONDAY, MAY 25. St. Bede the Venerable. (672?-735) Bede is one of the few saints honored as such even during his lifetime. His writings were filled with such faith and learning that even while he was still alive, a Church council ordered them to be read publicly in the churches.
At an early age Bede was entrusted to the care of the abbot of the Monastery of St. Paul, Jarrow. The happy combination of genius and the instruction of scholarly, saintly monks produced a saint and an extraordinary scholar, perhaps the most outstanding one of his day. He was deeply versed in all the sciences of his times: natural philosophy, the philosophical principles of Aristotle, astronomy, arithmetic, grammar, ecclesiastical history, the lives of the saints and, especially, Holy Scripture. From the time of his ordination to the priesthood at 30 (he had been ordained deacon at 19) till his death, he was ever occupied with learning, writing and teaching. Besides the many books that he copied, he composed 45 of his own, including 30 commentaries on books of the Bible.


THURSDAY, MAY 28. St. Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes (1614-1645) The youngest of eight, Mary Ann was born in Quito, Ecuador, which had been brought under Spanish control in 1534. She joined the Secular Franciscans and led a life of prayer and penance at home, leaving her parents’ house only to go to church and to perform some work of charity. She established in Quito a clinic and a school for Africans and indigenous Americans. When a plague broke out, she nursed the sick and died shortly thereafter.



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

Reflection: Discipleship means knowing that all people from every social class have the same basic needs, and reaching out when they need help meeting them.

Prayer Intention: That the desire to be true disciples will lead us to reach out to everyone in need, regardless of their social class.



PAPAL INTENTIONS:

May 2009
General: That the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations.

Mission: That the recently founded Catholic Churches, grateful to the Lord for the gift of faith, may be ready to share in the universal mission of the Church, offering their availability to preach the Gospel throughout the world.




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




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/

NEW USCCB-SPONSORED WEB SITE HIGHLIGHTS CATHOLIC TEACHING ON ECONOMIC LIFE

New Web site views economic crisis through lens of Catholic faith
Features resources for addressing moral and human elements of crisis


WASHINGTON—In response to the current economic crisis and its moral and human impacts, a new USCCB Web site has been developed to better share Catholic social teaching on economic life and how it can shape the responses of Catholics to the economic crisis.

Catholic Teaching on Economic Life ( www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife ) features the ten-point “A Catholic Framework for Economic Life,” which is downloadable in handout form. The Web site is sponsored by the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The site includes statements on economic life from both the U.S. bishops and Pope Benedict XVI and the Holy See, ideas for parishes, stories of groups responding to the crisis, prayer guides, Podcasts, videos, and even an interactive quiz. The site also features a database of information on issues related to the crisis, including health, housing, labor, and trade. All resources are designed for practical use on the parish level for making sense of the economic crisis.

Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee of Domestic Social Justice and Human Development, outlined a central theme in a letter to the nation’s leaders:

“This crisis involves far more than just economic or technical matters, but has enormous human impact and clear ethical dimensions which should be at the center of debate and decisions on how to move forward. Families are losing their homes. Retirement savings are at risk. People are losing jobs and benefits. Economic arrangements, structures and remedies should have as a fundamental purpose safeguarding human life and dignity.”

"Our hope is that Catholics across the United States can use these new resources to understand the economic crisis in the light of Church teaching on economic life. One of the central themes of this teaching is that the dignity of the human person always comes first. This is a message of hope in tough economic times,” said John Carr, Executive Director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
To view the new Web site, go to www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife .

BEARING WITNESS TO THE FAITH THROUGH THE DIGITAL WORLD

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2009 (VIS) - At the end of his general audience, celebrated this morning in St. Peter's Square, the Pope made a brief appeal for World Communications Day, due to be held on Sunday 24 May.



Speaking English, the Holy Father recalled how in his Message for the Day this year "I am inviting all those who make use of the new technologies of communication, especially the young, to utilise them in a positive way and to realise the great potential of these means to build up bonds of friendship and solidarity that can contribute to a better world.



"The new technologies", he added, "have brought about fundamental shifts in the ways in which news and information are disseminated and in how people communicate and relate to each other. I wish to encourage all those who access cyberspace to be careful to maintain and promote a culture of respect, dialogue and authentic friendship where the values of truth, harmony and understanding can flourish.



"Young people in particular, I appeal to you: bear witness to your faith through the digital world! Employ these new technologies to make the Gospel known, so that the Good News of God's infinite love for all people, will resound in new ways across our increasingly technological world!"

AG/NEW TECHNOLOGIES/... VIS 090520 (230)

CatholicNewsSvc: Updated story on polls finding more Americans 'pro-life' than 'pro-choice' has comments from bishops' spokeswoman http://ow.ly/7P0O

CatholicNewsSvc: Vatican newspaper says Obama sought 'common ground' at Notre Dame http://ow.ly/7AGE

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION week of May 17, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.


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


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


GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Committed to work 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 (Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B)we read in the Gospel of John about Jesus' command to Love One Another. This command is the hallmark of the Christian Community. We are called to show God's love in action. St. Augustine commented (De Trinitate, VIII, 8, 12: CCL 50, 287) that when one sees love -- or caritas -- in action, one sees the Trinity. Since God is love, One goes out of oneself to show love. Thus God is Three Persons in an ever loving interaction of Love. "Each of the persons of the Trinity lives completely for the others; each is a complete gift of self to the others. The complete self-giving not only constitutes the individual persons of the Trinity, but also their inseparable oneness."

Catholic Charities is an essential aspect of the life of the Church. In Pope Benedict's first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, he writes that "The Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being" (par 25a).



Some important date(s) this week:

THURSDAY MAY 21, 2009. Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. (Celebrated in our Diocese on Sunday May 24).


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


Reflection: Even simple gestures, like listening to our friends who have fallen on hard times, are acts of love that will lift them up.

Prayer Intention: That Christians everywhere have open hearts for those falling on hard times, and be willing to lovingly listen.



PAPAL INTENTIONS:

May 2009
General: That the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations.

Mission: That the recently founded Catholic Churches, grateful to the Lord for the gift of faith, may be ready to share in the universal mission of the Church, offering their availability to preach the Gospel throughout the world.


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

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


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

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

CARDINAL RIGALI APPLAUDS Senate RE-Introduction of ‘Pregnant Women support act’, URGES PASSAGE

Pregnant Women Support Act provides life-affirming support for pregnant women
and their unborn children



WASHINGTON—Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote to all U.S. Senators urging them to support the Pregnant Women Support Act (PWSA, S. 1032) re-introduced in the Senate by Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) on May 14. The PWSA provides resources and support for pregnant and parenting women and their families.
The Cardinal recently wrote to U.S. Representatives encouraging them to support the House version of the PWSA (H.R. 2035) introduced by Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN).
The PWSA “reaches out to women with a helping hand when they are most vulnerable, and most engaged in making a decision about life or death for their unborn children,” Cardinal Rigali said. “It provides an authentic common ground, an approach that people can embrace regardless of their position on other issues.”

Among other provisions, the Act will ensure that pregnant women are not denied coverage by insurance companies; establish a toll-free number for resources during pregnancy and after birth; provide life-affirming pregnancy services and parenting education in maternity group homes and other centers; provide new mothers with free home visits by registered nurses; and codify the current regulation allowing states to provide State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) coverage to unborn children and their mothers. It will also encourage adoption by expanding adoption tax credit and adoption assistance programs.

Cardinal Rigali described the PWSA as “entirely separate” from controversial proposals involving pregnancy prevention, which many studies show do not reduce abortions. “Discussion of pregnancy prevention and related issues will surely continue inside and outside Congress. In the meantime, pregnant women need our assistance now so that abortion is not promoted to them as their only choice.”
“I hope you will join Senator Casey in ensuring that the Pregnant Women Support Act will be considered and enacted by this Congress,” he said to the Senators.

The full text of Cardinal Rigali’s letter is available.

BISHOPS ISSUE STATEMENT ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF POSTVILLE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS, CONTINUE CALL FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

WASHINGTON—To commemorate the first anniversary of the Postville, Iowa, immigration worksite enforcement action, Bishop John C. Wester, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration released a statement recalling the humanitarian cost of such actions and calling, once again, for the reform of our nation immigration policies.
“My brother Catholic bishops and I understand and support the right and responsibility of government to enforce law,” said Bishop Wester. “We strongly believe, however, that worksite enforcement raids do not solve the challenge of illegal immigration. Instead they lead to the separation of U.S. families and the destruction of immigrant communities. ”
Bishop Wester called families to pray for “those hurt by the raid and to work for comprehensive immigration reform so that others will not face similar pain and cruelty in the future.”
“The Postville action of a year ago is a disturbing reminder of the need to repair the nation’s broken immigration policies,” said Bishop Wester.
Bishop Wester’s statement follows.

Statement of Most Reverend John C. Wester
On
The First Anniversary of the Postville, Iowa, Work Site Enforcement Action
May 12, 2009


May 12, 2009 marks the one-year anniversary of what was, at the time, the largest work site immigration enforcement action in history. Since that raid in Postville, Iowa, larger raids have occurred, but the precedent set at Postville and the accompanying compassionate response by that small Iowa community and its people of faith underscore the humanitarian costs of workplace immigration raids as well as the need for reform of our nation’s immigration policies.

As religious leaders, my brother Catholic bishops and I understand and support the right and responsibility of the government to enforce the law. We strongly believe, however, that worksite enforcement raids do not solve the challenge of illegal immigration. Instead, they lead to the separation of U.S. families and the destruction of immigrant communities. The result of the Postville raid was family separation, immense suffering, denial of due process rights and community division.

Our religious and social response to such harm to our God-given human dignity is based on Scriptures, which call believers to welcome the newcomers among us, to treat the alien with respect and charity, and to provide pastoral and humanitarian assistance to individuals and their families.

The Postville action of a year ago is a disturbing reminder of the need to repair the nation’s broken immigration policies.

I ask all Catholics, the greater faith community, and persons of good will to commemorate the Postville raid of May 12, 2008, by remembering in their prayers those hurt by the raid and to work for comprehensive immigration reform so that others will not face similar pain and cruelty in the future.
---



Spanish version follows.



OBISPOS CONMEMORAN PRIMER ANIVERSARIO DE REDADA MASIVA EN POSTVILLE, REITERAN LLAMADO PRO-REFORMA DE LEYES INMIGRATORIAS

WASHINGTON—Para conmemorar el primer aniversario de la redada masiva de inmigrantes en una planta en Postville, Iowa, el Obispo John C. Wester, presidente del Comité de Obispos para Asuntos Migratorios, hizo público un comunicado recordando el costo humanitario de tales acciones y realizó de nuevo un llamado a favor de la reforma de las leyes inmigratorias de nuestro país.
“Mis hermanos obispos católicos y yo entendemos y apoyamos el derecho y la responsabilidad que el gobierno tiene de hacer cumplir las leyes”, afirmó el Obispo Wester. “Sin embargo, creemos firmemente que las redadas en los lugares de trabajo no resuelven el desafío de la inmigración ilegal. Por el contrario, éstas llevan a la separación de familias de ciudadanos estadounidenses y a la destrucción de las comunidades inmigrantes”.
El Obispo Wester hizo un llamado a las familias a que “oren por todos aquellos que fueron afectados por la redada del 12 de mayo de 2008 en Postville y que trabajen por una reforma integral de las leyes inmigratorias, para que otros no tengan que enfrentarse al mismo dolor y crueldad en el futuro”.
“La acción del año pasado en Postville es un recuerdo perturbador de la necesidad de reparar las deficientes políticas inmigratorias en el país”, dijo el Obispo Wester.
El texto completo de la declaración del Obispo Wester se ofrece a continuación.

Declaración de Monseñor John C. Wester,
con motivo del Primer Aniversario de las Redadas Migratorias
en un Centro Laboral en Postville, Iowa
12 de mayo de 2009
El día 12 de mayo de 2009 señala el primer aniversario de la que, en aquel entonces, fuera la redada migratoria en un centro laboral más grande de la historia. Desde que esta acción ocurriera, otras redadas de mayor magnitud han sucedido, pero el precedente sentado en Postville y la respuesta compasiva de esta pequeña comunidad en Iowa y de las comunidades de fe subrayan el costo humanitario de las redadas de inmigrantes en los centros de trabajo así como la necesidad de una reforma de las leyes inmigratorias de nuestro país.

Como líderes religiosos, mis hermanos obispos católicos y yo entendemos y apoyamos el derecho y la responsabilidad que tiene el gobierno de hacer cumplir las leyes. Sin embargo, creemos firmemente que las redadas en los lugares de trabajo no resuelven el desafío de la inmigración ilegal. Por el contrario, éstas llevan a la separación de familias estadounidenses y a la destrucción de las comunidades inmigrantes. La redada en Iowa dejó como resultado la separación familiar, un gran sufrimiento, la denegación del derecho a un proceso legal debido y la división de la comunidad.

Nuestra respuesta, religiosa y social, ante tal daño a la dignidad dada por Dios está basada en las Escrituras, las cuales hacen un llamado a los creyentes a dar la bienvenida al recién llegado en nuestro medio, a tratar al extranjero con respeto y caridad, y a proporcionar asistencia humanitaria y pastoral a las personas y a sus familias.

La acción del año pasado en Postville es un recuerdo perturbador de la necesidad de reparar las deficientes políticas inmigratorias en el país.

Pido a todos los católicos, a otras comunidades de fe y a las personas de buena voluntad que oren por todos aquellos que fueron afectados por la redada del 12 de mayo de 2008 en Postville y que trabajen por una reforma integral de las leyes inmigratorias, para que otros no tengan que enfrentarse al mismo dolor y crueldad en el futuro.

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION week of May 10, 2009

Providing Help. Creating Hope.


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


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


GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Committed to work 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 of Easter, Cycle B) we read in the Gospel of John about Jesus' call for each of us to be connected to him and his love in order to thrive and bear much fruit. In the First Letter of St. John we are challenged to follow the Lord's ultimate commandment to love each other, in deed and truth, and not just in mere words.

At Catholic Charities we are connected to the Church directly as a ministry and service of the ecclesial community, and we find our identity in the Catholic community civilly and canonically tied to the Bishop through various corporate structures. Like the image of the vine and branches, Catholic Charities is specifically part of the Church's three fold mission to Proclaim the Word, Celebrate the Sacraments, and Provide Service to each other. Pope Benedict XVI's first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, was very specific about the role of Charities in the Church: we are to organize love in deed and in truth.

Some important date(s) this week:

FRIDAY MAY 15. In 1943, the Diocese of Youngstown was created.

FRIDAY, May 15, 1891, Pope Leo XIII published the "magna carta" of Catholic Social Teachings: Rerum Novarum

FRIDAY, MAY 15. St. Isidore the Farmer. (1070-1130). Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference.

When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, and worked faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman as simple and upright as himself who also became a saint—Maria de la Cabeza . They had one son, who died as a child. Isidore had deep religious instincts. He rose early in the morning to go to church and spent many a holiday devoutly visiting the churches of Madrid and surrounding areas. All day long, as he walked behind the plow, he communed with God. His devotion, one might say, became a problem, for his fellow workers sometimes complained that he often showed up late because of lingering in church too long. He was known for his love of the poor, and there are accounts of Isidore’s supplying them miraculously with food. He had a great concern for the proper treatment of animals.
He died May 15, 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as “the five saints.”

FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2009. Men Who Cook event. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Regional Agency. Fundraiser. 6 pm at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Hall, Youngstown. Call 330-744-3320 for tickets.



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


Reflection: We thank all mothers for the gift of life. Could that single Mom you know use a little help with her electric bill this month?

Prayer Intention: That we find loving, creative ways to help struggling Mothers everywhere, to thank them for their unselfish gift of life.




PAPAL INTENTIONS:



May 2009
General: That the laity and the Christian communities may be responsible promoters of priestly and religious vocations.

Mission: That the recently founded Catholic Churches, grateful to the Lord for the gift of faith, may be ready to share in the universal mission of the Church, offering their availability to preach the Gospel throughout the world.


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

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


See our website at 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:

MRS/USCCB Immigration Policy Update

Comprehensive Immigration Reform
President Obama started the ball rolling by holding a March meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) at which lawmakers stressed the need for CIR this year. A CHC press release on the meeting can be found here: . Soon after the CHC meeting, President Obama spoke at a town hall meeting in California about the need for CIR. In April, the Administration formally announced their intention to pursue CIR. The President is expected to convene working groups of policymakers and advocates to begin discussing the content of the bill. While timing for CIR legislation still remains unclear, the Senate held its first CIR hearing of 2009 on April 30 (see below).

President Addresses CIR at 100 Days Press Conference
At an April 29th press conference, President Obama again publicly addressed the issue of immigration reform. The President expressed his desire to work with Senator McCain, saying that McCain has "the right position" on reform. He also stated that he wants to move CIR: "We can't continue with a broken immigration system. It's not good for anybody. It's not good for American workers. It's dangerous for Mexican would-be workers who are trying to cross a dangerous border. It is -- it is putting a strain on border communities, who oftentimes have to deal with a host of undocumented workers. And it keeps those undocumented workers in the shadows, which means they can be exploited at the same time as they're depressing U.S. wages."

Mr. Obama went on to say that he wants to start movement on CIR this year and that he hopes to convene working groups with Congressional lawmakers to shape the bill. He also stressed the importance of taking administrative steps through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve border security and reform worksite enforcement so that Americans gain confidence in the enforcement of current law.

For a full transcript of the President's remarks.

DHS Announces New Policy Directives on Worksite Enforcement
On April 30, DHS released new policy directives which are intended to guide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its worksite enforcement operations. The directives call for ICE to focus its resources on the criminal prosecution of employers who recruit and hire illegal workers. Specifically, ICE is to seek out the commitment of the relevant United States Attorney (USA) to prosecute the targeted employer before ICE arrests any illegal workers at a worksite. The directives also expand ICE's current humanitarian guidelines to worksite enforcement actions involving 25 or more illegal workers (from the previous 150). Under the new policy guidance, DHS will continue to arrest illegal workers it encounters in the course of its investigations.
For the DHS Press Release

Senate Immigration Subcommittee Holds First CIR Hearing of 2009
On April 30, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security held a hearing entitled: "Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009: Can We Do It and How?" Testimony was given by two panels of immigration, faith, civil rights, and economic leaders including former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan. Greenspan testified that illegal immigrants provide a safety valve as demand for workers increases and decreases. He also asserted that illegal immigration "has made a significant contribution to the growth of our economy, and that legal reform is "badly needed. He responded to questioning that undocumented immigrants do not compete with Americans for jobs by and large, except at the bottom end of the economy, where they compete with high school dropouts.

Chairman of the Subcommitee, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said that, "No one is happy with our current system," and that now is the time to enact significant reform. Dr. Joel Hunter, the pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed stated his view that: "Most people of faith are hoping for policies that will prioritize family togetherness, respect for the law, personal productivity, and compassion for those who are most helpless." Montgomery County, MD Police Chief Thomas Manger stressed the way in which reform which targets criminal immigrants rather than unlawful workers would facilitate crime-fighting through stronger relationships with the undocumented community.

The Subcommittee also received expert testimony from Doris Meissner, Director of the Migration and Policy Institute (MPI) on the economic impact of CIR, as well as from Eliseo Medina of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) among other witnesses.

A webcast of this hearing is available. The USCCB submitted a statement on CIR to the Subcommittee to be included in the record.

President Obama Meets with Mexican President Felipe Calderon
President Obama traveled to Mexico City in mid-April and met with President Felipe Calderon. In the course of his trip, President Obama delivered remarks supporting CIR and calling attention to the need to address root causes of migration. The text of his remarks can be found here.

Labor Unions Announce Joint Framework for CIR
The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) teamed with Change to Win in announcing that the two labor unions had reached agreement on an immigration reform position on April 14. The position needs more refinement, and USCCB maintains support for a worker program with protections. Their framework for this agreement can be read.

DREAM Act 2009 Introduced in Congress
The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2009 (DREAM Act) was introduced in both the House and the Senate on March 26. In the Senate, the bill was introduced as S.729 by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN). In the House, the bill was named the American DREAM Act and was introduced by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL).

An Action Alert that tells you how you can help propel passage of the DREAM Act.


The USCCB letter to Senator Durbin thanking him for introducing DREAM can be viewed.

A Section-by-Section Summary of the DREAM Act can be seen.