Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.
VISION: Believing in the presence of God in our midst, we proclaim the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person by sharing in the mission of Jesus given to the Church. To this end, Catholic Charities works with individuals, families, and communities to help them meet their needs, address their issues, eliminate oppression, and build a just and compassionate society.
MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.
GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.
KEY VALUE: Hospitality
WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)
On Sunday (First Sunday of Advent, Cycle C) we read that this soon to be born babe is and is destined to be the Christ -- on a cosmic level. Two thoughts come to mind as one looks at these readings foretelling a time wherein the Kingdom of God will be fulfilled: patience and passion. There is a sense in the readings that we need to have patience in our waiting for the coming of God's reign, but at the same time, we have to have the passion to want that Kingdom to come about in our lives as well. It seems that the key to our patience and our passion is love: the love of God and the love of neighbor. Love is the key to the Kingdom of God both here and to come.
In Catholic Charities we are signs of that love made real. We help make the Kingdom of God a reality for each person we meet and help. Thank you for being that sign of God's reign: love.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate: "In Populorum Progressio, Paul VI taught that progress, in its origin and essence, is first and foremost a vocation: 'in the design of God, every man is called upon to develop and fulfil himself, for every life is a vocation.' This is what gives legitimacy to the Church's involvement in the whole question of development. If development were concerned with merely technical aspects of human life, and not with the meaning of man's pilgrimage through history in company with his fellow human beings, nor with identifying the goal of that journey, then the Church would not be entitled to speak on it. Paul VI, like Leo XIII before him in Rerum Novarum, knew that he was carrying out a duty proper to his office by shedding the light of the Gospel on the social questions of his time." (Caritas in Veritate, par 16 a).
N.B. Note: Please consider joining our new Twitter account, CCDOY, for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
Some important date(s) this week:
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29. Beginning of Advent. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has created a Website www.usccb.org/advent/ with suggestions for daily prayer, reading, reflection and action throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 1st is World AIDS Day , and together we can raise awareness of the disease, reduce the stigma often associated with it and support programs that directly serve those in need. Please join Catholic Relief Services in recognizing the lives and efforts of people living with HIV by going to worldaidsday.crs.org .
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING WITH JUSTICE: Work of Human Hands Exhibit
This unique exhibit of fair trade gifts, coffee, jewelry, baskets, Christmas ornaments and other items will be ongoing in the Office of Religious Education at the Diocesan Offices at 225 Elm Street, Youngstown, until December 23, 2009. Please feel free to stop in and shop for quality products provided through Catholic Relief Services and A Greater Gift, a non-profit organization of SERRV International. Every purchase helps the artisans and farmers who create or grow the items, maintain a sustainable income for their families. For online shopping visit: http://www.crsfairtrade.org/
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
Reflection: Today we begin a new Church year. Perhaps an old friend might need a new beginning with employment. Is there something you can do to help?
Prayer Intention: For those who continue to struggle in finding employment as Christmas approaches, that they may find work.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
November 2009
General: That all the men and women in the world, especially those who have responsibilities in the field of politics and economics, may never fail in their commitment to safeguard creation.
Mission: That believers in the different religions, through the testimony of their lives and fraternal dialogue, may clearly demonstrate that the name of God is a bearer of peace.
December 2009
General: That children may be respected and loved and never be the victims of exploitation in its various forms.
Mission: That at Christmas the peoples of the earth may recognize in the Word Incarnate the light which illuminates every man and that the Nations may open their doors to Christ, the Saviour of 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/
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