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 (The Baptism of the Lord) we read in the Gospel of Luke about how the crowds were "filled with expectation" as Jesus approached John the Baptist. Was this the time everyone was waiting for? Who is this man? John the Baptist clearly proclaims that he is not the one, but another is coming who is greater. But, according to the Prophet Isaiah, this One who is greater, "shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching." After Jesus' baptism, God -- appearing as the Spirit -- proclaims his identification with Jesus. (See icon: http://spiritualpaintings.com/files/theophany.3.html)
In Catholic Charities we too point to someone greater than ourselves. We are called to serve people, especially those most in need, in the name of the Church which continues the mandate from Jesus to be his healing touch today. Catholic Charities is the organized response of the Bishop to coordinate and provide services to persons, families and communities. These services include material assistance to persons, case management, advocacy, family support, immigration assistance, and changes for a just public policy.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate: "Paul VI had an articulated vision of development. He understood the term to indicate the goal of rescuing peoples, first and foremost, from hunger, deprivation, endemic diseases and illiteracy. From the economic point of view, this meant their active participation, on equal terms, in the international economic process; from the social point of view, it meant their evolution into educated societies marked by solidarity; from the political point of view, it meant the consolidation of democratic regimes capable of ensuring freedom and peace. After so many years, as we observe with concern the developments and perspectives of the succession of crises that afflict the world today, we ask to what extent Paul VI's expectations have been fulfilled by the model of development adopted in recent decades. We recognize, therefore, that the Church had good reason to be concerned about the capacity of a purely technological society to set realistic goals and to make good use of the instruments at its disposal. Profit is useful if it serves as a means towards an end that provides a sense both of how to produce it and how to make good use of it. Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty. The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable. It is true that growth has taken place, and it continues to be a positive factor that has lifted billions of people out of misery — recently it has given many countries the possibility of becoming effective players in international politics. Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis." (Caritas in Veritate, par 21). http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm
N.B. Note: Please consider joining our new Twitter account, CCDOY, for current updates and calls to action that we can all use. http://twitter.com/CCDOY
Some important date(s) this week:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16. 2010 Mass for Life
The 2010 Mass for Life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 12:00 noon at St. Columba Cathedral and also on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 2:00 PM at St. John the Baptist in Canton.
JANUARY is POVERTY AWARENESS MONTH. Visit Catholic Campaign for Human Development site at http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/index.htm
Sharing Hope In Tough Times: Catholic Charities Responds to Families Facing Economic Crisis
This is the final weekend for Catholic Charities’ Keep the Kids Warm campaign, a special collection to provide utility assistance to families with children. Thank you for supporting this important effort that helps Catholic Charities agencies respond to the 35% increase in requests for emergency assistance. For more information, visit www.ccdoy.org.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
JANUARY 2010
Young people and Social Communications Media
General: That young people may learn to use modern means of social communication for their personal growth and to better prepare themselves to serve society.
Christian Unity
Missionary: That every believer in Christ may be conscious that unity among all Christians is a condition for more effective proclamation of the Gospel.
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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