Wednesday, March 31, 2010

CARITAS: LET HAITIAN PEOPLE HELP REBUILD

ZE10033007 - 2010-03-30
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-28805?l=english


Calls for Protection of Women and Children

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, MARCH 30, 2010 (Zenit.org).- In anticipation of an international donors' conference at the United Nations in New York, Caritas is requesting that the Haitians be allowed to participate in their country's reconstruction.

Representatives of several countries and aid organizations will gather Wednesday to discuss the topic of Haiti's reconstruction, over two months after the Jan. 12 earthquake destroyed Port-au-Prince.

In a press release today, Caritas called for a "reconstruction agenda based on the participation of Haitian civil society" and the involvement of the people in the plans.

The president of Caritas Haiti, Bishop Pierre Dumas, said: "All the aspects of health, environment, education, job creation and the development of the local production need to be taken into account.

"A 'revive package' needs to be created."

The agency is requesting "quick effective solutions to the human suffering being experienced today."

"Makeshifts camps need improvements in shelter, sanitation, and law and order," it asserted. "There must be support for outlying areas to encourage people to find more suitable places to live."

"Informed consent is key," the statement added.

Nationwide renewal

Caritas noted that the reconstruction plans should be developed to "renew the whole country."

"Chronic food insecurity must be addressed by investing in economic growth, a green energy policy, livelihoods, small scale farming, and in combating environmental degradation and deforestation," it pointed out.

The agency underlined the protection of the rights of women and children as "a priority in the fragile post-disaster environment."

It added, "Their advancement and protection must be at the center of reconstruction plans."

To date, Caritas has distributed some $12 million of donations to aid the people.

This money has been used to give health care, including hospital care and kits, to 1.16 million people. Some 1.55 million people have received hot meals and regular food supplies.

Shelter kits and tents were distributed to 900,000 quake survivors, and clean water or hygiene kits were given to 200,000 Haitians.

The agency also gave specific support to 13,000 of the more vulnerable Haitians, including children, the elderly and disabled.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 28, 2010


Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.

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

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/032810a.shtml) we read St Luke's account of the Passion, Trial and Death of Jesus the Christ. The great hymn from St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians, shouts with joy: "Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Our God loves us so much that God the Father sent his only Son to become one like us, to die an ignoble death, to witness that great love by being of service, not seeking to be served.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we are called to model the same life and actions as Jesus: to be servants not to be served. Our call is to witness that incredible love, in gentle ways, to bring healing to those who come to our door who are suffering. Sometimes that healing takes place with a simple smile, a kind word or gesture, or even a loving embrace. The message of Holy Week is that God loved us first, so that we in turn can love each other in the love we have for God -- Father, Son and Spirit -- a God who suffers with us by the power of the Cross. But that suffering is not the end. Easter Sunday has the final Word.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away. The acceptance of life strengthens moral fibre and makes people capable of mutual help. By cultivating openness to life, wealthy peoples can better understand the needs of poor ones, they can avoid employing huge economic and intellectual resources to satisfy the selfish desires of their own citizens, and instead, they can promote virtuous action within the perspective of production that is morally sound and marked by solidarity, respecting the fundamental right to life of every people and every individual. (par. 28d)

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



Some important date(s) this week:

SUNDAY, MARCH 28. Anniversary of the Installation of Bishop George V. Murry, SJ, as the fifth Bishop of Youngstown.


HOLY WEEK
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07435a.htm

APRIL 1. Holy Thursday. 10:30 Mass of the Chrism Oil, St. Columba Cathedral.
Mass of the Lord's Supper, 6 pm, St, Columba Cathedral.

APRIL 2. Good Friday. 3 pm. St. Columba Cathedral. Community Stations of the Cross, 4:30 commencing at the front of the Federal Building, Downtown Youngstown.

APRIL 3. Holy Saturday. 8 pm. St. Columba Cathedral, The Resurrection of the Lord At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter



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


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

Last year, Catholic Charities provided 341 older adults with prescription assistance and senior support, including transportation, friendly visitation, advocacy, and in-home case management and social work services.


Reflection: Jesus gave all! Even those with limited material resources can give from their time and talent; there may just be someone who needs you right now.

Prayer Intention: That all will give of themselves in service to others.


PAPAL INTENTIONS:


March 2010
World Economy

General: That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.

The Churches in Africa
Missionary: That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.

APRIL 2010
Fundamentalism and Extremism
General: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by dialogue among all believers.

Persecuted Christians
Missionary: That Christians persecuted for the sake of the Gospel may persevere, sustained by the Holy Spirit, in faithfully witnessing to the love of God for the entire human race.


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/

Friday, March 26, 2010

Holy See to UN: What About Bailout Money for Poor?

Holy See to UN: What About Bailout Money for Poor?
Urges Prioritizing Poverty Reduction

NEW YORK, MARCH 25, 2010 ( Zenit.org ).- The Holy See is noting that the countries who found bailout money to save financial institutions in the economic crisis should also have resources for helping the poor.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer at the U.N. offices in New York, stated this Wednesday in an address before the 64th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

The address was delivered before the 4th High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development under the theme "The Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration on Financing for Development: Status of Implementation and Tasks Ahead."

The prelate noted that the "devastating impact of the recent financial crisis on the world's most vulnerable populations" is "a concern shared by governments and citizens all over the world."

"Indeed," he continued, "the dark shadow of this crisis is likely to frustrate efforts made so far to help reduce poverty and only add to the skyrocketing numbers living in extreme poverty."

On the positive side, the archbishop noted, the crisis has "given rise to unprecedented international political cooperation, evident in the three successive high-level G-20 meetings in Washington, London, and Pittsburgh during 2009."

"These meetings were able to reach agreement on emergency measures to reignite the world economy, including fiscal and monetary stimulus packages that have prevented a global catastrophe," he affirmed.

"Nevertheless," Archbishop Migliore added, "the stabilization of some economies, or the recovery of others, does not mean that the crisis is over."

"Indeed, the whole world economy, where countries are highly interdependent, will never be able to function smoothly if the conditions that generated the crisis persist, especially when fundamental inequalities in income and wealth among individuals and between nations continue," he asserted.

Moral imperative

Thus, the Holy See representative emphasized the view "that we cannot wait for a definitive and permanent recovery of the global economy to take action."

He explained that "a significant reason is that the re-activation of the economies of the world's poorest people will surely help guarantee a universal and sustainable recovery."

"But the most important reason," the prelate added, "is the moral imperative: not to leave a whole generation, nearly a fifth of the world's population, in extreme poverty."

He underlined the "urgent need to reform, strengthen and modernize the whole funding system for developing countries as well as U.N. programs, including the specialized agencies and regional organizations, making them more efficient, transparent, and well coordinated, both internationally and locally."

"In the same vein," the archbishop added, "the crisis has highlighted the urgent need to proceed with the reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, whose structures and procedures must reflect the realities of today's world and no longer those of the post World War II period."

"The international community, through the World Bank and relevant multilateral agencies, should continue to give priority to the fight against poverty," he asserted.

Archbishop Migliore acknowledged that "at the end of World War II, the international community was able to adopt a comprehensive system that would ensure not only peace but also avoid a repetition of global economic disruption."

He continued: "The current global crisis offers a similar opportunity requiring a comprehensive approach, based on resources, knowledge transfer and on institutions.

"To achieve this, all nations, without exception, need to commit themselves to a renewed multilateralism."

"At the same time," the prelate pointed out, "the effectiveness of measures taken to overcome the current crisis should always be assessed by their ability to solve the primary problem."

He concluded, "We should not forget that the same world that could find, within a few weeks, trillions of dollars to rescue banks and financial investment institutions, has not yet managed to find 1% of that amount for the needs of the hungry -- starting with the $3 billion needed to provide meals to school children who are hungry or the $5 billion needed to support the emergency food fund of the World Food Program."

--- --- ---

On ZENIT's Web page:

Full text: http://www.zenit.org/article-28747?l=english

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

U.S. bishops issue statement on health care reform

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this afternoon issued a statement on the health care reform bill approved by the House of Representatives on Sunday and signed into law by President Barack Obama this morning. According to an accompanying news release, the USCCB said the statement, by Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, USCCB president, had been approved unanimously by the 32-member USCCB Administrative Committee, which by coincidence was meeting in Washington for its regular March meeting. The committee is a panel of bishops which conducts USCCB business between the bishops’ general meetings.

The news release also said Cardinal George issued the statement “moments after President Barack Obama signed the Senate version of health care reform legislation approved by the House of Representatives.”

The full statement:

For nearly a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for reform of our health care system so that all may have access to the care that recognizes and affirms their human dignity. Christian discipleship means, “working to ensure that all people have access to what makes them fully human and fosters their human dignity” (United States Catechism for Adults, page 454). Included among those elements is the provision of necessary and appropriate health care.

For too long, this question has gone unaddressed in our country. Often, while many had access to excellent medical treatment, millions of others including expectant mothers, struggling families or those with serious medical or physical problems were left unable to afford the care they needed. As Catholic bishops, we have expressed our support for efforts to address this national and societal shortcoming. We have spoken for the poorest and most defenseless among us. Many elements of the health care reform measure signed into law by the president address these concerns and so help to fulfill the duty that we have to each other for the common good. We are bishops, and therefore pastors and teachers. In that role, we applaud the effort to expand health care to all.

Nevertheless, for whatever good this law achieves or intends, we as Catholic bishops have opposed its passage because there is compelling evidence that it would expand the role of the federal government in funding and facilitating abortion and plans that cover abortion. The statute appropriates billions of dollars in new funding without explicitly prohibiting the use of these funds for abortion, and it provides federal subsidies for health plans covering elective abortions. Its failure to preserve the legal status quo that has regulated the government’s relation to abortion, as did the original bill adopted by the House of Representatives last November, could undermine what has been the law of our land for decades and threatens the consensus of the majority of Americans: that federal funds not be used for abortions or plans that cover abortions. Stranger still, the statute forces all those who choose federally subsidized plans that cover abortion to pay for other peoples’ abortions with their own funds. If this new law is intended to prevent people from being complicit in the abortions of others, it is at war with itself.

We share fully the admirable intention of President Obama expressed in his pending Executive Order, where he states, “it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that federal funds are not used for abortion services.” However, the fact that an Executive Order is necessary to clarify the legislation points to deficiencies in the statute itself. We do not understand how an Executive Order, no matter how well intentioned, can substitute for statutory provisions.

The statute is also profoundly flawed because it has failed to include necessary language to provide essential conscience protections (both within and beyond the abortion context). As well, many immigrant workers and their families could be left worse off since they will not be allowed to purchase health coverage in the new exchanges to be created, even if they use their own money.

Many in Congress and the administration, as well as individuals and groups in the Catholic community, have repeatedly insisted that there is no federal funding for abortion in this statute and that strong conscience protection has been assured. Analyses that are being published separately show this not to be the case, which is why we oppose it in its current form. We and many others will follow the government’s implementation of health care reform and will work to ensure that Congress and the administration live up to the claims that have contributed to its passage. We believe, finally, that new legislation to address its deficiencies will almost certainly be required.

As bishops, we wish to recognize the principled actions of the pro-life members of Congress from both parties, in the House and the Senate, who have worked courageously to create legislation that respects the principles outlined above. They have often been vilified and have worked against great odds.

As bishops of the Catholic Church, we speak in the name of the church and for the Catholic faith itself. The Catholic faith is not a partisan agenda, and we take this opportunity to recommit ourselves to working for health care which truly and fully safeguards the life, dignity, conscience and health of all, from the child in the womb to those in their last days on earth.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for week of March 21, 2010

Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.

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

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/032110c.shtml ) we read how Jesus confronts the leaders around him who are so ready to condemn a woman caught in adultery. John notes that the leaders want to catch him in a trap; they become very legalistic and demand an answer from Jesus about her eventual stoning. Jesus writes in the sand (who knows what he wrote: the sins of those ready to throw the stones?) and her accusers leave (where is the man who is engaged in adultery?). In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear about the coming of a new day, one of refreshment and abundance. In Paul's letter to the Philippians, we hear about his striving to be a disciple of Jesus and find eternal life.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we are called upon to be witnesses to a new day and be the healing and loving touch of God. Persons come to us in crisis for the most part (materially, spiritually, psychologically) and are seeking refreshment and hope. Some seek forgiveness and entrance into the community. We too must welcome everyone to the door and help them see the hope that awaits them. We too must practice the art of forgiveness with all who come to our doors, as well as with each other as co-workers. Forgiveness is truly a sign of the Kingdom of God among us.


Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
Not only does the situation of poverty still provoke high rates of infant mortality in many regions, but some parts of the world still experience practices of demographic control, on the part of governments that often promote contraception and even go so far as to impose abortion. In economically developed countries, legislation contrary to life is very widespread, and it has already shaped moral attitudes and praxis, contributing to the spread of an anti-birth mentality; frequent attempts are made to export this mentality to other States as if it were a form of cultural progress. (par. 28b)

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



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



THURSDAY. MARCH 25. Feast of the Annunciation. The feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.
She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).
Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.

THURSDAY. MARCH 25. Catholic Charities and the Notre Dame Club of the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys are co-sponsoring the Hesburgh Lecture series. The featured speaker is Rev. Ronald J. Nuzzi, Ph.D., a Youngstown Diocesan Priest and Senior Director of the ACE Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame. Fr. Nuzzi will be speaki...ng on "Gentleness Comes from the Strong: Toward a Spirituality for Leadership," Thursday March, 25, 2010 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Youngstown. A buffet dinner will be served prior to the lecture. Tickets are only $15 per person and are on sale now! For more information contact Catholic Charities at 330-744-8451 ext. 322 or email charities@youngstowndiocese.org


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


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

Did you know that Catholic Charities agencies across the United States have experienced an 83% increase in the number of working poor families seeking assistance? Please pray for those who struggle day after day to provide food, shelter, clothing, and a decent standard of living for their children.

Reflection: The true measure of your life’s worth comes in the quality of your relationship with God.

Prayer Intention: That as we journey toward Easter, we may all take steps to grow in an intimate relationship with the God who loves us.



PAPAL INTENTIONS: March 2010

World Economy
General: That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.

The Churches in Africa
Missionary: That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.



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/

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Papal Address on Current Economic Crisis

CURRENT CRISIS CALLS FOR WORLD FINANCIAL REORGANISATION



VATICAN CITY, 18 MAR 2010 (VIS) - At midday today in the Vatican's Clementine Hall the Holy Father received members of the Union of Industrialists and Businesses of Rome.



Opening his remarks to them with a reference to the current economic crisis, the Pope noted how it has "sorely tried the economic and productive systems of various countries. Nonetheless, it should be faced with trust because it can be considered as an opportunity for the revision of development models and the reorganisation of global finance, a 'new time' - as it has been described - of profound reflection".



Benedict XVI then went on to recall how in his own social Encyclical "Caritas in veritate" he had encouraged the world of "economics and finance to focus on the person, whom Christ revealed in his profoundest dignity. Moreover, while recommending that politics not be subordinate to financial mechanisms, I encouraged the reform and creation of an international juridical and political order (adapted to global structures of economy and finance) in order more effectively to achieve the common good of the human family. Following in the footsteps of my predecessors, I underlined that the increase in unemployment, especially among young people, the economic impoverishment of many workers and the emergence of new forms of slavery require that access to dignified work for everyone be a priority objective".



"No-one is unaware of the sacrifices that have to be made in order to open a business, or keep it on the market, as a 'community of persons' which produces goods and services and which, hence, does not have the exclusive aim of making a profit, though it is necessary to do so", said the Pope. In this context he also highlighted the importance of "defeating the individualist and materialist mentality which holds that investments must be detracted from the real economy in order to favour the use of capital on financial markets, with a view to easier and quicker returns.



"I would like to recall", he added, "that the most sure way to contrast the decline of the entrepreneurial system in a particular territory consists in establishing a network of contacts with other social actors, investing in research and innovation, not using unjust competition between firms, not overlooking social obligations, and ensuring a quality productivity that responds to the real needs of people".



"A business can ... produce 'social wealth' if business people and managers are guided by a far-sighted vision, one that prefers long-term investment to speculative profit, and that promotes innovation rather than thinking only to accumulate wealth".



The Holy Father went on: "Business people attentive to the common good are always called to see their activity in the framework of a pluralistic whole. Such an approach generates - through personal dedication and a fraternity expressed in concrete economic and financial decisions - a market that is more competitive and, at the same time, more civil, animated by a spirit of service".



Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by saying that "development, in whatever sector of human existence, also means openness to the transcendent, to the spiritual dimension of life, to trust in God, to love, to fraternity, to acceptance, to justice and to peace".

AC/BUSINESS WORK/... VIS 100318 (540)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 14, 2010

Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.

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

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle C http://www.usccb.org/nab/031410c.shtml ) we read how Jesus confronts the leaders around him who are skeptical and cynical about his relationships, especially with so called "sinners." Jesus tells the parable of the Prodigal Son or Welcoming Father. Here we hear of a son who experiences 'hunger' and wants to return to his home. Dejected, he scurries back humbled, only to find that his father is waiting for him, from afar, and responds with great joy and love on his return. Like Israel in the first reading from Joshua, we all hunger and hope to return to that place of great satisfaction. Like the son returning home, all of us 'hunger' for 'something else' -- 'Someone else' -- and find hope and peace in the embrace of that welcoming father.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we are called to be "ambassadors for Christ" (second reading from St. Paul). Persons who hunger for physical nourishment come to us each day hoping for a basket or voucher. Persons who hunger for a helping hand or just for someone to listen to them knock on our doors hourly. Everyone comes hungry for the experience of the love of God in the warm embrace of hospitality and joy. Yes, Catholic Charities welcomes and loves each person we encounter, especially those not deemed worthy by others in society. That truly is being an ambassador for Christ.


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

One of the most striking aspects of development in the present day is the important question ofrespect for life, which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples. It is an aspect which has acquired increasing prominence in recent times, obliging us to broaden our concept of poverty and underdevelopment to include questions connected with the acceptance of life, especially in cases where it is impeded in a variety of ways. (par. 28a)

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



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

MONDAY, MARCH 15. St Louise de Marillac. d. 1660. Louise, born near Meux, France, lost her mother when she was still a child, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a nun was discouraged by her confessor, and a marriage was arranged. One son was born of this union. But she soon found herself nursing her beloved husband through a long illness that finally led to his death.
Louise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor, St. Francis de Sales, and then his friend, the Bishop of Belley, France. Both of these men were available to her only periodically. But from an interior illumination she understood that she was to undertake a great work under the guidance of another person she had not yet met. This was the holy priest M. Vincent, later to be known as St. Vincent de Paul.
At first he was reluctant to be her confessor, busy as he was with his "Confraternities of Charity." Members were aristocratic ladies of charity who were helping him nurse the poor and look after neglected children, a real need of the day. But the ladies were busy with many of their own concerns and duties. His work needed many more helpers, especially ones who were peasants themselves and therefore close to the poor and could win their hearts. He also needed someone who could teach them and organize them.
Only over a long period of time, as Vincent de Paul became more acquainted with Louise, did he come to realize that she was the answer to his prayers. She was intelligent, self-effacing and had physical strength and endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. The missions he sent her on eventually led to four simple young women joining her. Her rented home in Paris became the training center for those accepted for the service of the sick and poor. Growth was rapid and soon there was need of a so-called rule of life, which Louise herself, under the guidance of Vincent, drew up for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (though he preferred "Daughters" of Charity).
He had always been slow and prudent in his dealings with Louise and the new group. He said that he had never had any idea of starting a new community, that it was God who did everything. "Your convent," he said, "will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital." Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. It was not until years later that Vincent de Paul would finally permit four of the women to take annual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was still more years before the company would be formally approved by Rome and placed under the direction of Vincent's own congregation of priests.
Many of the young women were illiterate and it was with reluctance that the new community undertook the care of neglected children. Louise was busy helping wherever needed despite her poor health. She traveled throughout France, establishing her community members in hospitals, orphanages and other institutions. At her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France. Six months later St. Vincent de Paul followed her in death.
Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17. St. Patrick. (415?-493?) Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ.

FRIDAY, MARCH 19. St. Joseph. The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts. The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage.




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

Reflection: Remember that possessions and wealth come and go but family remains.

Prayer Intention: That all who feel unworthy may come to know the welcoming love of the Father.

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PAPAL INTENTIONS: March 2010

World Economy
General: That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.

The Churches in Africa
Missionary: That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.



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/

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Holy See Proposes Human Rights to End Recession

Says People Must Be Protected First

GENEVA, Switzerland, MARCH 8, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Defending human rights will contribute to ending the financial crisis, according to a Holy See representative at the United Nations.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See's permanent observer at the Geneva U.N. offices, affirmed this in his address last Wednesday to the 13th session of the Human Rights Council.

"The delegation of the Holy See wishes to reaffirm its conviction that the perspective of human rights offers a positive contribution for a solution to the present financial crisis," the archbishop said. "Although it is true that some signs of recovery are being seen, the crisis continues to worsen the situation of millions of people in their access to essential needs of life" and "compromises the retirement plans" of many.

Regulations are needed that will ensure lasting and global development, the prelate proposed. And he said there is a "unique opportunity" to tackle the "roots of the crisis" by implementing human rights in the "economic, civil and political" realms.

Equality and justice

The Holy See representative reflected on the United Nations Report on the negative consequences of the financial crisis: the scandal of hunger, growing inequality, millions of unemployed, millions of new poor, failure of institutions, lack of social protection for vulnerable people, etc.

Citing Benedict XVI's social encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," he pointed out the imbalances that occur when "separating economic management, to which the production of wealth alone corresponds, from political action, which should have the role of obtaining justice through redistribution."

"Equality and justice are the essential criteria to manage the world economy," stressed Archbishop Tomasi.

And it is possible to promote human rights, the prelate affirmed, if states "translate principles into laws and make on the spot changes a reality."

Governments are the primary protagonists in implementing human rights, the Holy See representative stated, but collaboration with civil society and the international community should not be lacking.

"The common objective," he said, "is the protection of human dignity that connects the whole of the human family," a unity "rooted in these four fundamental principles: the central character of the human person, solidarity, subsidiarity and the common good."

Ignoring people

The prelate cautioned against solutions to the crisis that consider the "reform of the financial system" or of "economic models" without taking into account the needs of people.

On the contrary, "access to resources" must be guaranteed "to improve their conditions of life" and to allow them to "put their talents at the service of the local community and of the universal common good," he said.

To make this happen, Archbishop Tomasi explained, "the rules that govern the financial system" must be modified, leaving aside the "old forms of greed that have led to the present crisis" and encouraging the promotion of an "effective integral development and the implementation of human rights" because "the person, in his integrity, is the first capital to protect and appreciate."

Sunday, March 7, 2010

MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 7, 2010

Catholic Charities. Providing Help. Creating Hope.

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

MISSION: Rooted in the Mission of the Diocese of Youngstown "to minister to the people in the six counties of northeastern Ohio . . .(and) to the world community", we are called to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire Church and other people of good will to do the same.

GOALS: Catholic Charities is devoted to helping meet basic human needs, strengthening families, building communities and empowering low-income people. Working to reduce poverty in half by 2020.

KEY VALUE: Hospitality

WHAT WE DO: Organizing Love. "As a community, the Church must practise love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community" (Deus Caritas Est, par. 20)


On Sunday (Third Sunday of Lent, http://www.usccb.org/nab/030710c.shtml Cycle C) we read how Jesus challenged the cynics of his age -- and today -- who are quick to claim that God is vengeful and counts all our errors in order to judge us. Rather, Jesus tells the story about the fig tree that was to be cut down but was saved from such a fate since the gardener pleaded for more time. What can we learn from this? That God is a loving God that is ever present, gracious and kind. We read in the first reading as Moses encounters God in the desert fire: God is "I AM" the one who is ever present with us. We too, however, must never lose hope in that we are continuously called to conversion of our own hardness of heart to be like God: kind and patient.

In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org we are called to be patient with those we serve. Sometimes individuals and fammilies make mistakes. Sometimes we do too. But like the God of Moses' encounter, we have been called by our encounter with Jesus to be ever loving, forgiving, kind and joyful. Sometimes this is hard but we too must be faithful to the call of being a Catholic organization living out its mission: to be love in the world.

Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate:
"Life in many poor countries is still extremely insecure as a consequence of food shortages, and the situation could become worse: hunger still reaps enormous numbers of victims among those who, like Lazarus, are not permitted to take their place at the rich man's table, contrary to the hopes expressed by Paul VI. Feed the hungry (cf. Mt 25: 35, 37, 42) is an ethical imperative for the universal Church, as she responds to the teachings of her Founder, the Lord Jesus, concerning solidarity and the sharing of goods. Moreover, the elimination of world hunger has also, in the global era, become a requirement for safeguarding the peace and stability of the planet. Hunger is not so much dependent on lack of material things as on shortage of social resources, the most important of which are institutional. What is missing, in other words, is a network of economic institutions capable of guaranteeing regular access to sufficient food and water for nutritional needs, and also capable of addressing the primary needs and necessities ensuing from genuine food crises, whether due to natural causes or political irresponsibility, nationally and internationally. The problem of food insecurity needs to be addressed within a long-term perspective, eliminating the structural causes that give rise to it and promoting the agricultural development of poorer countries. This can be done by investing in rural infrastructures, irrigation systems, transport, organization of markets, and in the development and dissemination of agricultural technology that can make the best use of the human, natural and socio-economic resources that are more readily available at the local level, while guaranteeing their sustainability over the long term as well. All this needs to be accomplished with the involvement of local communities in choices and decisions that affect the use of agricultural land. In this perspective, it could be useful to consider the new possibilities that are opening up through proper use of traditional as well as innovative farming techniques, always assuming that these have been judged, after sufficient testing, to be appropriate, respectful of the environment and attentive to the needs of the most deprived peoples. At the same time, the question of equitable agrarian reform in developing countries should not be ignored. The right to food, like the right to water, has an important place within the pursuit of other rights, beginning with the fundamental right to life. It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination. It is important, moreover, to emphasize that solidarity with poor countries in the process of development can point towards a solution of the current global crisis, as politicians and directors of international institutions have begun to sense in recent times. Through support for economically poor countries by means of financial plans inspired by solidarity — so that these countries can take steps to satisfy their own citizens' demand for consumer goods and for development — not only can true economic growth be generated, but a contribution can be made towards sustaining the productive capacities of rich countries that risk being compromised by the crisis." (Caritas in Veritate, par 27). http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.htm


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Some important date(s) this week:

MONDAY, MARCH 8. St. John of God. 1495-1550. Having given up active Christian belief while a soldier, John was 40 before the depth of his sinfulness began to dawn on him. He decided to give the rest of his life to God’s service, and headed at once for Africa, where he hoped to free captive Christians and, possibly, be martyred. Heestablished a house where he wisely tended to the needs of the sick poor, at first doing his own begging. But excited by the saint’s great work and inspired by his devotion, many people began to back him up with money and provisions. Behind John’s outward acts of total concern and love for Christ’s sick poor was a deep interior prayer life which was reflected in his spirit of humility. These qualities attracted helpers who, 20 years after John’s death, formed the Brothers Hospitallers, now a worldwide religious order. He is the patron of hospitals, nurses and the sick.



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

The latest issue of Caritas Notes, Catholic Charities’ quarterly publication for friends and supporters of the Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church, is now available online at www.ccdoy.org. Learn about a client who found a job with the help of HOPE WORKS, and find out how many people Catholic Charities served in 2009.

Reflection: Be patient if things don’t immediately fall into place; many times the good things in life take time, nurturing and care to bear fruit.

Prayer Intention: That all may grow in the virtue of patience.
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PAPAL INTENTIONS: March 2010

World Economy
General: That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest.

The Churches in Africa
Missionary: That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent.



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/