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 (24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, http://www.usccb.org/nab/091210.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Luke about three stories told by Jesus to help his disciples understand the power of God's love and forgiveness. We hear about the shepherd who desperately seeks out one lost sheep; a widow who searches until she finds a lost coin; a father who daily looks and waits to welcome home his lost son. These three stories all share a common theme: that God is ever wanting and waiting for us, and when we return, there is great celebration and joy.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we, like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, are called upon to always be on the look out for those who need help. We welcome each person into our agency with a warm embrace. We celebrate with joy any time one of the persons we serve achieve one of their goals. We actively seek out those who are in need or lost so that we can offer help, if wanted, and at least create a ray of hope.
Thanks to all of our donors, volunteers and staff who made the 13th Annual Voice of Hope event a great success on the evening of September 11. We recognized as Voices of Hope the following: Ms. Terry Supancic for her long time work with Catholic Charities and her current leadership with the "Hope Works" employment network in Trumbull county; the Tri Parishes of Ashtabula City (St. Joseph, Mother of Sorrows and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) for their support of Catholic Charities through their stewardship of time, treasure and talent; the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Stark County for their leadership in analyzing the roots of poverty and responding with investments and grants to help those in need; and Sr. Ann McManamon, HM, for her long time leadership in ACTION and now the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Youngstown.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
" Sometimes globalization is viewed in fatalistic terms, as if the dynamics involved were the product of anonymous impersonal forces or structures independent of the human will. In this regard it is useful to remember that while globalization should certainly be understood as a socio-economic process, this is not its only dimension. Underneath the more visible process, humanity itself is becoming increasingly interconnected; it is made up of individuals and peoples to whom this process should offer benefits and development, as they assume their respective responsibilities, singly and collectively. The breaking-down of borders is not simply a material fact: it is also a cultural event both in its causes and its effects. If globalization is viewed from a deterministic standpoint, the criteria with which to evaluate and direct it are lost. As a human reality, it is the product of diverse cultural tendencies, which need to be subjected to a process of discernment. The truth of globalization as a process and its fundamental ethical criterion are given by the unity of the human family and its development towards what is good. Hence a sustained commitment is needed so as to promote a person-based and community-oriented cultural process of world-wide integration that is open to transcendence." (par. 42a)
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
TUESDAY, September 14 Exaltation of the Holy Cross Early in the fourth century St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ's life. She razed the Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior's tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher over the tomb. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.
The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on."
To this day the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.
WEDNESDAY, September 15. Our Lady of Sorrows. For a while there were two feasts in honor of the Sorrowful Mother: one going back to the 15th century, the other to the 17th century. For a while both were celebrated by the universal Church: one on the Friday before Palm Sunday, the other in September.
The principal biblical references to Mary's sorrows are in Luke 2:35 and John 19:26-27. The Lucan passage is Simeon's prediction about a sword piercing Mary's soul; the Johannine passage relates Jesus' words to Mary and to the beloved disciple.
Many early Church writers interpret the sword as Mary's sorrows, especially as she saw Jesus die on the cross. Thus, the two passages are brought together as prediction and fulfillment.
St. Ambrose (December7) in particular sees Mary as a sorrowful yet powerful figure at the cross. Mary stood fearlessly at the cross while others fled. Mary looked on her Son's wounds with pity, but saw in them the salvation of the world. As Jesus hung on the cross, Mary did not fear to be killed but offered herself to her persecutors.
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Fair Trade is connected to my Catholic faith? ‐ Yes! Come learn about the Fair Trade’s connection to Catholic Social
Teaching at the Ohio Fair Trade Expo on Saturday, October 9, 9 AM to 4:30 PM, at John Carroll University in University
Heights. The Expo offers workshops, speakers, and shopping! Learn more and register at www.ohiofairtrade.com.
Receive an early‐registration discount before September 1st!
Are you “fashionably late” with your Bishop’s Appeal gift this year? No problem! Pledges and one-time gifts can still be made to this critical diocesan fund raising effort that supports the work of Catholic Charities and other diocesan ministries. For more information, contact the Diocesan Development Office at 330-744-8451.
Catholic Relief Services Responds to Floods in Pakistan
visit http://www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org/ccdoy-disaster-response.html for more information on donations.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: SEPTEMBER 2010
The Word of God as Sign of Social Development
General: That in less developed parts of the world the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work actively toward authentic social progress.
The End of War
Missionary: That by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our 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
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
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FACEBOOK FAN
TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
See our website at www.catholiccharitiesyoungstown.org for links to the our ministries and services.
For more information on Catholic Social Doctrine and its connection to our ministries, visit my blog at: http://corbinchurchthinking.blogspot.com/
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