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 Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/012311.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus' calling of his first disciples. While these two sets of brothers were working their normal jobs as fishermen, Jesus calls them to drop what they are doing and follow him. We hear St. Paul tell the Christian community in Corinth that Jesus needs to be the focus, and stop their divisiveness and debates about which group is better. Rather, the point of all of our work and life is to reflect the great light that has shone upon us: Jesus the Christ.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too must focus on Jesus' ministry as the main point of our own work. As a ministry of the Church, we must strive to bring the Good News of Jesus' love to each person in every service or program we provide. We must be beacons of that great light of Jesus which brings healing and peace. We accomplish that by centering our work as a continuation of the mission of Jesus to heal all those who sought him.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
In order to protect nature, it is not enough to intervene with economic incentives or deterrents; not even an apposite education is sufficient. These are important steps, but the decisive issue is the overall moral tenor of society. If there is a lack of respect for the right to life and to a natural death, if human conception, gestation and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology. It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves. The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development. Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other. Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society. (par. 51c)
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 January 27
St. Angela Merici
(1470?-1540)
Angela has the double distinction of founding the first teaching congregation of women in the Church and what is now called a “secular institute” of religious women.
As a young woman she became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis (now known as the Secular Franciscan Order), and lived a life of great austerity, wishing, like St. Francis, to own nothing, not even a bed. Early in life she was appalled at the ignorance among poorer children, whose parents could not or would not teach them the elements of religion. Angela’s charming manner and good looks complemented her natural qualities of leadership. Others joined her in giving regular instruction to the little girls of their neighborhood.
She was invited to live with a family in Brescia (where, she had been told in a vision, she would one day found a religious community). Her work continued and became well known. She became the center of a group of people with similar ideals.
She eagerly took the opportunity for a trip to the Holy Land. When they had gotten as far as Crete, she was struck with blindness. Her friends wanted to return home, but she insisted on going through with the pilgrimage, and visited the sacred shrines with as much devotion and enthusiasm as if she had her sight. On the way back, while praying before a crucifix, her sight was restored at the same place where it had been lost.
At 57, she organized a group of 12 girls to help her in catechetical work. Four years later the group had increased to 28. She formed them into the Company of St. Ursula (patroness of medieval universities and venerated as a leader of women) for the purpose of re-Christianizing family life through solid Christian education of future wives and mothers. The members continued to live at home, had no special habit and took no formal vows, though the early Rule prescribed the practice of virginity, poverty and obedience. The idea of a teaching congregation of women was new and took time to develop. The community thus existed as a “secular institute” until some years after Angela’s death.
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Hope Works Offer New Series
Starting Tuesday, January 18th at 6:30 p.m. and continuing every Tuesday evening through February 22, Blessed Sacrament Parish in Warren will be hosting a six-session series, "The ABC's of Getting the Job You Deserve." The series will give those in attendance an action plan that will bring success, and help them stand out from other job seekers. There are professional speakers each week and success stories that will help get everyone through the winter darkness. These sessions will be held at Blessed Sacrament Parish’s Regan Hall, 3020 Reeves Road, NE, Warren. Please call the parish at 330-372-2215 to speak to Terry about registering and for more information. There is no charge for this session.
Hope Works is sponsored by Trumbull County Catholic Parishes and with Sharing Hope in Tough Times, a project of Catholic Charities
PAPAL INTENTIONS: JANUARY 2011
General Intention: That the riches of creation be preserved, valued and made available to all, as a precious gifts from God to mankind.
Missionary Intention: That Christians may achieve full unity, bearing witness of the universal fatherhood of God to 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
Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=461833870606
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/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment