Catholic Conference of Ohio
February 28, 2011
The Ohio General Assembly is currently debating legislation that seeks major changes in collective bargaining laws. The Catholic bishops of Ohio encourage leaders in government, labor, and business to pursue changes that promote the common good without the elimination of collective bargaining. We urge continued good faith in ongoing negotiations. Civility, open communication, mutual cooperation, and peaceful witness should characterize legislative actions and public discourse.
In our faith tradition, defending the human dignity of every person, born and unborn, includes promoting economic justice. This justice places the good of the person at the center of all economic activities. It stresses that the economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy. It challenges society to measure the moral effectiveness of our economic practices by how well they strengthen families and provide for the poor and vulnerable.
This social doctrine has long recognized that all people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions, to organize and join unions or other associations, and to engage in collective bargaining.
At the same time, this doctrine promotes mutual partnerships where both the needs of labor and the needs of management are freely and openly acknowledged and addressed. It challenges both unions and management to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required, and to adjust to new economic realities.
May God’s wisdom and prudence guide all of us on this important justice issue.
Most Rev. Dennis M. Schnurr, Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Chairman, Catholic Conference of Ohio
Most Rev. Richard G. Lenno nBishop of Cleveland
Most Rev. Roger W. Gries Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland
Most Rev. Frederick F. Campbell Bishop of Columbus
Most Rev. John Kudrick Bishop of Byzantine Eparchy of Parma
Most Rev. R. Daniel Conlon Bishop of Steubenville
Most Rev. Leonard P. Blair Bishop of Toledo
Most Rev. George V. Murry S.J. Bishop of Youngstown
Most Rev. J. Michael Botean Bishop of Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Canton
Most Rev. John Bura Apostolic Administrator of St. Josaphat Ukrainian Eparchy
Monday, February 28, 2011
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of March 13, 2011
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 (Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/030611.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Matthew how Jesus tell his followers that just because you claim "Lord, Lord" does not mean that you are in conformity with Jesus. Rather, we must listen and follow the word of the Lord, and do his will, that matters. We hear in the reading from Deuteronomy that we have a choice to make: follow the way of the Lord or follow the way of alien gods. Our faith in the Lord Jesus, according to St. Paul, needs to be our response to God's loving call.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too cannot hide behind our true identity. We are a Catholic organization committed to serving others in the name of the Church, continuing the ministry of healing of Jesus. We are witnesses to that call to follow the Lord and act in His name. Our Catholic identity means that we are a ministry of the Bishop, who is called upon to proclaim the Word, celebrate the sacraments and provide service and governance to the Church.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
Tuesday, 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.
He was soon advised that his desire for martyrdom was not spiritually well based, and returned to Spain and the relatively prosaic activity of a religious goods store. Yet he was still not settled. Moved initially by a sermon of Blessed John of Avila, he one day engaged in a public beating of himself, begging mercy and wildly repenting for his past life.
Committed to a mental hospital for these actions, John was visited by Blessed John, who advised him to be more actively involved in tending to the needs of others rather than in enduring personal hardships. John gained peace of heart, and shortly after left the hospital to begin work among the poor.
He established 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. Among them were the archbishop and marquis of Tarifa.
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.
John became ill after 10 years of service but tried to disguise his ill health. He began to put the hospital’s administrative work into order and appointed a leader for his helpers. He died under the care of a spiritual friend and admirer, Lady Ana Ossorio.
WEDNESDAY, March 9. Ash Wednesday.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Ash_Wednesday.htm is the first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
We extend an invitation from Catholic Relief Services http://crs.org/ to join them on a spiritual journey with Operation Rice Bowl http://orb.crs.org/ this Lent. This is an opportunity to put our Christian faith into action and to help our brothers and sisters in need around the world. Operation Rice Bowl provides an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need through simple and significant actions.
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Plan to jump start your St. Patrick’s Day celebration by attending Catholic Charities’ First Annual Irish Comalya on Saturday, March 12, 2011 from 6:00-10:00 p.m. at St. Michael Parish Family Life Center in Canfield. All proceeds support Catholic Charities’ programs and services for older adults throughout the diocese. Visit www.ccdoy.org for more details or to purchase your ticket.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: March 2011
General Intention: That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and be bountiful in social justice and peace.
Missionary Intention: That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to the Christian communities and the faithful who are persecuted or discriminated against because of the Gospel.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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/
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 (Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/030611.shtml ) we read in the Gospel of Matthew how Jesus tell his followers that just because you claim "Lord, Lord" does not mean that you are in conformity with Jesus. Rather, we must listen and follow the word of the Lord, and do his will, that matters. We hear in the reading from Deuteronomy that we have a choice to make: follow the way of the Lord or follow the way of alien gods. Our faith in the Lord Jesus, according to St. Paul, needs to be our response to God's loving call.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too cannot hide behind our true identity. We are a Catholic organization committed to serving others in the name of the Church, continuing the ministry of healing of Jesus. We are witnesses to that call to follow the Lord and act in His name. Our Catholic identity means that we are a ministry of the Bishop, who is called upon to proclaim the Word, celebrate the sacraments and provide service and governance to the Church.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
The Christian revelation of the unity of the human race presupposes a metaphysical interpretation of the “humanum” in which relationality is an essential element. Other cultures and religions teach brotherhood and peace and are therefore of enormous importance to integral human development. Some religious and cultural attitudes, however, do not fully embrace the principle of love and truth and therefore end up retarding or even obstructing authentic human development. There are certain religious cultures in the world today that do not oblige men and women to live in communion but rather cut them off from one other in a search for individual well-being, limited to the gratification of psychological desires. Furthermore, a certain proliferation of different religious “paths”, attracting small groups or even single individuals, together with religious syncretism, can give rise to separation and disengagement. One possible negative effect of the process of globalization is the tendency to favour this kind of syncretism by encouraging forms of “religion” that, instead of bringing people together, alienate them from one another and distance them from reality. At the same time, some religious and cultural traditions persist which ossify society in rigid social groupings, in magical beliefs that fail to respect the dignity of the person, and in attitudes of subjugation to occult powers. In these contexts, love and truth have difficulty asserting themselves, and authentic development is impeded.(par. 55a)
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
Tuesday, 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.
He was soon advised that his desire for martyrdom was not spiritually well based, and returned to Spain and the relatively prosaic activity of a religious goods store. Yet he was still not settled. Moved initially by a sermon of Blessed John of Avila, he one day engaged in a public beating of himself, begging mercy and wildly repenting for his past life.
Committed to a mental hospital for these actions, John was visited by Blessed John, who advised him to be more actively involved in tending to the needs of others rather than in enduring personal hardships. John gained peace of heart, and shortly after left the hospital to begin work among the poor.
He established 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. Among them were the archbishop and marquis of Tarifa.
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.
John became ill after 10 years of service but tried to disguise his ill health. He began to put the hospital’s administrative work into order and appointed a leader for his helpers. He died under the care of a spiritual friend and admirer, Lady Ana Ossorio.
WEDNESDAY, March 9. Ash Wednesday.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/p/Ash_Wednesday.htm is the first day of Lent, the season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
We extend an invitation from Catholic Relief Services http://crs.org/ to join them on a spiritual journey with Operation Rice Bowl http://orb.crs.org/ this Lent. This is an opportunity to put our Christian faith into action and to help our brothers and sisters in need around the world. Operation Rice Bowl provides an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need through simple and significant actions.
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Plan to jump start your St. Patrick’s Day celebration by attending Catholic Charities’ First Annual Irish Comalya on Saturday, March 12, 2011 from 6:00-10:00 p.m. at St. Michael Parish Family Life Center in Canfield. All proceeds support Catholic Charities’ programs and services for older adults throughout the diocese. Visit www.ccdoy.org for more details or to purchase your ticket.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: March 2011
General Intention: That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and be bountiful in social justice and peace.
Missionary Intention: That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to the Christian communities and the faithful who are persecuted or discriminated against because 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
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/
Saturday, February 26, 2011
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of February 27, 2011
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 (Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/022711.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew how Jesus tells his disciples not to worry. On multiple points in this short gospel section, Jesus tells his followers "do not worry." We hear in the first reading from Isaiah that God will never forsake His people -- you and I. How comforting to know that God loves us so much that we need never to worry: we are forever loved.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too must be witnesses to that everlasting love. Sometimes when clients call or visit, we may not be able to do everything for them. But we can always remind them that they are loved beyond belief, and that God's everlasting Presence leads us to trust and not worry. We are messengers and witnesses to that love.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
THURSDAY MARCH 3. St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) If your father is an international banker and you ride in a private railroad car, you are not likely to be drawn into a life of voluntary poverty. But if your mother opens your home to the poor three days each week and your father spends half an hour each evening in prayer, it is not impossible that you will devote your life to the poor and give away millions of dollars. Katharine Drexel did that.
She was born in Philadelphia in 1858. She had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, she had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal illness, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn.
She had always been interested in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by reading Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor. While on a European tour, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O’Connor. The pope replied, “Why don’t you become a missionary?” His answer shocked her into considering new possibilities.
Back home, she visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic aid to Indian missions.
She could easily have married. But after much discussion with Bishop O’Connor, she wrote in 1889, “The feast of St. Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored.” Newspaper headlines screamed “Gives Up Seven Million!”
After three and a half years of training, she and her first band of nuns (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored) opened a boarding school in Santa Fe. A string of foundations followed. By 1942 she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states.
Two saints met when she was advised by Mother Cabrini about the “politics” of getting her Order’s Rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the founding of Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans.
At 77, she suffered a heart attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came almost 20 years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers, ceaseless aspirations and meditation. She died at 96 and was canonized in 2000
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 5: Portage County Men Who Cook, to raise monies for programming for the poor. Call 330-297-7745 for more information.
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Many families are finding it difficult to meet their basic need for food. Consider making a food or cash donation to your parish or other local food pantry to help fight hunger.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
March 2011
General Intention: That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and be bountiful in social justice and peace.
Missionary Intention: That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to the Christian communities and the faithful who are persecuted or discriminated against because of the Gospel.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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/
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 (Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/022711.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew how Jesus tells his disciples not to worry. On multiple points in this short gospel section, Jesus tells his followers "do not worry." We hear in the first reading from Isaiah that God will never forsake His people -- you and I. How comforting to know that God loves us so much that we need never to worry: we are forever loved.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too must be witnesses to that everlasting love. Sometimes when clients call or visit, we may not be able to do everything for them. But we can always remind them that they are loved beyond belief, and that God's everlasting Presence leads us to trust and not worry. We are messengers and witnesses to that love.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
The theme of development can be identified with the inclusion-in-relation of all individuals and peoples within the one community of the human family, built in solidarity on the basis of the fundamental values of justice and peace. This perspective is illuminated in a striking way by the relationship between the Persons of the Trinity within the one divine Substance. The Trinity is absolute unity insofar as the three divine Persons are pure relationality. The reciprocal transparency among the divine Persons is total and the bond between each of them complete, since they constitute a unique and absolute unity. God desires to incorporate us into this reality of communion as well: “that they may be one even as we are one” (Jn 17:22). The Church is a sign and instrument of this unity. Relationships between human beings throughout history cannot but be enriched by reference to this divine model. In particular, in the light of the revealed mystery of the Trinity, we understand that true openness does not mean loss of individual identity but profound interpenetration. This also emerges from the common human experiences of love and truth. Just as the sacramental love of spouses unites them spiritually in “one flesh” (Gen 2:24; Mt 19:5; Eph 5:31) and makes out of the two a real and relational unity, so in an analogous way truth unites spirits and causes them to think in unison, attracting them as a unity to itself. (par. 54)
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
THURSDAY MARCH 3. St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) If your father is an international banker and you ride in a private railroad car, you are not likely to be drawn into a life of voluntary poverty. But if your mother opens your home to the poor three days each week and your father spends half an hour each evening in prayer, it is not impossible that you will devote your life to the poor and give away millions of dollars. Katharine Drexel did that.
She was born in Philadelphia in 1858. She had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, she had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal illness, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn.
She had always been interested in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by reading Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor. While on a European tour, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O’Connor. The pope replied, “Why don’t you become a missionary?” His answer shocked her into considering new possibilities.
Back home, she visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic aid to Indian missions.
She could easily have married. But after much discussion with Bishop O’Connor, she wrote in 1889, “The feast of St. Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored.” Newspaper headlines screamed “Gives Up Seven Million!”
After three and a half years of training, she and her first band of nuns (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored) opened a boarding school in Santa Fe. A string of foundations followed. By 1942 she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states.
Two saints met when she was advised by Mother Cabrini about the “politics” of getting her Order’s Rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the founding of Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans.
At 77, she suffered a heart attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came almost 20 years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers, ceaseless aspirations and meditation. She died at 96 and was canonized in 2000
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 5: Portage County Men Who Cook, to raise monies for programming for the poor. Call 330-297-7745 for more information.
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Many families are finding it difficult to meet their basic need for food. Consider making a food or cash donation to your parish or other local food pantry to help fight hunger.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
March 2011
General Intention: That the nations of Latin America may walk in fidelity to the Gospel and be bountiful in social justice and peace.
Missionary Intention: That the Holy Spirit may give light and strength to the Christian communities and the faithful who are persecuted or discriminated against because 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
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/
Thursday, February 24, 2011
USCCB Chairman Supports Wisconsin Bishops on the Rights of Workers
WASHINGTON (February 24, 2011)—Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, expressed his “support for and solidarity” with the Wisconsin bishops’ statement on the rights of workers.
In a February 23 letter to Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee, Bishop Blaire wrote, “You and our brother bishops in Wisconsin are offering a timely reminder of what the Church teaches on the rights and duties of workers, including the right to form and belong to unions and other associations, and the obligation to address difficult problems with respect for the rights and needs of all. As you insist, ‘hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.’”
“Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy.”
Recalling the teachings of Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II on unions and the rights of workers, Bishop Blaire praised the Wisconsin bishops for consistently sharing the “teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy” and made a call to everyone involved to overcome differences and put the common good first.
“We pray that the leaders and people of Wisconsin—and across our nation—will respond to your “appeal to everyone—lawmakers, citizens, workers, and labor unions—to move beyond divisive words and actions and work together, so that Wisconsin can recover in a humane way from the current fiscal crisis.”
Full text of letter follows.
February 23, 2011
The Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
3501 S. Lake Drive
P.O. Box 070912
Milwaukee, WI 53207-0912
Your Excellency:
As Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to express support for and solidarity with your clear statement, on behalf of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, of February 17, 2011, articulating traditional Catholic teaching on workers, their rights and the common good. You and our brother bishops in Wisconsin are offering a timely reminder of what the Church teaches on the rights and duties of workers, including the right to form and belong to unions and other associations, and the obligation to address difficult problems with respect for the rights and needs of all. As you insist, “hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.”
You point out that Pope Benedict XVI, in Caritas in Veritate, states, “The repeated calls…for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honoured today even more than in the past.” (#25) In Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II calls labor associations “an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies,” but also reminds unions “to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society.” (#20)
The situation in Wisconsin is not unique. Other states and the federal government also face daunting challenges of growing budget deficits and how to allocate burdens and share sacrifice in ways that reflect principles of social justice, economic fairness and wise stewardship. Your efforts to share the consistent teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy are an example for all of us on how to apply our moral principles to the “signs of the times.”
Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy. As you point out, “It does not follow from this that every claim made by workers or their representatives is valid. Every union, like every other economic actor, is called to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required, and to adjust to new economic realities. However, it is equally a mistake to marginalize or dismiss unions as impediments to economic growth. As Pope John Paul II wrote in 1981, ‘[a] union remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity, and it is impossible to ignore it.’” (Laborem Exercens #20, emphasis in original)
We pray that the leaders and people of Wisconsin--and across our nation--will respond to your “appeal to everyone--lawmakers, citizens, workers, and labor unions--to move beyond divisive words and actions and work together, so that Wisconsin can recover in a humane way from the current fiscal crisis.”
I write to assure you that your brother bishops stand with you as you share Catholic teaching on workers and unions and call for dialogue, mutual respect and the search for the common good as a way forward in these difficult days.
Sincerely,
Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire
Diocese of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and
Human Development
In a February 23 letter to Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee, Bishop Blaire wrote, “You and our brother bishops in Wisconsin are offering a timely reminder of what the Church teaches on the rights and duties of workers, including the right to form and belong to unions and other associations, and the obligation to address difficult problems with respect for the rights and needs of all. As you insist, ‘hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.’”
“Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy.”
Recalling the teachings of Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II on unions and the rights of workers, Bishop Blaire praised the Wisconsin bishops for consistently sharing the “teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy” and made a call to everyone involved to overcome differences and put the common good first.
“We pray that the leaders and people of Wisconsin—and across our nation—will respond to your “appeal to everyone—lawmakers, citizens, workers, and labor unions—to move beyond divisive words and actions and work together, so that Wisconsin can recover in a humane way from the current fiscal crisis.”
Full text of letter follows.
February 23, 2011
The Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
3501 S. Lake Drive
P.O. Box 070912
Milwaukee, WI 53207-0912
Your Excellency:
As Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to express support for and solidarity with your clear statement, on behalf of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, of February 17, 2011, articulating traditional Catholic teaching on workers, their rights and the common good. You and our brother bishops in Wisconsin are offering a timely reminder of what the Church teaches on the rights and duties of workers, including the right to form and belong to unions and other associations, and the obligation to address difficult problems with respect for the rights and needs of all. As you insist, “hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.”
You point out that Pope Benedict XVI, in Caritas in Veritate, states, “The repeated calls…for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honoured today even more than in the past.” (#25) In Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II calls labor associations “an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies,” but also reminds unions “to secure the just rights of workers within the framework of the common good of the whole of society.” (#20)
The situation in Wisconsin is not unique. Other states and the federal government also face daunting challenges of growing budget deficits and how to allocate burdens and share sacrifice in ways that reflect principles of social justice, economic fairness and wise stewardship. Your efforts to share the consistent teaching of the Church in the midst of this controversy are an example for all of us on how to apply our moral principles to the “signs of the times.”
Catholic teaching and your statement remind us these are not just political conflicts or economic choices; they are moral choices with enormous human dimensions. The debates over worker representation and collective bargaining are not simply matters of ideology or power, but involve principles of justice, participation and how workers can have a voice in the workplace and economy. As you point out, “It does not follow from this that every claim made by workers or their representatives is valid. Every union, like every other economic actor, is called to work for the common good, to make sacrifices when required, and to adjust to new economic realities. However, it is equally a mistake to marginalize or dismiss unions as impediments to economic growth. As Pope John Paul II wrote in 1981, ‘[a] union remains a constructive factor of social order and solidarity, and it is impossible to ignore it.’” (Laborem Exercens #20, emphasis in original)
We pray that the leaders and people of Wisconsin--and across our nation--will respond to your “appeal to everyone--lawmakers, citizens, workers, and labor unions--to move beyond divisive words and actions and work together, so that Wisconsin can recover in a humane way from the current fiscal crisis.”
I write to assure you that your brother bishops stand with you as you share Catholic teaching on workers and unions and call for dialogue, mutual respect and the search for the common good as a way forward in these difficult days.
Sincerely,
Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire
Diocese of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and
Human Development
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Pope's Lent Message Looks at Baptism Link
Offers a Gospel Reflection for Each Sunday
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 22, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is proposing a journey with the Word of God this Lent and a deepening in the mystery of baptism.
The Pope's annual Lenten message was released today with a theme from Colossians: "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him." The message offers a reflection for each of the Sunday Gospel readings of the liturgical season.
The Holy Father noted a "particular connection" between baptism and Lent, "as the favorable time to experience this saving grace."
He observed how baptism's reception in infancy "highlights how it is a gift of God: no one earns eternal life through their own efforts. The mercy of God, which cancels sin and, at the same time, allows us to experience in our lives 'the mind of Christ Jesus,' is given to men and women freely."
"Baptism," the Pope said, "is not a rite from the past, but the encounter with Christ, which informs the entire existence of the baptized, imparting divine life and calling for sincere conversion; initiated and supported by grace, it permits the baptized to reach the adult stature of Christ."
Guide
To undertake the journey toward "the most joyous and solemn feast of the entire liturgical year," Benedict XVI proposed being guided by the Word of God.
Beginning with the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent -- Jesus' temptations in the desert -- the Pope emphasized the fragility of humanity and the strength of Christ.
He said, "It is a powerful reminder that Christian faith implies, following the example of Jesus and in union with him, a battle 'against the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world,' in which the devil is at work and never tires -- even today -- of tempting whoever wishes to draw close to the Lord."
The Second Sunday brings us to Christ's glory in the transfiguration, the Pontiff continued, which "announces the divinization of man."
"It is the invitation to take a distance from the noisiness of everyday life in order to immerse oneself in God’s presence," he proposed.
The Samaritan woman at the well is presented on Lent's Third Sunday, with Christ's request that she give him a drink.
This, Benedict XVI explained, "expresses the passion of God for every man and woman, and wishes to awaken in our hearts the desire for the gift of 'a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life.'"
Next comes the story of the man born blind, which "presents Christ as the light of the world."
"The miracle of this healing is a sign that Christ wants not only to give us sight," the Holy Father reflected, "but also open our interior vision, so that our faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize him as our only Savior."
Finally, the resurrection of Lazarus on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, brings us to face "the ultimate mystery of our existence."
"Communion with Christ in this life prepares us to overcome the barrier of death, so that we may live eternally with him," the Pope reflected. "Faith in the resurrection of the dead and hope in eternal life open our eyes to the ultimate meaning of our existence: God created men and women for resurrection and life."
Rediscovery
The message goes on to discuss the three hallmarks of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving, (which have been the subject of previous Lenten reflections.)
The Pope concluded by affirming that "through the personal encounter with our Redeemer and through fasting, almsgiving and prayer, the journey of conversion towards Easter leads us to rediscover our baptism."
"This Lent," he said, "let us renew our acceptance of the grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, so that it may illuminate and guide all of our actions. What the sacrament signifies and realizes, we are called to experience every day by following Christ in an ever more generous and authentic manner."
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-31816?l=english
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 22, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is proposing a journey with the Word of God this Lent and a deepening in the mystery of baptism.
The Pope's annual Lenten message was released today with a theme from Colossians: "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him." The message offers a reflection for each of the Sunday Gospel readings of the liturgical season.
The Holy Father noted a "particular connection" between baptism and Lent, "as the favorable time to experience this saving grace."
He observed how baptism's reception in infancy "highlights how it is a gift of God: no one earns eternal life through their own efforts. The mercy of God, which cancels sin and, at the same time, allows us to experience in our lives 'the mind of Christ Jesus,' is given to men and women freely."
"Baptism," the Pope said, "is not a rite from the past, but the encounter with Christ, which informs the entire existence of the baptized, imparting divine life and calling for sincere conversion; initiated and supported by grace, it permits the baptized to reach the adult stature of Christ."
Guide
To undertake the journey toward "the most joyous and solemn feast of the entire liturgical year," Benedict XVI proposed being guided by the Word of God.
Beginning with the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent -- Jesus' temptations in the desert -- the Pope emphasized the fragility of humanity and the strength of Christ.
He said, "It is a powerful reminder that Christian faith implies, following the example of Jesus and in union with him, a battle 'against the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world,' in which the devil is at work and never tires -- even today -- of tempting whoever wishes to draw close to the Lord."
The Second Sunday brings us to Christ's glory in the transfiguration, the Pontiff continued, which "announces the divinization of man."
"It is the invitation to take a distance from the noisiness of everyday life in order to immerse oneself in God’s presence," he proposed.
The Samaritan woman at the well is presented on Lent's Third Sunday, with Christ's request that she give him a drink.
This, Benedict XVI explained, "expresses the passion of God for every man and woman, and wishes to awaken in our hearts the desire for the gift of 'a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life.'"
Next comes the story of the man born blind, which "presents Christ as the light of the world."
"The miracle of this healing is a sign that Christ wants not only to give us sight," the Holy Father reflected, "but also open our interior vision, so that our faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize him as our only Savior."
Finally, the resurrection of Lazarus on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, brings us to face "the ultimate mystery of our existence."
"Communion with Christ in this life prepares us to overcome the barrier of death, so that we may live eternally with him," the Pope reflected. "Faith in the resurrection of the dead and hope in eternal life open our eyes to the ultimate meaning of our existence: God created men and women for resurrection and life."
Rediscovery
The message goes on to discuss the three hallmarks of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving, (which have been the subject of previous Lenten reflections.)
The Pope concluded by affirming that "through the personal encounter with our Redeemer and through fasting, almsgiving and prayer, the journey of conversion towards Easter leads us to rediscover our baptism."
"This Lent," he said, "let us renew our acceptance of the grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, so that it may illuminate and guide all of our actions. What the sacrament signifies and realizes, we are called to experience every day by following Christ in an ever more generous and authentic manner."
Full text: www.zenit.org/article-31816?l=english
Saturday, February 19, 2011
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of February 20, 2011
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 (Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/022011.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus' challenge to his followers to be made of a different ilk: we are to go beyond the reasonably expected and be and do more than required. We are to love our enemies not just our friends; we are to give an extra tunic not just one; we are to go an extra mile. We are called to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus invites us to set a new standard: love everyone as God loves us.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to live to a higher standard of service and response. We have limited financial resources but that does not mean that we do not have an unlimited ability to show the love of Christ to each person who calls upon us for help. We must go the extra mile to help others find hope. That is what makes Catholic Charities live out its mission to provide service, to advocate, and to convene others to do the same.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 21. St. Peter Damian
(1007-1072) Maybe because he was orphaned and had been treated shabbily by one of his brothers, Peter Damian was very good to the poor. It was the ordinary thing for him to have a poor person or two with him at table and he liked to minister personally to their needs.
Peter escaped poverty and the neglect of his own brother when his other brother, who was archpriest of Ravenna, took him under his wing. His brother sent him to good schools and Peter became a professor.
Already in those days Peter was very strict with himself. He wore a hair shirt under his clothes, fasted rigorously and spent many hours in prayer. Soon, he decided to leave his teaching and give himself completely to prayer with the Benedictines of the reform of St. Romuald at Fonte Avellana. They lived two monks to a hermitage. Peter was so eager to pray and slept so little that he soon suffered from severe insomnia. He found he had to use some prudence in taking care of himself. When he was not praying, he studied the Bible.
The abbot commanded that when he died Peter should succeed him. Abbot Peter founded five other hermitages. He encouraged his brothers in a life of prayer and solitude and wanted nothing more for himself. The Holy See periodically called on him, however, to be a peacemaker or troubleshooter, between two abbeys in dispute or a cleric or government official in some disagreement with Rome.
Finally, Pope Stephen IX made Peter the cardinal-bishop of Ostia. He worked hard to wipe out simony (the buying of church offices), and encouraged his priests to observe celibacy and urged even the diocesan clergy to live together and maintain scheduled prayer and religious observance. He wished to restore primitive discipline among religious and priests, warning against needless travel, violations of poverty and too comfortable living. He even wrote to the bishop of Besancon, complaining that the canons there sat down when they were singing the psalms in the Divine Office.
He wrote many letters. Some 170 are extant. We also have 53 of his sermons and seven lives, or biographies, that he wrote. He preferred examples and stories rather than theory in his writings. The liturgical offices he wrote are evidence of his talent as a stylist in Latin.
He asked often to be allowed to retire as cardinal-bishop of Ostia, and finally Alexander II consented. Peter was happy to become once again just a monk, but he was still called to serve as a papal legate. When returning from such an assignment in Ravenna, he was overcome by a fever. With the monks gathered around him saying the Divine Office, he died on February 22, 1072.
In 1828 he was declared a Doctor of the Church.
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 5: Portage County Men Who Cook, to raise monies for programming for the poor. Call 330-297-7745 for more information.
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org to view the “Faces of Poverty in America” slideshow. This collection of photos depicting people who deal with poverty on a daily basis is both powerful and inspirational.
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: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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/
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 (Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/022011.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus' challenge to his followers to be made of a different ilk: we are to go beyond the reasonably expected and be and do more than required. We are to love our enemies not just our friends; we are to give an extra tunic not just one; we are to go an extra mile. We are called to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus invites us to set a new standard: love everyone as God loves us.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to live to a higher standard of service and response. We have limited financial resources but that does not mean that we do not have an unlimited ability to show the love of Christ to each person who calls upon us for help. We must go the extra mile to help others find hope. That is what makes Catholic Charities live out its mission to provide service, to advocate, and to convene others to do the same.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
As a spiritual being, the human creature is defined through interpersonal relations. The more authentically he or she lives these relations, the more his or her own personal identity matures. It is not by isolation that man establishes his worth, but by placing himself in relation with others and with God. Hence these relations take on fundamental importance. The same holds true for peoples as well. A metaphysical understanding of the relations between persons is therefore of great benefit for their development. In this regard, reason finds inspiration and direction in Christian revelation, according to which the human community does not absorb the individual, annihilating his autonomy, as happens in the various forms of totalitarianism, but rather values him all the more because the relation between individual and community is a relation between one totality and another. Just as a family does not submerge the identities of its individual members, just as the Church rejoices in each “new creation” (Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17) incorporated by Baptism into her living Body, so too the unity of the human family does not submerge the identities of individuals, peoples and cultures, but makes them more transparent to each other and links them more closely in their legitimate diversity. (par. 53c)
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 21. St. Peter Damian
(1007-1072) Maybe because he was orphaned and had been treated shabbily by one of his brothers, Peter Damian was very good to the poor. It was the ordinary thing for him to have a poor person or two with him at table and he liked to minister personally to their needs.
Peter escaped poverty and the neglect of his own brother when his other brother, who was archpriest of Ravenna, took him under his wing. His brother sent him to good schools and Peter became a professor.
Already in those days Peter was very strict with himself. He wore a hair shirt under his clothes, fasted rigorously and spent many hours in prayer. Soon, he decided to leave his teaching and give himself completely to prayer with the Benedictines of the reform of St. Romuald at Fonte Avellana. They lived two monks to a hermitage. Peter was so eager to pray and slept so little that he soon suffered from severe insomnia. He found he had to use some prudence in taking care of himself. When he was not praying, he studied the Bible.
The abbot commanded that when he died Peter should succeed him. Abbot Peter founded five other hermitages. He encouraged his brothers in a life of prayer and solitude and wanted nothing more for himself. The Holy See periodically called on him, however, to be a peacemaker or troubleshooter, between two abbeys in dispute or a cleric or government official in some disagreement with Rome.
Finally, Pope Stephen IX made Peter the cardinal-bishop of Ostia. He worked hard to wipe out simony (the buying of church offices), and encouraged his priests to observe celibacy and urged even the diocesan clergy to live together and maintain scheduled prayer and religious observance. He wished to restore primitive discipline among religious and priests, warning against needless travel, violations of poverty and too comfortable living. He even wrote to the bishop of Besancon, complaining that the canons there sat down when they were singing the psalms in the Divine Office.
He wrote many letters. Some 170 are extant. We also have 53 of his sermons and seven lives, or biographies, that he wrote. He preferred examples and stories rather than theory in his writings. The liturgical offices he wrote are evidence of his talent as a stylist in Latin.
He asked often to be allowed to retire as cardinal-bishop of Ostia, and finally Alexander II consented. Peter was happy to become once again just a monk, but he was still called to serve as a papal legate. When returning from such an assignment in Ravenna, he was overcome by a fever. With the monks gathered around him saying the Divine Office, he died on February 22, 1072.
In 1828 he was declared a Doctor of the Church.
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 5: Portage County Men Who Cook, to raise monies for programming for the poor. Call 330-297-7745 for more information.
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org to view the “Faces of Poverty in America” slideshow. This collection of photos depicting people who deal with poverty on a daily basis is both powerful and inspirational.
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: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
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/
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Holy See to UN: Invest in Children to Aid Poverty
Stresses Promotion of Authentic Human Development
NEW YORK, FEB. 15, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations is affirming that an effective means to eradicate poverty is to invest in the health and development of children.
Archbishop Francis Chullikatt stated this in an address delivered Friday to the 49th session of the Commission for Social Development of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The theme of the meeting was "Poverty Eradication."
The prelate affirmed that "the future generations of children and youth are in fact the best and only means of overcoming social and economic problems."
He continued, "Poverty is caused not by too many children, but by too little investment and support in the development of children."
"Human history teaches us that if there is sufficient investment in children they will grow up to contribute far in excess of what they have consumed, thereby raising the standard of living for all," the archbishop observed.
"It is their strong hands and able minds that will feed the hungry, cure the sick, and build homes for the homeless," he added.
Archbishop Chullikatt affirmed that "promoting a culture that is open to life and based on the family is fundamental to realizing the full potential and the authentic development of the society for both today and the future."
Economic growth
He noted that "while policy makers often state that population growth is detrimental to development, the reality is that where economic growth has increased, it is often accompanied with population increases."
"In developed regions, we are now witnessing dwindling and ageing populations and many nations are struggling to maintain social services and economic growth as the ratio of workers to non-workers decreases," the prelate warned.
He continued: "In the developing regions, we are witnessing an unprecedented decline in fertility/birth rate -- a decline advocated often as the best means to achieve development.
"However, many nations in the developing world are now at risk of growing old before they grow rich."
The archbishop affirmed, "At the center of development is recognizing the dignity of the human person and ensuring full respect for man's innate dignity and fundamental rights."
"This calls for renewed forms of cooperation and a more decisive commitment by all," he stated.
"Development cannot be measured only in terms of economic growth and eradication of poverty cannot be based only on measurable economic outcome," Archbishop Chullikatt asserted.
"Rather," he added, "authentic development requires fostering the development of each human being and of the whole human being."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: zenit.org/article-31749?l=english
NEW YORK, FEB. 15, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations is affirming that an effective means to eradicate poverty is to invest in the health and development of children.
Archbishop Francis Chullikatt stated this in an address delivered Friday to the 49th session of the Commission for Social Development of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The theme of the meeting was "Poverty Eradication."
The prelate affirmed that "the future generations of children and youth are in fact the best and only means of overcoming social and economic problems."
He continued, "Poverty is caused not by too many children, but by too little investment and support in the development of children."
"Human history teaches us that if there is sufficient investment in children they will grow up to contribute far in excess of what they have consumed, thereby raising the standard of living for all," the archbishop observed.
"It is their strong hands and able minds that will feed the hungry, cure the sick, and build homes for the homeless," he added.
Archbishop Chullikatt affirmed that "promoting a culture that is open to life and based on the family is fundamental to realizing the full potential and the authentic development of the society for both today and the future."
Economic growth
He noted that "while policy makers often state that population growth is detrimental to development, the reality is that where economic growth has increased, it is often accompanied with population increases."
"In developed regions, we are now witnessing dwindling and ageing populations and many nations are struggling to maintain social services and economic growth as the ratio of workers to non-workers decreases," the prelate warned.
He continued: "In the developing regions, we are witnessing an unprecedented decline in fertility/birth rate -- a decline advocated often as the best means to achieve development.
"However, many nations in the developing world are now at risk of growing old before they grow rich."
The archbishop affirmed, "At the center of development is recognizing the dignity of the human person and ensuring full respect for man's innate dignity and fundamental rights."
"This calls for renewed forms of cooperation and a more decisive commitment by all," he stated.
"Development cannot be measured only in terms of economic growth and eradication of poverty cannot be based only on measurable economic outcome," Archbishop Chullikatt asserted.
"Rather," he added, "authentic development requires fostering the development of each human being and of the whole human being."
--- --- ---
On ZENIT's Web page:
Full text: zenit.org/article-31749?l=english
PUT THE POOR FIRST IN FEDERAL BUDGET DECISIONS SAY CATHOLIC BISHOPS, CRS PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON— Expressing concern over proposed federal budget cuts in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, the heads of two
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) committees and the president of
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sent letters to Congress on February 14,
reminding elected officials that “decisions on how to allocate
opportunities and burdens in setting budget priorities are more than
economic policies — they are significant moral choices.”
On the international side, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, chairman of
the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Ken Hackett,
president Catholic Relief Services, said in a joint letter that
“[e]specially in a time of austerity and fiscal restraints, the poor have a
special moral claim on limited financial resources.” According to an
analysis by USCCB and CRS, the proposed Continuing Resolution makes over
26% in cuts for poverty-focused international assistance, but only 2.6% in
cuts overall.
“Shared sacrifice is one thing; it is another to make disproportionate cuts
in programs that serve the most vulnerable,” said Bishop Hubbard and
Hackett in the letter. “It is morally unacceptable for our nation to
balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and abroad.”
The Church leaders said international assistance is an essential tool to
promote human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and
enhance security throughout the world. The letter warned that many of the
proposed funding reductions will disrupt existing programs mid-stream,
undermining their impact, the capacity of local partners, and ultimately
the moral credibility of United States. The letter also welcomed the
restoration of the Mexico City Policy that prohibits funding groups that
perform or promote abortion and the denial of funding to the U.N.
Population Fund which supports a program of coerced abortion and
involuntary sterilization in China, but noted that the Continuing
Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.
In a separate letter, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California,
chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development,
called on Congress to place the needs of the poor, the unemployed, the
hungry, and other vulnerable people first, in setting priorities in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, saying “[a] moral
measure of the budget is how it treats “the least of these” at all stages
of life from conception until natural death.”
Citing the call for major reductions in non-security related programs that
serve the poor and vulnerable, Bishop Blaire said, “In a time of economic
crisis, the poor and vulnerable are in greater need of assistance, not
less. Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt
imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time
furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.”
Bishop Blaire called for “reasonable solutions and strategies to address
the federal deficit that will ensure stability and security for future
generations” while advocating for “a balanced approach that is just and
works to preserve the well-being of poor and vulnerable people.” He also
said, “decisions should be made that not only reflect a commitment to
national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate justice, compassion
and fairness. Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor and vulnerable first
as you consider how to spend limited federal resources.”
Among the main concerns highlighted by Bishop Blaire in his letter are the
proposed cuts to funding for Community Health Centers,affordable housing
programs, job training programs, and critical refugee funding. The letter
also welcomed the bill’s retention of all appropriations riders against
abortion funding, and its restoration of a consistent ban on such funding
in the District of Columbia.
More than 300 Catholic leaders, in Washington for the 2011 Catholic Social
Ministry Gathering (February 13-16), will take the bishops’ message to
Capitol Hill on February 15 in a day of visits to their U.S.
representatives and senators lifting up the needs of the poor and
vulnerable.
Full text of both letters follows.
February 14, 2011
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), the relief and development agency of the Catholic
Church in the United States, urge you to preserve poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance. Especially in a time of austerity
and fiscal restraints, the poor have a special moral claim on limited
financial resources.
The proposed Continuing Resolution makes over 26% in cuts for
poverty-focused international assistance, but only 2.6% in cuts overall.
Shared sacrifice is one thing; it is another to make disproportionate cuts
in programs that serve the most vulnerable. It is morally unacceptable for
our nation to balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and
abroad.
We need to give particular priority to programs that protect the poor, who
are the least able to cope with budget cuts. Priority poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance accounts in the FY 2011 President’s
request total $20.25 billion, only 0.6% of the federal budget and only
one-third of all U.S. international assistance to the developing world.
(See chart for detailed list of poverty-focused accounts supported by USCCB
and CRS.)
The Church views international assistance as an essential tool to promote
human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and enhance
security throughout the world. Foreign assistance is not simply an
optional commitment; it is a moral responsibility to assist “the least of
these.” For over 50 years, Catholic Relief Services has partnered with the
United States Government to implement some of these priority programs. CRS
knows from experience how effectively they can save lives and help the poor
achieve their human potential.
These priority programs support a wide range of life-saving and
dignity-preserving activities, including: agricultural assistance to poor
farmers; drugs for people living with HIV and tuberculosis; cost-effective
vaccines for preventable diseases; assistance to orphans and vulnerable
children; mosquito nets to prevent malaria; food aid for famines,
emergencies, and development; emergency health care, shelter, and
reconstruction in disaster-devastated places like Haiti; peacekeepers to
protect innocent civilians such as in Sudan and the Congo; assistance to
migrants and refugees fleeing conflict or persecution; and debt relief for
poor nations.
Cuts at the level being considered will result in the loss of innocent
lives: persons with HIV no longer able to access life-saving
anti-retroviral medications; refugees and victims of natural disaster
succumbing to starvation and hunger-related illnesses; and poor families
unable to grow what they need to survive. These funding reductions will
also disrupt existing programs mid-stream, which undermines the impact of
the program, the capacity of local partners, and ultimately the moral
credibility of United States.
Instead of these proposed cuts, we urge Congress to find resources
elsewhere, in programs that do not serve the poorest persons and
communities. Even within accounts not on the attached list, however, great
care to protect the poor must be taken. For example, in the Economic
Support Fund, assistance for Sudan and Haiti and other poverty-focused
programs must be retained. In addition, the civilian capacity at the U.S.
Agency for International Development requires the full support necessary to
effectively carry out these programs.
We do strongly approve of this bill’s restoration of the Mexico City Policy
against funding groups that perform or promote abortion, and its denial of
funding to the U.N. Population Fund which supports a program of coerced
abortion and involuntary sterilization in China. Unfortunately, the
Continuing Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.
In times of fiscal restraint, shared sacrifice demands that the entire
budget be examined, including defense. As the bishops of the United States
said in 2011, “Maintaining a strong military is only one component of our
national security. A much broader, long-term understanding of security is
needed. In a world where one-fifth of the population survives on less than
$1 per day, where some twenty countries are involved in major armed
conflict, and where poverty, corruption, and repressive regimes bring
untold suffering to millions of people, we simply cannot remain
indifferent. … Our nation must join with others in addressing policies and
problems that provide fertile ground in which terrorism can thrive.”
At a minimum, we urge you to restore funding to the poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance accounts on the attached list back
to the FY 2011 request level. USCCB and CRS are committed to working with
the Congress to meet the U.S. imperative to preserve poverty-focused
international assistance to improve the lives of those in greatest need.
Our commitment to human life and dignity demands no less.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend Howard J. Hubbard Ken Hackett
Bishop of Albany
President
Chairman,
Catholic Relief Services
Committee on International Justice and Peace
---
February 14, 2011
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we
call on Congress to place the needs of the poor, the unemployed, the
hungry, and other vulnerable people first, in setting priorities in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution. Decisions on how to
allocate opportunities and burdens in setting budget priorities are more
than economic policies -- they are significant moral choices. Meeting
essential human needs is a compelling ethical and fiscal priority. The
health, stability and well being of our nation depend on these decisions. A
moral measure of the budget is how it treats “the least of these” at all
stages of life from conception until natural death.
Current proposals call for drastic reductions in non-security related
programs that serve the poor and vulnerable. In a time of economic crisis,
the poor and vulnerable are in greater need of assistance, not less.
Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt
imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time
furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.
We support reasonable solutions and strategies to address the federal
deficit that will ensure stability and security for future generations.
However, we advocate for a balanced approach that is just and works to
preserve the well-being of poor and vulnerable people. Congress should
adopt a spending plan for the remainder of FY 2011 that ensures adequate
funding for programs that offer opportunity and help to the poor, children,
seniors, and people with disabilities and other vulnerable persons.
Congress should help to alleviate the burden of the vulnerable, not make it
worse.
The need to protect life is clear in decisions on whether to use public
funds to attack innocent human life- and in this regard we welcome the
bill’s retention of all appropriations riders against abortion funding, and
its restoration of a consistent ban on such funding in the District of
Columbia.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference offers examples of possible considerations
that reflect some of our concerns with the proposed plan:
The USCCB calls on Congress to work to ensure adequate health care
coverage to those in need. The proposed $1 billion cut to Community
Health Centers will deny health care to nearly ten million poor and
vulnerable people including mothers and children at risk. These
centers are often the only access to health care for tens of millions
of people in our country.
The bishops affirm their long-standing position that safe, affordable
and decent housing is a human right. At a time of record
foreclosures, increasing homelessness and rising housing costs, the
proposed cut of $2.3 billion to affordable housing programs is not
justifiable in light of the housing crisis for low and moderate
income families.
Reducing job training programs by a proposed $1.75 billion does not
make sense at a time of high unemployment and low job creation.
Further, this will prolong the economic pain of the very people
seeking adequate training to re-enter the job market. Many of those
most affected by job loss are less-skilled workers who need
additional training and skill development to re-enter the workforce.
Congress must ensure funding for and support efforts to strengthen
and improve these quality training programs with successful outcomes.
We are deeply concerned by cuts in FY 2011 refugee funding that the
bill would make. More specifically, the bill would cut available
funding in FY 2011 for domestic refugee resettlement programs
operated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of
Refugee Resettlement (ORR) by $77 million, or 10.5 percent relative
to FY 2010 appropriations. And it would cut funding for refugee
admissions and overseas refugee assistance programs in the Migration
and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account that is operated by the
Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(PRM) by $827 million, or 44.8 percent, relative to FY 2010
appropriations. USCCB believes that cuts to these accounts, which
have been historically under-funded, would have a devastating effect
on refugees, Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa recipients,
victims of torture and trafficking, unaccompanied alien children, and
other vulnerable populations served by PRM, ORR, and the communities
across the country that welcome these populations.
As you consider the FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations Bill, we urge
you, at a minimum, to maintain the funding for the MRA and ORR
accounts at the FY 2010 total enacted level. To do otherwise would
have a devastating impact on those displaced persons around the world
who are almost entirely dependent on the international system for
life-saving assistance, as well as to those who we have offered the
life-saving assistance of admission to the United States.
The spending choices of Congress have clear moral and human dimensions;
they reflect our values as a people. We are not policy makers, but pastors
and teachers. But, we remind Congress that the poor and vulnerable have a
priority claim on our limited, although still substantive, financial
resources. In efforts to pass a responsible spending resolution for the
remainder of FY 2011, decisions should be made that not only reflect a
commitment to national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate
justice, compassion and fairness. Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor
and vulnerable first as you consider how to spend limited federal
resources.
Sincerely,
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire
Diocese of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice
and Human Development
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, the heads of two
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) committees and the president of
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) sent letters to Congress on February 14,
reminding elected officials that “decisions on how to allocate
opportunities and burdens in setting budget priorities are more than
economic policies — they are significant moral choices.”
On the international side, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of Albany, chairman of
the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Ken Hackett,
president Catholic Relief Services, said in a joint letter that
“[e]specially in a time of austerity and fiscal restraints, the poor have a
special moral claim on limited financial resources.” According to an
analysis by USCCB and CRS, the proposed Continuing Resolution makes over
26% in cuts for poverty-focused international assistance, but only 2.6% in
cuts overall.
“Shared sacrifice is one thing; it is another to make disproportionate cuts
in programs that serve the most vulnerable,” said Bishop Hubbard and
Hackett in the letter. “It is morally unacceptable for our nation to
balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and abroad.”
The Church leaders said international assistance is an essential tool to
promote human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and
enhance security throughout the world. The letter warned that many of the
proposed funding reductions will disrupt existing programs mid-stream,
undermining their impact, the capacity of local partners, and ultimately
the moral credibility of United States. The letter also welcomed the
restoration of the Mexico City Policy that prohibits funding groups that
perform or promote abortion and the denial of funding to the U.N.
Population Fund which supports a program of coerced abortion and
involuntary sterilization in China, but noted that the Continuing
Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.
In a separate letter, Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California,
chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development,
called on Congress to place the needs of the poor, the unemployed, the
hungry, and other vulnerable people first, in setting priorities in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, saying “[a] moral
measure of the budget is how it treats “the least of these” at all stages
of life from conception until natural death.”
Citing the call for major reductions in non-security related programs that
serve the poor and vulnerable, Bishop Blaire said, “In a time of economic
crisis, the poor and vulnerable are in greater need of assistance, not
less. Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt
imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time
furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.”
Bishop Blaire called for “reasonable solutions and strategies to address
the federal deficit that will ensure stability and security for future
generations” while advocating for “a balanced approach that is just and
works to preserve the well-being of poor and vulnerable people.” He also
said, “decisions should be made that not only reflect a commitment to
national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate justice, compassion
and fairness. Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor and vulnerable first
as you consider how to spend limited federal resources.”
Among the main concerns highlighted by Bishop Blaire in his letter are the
proposed cuts to funding for Community Health Centers,affordable housing
programs, job training programs, and critical refugee funding. The letter
also welcomed the bill’s retention of all appropriations riders against
abortion funding, and its restoration of a consistent ban on such funding
in the District of Columbia.
More than 300 Catholic leaders, in Washington for the 2011 Catholic Social
Ministry Gathering (February 13-16), will take the bishops’ message to
Capitol Hill on February 15 in a day of visits to their U.S.
representatives and senators lifting up the needs of the poor and
vulnerable.
Full text of both letters follows.
February 14, 2011
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), the relief and development agency of the Catholic
Church in the United States, urge you to preserve poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance. Especially in a time of austerity
and fiscal restraints, the poor have a special moral claim on limited
financial resources.
The proposed Continuing Resolution makes over 26% in cuts for
poverty-focused international assistance, but only 2.6% in cuts overall.
Shared sacrifice is one thing; it is another to make disproportionate cuts
in programs that serve the most vulnerable. It is morally unacceptable for
our nation to balance its budget on the backs of the poor at home and
abroad.
We need to give particular priority to programs that protect the poor, who
are the least able to cope with budget cuts. Priority poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance accounts in the FY 2011 President’s
request total $20.25 billion, only 0.6% of the federal budget and only
one-third of all U.S. international assistance to the developing world.
(See chart for detailed list of poverty-focused accounts supported by USCCB
and CRS.)
The Church views international assistance as an essential tool to promote
human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer nations, and enhance
security throughout the world. Foreign assistance is not simply an
optional commitment; it is a moral responsibility to assist “the least of
these.” For over 50 years, Catholic Relief Services has partnered with the
United States Government to implement some of these priority programs. CRS
knows from experience how effectively they can save lives and help the poor
achieve their human potential.
These priority programs support a wide range of life-saving and
dignity-preserving activities, including: agricultural assistance to poor
farmers; drugs for people living with HIV and tuberculosis; cost-effective
vaccines for preventable diseases; assistance to orphans and vulnerable
children; mosquito nets to prevent malaria; food aid for famines,
emergencies, and development; emergency health care, shelter, and
reconstruction in disaster-devastated places like Haiti; peacekeepers to
protect innocent civilians such as in Sudan and the Congo; assistance to
migrants and refugees fleeing conflict or persecution; and debt relief for
poor nations.
Cuts at the level being considered will result in the loss of innocent
lives: persons with HIV no longer able to access life-saving
anti-retroviral medications; refugees and victims of natural disaster
succumbing to starvation and hunger-related illnesses; and poor families
unable to grow what they need to survive. These funding reductions will
also disrupt existing programs mid-stream, which undermines the impact of
the program, the capacity of local partners, and ultimately the moral
credibility of United States.
Instead of these proposed cuts, we urge Congress to find resources
elsewhere, in programs that do not serve the poorest persons and
communities. Even within accounts not on the attached list, however, great
care to protect the poor must be taken. For example, in the Economic
Support Fund, assistance for Sudan and Haiti and other poverty-focused
programs must be retained. In addition, the civilian capacity at the U.S.
Agency for International Development requires the full support necessary to
effectively carry out these programs.
We do strongly approve of this bill’s restoration of the Mexico City Policy
against funding groups that perform or promote abortion, and its denial of
funding to the U.N. Population Fund which supports a program of coerced
abortion and involuntary sterilization in China. Unfortunately, the
Continuing Resolution also makes dramatic cuts that are life-threatening.
In times of fiscal restraint, shared sacrifice demands that the entire
budget be examined, including defense. As the bishops of the United States
said in 2011, “Maintaining a strong military is only one component of our
national security. A much broader, long-term understanding of security is
needed. In a world where one-fifth of the population survives on less than
$1 per day, where some twenty countries are involved in major armed
conflict, and where poverty, corruption, and repressive regimes bring
untold suffering to millions of people, we simply cannot remain
indifferent. … Our nation must join with others in addressing policies and
problems that provide fertile ground in which terrorism can thrive.”
At a minimum, we urge you to restore funding to the poverty-focused
development and humanitarian assistance accounts on the attached list back
to the FY 2011 request level. USCCB and CRS are committed to working with
the Congress to meet the U.S. imperative to preserve poverty-focused
international assistance to improve the lives of those in greatest need.
Our commitment to human life and dignity demands no less.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend Howard J. Hubbard Ken Hackett
Bishop of Albany
President
Chairman,
Catholic Relief Services
Committee on International Justice and Peace
---
February 14, 2011
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we
call on Congress to place the needs of the poor, the unemployed, the
hungry, and other vulnerable people first, in setting priorities in the
Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Appropriations Resolution. Decisions on how to
allocate opportunities and burdens in setting budget priorities are more
than economic policies -- they are significant moral choices. Meeting
essential human needs is a compelling ethical and fiscal priority. The
health, stability and well being of our nation depend on these decisions. A
moral measure of the budget is how it treats “the least of these” at all
stages of life from conception until natural death.
Current proposals call for drastic reductions in non-security related
programs that serve the poor and vulnerable. In a time of economic crisis,
the poor and vulnerable are in greater need of assistance, not less.
Preserving the national security of the country is without doubt
imperative, but we cannot secure the nation while at the same time
furthering the insecurity of the poor and vulnerable in our midst.
We support reasonable solutions and strategies to address the federal
deficit that will ensure stability and security for future generations.
However, we advocate for a balanced approach that is just and works to
preserve the well-being of poor and vulnerable people. Congress should
adopt a spending plan for the remainder of FY 2011 that ensures adequate
funding for programs that offer opportunity and help to the poor, children,
seniors, and people with disabilities and other vulnerable persons.
Congress should help to alleviate the burden of the vulnerable, not make it
worse.
The need to protect life is clear in decisions on whether to use public
funds to attack innocent human life- and in this regard we welcome the
bill’s retention of all appropriations riders against abortion funding, and
its restoration of a consistent ban on such funding in the District of
Columbia.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference offers examples of possible considerations
that reflect some of our concerns with the proposed plan:
The USCCB calls on Congress to work to ensure adequate health care
coverage to those in need. The proposed $1 billion cut to Community
Health Centers will deny health care to nearly ten million poor and
vulnerable people including mothers and children at risk. These
centers are often the only access to health care for tens of millions
of people in our country.
The bishops affirm their long-standing position that safe, affordable
and decent housing is a human right. At a time of record
foreclosures, increasing homelessness and rising housing costs, the
proposed cut of $2.3 billion to affordable housing programs is not
justifiable in light of the housing crisis for low and moderate
income families.
Reducing job training programs by a proposed $1.75 billion does not
make sense at a time of high unemployment and low job creation.
Further, this will prolong the economic pain of the very people
seeking adequate training to re-enter the job market. Many of those
most affected by job loss are less-skilled workers who need
additional training and skill development to re-enter the workforce.
Congress must ensure funding for and support efforts to strengthen
and improve these quality training programs with successful outcomes.
We are deeply concerned by cuts in FY 2011 refugee funding that the
bill would make. More specifically, the bill would cut available
funding in FY 2011 for domestic refugee resettlement programs
operated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of
Refugee Resettlement (ORR) by $77 million, or 10.5 percent relative
to FY 2010 appropriations. And it would cut funding for refugee
admissions and overseas refugee assistance programs in the Migration
and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account that is operated by the
Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(PRM) by $827 million, or 44.8 percent, relative to FY 2010
appropriations. USCCB believes that cuts to these accounts, which
have been historically under-funded, would have a devastating effect
on refugees, Afghan and Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa recipients,
victims of torture and trafficking, unaccompanied alien children, and
other vulnerable populations served by PRM, ORR, and the communities
across the country that welcome these populations.
As you consider the FY 2011 Continuing Appropriations Bill, we urge
you, at a minimum, to maintain the funding for the MRA and ORR
accounts at the FY 2010 total enacted level. To do otherwise would
have a devastating impact on those displaced persons around the world
who are almost entirely dependent on the international system for
life-saving assistance, as well as to those who we have offered the
life-saving assistance of admission to the United States.
The spending choices of Congress have clear moral and human dimensions;
they reflect our values as a people. We are not policy makers, but pastors
and teachers. But, we remind Congress that the poor and vulnerable have a
priority claim on our limited, although still substantive, financial
resources. In efforts to pass a responsible spending resolution for the
remainder of FY 2011, decisions should be made that not only reflect a
commitment to national and long term fiscal security but demonstrate
justice, compassion and fairness. Our plea, then, is simple: Put the poor
and vulnerable first as you consider how to spend limited federal
resources.
Sincerely,
Bishop Stephen E. Blaire
Diocese of Stockton
Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice
and Human Development
Saturday, February 12, 2011
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of February 13, 2011
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 (Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/021311.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew a list comparing the old way with a new way of thinking and being. Jesus quotes the law to his followers who would be familiar with the details of the law. But now Jesus adds some new twists to various "thou shall not" commandments: rather than refraining from specific actions, Jesus tells his followers that he is calling them to put on a new attitude. What is in your heart and what you think are as important as what we do or not do. We are to forgive each other even prior than going to the altar to pray to God. We are to be witnesses to a new way of being.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to be different in why and how we help each person that contacts us for assistance. We serve because we continue the ministry of Jesus himself who loved each person with radical abandon. Our services and programs reflect that love for each person we encounter. We are called to be peacemakers, called to be advocates, called to be true to the practice of hospitality. That is what "Catholic" in Catholic Charities means: we serve others because we know of the love of God and the Good News of salvation that we want to share.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 5: Portage County Men Who Cook, to raise monies for programming for the poor. Call 330-297-7745 for more information.
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
Pope Urges Health Workers to Promote Life
Full text: http://zenit.org/article-31675?l=english
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging those who work in health care to build a culture of life based on ethical values.
The Pope stated this today in an address before praying the midday Angelus. He referred to the upcoming World Day of the Sick, which will be celebrated on Friday, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This day "is an opportune occasion to reflect, to pray and to increase the ecclesial community's and civil society's awareness of sick brothers and sisters," he affirmed.
"I invite everyone to contemplate Jesus, the Son of God, who suffered and died but is risen," the Pontiff said.
He continued: "God is radically opposed to the arrogance of evil. The Lord cares for man in every situation, shares his suffering and opens his heart to hope."
"Thus I exhort all health workers to see in the sick person not only a body marked by fragility, but first of all a person, to whom complete solidarity must be extended and adequate and competent responses given," the Holy Father stated.
He added, "I hope that everyone will work to make the culture of life grow, to put the value of the human being at the center in every circumstance."
"According to faith and reason the dignity of the person is irreducible to his faculties or the capacities he can manifest, and so it is not lessened when the person himself is weak, handicapped and in need of help," Benedict XVI asserted.
The Pope affirmed, "When scientific and technological research are guided by authentic ethical values it is possible to find adequate solutions for the welcoming of nascent life and the promotion of maternity."
He concluded, "It is my wish that the new generations of health workers are the bearers of a renewed culture of life."
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
As you celebrate Valentine’s Day with those you love, pray for those who are lonely and depressed. Consider sending a Valentine card to someone you know in a nursing home or in the hospital.
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: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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/
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 (Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/021311.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew a list comparing the old way with a new way of thinking and being. Jesus quotes the law to his followers who would be familiar with the details of the law. But now Jesus adds some new twists to various "thou shall not" commandments: rather than refraining from specific actions, Jesus tells his followers that he is calling them to put on a new attitude. What is in your heart and what you think are as important as what we do or not do. We are to forgive each other even prior than going to the altar to pray to God. We are to be witnesses to a new way of being.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to be different in why and how we help each person that contacts us for assistance. We serve because we continue the ministry of Jesus himself who loved each person with radical abandon. Our services and programs reflect that love for each person we encounter. We are called to be peacemakers, called to be advocates, called to be true to the practice of hospitality. That is what "Catholic" in Catholic Charities means: we serve others because we know of the love of God and the Good News of salvation that we want to share.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
Pope Paul VI noted that “the world is in trouble because of the lack of thinking”. He was making an observation, but also expressing a wish: a new trajectory of thinking is needed in order to arrive at a better understanding of the implications of our being one family; interaction among the peoples of the world calls us to embark upon this new trajectory, so that integration can signify solidarity rather than marginalization. Thinking of this kind requires a deeper critical evaluation of the category of relation. This is a task that cannot be undertaken by the social sciences alone, insofar as the contribution of disciplines such as metaphysics and theology is needed if man's transcendent dignity is to be properly understood. (par. 53b)
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
See website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
UPCOMING:
Saturday March 5: Portage County Men Who Cook, to raise monies for programming for the poor. Call 330-297-7745 for more information.
Saturday March 12: First Annual Catholic Charities Comalya, to raise monies for Catholic Charities Senior Services. Visit our website at www.ccdoy.org
Pope Urges Health Workers to Promote Life
Full text: http://zenit.org/article-31675?l=english
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging those who work in health care to build a culture of life based on ethical values.
The Pope stated this today in an address before praying the midday Angelus. He referred to the upcoming World Day of the Sick, which will be celebrated on Friday, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This day "is an opportune occasion to reflect, to pray and to increase the ecclesial community's and civil society's awareness of sick brothers and sisters," he affirmed.
"I invite everyone to contemplate Jesus, the Son of God, who suffered and died but is risen," the Pontiff said.
He continued: "God is radically opposed to the arrogance of evil. The Lord cares for man in every situation, shares his suffering and opens his heart to hope."
"Thus I exhort all health workers to see in the sick person not only a body marked by fragility, but first of all a person, to whom complete solidarity must be extended and adequate and competent responses given," the Holy Father stated.
He added, "I hope that everyone will work to make the culture of life grow, to put the value of the human being at the center in every circumstance."
"According to faith and reason the dignity of the person is irreducible to his faculties or the capacities he can manifest, and so it is not lessened when the person himself is weak, handicapped and in need of help," Benedict XVI asserted.
The Pope affirmed, "When scientific and technological research are guided by authentic ethical values it is possible to find adequate solutions for the welcoming of nascent life and the promotion of maternity."
He concluded, "It is my wish that the new generations of health workers are the bearers of a renewed culture of life."
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
As you celebrate Valentine’s Day with those you love, pray for those who are lonely and depressed. Consider sending a Valentine card to someone you know in a nursing home or in the hospital.
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: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
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/
Sunday, February 6, 2011
MONDAY MORNING MISSION MEDITATION for the week of February 6, 2011
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 Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/020611.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus challenge to his apostles and disciples to be "salt of the earth" and "light to the world." Jesus tells us to be witnesses to his love; as we have encountered him, we need to share that love and joy. One way that we share that encounter with the Lord is by our very actions and work. We read from the Prophet Isaiah that we are called to "share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own." The fruits of our faith is found in the way we live our lives.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to be witnesses to Jesus' encounter with us. As ministers of the Church we provide the professional outreach to those who are in need in our communities. However, we just don't see clients because we are required to do so by governmental grants or philanthropic promises. Rather, we see each person as an image and likeness of God. We want to share our love and joy with each person through our efforts -- from a referral, to direct service, to advocacy on their behalf. As Catholic Charities workers we help to organize the corporate love of the church, helping individuals and parishes "share our bread, shelter the oppressed and homeless; clothe the naked" and welcoming each person. We are privileged to be there to help each person in need in order to share the love and joy we have as ministers of Jesus. The salt and light we add is that love and joy; we want to share all we have received.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
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
Friday, FEBRUARY 11. Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.”
During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity.
Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.
See Pope Benedict XVI's Statement for World Day of the Sick http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/sick/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20101121_world-day-of-the-sick-2011_en.html
SUNDAY February 13. Annual White Mass, Cathedral of St. Columba, 10:30 AM All are welcome to celebrate and pray for those who care for the sick.
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Last minute donations for the 2011 Keep the Kids Warm campaign can be sent to Catholic Charities, P. O. Box 614, Youngstown, Ohio 44501. Thank you for supporting this cause!
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: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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/
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 Ordinary Time Year A http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/020611.shtml) we read in the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus challenge to his apostles and disciples to be "salt of the earth" and "light to the world." Jesus tells us to be witnesses to his love; as we have encountered him, we need to share that love and joy. One way that we share that encounter with the Lord is by our very actions and work. We read from the Prophet Isaiah that we are called to "share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own." The fruits of our faith is found in the way we live our lives.
In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we too are called to be witnesses to Jesus' encounter with us. As ministers of the Church we provide the professional outreach to those who are in need in our communities. However, we just don't see clients because we are required to do so by governmental grants or philanthropic promises. Rather, we see each person as an image and likeness of God. We want to share our love and joy with each person through our efforts -- from a referral, to direct service, to advocacy on their behalf. As Catholic Charities workers we help to organize the corporate love of the church, helping individuals and parishes "share our bread, shelter the oppressed and homeless; clothe the naked" and welcoming each person. We are privileged to be there to help each person in need in order to share the love and joy we have as ministers of Jesus. The salt and light we add is that love and joy; we want to share all we have received.
Reflection from Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate
One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation. If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation, from not being loved or from difficulties in being able to love. Poverty is often produced by a rejection of God's love, by man's basic and tragic tendency to close in on himself, thinking himself to be self-sufficient or merely an insignificant and ephemeral fact, a “stranger” in a random universe. Man is alienated when he is alone, when he is detached from reality, when he stops thinking and believing in a foundation. All of humanity is alienated when too much trust is placed in merely human projects, ideologies and false utopias. Today humanity appears much more interactive than in the past: this shared sense of being close to one another must be transformed into true communion.The development of peoples depends, above all, on a recognition that the human race is a single family working together in true communion, not simply a group of subjects who happen to live side by side. (par. 53a)
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
Friday, FEBRUARY 11. Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.”
During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity.
Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.
See Pope Benedict XVI's Statement for World Day of the Sick http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/sick/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20101121_world-day-of-the-sick-2011_en.html
SUNDAY February 13. Annual White Mass, Cathedral of St. Columba, 10:30 AM All are welcome to celebrate and pray for those who care for the sick.
SHARING HOPE IN HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
Last minute donations for the 2011 Keep the Kids Warm campaign can be sent to Catholic Charities, P. O. Box 614, Youngstown, Ohio 44501. Thank you for supporting this cause!
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: February 2011
General Intention: That the family may be respected by all in its identity and that its irreplaceable contribution to all of society be recognized.
Missionary Intention: That in the mission territories where the struggle against disease is most urgent, Christian communities may witness to the presence of Christ to those who suffer.
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/
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