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/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment