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)
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On Sunday, Fourth Sunday of Easter (http://usccb.org/bible/readings/042912.cfm)
we read from the Gospel of John about Jesus’ proclamation that he is
the Good Shepherd. Jesus reminds us that he cares so much for us,
rooted in the Father’s unconditional love, that He is willing to
surrender his life for each one of us. We hear in the second reading
from the First Letter of John that we are God’s children now, embraced
by a loving God. In the first reading from the Acts, Peter witnesses to
the power of God’s love in the healing of a man who was known as a
crippled beggar. It is that power of love, like the Good Shepherd, that
energizes the Church to be in the world as a witness to this incredible
Good News.In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , we continue to provide remarkable stories of persons healed, families reunited, and communities restored. It is in the power of God’s abundant and unconditional love that the Church’s work in Charity and Justice finds its anchor and energy. It is that love inspired by the Good Shepherd that sparks all the work of Catholic Charities staff, volunteers and donors.
Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements
A Statement on Religious Liberty: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, April 2012
We
need, therefore, to speak frankly with each other when our freedoms are
threatened. Now is such a time. As Catholic bishops and American
citizens, we address an urgent summons to our fellow Catholics and
fellow Americans to be on guard, for religious liberty is under attack,
both at home and abroad.
This
has been noticed both near and far. Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke
about his worry that religious liberty in the United States is being
weakened. He called it the "most cherished of American freedoms"—and
indeed it is. All the more reason to heed the warning of the Holy
Father, a friend of America and an ally in the defense of freedom, in
his recent address to American bishops:
Of
particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most
cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion. Many of you
have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right
of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and
institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices.
Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious
freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for
freedom of conscience.
Here
once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed
Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the
dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism
which would delegitimize the Church's participation in public debate
about the issues which are determining the future of American society.
(Benedict XVI, Ad limina address to bishops of the United States, January 19, 2012.)
Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspxSee website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
http://www.usccb.org/images/USCCB.gif
For Daily Readings http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
TUESDAY, MAY 1. Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
Apparently
in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by
Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in
1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a
much longer history.
In
a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from
ordinary human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly
emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in
both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is
like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating. Whether
we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our
hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.
CHARITIES NEWSBYTES
Read Bishop Murry’s Pastoral Letter on Poverty. http://doy.org/files/Scroller/PastoralPoverty.pdf
Ask yourself as you deepen your faith during these 50 days of Easter : Who Is My Neighbor? How can I help?
Vote for Youngstown-Warren on FACEBOOK for Walmart Fight Hunger program.
Catholic
Charities Social Action office is sponsoring a class in Christian Moral
Living for the Office of Religious Education Formation program. The
class is on Crime, Justice and the Death Penalty. This class meets
every Tuesday from April 24 til June 12 from 7 to 9m at the Ursuline
Educational Center in Canfield. Contact Joe Miles jmiles@youngstowndiocese.org for more information.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: April 2012
General Intention: Vocations. That many young people may hear the call of Christ and follow him in the priesthood and religious life.
Missionary Intention: Christ, Hope for Africans. That the risen Christ may be a sign of certain hope for the men and women of the African continent.
May 2012
General Intention: The Family. That initiatives which defend and uphold the role of the family may be promoted within society. .
Missionary Intention:
Mary, Guide of Missionaries. That Mary, Queen of the World and Star of
Evangelization, may accompany all missionaries in proclaiming her Son
Jesus.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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Note: Please consider joining our
FACEBOOK CAUSE http://apps.facebook.com/causes/106889
FACEBOOK GROUP https://www.facebook.com/pages/Catholic-Charities-Diocese-of-Youngstown/138817639487339
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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