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, (Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, http://usccb.org/bible/readings/082612.cfm)
we read from the Gospel of John about how some of the disciples were
leaving Jesus’ company. They “murmured” about how hard it was to accept
the teachings of Jesus, and to live out his message. Jesus’ asks his
other disciples if they too were going to leave him. These faithful
followers proclaimed that Jesus has “the words of eternal life. We have
come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
We also witness how Israel re-commits itself to the LORD as Joshua
reminds them that it was the true God that led them out of slavery and
brought them liberation. The Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians that
husbands and wives are to practice a new morality: love and respect each
other as temples of the Spirit. In Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org , as a ministry of the Church, we sometimes hear persons “murmur” about why our Catholic identity is so important to us. This identification of our agency as “Catholic Charities” deeply embeds in our work, philosophy, practices and goals, that we are a ministry of the Church, called upon to help organize love (see Deus Caritas Est, par 20 http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html ). Sometimes witnessing to the teachings of the Church may seem difficult for persons to understand or follow. But like those Apostles, we are committed to proclaiming the Good News of God’s love -- both in charity and in justice -- despite hardships and attacks. We are called to be that witness for, and behalf of,all of our clients’ dignity and life. We answer in the same manner, “to whom shall we go?” if not with the LORD.
Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - Part I - The U.S. Bishops’ Reflection On Catholic Teaching And Political Life
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How Does the Church Help the Catholic Faithful to Speak About Political and Social Questions?
Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
52. The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God's creation. Employers contribute to the common good through the services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the dignity and rights of workers—to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age, to the choice of whether to organize and join unions, to the opportunity for legal status for immigrant workers, to private property, and to economic initiative. Workers also have responsibilities—to provide a fair day's work for a fair day's pay, to treat employers and co-workers with respect, and to carry out their work in ways that contribute to the common good. Workers, employers, and unions should not only advance their own interests, but also work together to advance economic justice and the well-being of all.
Some important date(s) this week:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspxSee website for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
For Daily Readings http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
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TUESDAY August 28 St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
A
Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop at 41: Many people are
familiar with the biographical sketch of Augustine of Hippo, sinner
turned saint. But really to get to know the man is a rewarding
experience.There quickly surfaces the intensity with which he lived his life, whether his path led away from or toward God. The tears of his mother, the instructions of Ambrose and, most of all, God himself speaking to him in the Scriptures redirected Augustine’s love of life to a life of love.
Having been so deeply immersed in creature-pride of life in his early days and having drunk deeply of its bitter dregs, it is not surprising that Augustine should have turned, with a holy fierceness, against the many demon-thrusts rampant in his day. His times were truly decadent—politically, socially, morally. He was both feared and loved, like the Master. The perennial criticism leveled against him: a fundamental rigorism.
In his day, he providentially fulfilled the office of prophet. Like Jeremiah and other greats, he was hard-pressed but could not keep quiet. “I say to myself, I will not mention him,/I will speak in his name no more./But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,/imprisoned in my bones;/I grow weary holding it in,/I cannot endure it” (Jeremiah 20:9).
CHARITIES NEWSBYTES
VOICE OF HOPE
Catholic Charities will be hosting its 15th Annual Voice of Hope Dinner at the Maronite Center, Youngstown, on Friday, September 14, 2012. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m., with a gourmet buffet dinner provided by Mr. Anthony’s at 6:30 p.m. This year’s program features a Chinese auction, live entertainment and the presentation of the Voice of Hope Awards to the following:
Mrs. Dorothy Stoessner, Ravenna
SS. Cyril & Methodius Parish, Warren
SS. John & Paul School, Ashtabula
Sister Edwardine Baznik, SJSM, Louisville
For tickets or sponsorship information, visit Catholic Charities’ website at www.ccdoy.org.
ll questions can be directed to Nikole Baringer, Catholic Charities’ Fund Raising Specialist, at 330-744-8451, ext. 323.
FIRST STEP FOR CHANGE
Catholic Charities will launch its 9th annual First Step for Change campaign the weekend of September 8-9, 2012. Participating families are asked to return their bottles to church the weekend of October 13-14, 2012. (dates are flexible) All Catholic Charities Service sites are approved drop-off locations. Please store bottles and/or money and checks in a safe location and contact Nikole Baringer, 330-744-8451 ext. 323 to make arrangements for pick-up by the Diocesan Office. Parishes are encouraged but not required to count and roll the change. We have coin counters at our office to do so as needed.
PAPAL INTENTIONS: August 2012
General Intention: That prisoners may be treated with justice and respect for their human dignity
Missionary Intention: Youth Witness to Christ. That young people, called to follow Christ, may be willing to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
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 http://www.ccdoy.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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