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)
http://www.missionariesofchrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Jesus-heals-a-deaf-man.jpg
On Sunday, (Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/090912.cfm) we read from the Gospel of Mark about Jesus’ healing a deaf man. He tells others not to share this news; but of course, this is marvelous and good news that God has visited his people. We hear from the prophet Isaiah in the first reading about the promise of God’s healing and transformative love. We note in the Letter from St. James that the Christian community must place the poor and lowly as priorities, reminding us that “God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom.”Catholic Charities http://www.ccdoy.org continues in an organized fashion, on behalf of the Church, to respond to the needs and hopes of the blind, the hungry, the stranger, the widow, and the orphan. Your gifts of time, talent and treasure to support the ministries and services of Catholic Charities continues the call of the Psalmists “The God of Jacob keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry.The LORD sets captives free. The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down. The LORD loves the just; the LORD protects strangers. The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains.”
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
How Does the Church Help the Catholic Faithful to Speak About Political and Social Questions?
57. Building a world of respect for human life and dignity, where justice and peace prevail, requires more than just political commitment. Individuals, families, businesses, community organizations, and governments all have a role to play. Participation in political life in light of fundamental moral principles is an essential duty for every Catholic and all people of good will.
58. The Church is involved in the political process but is not partisan. The Church cannot champion any candidate or party. Our cause is the defense of human life and dignity and the protection of the weak and vulnerable.
59. The Church is engaged in the political process but should not be used. We welcome dialogue with political leaders and candidates; we seek to engage and persuade public officials. Events and "photo-ops" cannot substitute for serious dialogue.
60. The Church is principled but not ideological. We cannot compromise basic principles or moral teaching. We are committed to clarity about our moral teaching and to civility. In public life, it is important to practice the virtues of justice and charity that are at the core of our Tradition. We should work with others in a variety of ways to advance our moral principles.
61. In light of these principles and the blessings we share as part of a free and democratic nation, we bishops vigorously repeat our call for a renewed kind of politics:
- Focused more on moral principles than on the latest polls
- Focused more on the needs of the weak than on benefits for the strong
- Focused more on the pursuit of the common good than on the demands of narrow interests
62. This kind of political participation reflects the social teaching of our Church and the best traditions of our nation.
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
http://www.catholicprayercards.org/i//Claver1.jpgBy this time the slave trade had been established in the Americas for nearly 100 years, and Cartagena was a chief center for it. Ten thousand slaves poured into the port each year after crossing the Atlantic from West Africa under conditions so foul and inhuman that an estimated one-third of the passengers died in transit. Although the practice of slave-trading was condemned by Pope Paul III and later labeled "supreme villainy" by Pius IX, it continued to flourish.
Peter Claver's predecessor, Jesuit Father Alfonso de Sandoval, had devoted himself to the service of the slaves for 40 years before Claver arrived to continue his work, declaring himself "the slave of the Negroes forever."
As soon as a slave ship entered the port, Peter Claver moved into its infested hold to minister to the ill-treated and exhausted passengers. After the slaves were herded out of the ship like chained animals and shut up in nearby yards to be gazed at by the crowds, Claver plunged in among them with medicines, food, bread, brandy, lemons and tobacco. With the help of interpreters he gave basic instructions and assured his brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God's saving love. During the 40 years of his ministry, Claver instructed and baptized an estimated 300,000 slaves.
His apostolate extended beyond his care for slaves. He became a moral force, indeed, the apostle of Cartagena. He preached in the city square, gave missions to sailors and traders as well as country missions, during which he avoided, when possible, the hospitality of the planters and owners and lodged in the slave quarters instead.
After four years of sickness which forced the saint to remain inactive and largely neglected, he died on September 8, 1654. The city magistrates, who had previously frowned at his solicitude for the black outcasts, ordered that he should be buried at public expense and with great pomp.
He was canonized in 1888, and Pope Leo XIII declared him the worldwide patron of missionary work among black slaves.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14. Annual 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 atwww.ccdoy.org.
ll questions can be directed to Nikole Baringer, Catholic Charities’ Fund Raising Specialist, at 330-744-8451, ext. 323.
CHARITIES NEWSBYTES
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:
September 2012General Intention: That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.
Missionary Intention: Help for the Poorest Churches. That Christian communities may have a growing willingness to send missionaries, priests, and lay people, along with concrete resources, to the poorest Churches.
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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