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, ( The Resurrection of the Lord, http://usccb.org/bible/readings/033113.cfm ) we read from the Gospel of John on how Mary of Magdala came to tomb early that Sunday morning, and feared that not seeing the body of Jesus, that “they have taken the Lord from the tomb.” She runs to tell the other Apostles, who return in haste, wondering what had happened. Both Peter and John rushed into the grave site and found the cloth of Jesus “rolled up in a separate place.” The Gospel then writes about John the Apostle: “he saw and believed.” We too are called to “see and believe” in a new way: Jesus’ witness of love and self sacrifice has been transformed into new life. God is Alive! Jesus is among us, He has risen from the dead! John and Peter and Mary and the others still had not “seen” the Lord, but they believed. So too we must believe in this Good News.
http://mattstone.blogs.com/photos/sacred_images/marymagdalenetomb.jpg
Catholic Charities (http://www.ccdoy.org)
is called be that Good News to each person we meet. We do not always
have all the answers nor all the resources someone may need to get
through a difficult situation, but we offer the best we can. More
importantly, we have seen and believed that persons can become
transformed and deal with the many obstacles they may face. Ultimately,
we see and believe that Jesus is risen and transformed into new life.
This is our vantage point. This belief guides our ability to be Good
News. Catholic Charities works to help transform persons, families and
communities in their organizing of the corporal works of mercy, in both
charity and justice. Thanks for your constant support to the Annual
Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church (http://www.doy.org) as we continue to give persons, families and communities hope that they too will find abundant and new life.
Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/images/year-of-faith-logo-montage.jpg
http://cmsimg.news-press.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A4&Date=20130315&Category=OPINION&ArtNo=303150023&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Editorial-Pope-Francis-unique-chance
Pope Francis: Holy Wednesday General Audience: “On Holy Week”
(Vatican City, March 27, 2013 (Zenit.org))
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
I
am pleased to welcome you in this my first General audience. With great
gratitude and veneration I gather the "witness" from the hands of my
beloved predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. After Easter we will return to
the catechesis of the Year of Faith. Today I would like to dwell on Holy
Week. With Palm Sunday we have begun this Week – the center of the
whole Liturgical Year – in which we accompany Jesus in his Passion,
Death and Resurrection.
But
what could living Holy Week mean for us? What does it mean to follow
Jesus in his path towards the Cross on Calvary and the Resurrection? In
his earthly mission, Jesus walked the streets of the Holy Land; he
called twelve simple people to remain with him, to share his journey and
to continue his mission; he has chosen them from among the people full
of faith in God's promises. He spoke to everyone, without distinction,
to the great and the humble, to the rich young man and the poor widow,
to the powerful and the weak; he brought the mercy and forgiveness of
God; he healed, he consoled, he understood; he gave hope; he brought to
all the presence of God who is interested in every man and every woman,
as a good father and a good mother is in each of their children. God did
not wait for everyone to go to Him, but it was He who moved toward us,
without calculating, without measure. God is like this: He always takes
the first step, He moves towards us. Jesus lived the daily realities of
the most common people: he was moved before the crowd that seemed like a
flock without a shepherd; he cried in front of the suffering of Martha
and Mary for the death of their brother Lazarus; he called a tax
collector to be his disciple; he suffered the betrayal of a friend. In
him God gave us the certainty that He is with us, in our midst. "Foxes
have holes”, Jesus said, “and the birds of the air their nests, but the
Son of man has nowhere to lay his head"(Mt 8:20). Jesus has no home
because his home is the people, his mission is open to all the doors to
God, to be the presence of God's love. Read more....
Some important date(s) this week:
See website http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/ByDate.aspx for biographies of Saints and Blessed celebrated this week.
This Week is EASTER WEEK
TUESDAY, APRIL 2. St. Francis of Paolo (1416-1507)
Francis
of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished
only to be the "least in the household of God." Yet, when the Church
called him to active service in the world, he became a miracle-worker
and influenced the course of nations.
http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Statues/Founders/FrancisdePaola/St%20Francis%20de%20Paola-FounderSaint.jpg
After
accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, he began
to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola, on
Italy's southern seacoast. Before he was 20, he received the first
followers who had come to imitate his way of life. Seventeen years
later, when his disciples had grown in number, Francis established a
Rule for his austere community and sought Church approval. This was the
founding of the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi, who were approved by
the Holy See in 1474.
In 1492, Francis changed the name of his community to "Minims" because he wanted them to be known as the least (minimi)
in the household of God. Humility was to be the hallmark of the
brothers as it had been in Francis's personal life. Besides the vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience, Francis enjoined upon his followers the
fourth obligation of a perpetual Lenten fast. He felt that heroic
mortification was necessary as a means for spiritual growth.
It
was Francis's desire to be a contemplative hermit, yet he believed that
God was calling him to the apostolic life. He began to use the gifts he
had received, such as the gifts of miracles and prophecy, to minister
to the people of God. A defender of the poor and oppressed, Francis
incurred the wrath of King Ferdinand of Naples for the admonitions he
directed toward the king and his sons.
Following
the request of Pope Sixtus IV, Francis traveled to Paris to help Louis
XI of France prepare for his death. While ministering to the king,
Francis was able to influence the course of national politics. He helped
to restore peace between France and Brittany by advising a marriage
between the ruling families, and between France and Spain by persuading
Louis XI to return some disputed land.
Francis died while at the French court.
For Daily Readings http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
CHARITIES NEWSBYTES
Please continue to help us fill Harriet’s Cupboard!
http://ccdoy.org/slider/please-continue-to-fill/
Catholic
Charities Regional Agency is asking you to continue to help fill
Harriet’s Cupboard. We have had several donations since this program
launched in January. Your generosity is amazing and greatly
appreciated.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
APRIL 2013
Liturgy, Source of Life. That the public, prayerful celebration of faith may give life to the faithful.
Mission Churches. That mission churches may be signs and instruments of hope and resurrection.
Corporal Works of Mercy: The seven practices of charity toward our neighbor
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TWITTER account, CCDOY, http://twitter.com/CCDOY
for current updates and calls to action that we can all use.
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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