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, (Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy), http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040713.cfm) we read from the Gospel of John about the second appearance of the risen Jesus to his closest friends. Recall that Thomas, the doubter, was not present that Easter evening when Jesus first appeared. Thomas did not believe those others. He needed definitive proof. On this second Sunday after the Resurrection, Jesus shows Thomas His hands and side. Thomas utters a deep confession: “My Lord and My God.” Jesus continues to lavish His love on His followers and offers them “peace.” The power of the Resurrection retells the story: God’s love is victorious. This “peace” empowered by this new reality allows even the shadow of the Apostles to provide “healing” to those who came to see and hear them (Acts 5, first reading). As Christians today, we are called to live in that love, providing peace and healing to everyone we meet, in Jesus’ name.
Catholic Charities (http://www.ccdoy.org)
continues that outreach in Jesus’ name, for the Church as a whole.
Catholic Charities, the ministry of service of the Bishop, organizes
love in many ways, so that even those in the shadows can find healing
and peace. Our work with prisoners, immigrants and migrants, single
mothers and fathers, young and struggling families, and seniors attest
to the marvelous power of God’s love. Thanks to your constant support
to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church (http://www.doy.org)
we continue to give persons, families and communities the peace and
healing that they need and can share. During this week of Divine Mercy
Sunday, consider praying or reflecting on music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eym833fy8Uc with the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena http://www.catholicity.com/prayer/divinemercy.html
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: Christ is Risen, Peace to this our Earth!
Easter Day, Urbi et Orbi Message
Vatican City, March 31, 2013 (Zenit.org)
Dear
brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter!
Happy Easter! What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ
is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family,
especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons…
Most
of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God
wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you
are no longer in the power of sin, of evil!
Love
has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always
triumphs! We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to
the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk
24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen?
It
means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it
means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert
places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!
This
same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of
humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of
separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light
the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into
eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life,
but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our
humanity, opening us to a future of hope.
This
is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from
slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God
is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf.
Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).
to continue reading or listen to it on mp3
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.
MONDAY APRIL 8 St. Julie Billiart (1751-1816)
Born
in Cuvilly, France, into a family of well-to-do farmers, young Marie
Rose Julie Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping
the sick and poor. Though the first years of her life were relatively
peaceful and uncomplicated, Julie had to take up manual work as a young
teen when her family lost its money. However, she spent her spare time
teaching catechism to young people and to the farm laborers.
A
mysterious illness overtook her when she was about 30. Witnessing an
attempt to wound or even kill her father, Julie was paralyzed and became
a complete invalid. For the next two decades she continued to teach
catechism lessons from her bed, offered spiritual advice and attracted
visitors who had heard of her holiness.
When
the French Revolution broke out in 1789, revolutionary forces became
aware of her allegiance to fugitive priests. With the help of friends
she was smuggled out of Cuvilly in a haycart; she spent several years
hiding in Compiegne, being moved from house to house despite her growing
physical pain. She even lost the power of speech for a time.
But
this period also proved to be a fruitful spiritual time for Julie. It
was at this time she had a vision in which she saw Calvary surrounded by
women in religious habits and heard a voice saying, "Behold these
spiritual daughters whom I give you in an Institute marked by the
cross." As time passed and Julie continued her mobile life, she made the
acquaintance of an aristocratic woman, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, who
shared Julie's interest in teaching the faith. In 1803 the two women
began the Institute of Notre Dame, which was dedicated to the education
of the poor as well as young Christian girls and the training of
catechists. The following year the first Sisters of Notre Dame made
their vows. That was the same year that Julie recovered from the
illness: She was able to walk for the first time in 22 years.
Though
Julie had always been attentive to the special needs of the poor and
that always remained her priority, she also became aware that other
classes in society needed Christian instruction. From the founding of
the Sisters of Notre Dame until her death, Julie was on the road,
opening a variety of schools in France and Belgium that served the poor
and the wealthy, vocational groups, teachers. Ultimately, Julie and
Françoise moved the motherhouse to Namur, Belgium.
Julie died there in 1816. She was canonized in 1969
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
|
Note: Please consider joining our
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.
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