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, (Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060913.cfm ) we
read from the Gospel of Luke about Jesus’ raising and healing a young
man. The crowd is amazed and declare that is prophet is truly with us.
This gospel reading echos the story told in the first reading from the
First Book of Kings about the prophet Elijah raising a young man from
his death bed. In both cases, God brings abundant life and joy to those
touched. Like St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we too are a witness
to the gospel that is “not of human origin...but ...through a
revelation of Jesus Christ.” The crowds were basically right: there is a
prophet among us but that prophet is the Son of God, revealing God’s
face to everyone and declaring that our God is a God of life.
Catholic Charities (http://www.ccdoy.org)
continues to be that sign of the presence of God in our midst. On many
occasions, we are called upon to bring healing and hope into the lives
of persons, families and communities. We bring a good news to everyone
we encounter: God brings abundant life. Even in the midst of pain and
suffering, Catholic Charities can be that sign of love and hope
celebrating God’s infinite and unconditional love. Thanks to your
generous support to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities
and Church (http://www.doy.org)
we continue to bring this Good News -- not from human origins but from
God -- that Jesus’ healing touch is there for all who are open to it.
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: On the Church as the Family of God
Vatican City, May 29, 2013 (Zenit.org) | http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/on-the-church-as-the-family-of-god
Here
is the translation of the Holy Father’s weekly General Audience address
in St. Peter’s Square where he began a new cycle of catecheses on the
mystery of the Church.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Last
Wednesday I underlined the deep bond between the Holy Spirit and the
Church. Today I would like to start some catecheses on the mystery of
the Church, a mystery that we all live in and of which we are part. I
would like to do this with some well-known expressions of the texts of
Vatican II.
First: the Church as the family of God.
In
recent months, more than once I made reference to the parable of the
prodigal son, or rather of the merciful father (cf. Lk 15:11-32). His
youngest son leaves his father's house, squanders everything and decides
to return because he realizes that he has made a mistake, but no longer
considers himself worthy of being a son, and thinks that he might be
readmitted as a servant. The father instead runs to meet him, hugs him,
restores him to the dignity of a son and throws a feast. This parable,
as others in the Gospel, well describes God's plan for humanity.
What
is this plan? It's to make of all of us the one family of his children,
in which each will feel close and feel loved by Him, as in the Gospel
parable, that each may feel the warmth of being the family of God. In
this great design, the Church finds its roots; the Church is not an
organization born out of an agreement made by some people, but - as Pope
Benedict XVI has reminded us many times - it's God's work, it is born
from this plan of love that takes place progressively in history. The
Church was born from the desire of God to call all people to communion
with Him, to His friendship, and indeed to participate as his sons of
his own divine life. The very word "Church", from the Greek word
ekklesia, means "convocation": God summons us, he urges us to come out
of our individualism, of our tendency to close in upon ourselves and
calls us to be his family. And this call has its origin in creation
itself. God created us to live in a deep friendship with him, and even
when sin broke this relationship with him, with others and with
creation, God did not abandon us. The whole history of salvation is the
story of God seeking man, offering him His love, welcoming him. He
called Abraham to be the father of a multitude, he chose the people of
Israel to forge a covenant that embraces all people, and sent, in the
fullness of time, his Son so that his plan of love and salvation might
come true in a new and everlasting covenant with all humanity. When we
read the Gospels, we see that Jesus gathers around him a small community
that welcomes his word, follows him, shares his journey, becomes his
family, and with this community He prepares and builds his Church.
Where
is the Church born? It is born from the supreme act of love of the
cross, from the open side of Jesus from which flow blood and water,
symbol of the sacraments of the Eucharist and baptism. In the family of
God, in the Church, the lifeblood is the love of God that is expressed
in loving Him and others, all without distinctions and without measure.
The Church is a family in which one loves and is loved.
When
does the Church become manifest? We celebrated this two Sundays ago: it
is manifested when the indwelling of the Holy Spirit fills the heart of
the Apostles and drives them to go out and start the journey to
proclaim the Gospel, to spread the love of God.
Still
today someone says: "Christ yes, the Church no." Like those who say, “I
believe in God but not in priests”. But it is precisely the Church that
brings us Christ and leads us to God; the Church is the great family of
God's children. Of course it also has human aspects; in those who
compose it, pastors and faithful, there are flaws, imperfections, sins,
even the Pope has them, and he has many, but the beautiful thing is that
when we realize that we are sinners, we find the mercy of God, which
always forgives. Don’t forget it: God always forgives and receives us in
his forgiving and merciful love. Some say sin is an offence against
God, but it is also an opportunity to be humbled, to realize that
there’s something more beautiful: the mercy of God. Let us think of
this.
Let
us ask ourselves today: how much do I love the Church? Do I pray for
her? Do I feel part of the family of the Church? What do I do so that it
may be a community where everyone feels welcomed and understood, feels
the mercy and love of God that renews life? Faith is a gift and an act
that affects us personally, but God calls us to live our faith together,
as a family, like the Church.
Let
us ask the Lord, in a special way in this Year of Faith that our
communities, the whole Church, may increasingly be true families living
and bearing within them the warmth of God. Thank you.
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.
JUNE 11. St. Barnabas
Barnabas,
a Jew of Cyprus, comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a
full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with St. Paul (he
introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles) and served as a kind of
mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish
Christians.
When
a Christian community developed at Antioch, Barnabas was sent as the
official representative of the Church of Jerusalem to incorporate them
into the fold. He and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which
they took relief contributions to Jerusalem.
Later,
Paul and Barnabas, now clearly seen as charismatic leaders, were sent
by Antioch officials to preach to the Gentiles. Enormous success crowned
their efforts. After a miracle at Lystra, the people wanted to offer
sacrifice to them as gods—Barnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermes—but the
two said, “We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim
to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living
God” (see Acts 14:8-18).
But
all was not peaceful. They were expelled from one town, they had to go
to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about
circumcision and even the best of friends can have differences. When
Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted
to take along John Mark, his cousin, author of the Gospel (April 25),
but Paul insisted that, since Mark had deserted them once, he was not
fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that
Barnabas and Paul separated, Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking
Silas to Syria. Later, they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark.
When
Paul stood up to Peter for not eating with Gentiles for fear of his
Jewish friends, we learn that “even Barnabas was carried away by their
hypocrisy” (see Galatians 2:1-13).
For Daily Readings http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
CHARITIES NEWSBYTES
FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM: June 21-July 3. 
The U.S. bishops have called for a Fortnight for Freedom,
a two-week period of prayer and action, to address many current
challenges to religious liberty, including the August 1, 2013 deadline
for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate; Supreme
Court rulings that could redefine marriage in June, and religious
liberty concerns in areas such as immigration and humanitarian services.
For more information, visit http://doy.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=264:diocese-of-youngstown-participates-in-the-2013-fortnight-for-freedom-&catid=3:press-release&Itemid=95
2013 Annual Bishop’s Appeal for Catholic Charities and Church.
The
in Church/parish appeal is now underway. Please consider a gift to
help support the work of Catholic Charities and other ministries of the
Diocese of Youngstown https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=450afc
PAPAL INTENTIONS: JUNE
Mutual Respect. That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.
New Evangelization. That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization.
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
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