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)
The Lord will bless his people with peace. (PS 29:11b)
On Sunday, (The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011214.cfm ) we read from the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. John declares that he should be baptized by Him; but Jesus continues his mission and immerses Himself into the Spirit and the water. At that moment, a dove appears (representing that Spirit -- of the Trinity), and a voice proclaims by the Father that “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Acts of the Apostles detail Jesus’ ministry post His baptism by noting that “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). Isaiah prophecizes that He will “open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness” (IS 42:7), and that he will establish “justice on the earth.” Jesus’s baptism and revelation to the world brings hope, mercy, tenderness, compassion, help and love. That is such Good News!
Site of the Baptism of the Lord on Jordan River, Jordan.
Catholic Charities (http://www.ccdoy.org) continues to provide the necessary material, spiritual and emotional aid needed by many persons, families and communities that seek our help. Catholic Charities further promotes justice by advocating for social policies that include all people and work to engage the community and government to help grow the economy that all can share in. Your gifts of time, treasure and talent through Catholic Charities and the Bishop’s Appeal help the Church be that sign of love and hope in the world each day. Your support helps us to continue that ministry of Jesus “doing good and healing all those oppressed.” Thanks.
Reflection from Church Documents and Official Statements
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POPE FRANCIS: EVANGELII GAUDIUM (The Joy of the Gospel) Apostolic Exhortation, November 26, 2013
19. Evangelization takes place in obedience to the missionary mandate of Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). In these verses we see how the risen Christ sent his followers to preach the Gospel in every time and place, so that faith in him might spread to every corner of the earth.
I. A Church which goes forth
20. The word of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him “to go forth”. Abraham received the call to set out for a new land (cf. Gen 12:1-3). Moses heard God’s call: “Go, I send you” (Ex 3:10) and led the people towards the promised land (cf. Ex 3:17). To Jeremiah God says: “To all whom I send you, you shall go” (Jer 1:7). In our day Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” echoes in the changing scenarios and ever new challenges to the Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of us are called to take part in this new missionary “going forth”. Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the “peripheries” in need of the light of the Gospel.
21. The Gospel joy which enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary joy. The seventy-two disciples felt it as they returned from their mission (cf. Lk 10:17). Jesus felt it when he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and praised the Father for revealing himself to the poor and the little ones (cf. Lk 10:21). It was felt by the first converts who marvelled to hear the apostles preaching “in the native language of each” (Acts 2:6) on the day of Pentecost. This joy is a sign that the Gospel has been proclaimed and is bearing fruit. Yet the drive to go forth and give, to go out from ourselves, to keep pressing forward in our sowing of the good seed, remains ever present. The Lord says: “Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out” (Mk 1:38). Once the seed has been sown in one place, Jesus does not stay behind to explain things or to perform more signs; the Spirit moves him to go forth to other towns.
22. God’s word is unpredictable in its power. The Gospel speaks of a seed which, once sown, grows by itself, even as the farmer sleeps (Mk 4:26-29). The Church has to accept this unruly freedom of the word, which accomplishes what it wills in ways that surpass our calculations and ways of thinking.
23. The Church’s closeness to Jesus is part of a common journey; “communion and mission are profoundly interconnected”.[20] In fidelity to the example of the Master, it is vitally important for the Church today to go forth and preach the Gospel to all: to all places, on all occasions, without hesitation, reluctance or fear. The joy of the Gospel is for all people: no one can be excluded. That is what the angel proclaimed to the shepherds in Bethlehem: “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people (Lk 2:10). The Book of Revelation speaks of “an eternal Gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tongue and tribe and people (Rev 14:6).
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.
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January is National Poverty Awareness Month
Read Bishop Murry’s Pastoral Letter on Poverty. http://doy.org/images/PDF/Bishop%20Murrys%20Pastoral%20Letter%20on%20Poverty.pdf
FRIDAY JANUARY 17. St. Anthony of Egypt. (251-356)
The life of Anthony will remind many people of St. Francis of Assisi. At 20, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message, “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b), that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthony’s life was spent in solitude. He saw the world completely covered with snares, and gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint is antisocial, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance.
At 54, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells. Again like Francis, he had great fear of “stately buildings and well-laden tables.”
At 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material support to those in prison. At 88, he was fighting the Arian heresy, that massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. “The mule kicking over the altar” denied the divinity of Christ.
Anthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross, a pig and a book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devil—the cross his constant means of power over evil spirits, the pig a symbol of the devil himself. The book recalls his preference for “the book of nature” over the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at 105.
Stories:
Lest we be misled by the awesomeness of Anthony's asceticism, we have a statement from his biographer (St. Athanasius, May 2)) that emphasizes the meaning and result of all Christian life. "Strangers knew him from among his disciples by the joy on his face."
Even the great Emperor Constantine wrote to him, asking for his prayers. Anthony told his friends, "Don't be surprised that the emperor writes to me—he's just another man, as I am. But be astounded that God should have written to us, and that he has spoken to us by his Son."
Comment:
In an age that smiles at the notion of devils and angels, a person known for having power over evil spirits must at least make us pause. And in a day when people speak of life as a “rat race,” one who devotes a whole life to solitude and prayer points to an essential of the Christian life in all ages. Anthony’s hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ. Even in God’s good world, there is another world whose false values constantly tempt us.
For Daily Readings http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
CHARITIES NEWSBYTES
KEEP THE KIDS WARM Campaign
Catholic Charities’ annual Keep the Kids Warm campaign begins on the Feast of the Holy Family (December 29, 2013) and runs through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 12, 2014).
Keep the Kids Warm is an important annual effort to raise utility assistance funds for families served by Catholic Charities throughout the Diocese of Youngstown. One hundred percent (100%) of all funds raised through this effort are returned to the county in which they were collected to help meet needs in the donor’s own community.
SATURDAY JANUARY 18 MASS FOR LIFE
Bishop Murry will preside at the Annual Diocesan Mass for life on Saturday, January 18 at 12:00 noon at St. Columba Cathedral, Youngstown
SUNDAY JANUARY 19: REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Interfaith Prayer Service
MONDAY, JANUARY 20: REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Community Workshop
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Planning Committee of Mahoning County will commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a celebration highlighted by a Community Service of Worship on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. at New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman Street, Youngstown and with a Community Workshop on Monday, January 20, 2014, 8:30 a.m.-Noon p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 201 Wick Avenue, Youngstown. The theme fo r both programs is “The Struggle for Justice: Owning Our Past, Claiming Our Future.” All are welcome to attend.
JANUARY 18-26 NINE DAYS OF PRAYER, PENANCE AND PILGRIMAGE
see daily reflections at http://usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/2014-nine-days-of-prayer-penance-and-pilgrimage-novena.cfm
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 25: MEN WHO COOK
Catholic Charities of Ashtabula County
6:30-9:00 pm
Our Lady of Peace Community Center 1200 E. 21st Street Ashtabula, Ohio 44004
For tickets, or more information, call (440) 992-2121.
PAPAL INTENTIONS:
January
Universal: That all may promote authentic economic development that respects the dignity of all peoples.
For Evangelization: That Christians of diverse denominations may walk toward the unity desired by Christ.
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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