#catholic charities

[socialjusticeinamerica]

Trump and MAGA are not Christians and most don’t even pretend to be anymore. Help migrants and Trump punishes you. MAGA’s are monsters with black hearts in service to an orange devil.

[victusinveritas]

Here, have some Catholic related bits and bobs.

[clinging-to-decency]

The Trump administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida.

Photo credit: aldiazphoto

via IG: miamiherald

[thelittlebirdandthemeandog]

This american experiment about mega churches and christians values is really interesting as an European because sent in US the worst of us (England) surely fucked them up !

As an italian i could easily spent days talking about how oppressive and disgusting the catholic church is in Italy and moths about how oppressive it was and is outside of Europe and how much the catholic religion is a huge brake on the development of Italy from the point of view of human rights related to minorities, but all this is not only a question of race but of religious ideology.

Surely is NOT a coincidence that churches that are mostly not whites immediantly tried to help while white Protestant American mega Churches invited the lady to..call the catholics..but it is even about religion ideology.

Protestant denominations such as the Calvinists preached the predestination of the soul before the United States was invaded by mass European immigration, claiming that the soul was predestined to reach heaven or hell from before birth, which is why no actions in life could influence. Of course it is curious and interesting that Protestantism was born as a critique of the wealth of the papacy of Rome and then became the very image of consumerism and capitalism with the American mega churches but it still remains a church born in opposition to Catholicism and that imposed the words of God as salvation above any positive action in all its denominations, even in those where actions can save the soul, so regardless of who is part of the Catholic churches (whites or latin americans) there would have been an ideological clash.

I mean, after all Europe was in focus for centuries due to fratricidal wars between Protestants and Catholics.

[macwantspeace]

Soccer mom knocks on my door midday. Stands there holding a big box labeled Lasko fan. "We see that you are qualified [ I am an old ] for a free fan." I open the door wider and gesture to show two fans. "Thanks, but no thanks." I donated.

Catholic Charities offers compassionate, faith-driven support to meet the needs of the San Antonio community through love and service.

A coalition with the City of San Antonio Department of Human Services, United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities is continuing Project Cool, a program that provides free 20-inch box fans to seniors in an effort to provide heat relief and prevent heat-related illness during the hot summer months in San Antonio.

2023 was also a record of 8 days over 105 degrees.

[locustheologicus]

“Faith In Action” Catholic Social Ministry Event

On May 16 Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ) held a social ministry event for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens at Christ the King High School in Middle Villages Queens. The event invited social ministers and volunteers from the diocese to experience the following:

A formation session on the Good Shepherd parable and the recent social teachings of the church inviting all to share in the social mission of the Church.

An examination of three social concerns that connect with this mission: issues affecting the youth, the migrants, and the disenfranchised.

Discussions with a panel of social service and research experts who are responding to aspects of these three areas in the hopes of connecting with the larger diocesan community.

There are many takeaways that our participants walked away with. For myself personally I cannot forget the quote from St. John of the Cross offered by our keynote speaker Dr. Brian Corbin of Catholic Charities USA. Throughout his keynote talk (see above) Dr. Corbin repeated the insight from this famous Carmelite mystic:

“In the evening of our life, we will be judged on love alone.”

This quote permeated his approach to the Trinity and our baptismal vows, the Good Samaritan parable, and the recent social teachings of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV. This presentation spoke on how the love of God moves us to respond to those in need. Serving one another, especially the “least of these,” flows from the Gospel message and the mission of the Church which we are all responsible for.

The three experts then invited us to consider how our Church’s mission allows us to critically reflect on our broken immigration system, the crisis of affordable housing, and the social anxieties and isolation affecting our youth.

The discussions (after lunch) added to these themes by engaging the parish and school participants to share their thoughts with our CCBQ staff working on these issues. As a community we explored what it meant to have us all collaborate on the Church's social mission in responding to these issues.

Our Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan and Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio joined our CEO Monsignor LoPinto and concluded the day with a prayer commissioning us all to be Witnesses of Mercy in our diocese. Witnesses of Mercy is a CCBQ Office of Mission program that integrates Parish social ministers by facilitating their collaborate with CCBQ and other agencies to address social issues that impact our urban communities. Our Bishop shared his own hope for us and reminded us of Pope Francis' vision for this as part of our commissioning process.

How greatly I desire that, as Christians, we can be more deeply united as witnesses of mercy for the human family so severely tested in these days. Let us ask the Spirit for the gift of unity, for only if we live as brothers and sisters can we spread the spirit of fraternity. We cannot ask others to be united if we ourselves take different paths. So let us pray for one another; let us each feel responsible for the other. (Pope Francis, 2023 Pentecost Sunday Prayer)

After we prayed together Bishop Brennan commissioned us with these words.

The foundation of Faith in Action is grounded in our conviction that we are all children of God, made in God’s own image. As Pope Leo IV has reminds us, “Love for the poor, whatever the form their poverty may take, is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God.”

As a community, we are called to uphold human dignity in all people, especially those who are living in difficult times. Members of our community, migrants, homeless neighbors, at-risk youth and underserved families should not face struggles alone. We, as the Body of Christ are called to minister and serve. May we pledge to put our faith in action by walking with our brothers and sisters. 

And with this, our first CCBQ “Faith in Action” came to a beautiful conclusion. Our staff will take this message to the deaneries, schools and apostolic movements in our diocese and see how to further promote the Witnesses of Mercy program throughout these communities.

[prestigeollie]

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day Saint Vincent de Paul 1581 - 1660 Feast day: September 27 (New), July 19 (Trad) Patronage: charities, horses, hospitals, leprosy, lost articles, prisoners, volunteers, Saint Vincent de Paul Societies

St. Vincent de Paul was a priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. He was canonized in 1737. De Paul was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity and is known as the "Great Apostle of Charity." {website}