Transforming our World:
Our Catholic Faith in Action

JULY 2010 

 

Volunteering in Paraguay, Latin America

by Katie Harrison, Good Shepherd Volunteers, Itauguá, Paraguay

Living in Paraguay, my spirit has been enriched and fed by the people who live around me and the streets I walk through on a daily basis, the trees I see when I step outside of my bedroom each morning and the greetings I hear from my neighbors each day. These things have made my spirit soar high and my soul smile. More...

 

Eucharist and Mission

The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life". In the Eucharistic liturgy and our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, we encounter God's presence in personal and profound ways. But the Eucharist is also social, as Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in Deus Caritas Est: "A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented."
The Eucharist, celebrated as a community, teaches us about human dignity, calls us to right relationship with God, ourselves and others, invites us to community and solidarity, and sends us on mission to help transform our communities, neighborhoods and world.

Here are two great PDF downloads from Catholic Bishops:
The Eucharist and Social Mission: Body of Christ, Broken for the World
The Eucharistic Liturgy: Formed, Transformed, and Sent.

 

Catholic Social Teaching

"In my encyclical letter "Caritas in Veritate" on integral human development, I listed some of the great present challenges, which are urgent and essential for the life of this world: The use of the resources of the earth and respect for the ecology, the just division of goods and the control of financial mechanisms, solidarity with poor countries in the ambit of the human family, the struggle against hunger in the world, the promotion of the dignity of human labor, service to the culture of life, the building of peace between peoples, the interreligious dialogue, the good use of the social means of communication. They are challenges to which you are called to respond to build a more just and fraternal world."
- Pope Benedict XVI, Message for World Youth Day 2010, Feb. 22, 2010

For more on Catholic Social Teaching and what you can do check out these:
Our Catholic Faith in Action
The Xaverian Missionaries
Faithful Citizenship

 

Here is How a Parish in Maryland does it

In Maryland, at St. Camillus Parish, Father Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, guides a parish with a passion for justice. St. Camillus parishioners are known for standing in solidarity with people in need. Their support is deeply rooted in faith. With many of their own being Congolese, the people of St. Camillus had heard many similar stories. They decided to help women like Martine and to fight the causes of the conflict in the Congo that are behind these horrific crimes. So when Father Jacek was looking for a cause that his parish could support, the decision was easy. More...

Take a look at their program on You Tube

 

First Filipino Xaverian Missionary Ordained a Deacon in Sierra Leone, West Africa

Deacon Patrick Santianez was ordained to the Diaconate recently. He has been working there for the past two years as he completes his training for missionary priesthood. The Xaverian Missionaries have worked in Sierra Leone since 1951.

Take a look at more pics...