Catholic Social Teaching on human dignity

"The ultimate injustice is for a person or group to be treated actively or abandoned passively as if they were nonmembers of the human race. To treat people this way is effectively to say they simply do not count as human beings."

-- Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice, http://www.osjspm.org/

Micro-lending beats poverty!

http://www.kiva.org/team/st_michael_parish_social_concerns_ministry

Join us in making microloans thru Kiva and helping the hard working poor up and out of poverty!

$25 is all you need to get started.

Stand Up for Religious Freedom; Write to Congress

All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. – Acts 2:45

Rally for Religious Freedom, Friday, June 8, noon, San Francisco.
Stand up for our religious freedom by pushing back against the new mandate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which requires that all employers provide free contraceptives, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs through their health plans, even in violation of their consciences.  Rallies will be held nationwide.  Our nearest rally is at the HHS building, 90 Seventh Street, San Francisco.  Bishop Cordileone supports this rally.  For more information: http://standupforreligiousfreedom.com

Bishop Cordileone Calls All Catholic Voters to Write Congress, US President. 
“I therefore call on all of you, our good people in the Diocese of Oakland, to write to your congressional representatives and urge them to pass legislation to reverse this [HHS] mandate. I also ask you to contact President Obama and encourage him to continue to be open to putting into place robust protections of religious liberty for faith-based health, educational and social service organizations. The contact information to do this may be found on the Diocese home page at www.oakdiocese.org

"For Greater Glory" opens June 1st

The film "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada" has an all star cast.  One theme of this excellent, epic movie is the fight for religious freedom.

Here is a link to the trailer:

Synopsis: What price would you pay for freedom? In the exhilarating action epic FOR GREATER GLORY an impassioned group of men and women each make the decision to risk it all for family, faith and the very future of their country, as the film's adventure unfolds against the long-hidden, true story of the 1920s Cristero War ­the daring people¹s revolt that rocked 20th Century North America.

Join Us in Praying a Novena to the Holy Spirit

You are invited to join us in a Novena to the Holy Spirit for the nine days leading up to Pentecost, May 18-26.

Set aside a few minutes on each of the nine days to quiet your mind and open your heart in prayer in honor of the Holy Spirit.  We pray for the seven gifts of the holy spirit: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, and wonder and awe of the Lord.

All are welcome to leave prayer intentions as a comment on each day's blog post.

More about the Novena to the Holy Spirit from EWTN:


The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.  (read more here)

Mark your calendars and tell your friends!

Spreading Catholicism on Pinterest!

http://pinterest.com/hitechcatholic2/

Today I signed up for Pinterest, a great social networking site for sharing cool stuff on the Internet.

I'm doing my part to share the best Catholic sites and books and Saints that I know!  I'm not sure what I'm doing, but Pinterest is fun!

Earth Day the Catholic Way

Care for God’s Creation and poor people by reducing your carbon footprint

http://catholicclimatecovenant.org

Ride a bike, walk, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible. 

Use biodegradable soap and shampoos. 

Visit Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website where you can buy, support and even fundraise with products like the Equal Exchange coffee, tea, and chocolate; fair trade farmers care for Creation and are given a living wage to support their families and communities: www.crsfairtrade.org

The Beauty of Human Life

THE MIRACLE OF OUR COMING TO BE, AS PRESENTED BY THE NOBEL PRIZE SCIENTIST WHO DEVELOPED THE MRI

 

This is a video on human life from conception to birth using the

newest x-ray scanning technology that won its two inventors the Nobel Prize.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=fKyljukBE70

The Triumph of Easter and Why We Go to Mass

Here is a great, light hearted podcast from a young priest and seminarians on Easter and why we go to Mass as Resurrection people!

Listen to the "Dies Domini" episode at http://catholicstuffpodcast.com/

Holy Saturday: Keeping Vigil

Dying you destroyed our Death, Rising you restored our Life, Lord Jesus Come in Glory! http://www.dailyhomilies.org/2011/04/april-23-2011-resurrection-of-lord.html

Homily for Good Friday

http://www.dailyhomilies.org/2011/04/april-22-2011-good-friday-of-lords.html

Here is a link to an excellent homily for Good Friday with a link to the Bible readings for today.

Have a blessed Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday!

The Stations of the Cross Around the World with Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

Station 8 Jesus Comforts the Women.  In India, more than 40% of children under the age of five are underweight. Children who suffer from malnutrition at a young age are at greater risk to suffer illness or death.  CRS, in cooperation with the government of India, trains health workers to educate mothers about good nutrition and immunizations for themselves and their children.   

Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor.  As a community of faith, we have the obligation to reach out to those most in need.  The Gospel specifically calls us to take action on behalf of the most vulnerable members of society.   

– Courtesy of CRS, http://tinyurl.com/Stations2012

Earth Day the Catholic Way: Things You Can Do at Home

The Catholic Climate Covenant calls for all of us to care for the poor and God's creation.  The poor get hit first and hardest when creation is polluted or when climate change worsens.

What can you do?  Check out these concrete, practical tips for the whole family:
http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/What-You-Can-Do.pdf

· Turn off lights and unplug appliances when you leave the room.
· Unplug your cell phone as soon as it is charged.
· Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs.
· Turn off water when shaving, brushing your teeth and take shorter showering.
· Ride a bike, walk, carpool, or use public transportation whenever possible.
· Use biodegradable soap, shampoos.
· Buy Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate
· Reduce use of disposable products by using reusable containers; if you must buy disposable, buy paper or glass products instead of plastic.
· Bring reusable cloth bags when shopping instead of disposable plastic bags.
· Buy local, and/or organic food, and purchase recycled products whenever possible.
· Organize an environmental awareness day at your parish or school.
· Plant a garden and start a compost pile.
· Eat less meat: the UN concludes that “the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems"
· Dry your clothes outdoors when possible and use the dryer less.

Learn more about the St. Francis Pledge at: http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/

The Ruth Institute promotes and protects marriage

The Ruth Institute is a nice resource for promoting and protecting marriage.  They have a nice, multi-media website (blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc).  They seem to be an interfaith group but a quick surf through their pages showed me they are in concert with Roman Catholic teaching on marriage.

Website:
http://www.ruthinstitute.org/index.html

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheRuthInstitute?sk=wall

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/RuthInstitute

Father Barron's weekly homily is awesome

Ready for a joyful, insightful, enthusiastic, well crafted homily on the weekly Sunday Bible readings?

You're in luck: Father Barron has a podcast for you:

http://www.wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Sermons.aspx

I found Father Barron's sermons easily on iTunes under the title:

"Word on Fire Sermons"

Also available online, video, blog, etc., from his Word on Fire ministry website:

http://www.wordonfire.org/

Please write your Congressperson

Write Congress re:
Respect for Rights of Conscience Act:
http://actions.nchla.org/link/target/nchla/5yfycFN8.aspx

I just wrote my Senators to express disappointment that they voted to table this Act.

Please all Catholic voters: write in -- they can't ignore millions of us! Thanks!

Priests for Life Call for Your Prayers for Life

Fr. Frank Pavone (www.priestsforlife.org) says: "Abortion will end when local communities say it will end -- no sooner, and no later. We have the power to stop abortion, even while it remains legal. Now is the time to mobilize, sustained by prayer. Women and men who have lost children to abortion need to hear the witness of others who have experienced that pain and have found healing. 40 Days for Life is an opportunity for a local community to hear that witness. " 

To learn how you can participate in 40 Days for Life in the San Francisco Bay Area, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/sanfrancisco/

To participate nation-wide, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/

Please write your Representative today

Please write your Representative today (takes < 2 minutes).

http://www.capwiz.com/cacatholic/issues/?style=D

Our Bishops have 3 action alerts today for pending legislation on: protection of conscience, fighting human trafficking, sentencing of minors. The Bishops' website explains the legislation and the Church stance on the moral issue involved.

Please write your Senators now!

Write to your Senators at:
http://actions.nchla.org/link/target/nchla/598B7GRR.aspx


The National Committee for a Human Life Amendment sent this Action Alert:

On Thursday, March 1, the Senate is expected to vote on Sen. Blunt’s (R-MO) Respect for Rights of Conscience Act in the form of an amendment to the Transportation Authorization Bill. That amendment, also sponsored by Sen. Blunt, is Amendment 1520.

Senators should be urged to support the passage of Amendment 1520. This vote is expected to be very close. Especially if you have not yet contacted your Senators on the need to support the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, please act today! Please click on the link below to send a message.

Last August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a list of “preventive services for women” to be mandated in almost all private health plans under the new health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The mandated services include sterilization, all FDA-approved birth control (such as the IUD, Depo-Provera, ‘morning-after’ pills, and the abortion-inducing drug Ella), and “education and counseling” to promote these among all “women of reproductive capacity.” HHS’s rule allowed only a very narrow exemption for a “religious employer.” Catholic organizations providing education, health care and charitable services to all in need could not qualify for the exemption.

On February 10, despite a storm of protest, President Obama adopted this policy as a final rule “without change.” Religious organizations that cannot qualify for the exemption will have an extra year to comply; but before the end of that period, an additional rule will be issued to make sure that their employees receive the mandated coverage despite the employer’s objection.

The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (H.R. 1179, S. 1467) will ensure that those who participate in the health care system “retain the right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs and moral convictions.”

Thanks for all you do in support of life!

Michael Taylor
Executive Director

U Need uCatholic

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