Catholic Bishops Announces National Migration Week, January 2-8, 2011

Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced "Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice" as the theme for National Migration Week celebrated the first week of January (2-8, 2011).

Learn more at their website: http://www.usccb.org/mrs/nmw/index.shtml

They have a spiritual Rosary for world unity, brochures, and bulletin inserts for parishes.

When I went through the "JustFaith" program a few years ago, I learned that the vast majority of migrants would have preferred to remain home, just like you or I. Only really tough conditions can drive people out of their homes, e.g. devastatingly bad economy, political oppression (real torture and death), environmental catastrophe.

My own great, great grandparents on all sides of my family are migrants to America. They came from England, Scotland, France and Germany. Many were fleeing the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars. What about your family?

The Catholic Social Teaching of "Solidarity" talks about us being responsible for one another globally: "We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that “if you want peace, work for justice.”1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict. "

Children's Book Review: "Care for Creation" by Christy Baldwin

I was recently given the opportunity to review this new children's book, "Care for Creation" by Christy Baldwin from Tribute Books. http://www.tribute-books.com/careforcreation/index.html

This is a delightful book that clearly explains how caring for God's creation is our job as Christians. Each page has a clear description about some aspect of caring for the environment, a Bible verse, and an illustration of children caring for creation. The book gives practical suggestions that families and children can do, e.g. use less water, clean up a local park, recycle.

My guess is that this book is for about age 8-12, but can benefit younger and older. Parents, I'll leave it to you. This book would also work well for children's "Sunday School" or faith formation classes -- it has activities and discussion questions at the end.

The Bible verses come from a paraphrase translation called "The Message" described on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Message_%28Bible%29) or you can google "The Message Bible Paraphrase". This idiomatic paraphrase should be very easy for children to understand, but you may also want to look up the verses in the New American Bible translation (used at Masses in the USA) to compare.

To learn more about Catholic Social Teaching and specifically Caring for God's Creation, see the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: scroll down -- caring for creation is the seventh theme of Catholic Social Teaching.

Care for God's Creation: Recycle Your Christmas Tree

You and your family can practice the Catholic Social Teaching of caring for God’s creation by recycling your Christmas tree. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, between 25 and 30 million fresh-cut Christmas trees are sold in the United States every year. Christmas tree recycling helps return a renewable resource back to the environment.

For Christmas tree recycling in your city, enter your zipcode into the Earth 911 website: http://earth911.com/recycling/garden/christmas-trees

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's summarizes the Catholic Social Teaching of "Care for God’s Creation": "We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored."

"Religious Freedom: The Path to Peace” is Pope’s Theme for World Day of Peace, January 1, 2011

I found this on the Vatican Radio website and the Vatican website: "In many parts of the world there exist various forms of restrictions or denials of religious freedom, from discrimination and marginalization based on religion, to acts of violence against religious minorities. Religious freedom is rooted in the equal and inherent dignity of man, it is oriented toward the search for unchangeable truth, and thus can rightly be presented as the freedom of freedoms."

See the Vatican website for the full text of the Pope’s message to be posted soon (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/index_en.htm).

Or read more at the Vatican Radio website (http://storico.radiovaticana.org/en1/storico/2010-07/407824_pope_picks_religious_freedom_as_theme_for_2011_peace_message.html).

How to Shop for Fair Trade Crafts, Coffee, Tea, Chocolate

To buy fairly traded coffee, tea or chocolate, next time you go to the grocery store (Safeway, Nob Hill, Lucky, Albertson's, etc.) or Target or CostCo, just look for these logos clearly displayed on the front of the package:

Fair Trade Certified

Fair Trade Federation

Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade

Rainforest Alliance Certified

Whole Trade Guarantee

To shop for Christmas gift items, phone Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade at 1-800-685-7572 for a free catalog, or online and click “Products” at: http://www.crsfairtrade.org

Your purchases really do help the artisans and farmers make a living wage. I have found the crafts to be beautiful and at about half the price for similar items at, say, Pier 1 Imports or a department store. The coffee and tea are the same price and quality as other products from the particular brand, e.g. Yuban, Seattle's Best Coffee, Peet's, Stash, Numi, etc. Do not compromise quality or price to buy fairly traded items.

Feel good about what you buy. Help someone help themselves up and out of poverty. Buy fairly traded goods.

Faithful Citizenship: Voting is a Catholic Duty

“Every person has a fundamental right to life,” say the U.S. Bishops, “the right that makes all other rights possible. Each person also has a right to the conditions for living a decent life—faith and family life, food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing. We also have a duty to secure and respect these rights not only for ourselves, but for others, and to fulfill our responsibilities to our families, to each other, and to the larger society.” --excerpt from Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility, 2003 (http://www.nccbuscc.org/faithfulcitizenship/faithfulcitizenship03.pdf)

I found the above quote from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website that is dedicated to our role as United States citizens of faith called Faithful Citizenship: http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/

When filling out my absentee ballot today, I used the California Catholic Conference website to learn what the California bishops had to say about the nine propositions coming up on Nov 2nd. You may find this helpful, too: http://www.cacatholic.org/index.php/take-action/election.html

California Bishops Name November as Restorative Justice Month

Starting with their 2000 pastoral letter “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice,” U.S. bishops have advocated for a more humane approach called “Restorative Justice” to repair the harm caused by criminal behavior to the extent possible. The growing social justice movement encourages victims, offenders and their impacted communities to fully participate in the healing process through victim/offender dialogue, restitution, victim and ex-offender assistance, sentencing circles and community service.

Learn more at the website of the California Bishops:
http://www.cacatholic.org/index.php/topics/restorativejustice/896-rj-month.html

RestoreJustice.com is an outreach of the California Catholic Conference offering healing and support to everyone affected by the criminal justice system throughout the U.S. The purpose of RestoreJustice.com is to offer a place of compassion and assistance, resources and services and educational information for anyone who is affected by crime - victims of crime, offenders and their families, corrections staff, chaplains, criminal justice system employees and management, and advocates for restorative justice.

Learn more at: http://restorejustice.com

PG&E has many ways to save energy starting at home

Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), my local utility, has a great website with all kinds of ways you can save energy at home, reducing your own carbon footprint. Ideas include buying Energy Star appliances, using CFC light bulbs, keeping your house a little warmer in summer and cooler in winter, set your water heater a bit cooler and so on. All of these are realistic, feasible and add up to measurable savings.

Learn more at: http://www.pge.com/myhome/saveenergymoney/savingstips/

What has PG&E to do with faith? "Care for God’s Creation" is a theme of Catholic Social Teaching.

Even the Vatican is going green. With the installation of solar panels on the roof of the Paul VI Audience Hall, the Vatican began selling power back to the Roman electric grid in November 2008.

Concern for the environment is one of the newer dimensions of Catholic social teaching, paralleling the growing awareness in society as a whole. Prior to the industrial revolution, human impact on the environment was limited and localized. With the growth of economies, the use of fossil fuels, and the demand for consumer goods, the amount of natural resources people pulled from the planet rose substantially.

So . . . it's a Catholic thing to care for God's Creation.

Register to Vote before October 18th for the November 2nd General Election

Have you recently moved? Turned 18? Recently become a US Citizen? If so, you need to register to vote before October 18th for the next General Election.

Voter Registration forms are generally available at public libraries and city halls. Register online at the League of Women Voters website (http://www.vote411.org).

At my parish, my Social Concerns Ministry has put a reminder in the bulletin, and will put voter registration forms in the vestibule.

The California Catholic Bishops provide information on current legislation on their website (http://www.cacatholic.org).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ask Catholics to become informed and vote using their conscience and judgment. The Catholic Church never tells people how to vote; the Catholic Church does point out moral issues with respect to legislation. See their Faithful Citizenship website for more information: http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/

"In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation." – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”, No. 13

Fair Trade Gifts for the Holidays

At my parish, we have just ordered a consignment of Fair Trade craft items from Catholic Relief Services. My Social Concerns Committee will hold a craft sale at the end of October so people can do some Christmas shopping with a conscience. We are not doing this to raise money, but rather, to raise awareness of Fair Trade crafts, coffee and chocolate.

The sale will literally help the artisans help themselves up and out of poverty, and with dignity.

As American consumers, we can use our purchases to help people who are poor around the world lift themselves, their families, and their communities up and out of poverty. I think the key is that Catholic Relief Services is on the ground in communities around the world, helping people learn better farming methods, gain money management skills, establish schools, etc. CRS eliminates the middle man, bringing gifts, chocolate, coffee, etc., direct from the artisans and farmers to us, the consumer, and guaranteeing that the artisans and farmers get a living wage.

I have personally bought Fair Trade gifts for all of my out-of-town relatives for four years now, and everyone is very happy with the quality. The Divine Chocolate is wonderful (and the women of my family are connoisseurs). Fair Trade coffee and teas are available in stores all around my town (Target, Safeway, Trader Joe's, Peet's Coffee & Tea, etc).

The Catholic Relief Services Fair Trade website explains it all very well: http://www.crsfairtrade.org/

If you want to hold a gift, chocolate or coffee sale yourself, it is very, very easy. The CRS website has step-by-step instructions with beautiful flyers and posters to help you promote your sale.

If you want to do some Christmas shopping for yourself, you can buy products online at the CRS Fair Trade website.

Pope and Patriarch Urge Preservation of Planet for Future Generations

I put this article in my parish's bulletin to underscore how deeply concerned the Vatican is regarding the environment and the poorest among us. Those without resources are always hit hardest by environmental problems.

Pope Benedict urged all people to remember the duty we have today to safeguard the future for generations to come. Speaking in support of the Day for Safeguarding Creation (a tradition in Italy and in the Greek Orthodox Church), the Holy Father said, “There can be no peace in the world without respecting the environment.” Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople echoed these sentiments, calling efforts to address the environmental crisis, “This titanic and just fight.”

Read more at the Catholic News Service website for August 30th: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1003496.htm

Here is the Vatican website with the Pope's full address:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20090826_en.html

Catholic News Service: Bringing Catholic News from USA and World to You

You probably already know this, but today I finally understood what the "Catholic News Service" (CNS) is all about.

This agency was founded in 1920 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, yet is financially self sustaining, and editorially independent. Their mission is to bring the good, the bad and ugly to us regarding the Catholic world -- great! You can subscribe to their RSS feed, and they also are probably providing much of the news coverage you hear on your local Catholic radio stations. What a terrific organization!

CNS homepage: http://www.catholicnews.com/

Here's what CNS says about itself:

The mission of Catholic News Service is the mission of the Church itself -- to spread the Gospel through contemporary means of communication. Our mission is to perform this task by reporting the news which affects Catholics in their everyday lives.

Some of that news is good and some is bad, but it is what readers need to know in order to work for salvation. They need to know that there are saints in the making in the Church today and they need to know that there are sinners too.

Our mission is to report fully, fairly and freely about the involvement of the Church in the world today.

International Day of Peace, September 21

Many activities are happening around the country and the world for the International Day of Peace.

This is a day that the whole family can get involved in. For example, observe one minute of silence at noon on September 21st. Hold a city-wide prayer meeting for all faiths, all ethnic groups. Make peace in your own relationships.

For more information, visit: http://internationaldayofpeace.org/

To find an event near you, visit: http://internationaldayofpeace.org/participate/find_an_event.html

Catholic iTunes Apps on My iPod Touch

Here is a list of the Catholic apps that I currently have on my new iPod Touch. I found all of these through the iTunes Apps store by searching on the word "Catholic". These are all free. I believe they are all faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church; they certainly enrich my faith journey! The titles listed below match the titles in iTunes.

Catholic Bible: Yes, the entire Bible!

Catholic Mass Times Church Directory: Awesome! Easily shows the Catholic churches closest to my location with a link to addresses, maps and Mass times.

Divine Mercy Guide: Steps me through the Divine Mercy chaplet, etc.

Evangelizo -- Daily Gospel: Terrific! Automatically loads the Mass readings for the day, and has other prayers for the season.

The Holy Rosary: Nice aid to prayer.

iCatholicRadio - The Station of the Cross: Indispensable! Easy access to 101.7 FM (Buffalo): livestream their radio broadcasts and get their podcasts, etc.

The Lord's Prayer: Meditative music to listen to while contemplating the prayer that Jesus taught us.

Night Prayer, Compline -- FREE Audio Liturgy of the Hours by DivineOffice.org: Automatically downloads the Liturgy of the Hours for the day, the night prayer.

Rosary - Mysteries of the Holy Rosary: Nice prayer aid.

iBooks (this is general app for reading any book, but I downloaded from the Gutenberg Project an ePub format file of Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica)

Upon googling Evangelizo to get the art for this blog post, I see that Evangelizo is also available for the Android, and that is probably true for others.

Free Catholic Apps on iTunes!

I got an iPod Touch for my birthday! Yippee!

I immediately loaded it up with all of the free, wonderful Catholic Apps on the iTunes Store!

I now have the entire Bible, St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, Rosary prayers, Divine Office, etc.

The Station of the Cross (101.7 FM Buffalo) App gives a livestream of their radio station -- Mother Angelica of EWTN fame was on when I fired up the App. Also has easy access to their podcasts (as reviewed earlier in this blog).

In iTunes in the App Store, search on "Catholic".

Podcast Review: "Divine Mercy in My Soul"

Awesome podcast! I have prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. This past Easter season, I prayed the Divine Mercy Novena and observed Divine Mercy Sunday. I have heard a little bit about the life of St. Faustina.

But until now, I have never studied her writings.

This podcast is by a priest and a layman who are very knowledgeable about the Diary of St. Faustina. Here is your chance to deeply understand the writings, prayers and blessings of St. Faustina, and the great message of His Divine Mercy that Jesus Christ communicated to the world through her.

Great way to learn and grow in your faith! Thanks, Station of the Cross in Buffalo, New York!

http://www.wlof.net/programming/podcasts/

The Station of the Cross
101.7 FM Buffalo, New York
"Proclaiming the fullness of Truth with clarity and charity."

Podcast Review: "The Station of the Cross: Various Talks"

"The Station of the Cross", 101.7 FM Buffalo, New York, USA, is a Catholic radio station. They put some of their programming out on the Internet as podcasts.

I have listened to a couple of episodes of the podcast "The Station of the Cross: Various Talks" and highly recommend it.

The talks range from inspiring lectures on the faith by priests and theologians to recordings of call-in question and answer live radio shows. The episode with Father Corapi (of EWTN renown) was terrific.

The speakers are all very faithful to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and extremely good public speakers. It looks like most of them are priests. This podcast is a great way for adults to learn and grow in their faith.

iTunes Name: "Various Talks"

Website: http://www.wlof.net/programming/podcasts/

Podcast Review: "Calling All Catholics"

I have listened to three episodes of the Catholic podcast, "Calling All Catholics", and I really like it!

"Calling All Catholics" is the podcast version of a Catholic radio call-in talk show. The host is a Roman Catholic priest who answers questions of faith, prays for people, and discusses Catholic doctrine in an easy to understand and friendly way. A very enjoyable podcast for learning about our faith and its challenges in 21st Century America; I also appreciated the opportunity to pray for people with troubles.

iTunes name: "Calling All Catholics"

Website: http://www.wlof.net/grid/all-shows-list/calling-all-catholics.html

From the radio station: "Station of the Cross", 101.7 FM, Buffalo, New York, USA, http://www.wlof.net/index.php

The Catholic Climate Covenant is Champion for the Poor

The Catholic Climate Covenant is really cool.

http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops fully supports this group who is advocating for people in poverty -- these people would otherwise have no voice in the climate change debate. Also, the poorest among us will be hit the hardest by climate change.

Their website gives great tips on how we can each reduce our own impact, e.g. eat one less meat meal a week, use cloth shopping bags, etc. Their website also has news on current topics, e.g. what are Catholics doing to help the oil spill in the Gulf?

Catholic Climate Covenant is on Twitter (ClimateCovenant), Facebook (Catholic Climate Covenant) and MySpace (Catholic Climate Covenant), too!

iCatholicRadio -- The Station of the Cross!

iCatholicRadio is a mobile service of The Station of the Cross, a not-for-profit Catholic Radio Network that exists in order to effectively evangelize through radio programming.

http://www.icatholicradio.com/index.php

We strive to proclaim
the Truth revealed in the person of Jesus Christ,
handed on by the power of the Holy Spirit,
through the Magisterium of the Catholic Church,
for the past 2,000 years,
and now laid out for us in the Catechism.

I just learned about this today, and at a glance, it looks faithful and informative. They are starting a drive to consecrate the world to Jesus through Mary! Praise God!

Looks like they have three podcasts in iTunes:

• Calling All Catholics
• Divine Mercy in My Soul
• The Station of the Cross: Various Talks

I plan to download these and try them out. If you listen and can recommend them (or not), let me know!