Pope Francis explains in his prayer intentions video for March that “the time in which we live calls us to develop a deep capacity for discernment.”
A woman appears in the video walking through a park with a map in her hand while trying to find the right path. She decides to ask various people for directions. However, each one of them gives her a different answer.
Desperate because she can't find the answer, the woman decides to sit down on a bench. She puts the map down and asks God for help. Through her internal reflection, she discovers the answer she was looking for.
The Pope asks Catholics “to discern the Lord's voice among all the voices; which is His voice that drives us to the resurrection, the voice that frees us from falling into the culture of death.”
The Holy Father explains that everyone needs to internally decipher what the Lord asks of him or her to live with love and continue his mission of love.
Finally, Pope Francis asks the Church to recognize the urgent need for formation in spiritual discernment, on an individual level as well as in communities.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
A "PARADIGM SHIFT" NEEDED IN CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have finally gotten honest with their constituents and officially abandoned their lack luster push to legalize school vouchers in the State.
In response, a network of struggling Roman Catholic schools in Memphis has announced dramatic plans to keep its campuses open and serving students—converting all the schools into public charter schools.
This is not the first time this strategy has been deployed to keep urban Catholic K-12 campuses open.
And as enrollment in Catholic schools continues to plunge nationwide—a trend in part driven by competition from charter schools—such conversions may become more commonplace.
Financial instability is at the root of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis' decision to close the schools.
The Memphis Jubilee Catholic Schools Network, which served mostly low-income students free of tuition, relied on donations to run. Without the hope of getting public money through state-funded school vouchers, the Diocese has decided to shutter the schools at the end of next school year.
Parents were informed by the Diocese that an independent group was planning to open a charter network in place of the Jubilee schools where current students could "maintain continuity in education with a strong foundation already in place."
That group, newly-formed and led by the president of a local Catholic university, notified the Shelby County school district last week it plans to submit applications to open charter schools in each of the Jubilee network school buildings for the 2019-20 school year.
Should the school district approve all of the applications, the new group would become the largest charter network in the city.
If the Jubilee network schools make the switch to charters, they will join a small but growing club of Catholic schools in cities such as Indianapolis, Miami, and Washington that have opted to shed their religious identities to remain open.
A 2014 report from EdChoice (formally called the Friedman Foundation), found that switching sectors dramatically increased enrollment and resources for schools.
Local dioceses, which often continue to own the buildings and rent them to the newly converted charter schools, can use the rent money to help the parishes.
This strategy could do much for the plight facing Catholic education nationally.
Catholic school enrollment has plummeted from 5.2 million during its heyday in the 1960s to about 1.9 million today. And how many of that number of Catholic school students are actually Catholic is perhaps among the best kept secrets since no reliable statistics have ever been made available.
A mixture of changing demographics, rising tuition costs, and increased competition from charter schools—some of which, with their strict codes of conduct and uniforms, appear very similar to parochial schools—have hit urban Catholic schools especially hard.
But the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have remained adamantine in their resistance to the charter school strategy.
In the meantime, an enormous amount of human and financial resource continues to be allocated to a system which is facing rapid extinction.
According to some, Pope Francis has called for a “paradigm shift” in the way the Church accompanies people who are struggling in their faith and moral lives.
Perhaps, the NCEA and USCCB need to consider conversion to charter schools as a “paradigm shift” in the Catholic education and formation of its children, the future generations of the Church.
Such adaptations and changes are difficult to make for those in authority and those who are personally invested in the old models of Catholic parochial education.
They should be mindful of this wise advice and caution and remember the words of every institution that has died and is presently on its way to the graveyard: “But we’ve always done it this way!”
As long as the NCEA and USCCB continue to support the “dinosaur” of the traditional Catholic parochial school system, the Catholic education and formation of children will continue to be put in jeopardy.
Let us all remember what happened to the dinosaur!
In response, a network of struggling Roman Catholic schools in Memphis has announced dramatic plans to keep its campuses open and serving students—converting all the schools into public charter schools.
This is not the first time this strategy has been deployed to keep urban Catholic K-12 campuses open.
And as enrollment in Catholic schools continues to plunge nationwide—a trend in part driven by competition from charter schools—such conversions may become more commonplace.
Financial instability is at the root of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis' decision to close the schools.
The Memphis Jubilee Catholic Schools Network, which served mostly low-income students free of tuition, relied on donations to run. Without the hope of getting public money through state-funded school vouchers, the Diocese has decided to shutter the schools at the end of next school year.
Parents were informed by the Diocese that an independent group was planning to open a charter network in place of the Jubilee schools where current students could "maintain continuity in education with a strong foundation already in place."
That group, newly-formed and led by the president of a local Catholic university, notified the Shelby County school district last week it plans to submit applications to open charter schools in each of the Jubilee network school buildings for the 2019-20 school year.
Should the school district approve all of the applications, the new group would become the largest charter network in the city.
If the Jubilee network schools make the switch to charters, they will join a small but growing club of Catholic schools in cities such as Indianapolis, Miami, and Washington that have opted to shed their religious identities to remain open.
A 2014 report from EdChoice (formally called the Friedman Foundation), found that switching sectors dramatically increased enrollment and resources for schools.
Local dioceses, which often continue to own the buildings and rent them to the newly converted charter schools, can use the rent money to help the parishes.
This strategy could do much for the plight facing Catholic education nationally.
Catholic school enrollment has plummeted from 5.2 million during its heyday in the 1960s to about 1.9 million today. And how many of that number of Catholic school students are actually Catholic is perhaps among the best kept secrets since no reliable statistics have ever been made available.
A mixture of changing demographics, rising tuition costs, and increased competition from charter schools—some of which, with their strict codes of conduct and uniforms, appear very similar to parochial schools—have hit urban Catholic schools especially hard.
But the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have remained adamantine in their resistance to the charter school strategy.
In the meantime, an enormous amount of human and financial resource continues to be allocated to a system which is facing rapid extinction.
According to some, Pope Francis has called for a “paradigm shift” in the way the Church accompanies people who are struggling in their faith and moral lives.
Perhaps, the NCEA and USCCB need to consider conversion to charter schools as a “paradigm shift” in the Catholic education and formation of its children, the future generations of the Church.
Such adaptations and changes are difficult to make for those in authority and those who are personally invested in the old models of Catholic parochial education.
They should be mindful of this wise advice and caution and remember the words of every institution that has died and is presently on its way to the graveyard: “But we’ve always done it this way!”
As long as the NCEA and USCCB continue to support the “dinosaur” of the traditional Catholic parochial school system, the Catholic education and formation of children will continue to be put in jeopardy.
Let us all remember what happened to the dinosaur!
Monday, March 5, 2018
WHAT WE WON'T HEAR IN THE DEBATES ABOUT THE VALENTINE'S DAY SCHOOL MASSACRE
On Valentine's Day, 17 people — including students and teachers— at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, were killed by a 19-year-old former student.
This was the 10th mass school shooting in the United States in the past five years.
Massacres of this type occur with such frequency that law enforcement has now established a separate category of crime which identifies a mass shooting as one where at least four people are killed in a single incident.
Once again, those immediately affected and the nation itself collectively will ask: why?
And yet again, we will hear the noisy and meaningless debates over gun control.
This shooting in Florida has added another political aspect to the violence with politicians and police turning attention away from their failures and focusing in upon the need for more effective "mental health screening".
As in the past, the same tired cliched explanations will be uttered by those in public authority with the means to do something real and positive about protecting school children, teachers and staff: poverty, lack of opportunity, the proliferation of violence in entertainment and on social media.
But here's the real explanation the politicians, law enforcement, and public officials won’t mention and certainly are not open to hearing: the lack of moral formation that is so prevalent among our young people and exhibited throughout our modern day culture.
God, good and evil, right and wrong have been declared to be subjects which are anathema in schools and anywhere in the public forum.
Moral values no longer exercise any governorship over choices people make.
There is a whole new value system which has replaced traditional morality: instant self-gratification, the immediate and un-filtered fulfillment of oneself.
The fact is personal gratification is the new gospel in our society and certainly among our youth.
Of course, when such liberality and license encounter the deep resentments which find harbor in certain troubled individuals, their depression and despair are expressed in dramatic acts of violence often exerted upon the weakest and most vulnerable.
Secularists have been successful in removing God, prayer, moral and civic formation from the classroom.
Hooray for them! An empty and horrific victory!
For they must accept that the blood of the innocent victims is on their hands as the value of human life and common decency which those values instilled has been erased from classrooms.
Late night talk show hosts and daytime gurus love to disparage anything to do with faith or religion, holding up for ridicule anyone who would suggest that the Evangelical Counsels contained in Sacred Scripture are a pathway to successful personal and social well-being.
These sociopaths (for that is what they are) are quite popular and enjoy legions of followers. They are the "blind leading the blind" of whom the Lord spoke.
Let Americans, one and all, accept part of the blame on account of our indifference and our penchant for not holding those in authority accountable for their incompetence and political posturing.
God have mercy on those who have died, their families and dear ones.
God have mercy on our country.
Help us, Lord, turn away from a culture of hedonism and death toward a culture of life and decency which flows from the knowledge of Your Will and Your Way.
This was the 10th mass school shooting in the United States in the past five years.
Massacres of this type occur with such frequency that law enforcement has now established a separate category of crime which identifies a mass shooting as one where at least four people are killed in a single incident.
Once again, those immediately affected and the nation itself collectively will ask: why?
And yet again, we will hear the noisy and meaningless debates over gun control.
This shooting in Florida has added another political aspect to the violence with politicians and police turning attention away from their failures and focusing in upon the need for more effective "mental health screening".
As in the past, the same tired cliched explanations will be uttered by those in public authority with the means to do something real and positive about protecting school children, teachers and staff: poverty, lack of opportunity, the proliferation of violence in entertainment and on social media.
But here's the real explanation the politicians, law enforcement, and public officials won’t mention and certainly are not open to hearing: the lack of moral formation that is so prevalent among our young people and exhibited throughout our modern day culture.
God, good and evil, right and wrong have been declared to be subjects which are anathema in schools and anywhere in the public forum.
Moral values no longer exercise any governorship over choices people make.
There is a whole new value system which has replaced traditional morality: instant self-gratification, the immediate and un-filtered fulfillment of oneself.
The fact is personal gratification is the new gospel in our society and certainly among our youth.
Of course, when such liberality and license encounter the deep resentments which find harbor in certain troubled individuals, their depression and despair are expressed in dramatic acts of violence often exerted upon the weakest and most vulnerable.
Secularists have been successful in removing God, prayer, moral and civic formation from the classroom.
Hooray for them! An empty and horrific victory!
For they must accept that the blood of the innocent victims is on their hands as the value of human life and common decency which those values instilled has been erased from classrooms.
Late night talk show hosts and daytime gurus love to disparage anything to do with faith or religion, holding up for ridicule anyone who would suggest that the Evangelical Counsels contained in Sacred Scripture are a pathway to successful personal and social well-being.
These sociopaths (for that is what they are) are quite popular and enjoy legions of followers. They are the "blind leading the blind" of whom the Lord spoke.
Let Americans, one and all, accept part of the blame on account of our indifference and our penchant for not holding those in authority accountable for their incompetence and political posturing.
God have mercy on those who have died, their families and dear ones.
God have mercy on our country.
Help us, Lord, turn away from a culture of hedonism and death toward a culture of life and decency which flows from the knowledge of Your Will and Your Way.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
WHO'S IN CHARGE OF APPOINTING BISHOPS ANYHOW?
What do Bishop Peter Okpaleke, former head of the Diocese of Ahiara in Nigeria, Bishop Juan Barros of the Chilean Diocese of Osorno and Joseph Cardinal Zen, retired Bishop of Hong Kong, share in common?
They are at the heart of a fundamental question which is being raised during the Pontificate of Pope Francis.
The question is this: who exercises final authority over the selection of Bishops? Is it the Pope? Protesting Clergy and laity who refused to accept a Bishop? Or a national government?
In the case of Bishop Okpaleke, it appears that Pope Francis has backed away from a previous ultimatum to the Priests of Ahiara whom he threatened to excommunicate if they did not each send him a letter of apology for their resistance to the Bishop’s appointment.
In the end, Pope Francis accepted Bishop Okpaleke’s resignation in pursuit of a greater good, peace in the besieged diocese.
In so doing, has Pope Francis signaled his willingness (even if reluctant) to relinquish his supreme autonomy as regards the selection of Bishops?
What happens in Chile with Bishop Barros remains to be seen. Certainly, the opposition to Bishop Barros is no less intense in Osorno, Chile than it was against Bishop Okpaleke in Ahiara in Nigeria.
And what eventually is decided regarding the selection of Bishops in China will be critical as the Holy See desires to establish closer ties with one-fifth of the world’s population and its Communist leadership.
As we near the Fifth Anniversary of Pope Francis’ election of the Office of Peter, questions such as these lead many to wonder what the legacy of this Holy Father will be and how the Papacy itself will be affected for decades, if not centuries, to come.
They are at the heart of a fundamental question which is being raised during the Pontificate of Pope Francis.
The question is this: who exercises final authority over the selection of Bishops? Is it the Pope? Protesting Clergy and laity who refused to accept a Bishop? Or a national government?
In the case of Bishop Okpaleke, it appears that Pope Francis has backed away from a previous ultimatum to the Priests of Ahiara whom he threatened to excommunicate if they did not each send him a letter of apology for their resistance to the Bishop’s appointment.
In the end, Pope Francis accepted Bishop Okpaleke’s resignation in pursuit of a greater good, peace in the besieged diocese.
In so doing, has Pope Francis signaled his willingness (even if reluctant) to relinquish his supreme autonomy as regards the selection of Bishops?
What happens in Chile with Bishop Barros remains to be seen. Certainly, the opposition to Bishop Barros is no less intense in Osorno, Chile than it was against Bishop Okpaleke in Ahiara in Nigeria.
And what eventually is decided regarding the selection of Bishops in China will be critical as the Holy See desires to establish closer ties with one-fifth of the world’s population and its Communist leadership.
As we near the Fifth Anniversary of Pope Francis’ election of the Office of Peter, questions such as these lead many to wonder what the legacy of this Holy Father will be and how the Papacy itself will be affected for decades, if not centuries, to come.
Friday, March 2, 2018
CONDOLENCES AND PRAYERS AT THE DEATH OF EVANGELIST, REVEREND BILLY GRAHAM
Pope Francis responded to the death of beloved Evangelist Reverend Billy Graham.
"His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of Reverend Billy Graham, and he offers heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones," the statement said.
The Pope message said he was mindful of Reverend Graham's "long and dedicated service to the Gospel," and he commends the Reverend's soul to the merciful love of Almighty God.
"Upon all who mourn his passing in the sure hope of the resurrection, Pope Francis invokes the divine blessings of peace and consolation in the Lord Jesus."
The message was delivered by Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte.
We join in prayer with the Holy Father and the millions who mourn with his family and friends, while rejoicing in our blessed assurance in faith that this good and decent soul rests in the company of the Lord Jesus.
May his soul and the souls of all the Faithful Departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
"His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of Reverend Billy Graham, and he offers heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones," the statement said.
The Pope message said he was mindful of Reverend Graham's "long and dedicated service to the Gospel," and he commends the Reverend's soul to the merciful love of Almighty God.
"Upon all who mourn his passing in the sure hope of the resurrection, Pope Francis invokes the divine blessings of peace and consolation in the Lord Jesus."
The message was delivered by Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte.
We join in prayer with the Holy Father and the millions who mourn with his family and friends, while rejoicing in our blessed assurance in faith that this good and decent soul rests in the company of the Lord Jesus.
May his soul and the souls of all the Faithful Departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
LETTER FROM CONGREGATION FOR DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH REMINDS BISHOPS THAT TRUE SALVATION IS FOUND IN CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
A letter addressed to the Bishops of the world and signed by Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer SJ, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, clarifies how the ancient heresies of Pelagianism and Gnosticism are diffused in modern culture, and urges Christians to evangelize while engaging with those from other religions in a spirit of genuine dialogue.
The letter, consisting of six points, including an introduction and conclusion, outlines the errors of Pelagianism and Gnosticism in light of Christian doctrine.
The letter highlights the difficulty many have in accepting the teachings of Christianity in today's society.
On one hand, there is an “individualism centered on the autonomous individual which tends to see the human person as a being whose sole fulfillment depends only on his or her own strength.”
In this view, Christ inspires virtue but is not recognized as the one who transforms the human condition by incorporating mankind into a new, reconciled life with Our Heavenly Father.
On the other hand,there is a popular but merely interior vision of salvation marked by a strong personal conviction or feeling of being united to God but which does not take into account the need to accept, heal and renew our relationships with others and with the created world.
These have been two themes that are frequent and redundant in Pope Francis’ Pontificate.
At the beginning of his Pontificate, the Holy Father has spoken out about these two heresies, stating that Pelagianism and Gnosticism are two of the greatest temptations that lead the Church away from humility and beatitude.
The letter constitutes a concise capitulation of what Pope Francis has detailed to be at the heart of the resistance to embrace Jesus and His salvific mission which continues through the ministry of the Church.
And while it is addressed to the Bishops of the world, I fear that its publication on various social media platforms will be the source of much confusion and controversy especially with regard to what the letter has to say about the Church as the sole source of true redemption.
Salvation, the letter says, doesn't occur in just an interior manner, because Jesus was made flesh in order to communicate with mankind. And by becoming part of the human family, Jesus “has united himself in some fashion with every man and woman and has established a new kind of relationship with God, his Father, and with all humanity.”
The letter reaffirms that the place where humanity receives the salvation of Jesus “is the Church,” beginning with baptism and continuing through the other Sacraments.
Salvation cannot be achieved by one's own individual efforts alone, as neo-Pelagian thought would argue, but is instead found “in the relationships that are born from the incarnate Son of God and that form the communion of the Church.”
With the Sacraments, “Christians are able to live faithful to the flesh of Christ and, as a result, in fidelity to the kind of relationships that he gave us,” the letter said, explaining that under this rationale, care for those who are suffering is especially important, particularly through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
The letter closes with an encouragement to the Bishops to establish a “sincere and constructive dialogue” with other religions, believing that God can lead all men of goodwill toward salvation in Christ.
The letter speaks the truth. It offers a lesson which the Bishops and the Catholic faithful need to hear and be reminded of often.
I am quite sure that there will be detractors among non-Christian faiths who will claim that the letter is insensitive to their beliefs and practices.
At a press conference following the letter's publication, Archbishop Ferrer addressed the fact this is the first major document on Christian salvation since Dominus Iesus in 2000, a controversial text in itself which was criticized for its condescension toward other religions. In the language of that document, non-Christians "objectively speaking are in a gravely deficient situation with regard to salvation."
Archbishop Ferrer stated that this letter, Placuit Deo, "does not wish to enter in discussion on the issues raised by Dominus Iesus."
He added, "Even though the letter does not delve into this issues, it doesn't mean that the teaching of the Church on this issue has changed. It remains the way it was, though analysed in greater depth."
Still, Archbishop Ferrer may well be surprised at the criticism that will come his way as a result of this letter.
I wonder what motivated both the content and timing of this letter and who is really behind it, whether it was written at the explicit direction of the Pope or whether Archbishop Ferrer felt compelled for whatever reason to pen this document.
I certainly encourage readers to take a look at the letter which can be found on the Vatican website.
Let us all take comfort and find blessed assurance knowing that, weak and sinful as we are, salvation is possible in our relationship to Christ and, for us who profess the Catholic Faith, through the ministry of His Church.
The letter, consisting of six points, including an introduction and conclusion, outlines the errors of Pelagianism and Gnosticism in light of Christian doctrine.
The letter highlights the difficulty many have in accepting the teachings of Christianity in today's society.
On one hand, there is an “individualism centered on the autonomous individual which tends to see the human person as a being whose sole fulfillment depends only on his or her own strength.”
In this view, Christ inspires virtue but is not recognized as the one who transforms the human condition by incorporating mankind into a new, reconciled life with Our Heavenly Father.
On the other hand,there is a popular but merely interior vision of salvation marked by a strong personal conviction or feeling of being united to God but which does not take into account the need to accept, heal and renew our relationships with others and with the created world.
These have been two themes that are frequent and redundant in Pope Francis’ Pontificate.
At the beginning of his Pontificate, the Holy Father has spoken out about these two heresies, stating that Pelagianism and Gnosticism are two of the greatest temptations that lead the Church away from humility and beatitude.
The letter constitutes a concise capitulation of what Pope Francis has detailed to be at the heart of the resistance to embrace Jesus and His salvific mission which continues through the ministry of the Church.
And while it is addressed to the Bishops of the world, I fear that its publication on various social media platforms will be the source of much confusion and controversy especially with regard to what the letter has to say about the Church as the sole source of true redemption.
Salvation, the letter says, doesn't occur in just an interior manner, because Jesus was made flesh in order to communicate with mankind. And by becoming part of the human family, Jesus “has united himself in some fashion with every man and woman and has established a new kind of relationship with God, his Father, and with all humanity.”
The letter reaffirms that the place where humanity receives the salvation of Jesus “is the Church,” beginning with baptism and continuing through the other Sacraments.
Salvation cannot be achieved by one's own individual efforts alone, as neo-Pelagian thought would argue, but is instead found “in the relationships that are born from the incarnate Son of God and that form the communion of the Church.”
With the Sacraments, “Christians are able to live faithful to the flesh of Christ and, as a result, in fidelity to the kind of relationships that he gave us,” the letter said, explaining that under this rationale, care for those who are suffering is especially important, particularly through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
The letter closes with an encouragement to the Bishops to establish a “sincere and constructive dialogue” with other religions, believing that God can lead all men of goodwill toward salvation in Christ.
The letter speaks the truth. It offers a lesson which the Bishops and the Catholic faithful need to hear and be reminded of often.
I am quite sure that there will be detractors among non-Christian faiths who will claim that the letter is insensitive to their beliefs and practices.
At a press conference following the letter's publication, Archbishop Ferrer addressed the fact this is the first major document on Christian salvation since Dominus Iesus in 2000, a controversial text in itself which was criticized for its condescension toward other religions. In the language of that document, non-Christians "objectively speaking are in a gravely deficient situation with regard to salvation."
Archbishop Ferrer stated that this letter, Placuit Deo, "does not wish to enter in discussion on the issues raised by Dominus Iesus."
He added, "Even though the letter does not delve into this issues, it doesn't mean that the teaching of the Church on this issue has changed. It remains the way it was, though analysed in greater depth."
Still, Archbishop Ferrer may well be surprised at the criticism that will come his way as a result of this letter.
I wonder what motivated both the content and timing of this letter and who is really behind it, whether it was written at the explicit direction of the Pope or whether Archbishop Ferrer felt compelled for whatever reason to pen this document.
I certainly encourage readers to take a look at the letter which can be found on the Vatican website.
Let us all take comfort and find blessed assurance knowing that, weak and sinful as we are, salvation is possible in our relationship to Christ and, for us who profess the Catholic Faith, through the ministry of His Church.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
CATHOLIC CHARITIES USA: NEITHER CATHOLIC NOR CHARITABLE
Whatever happened to the 1000 points of light?
Remember those?
They were supposed to be the faith-based institutions which would come to the aid of the downtrodden by transforming the personal dysfunction which often is the basis of their miseries.
Among these used to be Catholic Charities USA, which one would have thought would be a model to emulate in emphasizing moral values and ethical conduct.
Sadly, however, Catholic Charities USA has become part of the problem and not the solution.
Helping the poor has become a business. And for Catholic Charities USA, it has become a very, very big business.
With annual budgets (flowing in from taxpayers and contributors) well into the billions of dollars, there is little which Catholic Charities USA does which is explicitly Catholic, or even the slightest bit religious for that matter.
Catholic Charities USA, far from being a model of reforming America’s welfare state has become one of the country’s greatest advocates for the continuing victimization which the worn-out welfare state perpetuates.
Today's credo of Catholic Charities USA is that the individual has no control over the social and economic forces which are responsible for his or her poverty and lack of personal responsibility.
Such was not always the case. Until the dawn of the much heralded “Great Society” of President Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic Party in the 1960s, Catholic charitable institutions were notably successful in serving the poor and bringing the into the mainstream of American life.
One need look no further than the efforts of Catholics like Archbishop John Hughes of New York who, during the second half of the Nineteenth Century, so uplifted the Irish immigrant population that by the tun of the century most of them were mainstream American citizens.
Archbishop Hughes’ message as well as other Catholic social agencies’ call to the poor was to remind them that they were in their condition on account of willful self-destructive behavior or self-imposed limitations.
Back then, the goal of Catholic charity was to help such people change their “sinful behaviors”. The goal was to change their values and beliefs.
And what is more powerful in working such a transformation than religion and Faith, which gives a proper sense of moral order, stresses the importance of personal responsibility and the overcoming of personal failings, offers membership in a meaning-rich community, requires responsibility to family, and forgives past transgressions, if one is willing to make a fresh start.
All this disintegrated in the 1960s.
Catholic Charities USA rejected its long-standing emphasis on personal responsibility and self-reliance and began to blame society rather than individual behavior for poverty and crime.
Now, hope for the future was not to be found in moral values and right conduct. Rather, salvation was to be found in the ample provisions of the welfare state which promised to solve all social problems.
Today, Catholic Charities USA has become, as Father Richard John Neuhaus, Priest and Editor of the esteemed religious journal, First Things, puts it, "a chief apologist for a catastrophically destructive welfare system, and it stands in the way of developing alternatives to help people break out of dependency and take charge of their lives."
The 40-member central headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, assembles a legislative agenda, lobbies Congress and the White House, and, through weekly "Advofaxes," alerts member agencies and subscribers to impending federal and state legislation on social policy.
This isn't charity at all. When you take away dollars that you could spend helping people and spend them on lobbying, you're robbing the poor to give to the lobbyist.
The second big thrust of Catholic Charities USA is so-called “parish social ministry”, which dedicates itself to spurring the members of local parishes to do traditional, and effective, good works: to visit the elderly, say, or take care of neighborhood kids. But, it also involves politically oriented community organizing.
The singular problem with this effort is determining whether getting low-income people to agitate for social change, rather than helping them to get their lives in order to take advantage of the opportunities multiplying around them, is the most effective way to serve the poor.
The result is that the member agencies of Catholic Charities USA never focus on the outcome of their activities. No one knows what they are actually accomplishing and, therefore, there is ultimately no accountability for the billions that are being spent.
Finally, Catholic Charities agencies pay little attention to the power of faith to transform lives.
In Pennsylvania, a Priest began a psychology internship at a Catholic Charities clinic. The clinic supervisor tested him on three hypothetical counseling situations: a depressed pregnant woman who wants to abort her child, two homosexuals seeking advice on their relationship, and a divorcing couple asking for counseling. In keeping with Catholic teachings, the Priest advised against the abortion, refused to endorse homosexual unions, and encouraged the divorcing couple to save their marriage. He failed the test. His supervisor explained: "We get government funds, so we are not Catholic."
Catholic Charities in Albany, New York, has proposed starting a health maintenance organization that would make abortion referrals; Catholic Charities in San Francisco, to keep its city contracts, now complies with the local law extending spousal benefits to unmarried heterosexuals and homosexual live-in partners; Catholic Charities in Oakland, California, recently ran programs that encourage public school social-science instructors to discuss in a favorable light "same-sex marriage," "gays in the military," and "family diversity" starting in the first grade.
The fact is Catholic Charities USA is no longer Catholic since it has been eager and willing to separate its member agenceis from the values that once made the organization distinct from and more effective than a government welfare-state approach to the poor.
Sadly, the vast majority of Catholic faithful are ignorant (and kept so by the Bishops) of these facts and continue their moral and financial support of Catholic Charities USA in the mistaken impression that the institution has remained faithful to its founding principles.
The simple fact is that Catholic Charities USA today turned away from the Gospel and the Catholic Faith and toward the State as the primary solution for society's ills.
I have long since ceased supporting Catholic Charities USA.
I suggest that, unless the organization rediscovers its fundamental duty and purpose, others follow my example in not enabling a so-called charity which has abandoned its mission to truly help the poorest of God’s people to reclaim their lives and self-esteem.
Remember those?
They were supposed to be the faith-based institutions which would come to the aid of the downtrodden by transforming the personal dysfunction which often is the basis of their miseries.
Among these used to be Catholic Charities USA, which one would have thought would be a model to emulate in emphasizing moral values and ethical conduct.
Sadly, however, Catholic Charities USA has become part of the problem and not the solution.
Helping the poor has become a business. And for Catholic Charities USA, it has become a very, very big business.
With annual budgets (flowing in from taxpayers and contributors) well into the billions of dollars, there is little which Catholic Charities USA does which is explicitly Catholic, or even the slightest bit religious for that matter.
Catholic Charities USA, far from being a model of reforming America’s welfare state has become one of the country’s greatest advocates for the continuing victimization which the worn-out welfare state perpetuates.
Today's credo of Catholic Charities USA is that the individual has no control over the social and economic forces which are responsible for his or her poverty and lack of personal responsibility.
Such was not always the case. Until the dawn of the much heralded “Great Society” of President Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic Party in the 1960s, Catholic charitable institutions were notably successful in serving the poor and bringing the into the mainstream of American life.
One need look no further than the efforts of Catholics like Archbishop John Hughes of New York who, during the second half of the Nineteenth Century, so uplifted the Irish immigrant population that by the tun of the century most of them were mainstream American citizens.
Archbishop Hughes’ message as well as other Catholic social agencies’ call to the poor was to remind them that they were in their condition on account of willful self-destructive behavior or self-imposed limitations.
Back then, the goal of Catholic charity was to help such people change their “sinful behaviors”. The goal was to change their values and beliefs.
And what is more powerful in working such a transformation than religion and Faith, which gives a proper sense of moral order, stresses the importance of personal responsibility and the overcoming of personal failings, offers membership in a meaning-rich community, requires responsibility to family, and forgives past transgressions, if one is willing to make a fresh start.
All this disintegrated in the 1960s.
Catholic Charities USA rejected its long-standing emphasis on personal responsibility and self-reliance and began to blame society rather than individual behavior for poverty and crime.
Now, hope for the future was not to be found in moral values and right conduct. Rather, salvation was to be found in the ample provisions of the welfare state which promised to solve all social problems.
Today, Catholic Charities USA has become, as Father Richard John Neuhaus, Priest and Editor of the esteemed religious journal, First Things, puts it, "a chief apologist for a catastrophically destructive welfare system, and it stands in the way of developing alternatives to help people break out of dependency and take charge of their lives."
The 40-member central headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, assembles a legislative agenda, lobbies Congress and the White House, and, through weekly "Advofaxes," alerts member agencies and subscribers to impending federal and state legislation on social policy.
This isn't charity at all. When you take away dollars that you could spend helping people and spend them on lobbying, you're robbing the poor to give to the lobbyist.
The second big thrust of Catholic Charities USA is so-called “parish social ministry”, which dedicates itself to spurring the members of local parishes to do traditional, and effective, good works: to visit the elderly, say, or take care of neighborhood kids. But, it also involves politically oriented community organizing.
The singular problem with this effort is determining whether getting low-income people to agitate for social change, rather than helping them to get their lives in order to take advantage of the opportunities multiplying around them, is the most effective way to serve the poor.
The result is that the member agencies of Catholic Charities USA never focus on the outcome of their activities. No one knows what they are actually accomplishing and, therefore, there is ultimately no accountability for the billions that are being spent.
Finally, Catholic Charities agencies pay little attention to the power of faith to transform lives.
In Pennsylvania, a Priest began a psychology internship at a Catholic Charities clinic. The clinic supervisor tested him on three hypothetical counseling situations: a depressed pregnant woman who wants to abort her child, two homosexuals seeking advice on their relationship, and a divorcing couple asking for counseling. In keeping with Catholic teachings, the Priest advised against the abortion, refused to endorse homosexual unions, and encouraged the divorcing couple to save their marriage. He failed the test. His supervisor explained: "We get government funds, so we are not Catholic."
Catholic Charities in Albany, New York, has proposed starting a health maintenance organization that would make abortion referrals; Catholic Charities in San Francisco, to keep its city contracts, now complies with the local law extending spousal benefits to unmarried heterosexuals and homosexual live-in partners; Catholic Charities in Oakland, California, recently ran programs that encourage public school social-science instructors to discuss in a favorable light "same-sex marriage," "gays in the military," and "family diversity" starting in the first grade.
The fact is Catholic Charities USA is no longer Catholic since it has been eager and willing to separate its member agenceis from the values that once made the organization distinct from and more effective than a government welfare-state approach to the poor.
Sadly, the vast majority of Catholic faithful are ignorant (and kept so by the Bishops) of these facts and continue their moral and financial support of Catholic Charities USA in the mistaken impression that the institution has remained faithful to its founding principles.
The simple fact is that Catholic Charities USA today turned away from the Gospel and the Catholic Faith and toward the State as the primary solution for society's ills.
I have long since ceased supporting Catholic Charities USA.
I suggest that, unless the organization rediscovers its fundamental duty and purpose, others follow my example in not enabling a so-called charity which has abandoned its mission to truly help the poorest of God’s people to reclaim their lives and self-esteem.
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