I. Introduction to the Catholic Relief Services
The CRS or Catholic Relief Services is an Catholic agency sponsored by the US bishops that lists their mission statement as “Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.” (crs.org). The Catholic Relief Service essentially looks to help the poor, destitute and those placed in unfortunate circumstances in a Catholic manner on behalf of the bishops. The Catholic Relief Services is a administrative body that looks to distribute funds, send volunteers, and supply goods to places of need. When there is so much support it hard to choose how to supply it to so many places in need, the Catholic Relief Services is there
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to be the bigger entity. The Catholic Relief Service is able to provide aid to those in need from natural disasters and helping those affected by it in different ways. They provide all sorts of aid from resources in nature ravaged areas, helping to send doctors to areas when people were hurt in natural disasters, and helping to rebuild when things have settled down. This organization is similar to that of an administrator that funnels the resources, funds, and volunteers to areas of need. The main group of people the agency seeks to service is the poor, vulnerable and needy around the world. They look to assist those who don’t have what many do and give them the ability to lift themselves to a higher level of living. In many cases this is helping poor countries recover from disasters, but they also help countries grow their infrastructure to advance the welfare of their people. A lot of areas around the world suffer from poverty and are torn by disaster. The Catholic Relief Services sole mission is to help these people, the people Jesus called entitled to the kingdom of God II. The Work in a Biblical Context (46-221 The Catholic RS and it's work in emergency relief services follows the Exodus paradigm pretty well. The people of the disaster are oppressed by nature and placed in horrible conditions. God, thenn recognizes that these people are being oppressed in their current condition. God the chooses the side of the people, and proceeds to act through the volunteers working through the Catholic Relief Services. This outlines how the Catholic Relief Services would model the Exodus paradigm, but some might argue against this. Some would argue that nature itself cannot oppress the people or that God controls nature. To the argument that nature cannot oppress the people, it's a cause and effect situation. Nature is the cause of their oppression and the disaster they are left with is the effect. The also models the mosaic covenant very well. The Mosaic covenant was a bond between the ancient Israelites and God. God gave the ancient Israelites the land of Canaan and ensured their survival and descendants in exchange that they obey God's laws given to them by Moses. This is the entire goal set forth by the Catholic Relief Services. They seek to live out the works that God and Jesus taught us, to be good to others in need. “You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute” (Exodus 23:6). In the new testament Jesus further presses this concept with what is called the greatest commandment or the commandment of love. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:39). Both the old and new testament speaks of a care for other people around us and that is the key goal of the Catholic Relief Services. Finally the Catholic Relief Services primarily looks to help those need and uphold the foundation of justice in Mt 20:1-16. Matthew 20 otherwise known as the parable of the workers is a new testament story that speaks to the standard of justice the bible sets. It says “Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”( Mt 20:16). The moral of this passage that is emphasized by this line in particular is the definition of justice set by the bible. A concept of equality where regardless of where you are, first or last, you deserve the same as your peers. This definition of justice comes across as something the Catholic relief services, being as ingrained in Catholicism as one could be, would seemingly live by and they do. The Catholic Relief Services states clearly in their mission statement their commitment to putting everyone on an equal playing field. “ We protect, defend and advance human life around the world by directly meeting basic needs and advocating solutions to injustice”(crs.org/about/catholic identity). This can also be seen in their efforts in foreign countries. The Catholic Relief Service has a program called peacebuilding in which they look to close the gap among all peoples “Catholic Relief Services’ justice and peacebuilding programs engage civil society and the public and private sectors to foster inclusion, equity and accountability” It's programs like these that show the Catholic Relief Services’ commitment to upholding the biblical definition of justice. III. Catholic Social Teaching Principles Evident in the Catholic Relief Services The Catholic Relief Services is deeply rooted in the ideas of Catholic social teaching and its principles. Being an organization based heavily in catholicism and its teachings, their guiding principles are essentially the Catholic social teaching. Within the guiding principles of the Catholic Relief Services, you find many of the same principles as the Catholic social teaching, since it is a Catholic organization sponsored by the U.S bishops The first principle that the Catholic Relief Services states that one of their guiding principles is the sacredness and dignity of the human person. Human dignity is “human dignity is incredibly elevated in that we humans are capable of intimate relationships with God and sanctified by Christ’s salvific grace. This transcendent dignity depends not on any accomplishment, education, wealth, race, or nation. It doesn't take away by birth defect, disease, crime, poverty, or membership in any suspect group. Human dignity necessarily involves human life, rights, development, and empowerment.” (Kammer Human Dignity) The Catholic Relief Services guides their work by this principle and they aim to “Created in the image of God, all human life is sacred and possesses a dignity that comes directly from our creation and not from any action of our own.” (CRS.org) Both organizations acknowledge that all people are created in the image of God and this is key to the work of the Catholic Relief Services and all service is realizing that all humans are inherently equal because we are all the same, we are all shades of god. Another key principle of Catholic social teaching and the Catholic Relief Services is the common good. The common good is a idea that believes in something that we can all agree on and that is what helps the most people. Catholic social teaching defines this as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” (Kammer Common good) this essentially means what considers the situation and works to help the most people. The Catholic Relief Services looks to help the most people in a certain situation by asking those who weren't affected by a disaster to help aid those who were. It aims to take those who were knocked down and have those still standing help to pick them back up because those still standing are in a position where they can do that. The goal is to pass all boundaries of society and seek to put those of misfortune in a better standing because it can benefit us all. The Catholic Relief Services defines this in their guiding principles as “In order for all of us to have an opportunity to grow and develop fully, a certain social fabric must exist within society. This is the common good. Numerous social conditions — economic, political, material and cultural — impact our ability to realize our human dignity and reach our full potential.” (CRS.org) The final aspect of Catholic social teaching is subsidiary. Subsidiarity is the idea that we should leave the small aspects of the little guys and the people most directly influencing a certain condition and we must leave the larger aspects to the bigger structures to deal with the big picture in a better way. The point of subsidiarity is to bring influence to those on the ground level while not troubling them with the big picture that they cannot possibly attend to. The Catholic Relief Services looks at this in a slightly different manner “A higher level of government — or organization — should not perform any function or duty that can be handled more effectively at a lower level by people who are closer to the problem and have a better understanding of the issue.” (CRS.org) They don't believe that subsidiary should be maintained in order to be the most efficient. Instead, they think that of a larger entity to enter the situation of a small aspect they would be drawn away from the purpose of that smaller entity while leaving a lapse that the small entity is unable to fill. The Catholic Relief Services lives subsidiarity by having the organization as a whole deal with the logistical things and leaves the main aid to the people willing to go to the ground of a major disaster. IV. Concluding Reflection In conclusion, The Catholic Relief Services is a wonderful organization whose work in helping those affected by disaster.
Their work and basis is deeply rooted in its Catholic origins and it's deep basis in the Exodus paradigm and the Mosaic covenant. The Catholic Relief Services commitment to the poor and destitute in aiding them around the world through several means while still maintaining strong moral and physical standpoint by sticking to teachings of the Bible shows kinds of things that they can do using the teachings of Jesus. The organization does great work to help those all over the world affected by natural disaster.They have the strength to be a solid Catholic Institution but the ability to enact change all over the world. The fact that they keep the Catholic Social teaching principles in their mission statement and listed the forefront of their website shows how deeply committed they are to it as an organization. Come to realize how important the work of the Catholic Relief Services is even though it may seem large-scale, without the large-scale,the small-scale is ineffective.Create way for one to continue the work of the Catholic Relief Services end or to benefit it would be to donate to their cause so they can give supplies to the needy, or to volunteer as a ground soldier to the Catholic Relief Services. the two things the Catholic Relief Services cannot live without our manpower and supplies;the Catholic Relief Services is purely administrative and without these it is unable to function. Overall the Catholic Relief Services is a administrative juggernaut organizing aid to those in need around the
world.
Analysis of CAFOD (A Charity Organization) The charity I am going to analyse and explain is CAFOD. CAFOD was formed in 1961when the National Board of Catholic Women decided to carry out a family fast day, because the people of the Caribbean Island of Dominica had requested help for a mother and baby health care programme. A year after the family fast day the Catholic bishops of England and Wales decided to set up the “Catholic Fund for Overseas Development” or “CAFOD”. The main aim of this charity was to bring together the vast number of smaller charities and to educate Roman Catholics in England and Wales about the need for world development and also to raise money for developing countries. Even now CAFOD is still helping all around the world thanks to the support of Catholics in England and Wales.
The Salvation Army prides itself in continuously offering needs based programs or service to communities that fall below the poverty line. The Salvation Army has a wide array of strengths including: 1) Professional networking; a channel through which ideas, resources and services can be exchanged between Salvation Army and other non-profit organizations 2) Global notoriety; the Salvation Army is a world-wide organization, sustained primarily through government funds and public donations 3) Longevity; a demonstrated history of success. This history of longevity affords them a positive, solid reputation in participating communities (The Salvation Army USA, 2018).
What were your goals for this project? Our goals for this project is to raise at least $100 for Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, but also to earn a good grade. We decide to choose St. Jude because Manuela personally has a one year old boy and she had commented that she saw a television commercial were a young boy was suffering from this horrible disease, but unfortunately lost his battle against cancer. We want create consciousness that with just donating 63 cents a day and $19 a month we can make a big difference, which you can help save a life of one of these children. Families who kids are receiving treatment, they never receive a bill charging them transportation and other services for example St. Jude pays for the children who
Catholics who conduct acts of social justice do not discriminate against those who are ‘different.’ They aim to challenge the structural nature of poverty, by helping people, regardless of race, political beliefs, gender or religion. Caritas Australia - the Catholic agency for international aid and development – are an example of good Catholics who are committed to delivering aid and development to the underprivileged. Similarly, the Australian Social Justice Council promotes education and action on social justice and peace and human rights - integrating them deeply into the life of the whole Catholic community in Australia.
First responders have different challenges compared to the rest of the population. The challenges are due to the motto’s they swear to uphold and the public they serve. They have their own culture consisting of beliefs, language, traditions and values that are specific to their group. They are more likely to witness traumatic events that are outside the norm. They are sometime expected to kill and even be killed, especially law enforcement and military. The culture is very different then the civilian or mental health culture, for example: collectivism versus individualism. Therefore, when it comes to building a relationship with combat veterans and first responders it is essential to understand the culture. Lastly, there are common diagnosis among first responders making it important to use specific assessments. These assessments are used to identify trauma and stress related disorders such as: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acute Stress Disorder (ASD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Depression, and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
What really sets this organization from the rest is how it is structured around their Christian faith, going into a rather historically culture where most of the population was devoted to the Roman Catholic Church. Being a Christian organization, it is rather obvious that they are not just there just to provide disaster risk reduction through aid, but as well spread the word of God with the attempt to “convert” over some people. The President of World Vision in 1987, Ted Engstrom, stated, “We analyze every project, every program we undertake, to make sure that within the [program] evangelism is a significant component. We cannot feed individuals and then let them go to hell” (qtd. in Hancock 9). This paper serves as an analysis of the fundamentals of the Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision International. As a humanitarian support, their service was of a great necessity in rebuilding Honduras that helped satisfy the voids other types of aid organizations were not able to provide or did not provide adequately by supplying disaster risk reduction to furthermore
Louis donated to Hurricane Irma victims thousands of miles away, every organization that receives money from the Annual Catholic Appeal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis will give a service or provide help to St. Louis regional citizens. Catholic schools across the St. Louis area depend of the help of the Annual Catholic Appeal to keep their doors open. Thousands of young students attend Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the St. Louis area each year. Without financial help from the Archdiocese, some of these schools would be forced to close. Their closures would greatly hurt the St. Louis Catholic influence on the area by reducing the number of children who hear the Word of God each day in class and by preventing students from receiving the incredible education that comes through a Catholic
The organisation that I have chosen to research is Caritas Australia. It is a non-profit international aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Australia. Their motto is to help “end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity” for the poor so they won’t need to rely on charities anymore. Furthermore, the international symbol of Caritas is a flaming cross which represents Christ’s burning love for his people.
Even with all the damage that has been done, there are relief efforts for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s government made a presentation of all the supplies they are going to need to help. The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Catholic Charities are all accepting donations for places that have been affected by the recent hurricanes. There are several more organizations working to help with relief in Puerto Rico: The Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund, UNICEF, One America Appeal, Habitat for Humanity, and Caritas de Puerto
As Catholics, we profess a universal church; encountering Christ brings with it the responsibility of reaching out to those on the peripheries. This service and need to bring with us the joy of the Gospel to all starts with those around us who are overlooked and reaches to the furthest ends of the globe. As missionary disciples, we must make the Universal Church a presence at the peripheries; for example, we help persecuted Christians in Egypt, homeless and displaced civilians in Ukraine, child refugees from North Korea, typhoon survivors in the Philippines, flood victims in Mexico and people with physical disabilities in Vietnam, Cuba, and Haiti.
In 1975, the 32nd General Congregation (GC 32) further elaborated on the mission of Jesuit education as "the service of the faith and the promotion of justice.” This proclamation challenged Jesuits and all who worked at their institutions to work on behalf of the poor and youth. A few years later, former Father General Pedro Arrupe recognized the transnational dimensions of the refugee issue and founded Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) to coordinate the Society’s efforts on a global scale. Today JRS work to serve and educate refugees on 5 continents in over 50 countries.
The shepherd and sheep relationship is the best illustration for the relationship between pastor and parishioners. When Jesus asked Simon Peter does he love him three times and said to him “Feed my sheep”, the shepherd and flock relationship has been set. Since Jesus is our good shepherd (Jn. 10:11a), he laid out a good example for us to follow - to lay down his life for the sheep. (Jn. 10:11b) Thus, the wellness of both in and out of the parishioners should always be the concern in the pastors’ hearts. Soul care for the people is essential. Christian friendship is the foundation of Christian soul care. Pastoral ministry including preaching, teaching, and worship forms the broad context of pastoral counseling. Pastoral care is within pastoral ministry but broader than pastoral counseling. God’s love is the source and motivation. Within the pastoral care, there are spiritual direction and pastoral
One of the most basic teachings in the Catholic Church is to ?Love one another as I have loved you.? This can be implied towards people living in poverty as we can follow the steps that Jesus had undertaken to love other people even if they are your enemies. By showing love and compassion we can create a world that is aware of poverty issues and help the declination of poverty. Countless organisations are heavily involved in carrying missions to help ultimately eradicate poverty. These charities and organisations include CARITAS, World Vision, Oxfam, St Vincent de Paul and many other non profitable organisations which help carry out work to help those who are in need.
As the practical influence was the more important of the two, the Catholic Church developed an extremely large practical role in the social services before it evolved. Today this order is being reversed. The church’s role as a service provider was deteriorating mainly because falling vocations left the church without suitable persons to sustain their roles. The reputation of the Catholic Church has also been stained by the found information of the shocking abuses committed by members of the Catholic Clergy on vulnerable people, particularly children, whom had been placed in their care. Despite the effects of these scandals, the new means of influencing social policy debate has a substantial effectiveness and may well offer a means by which the church can play an important role in the development of social policy in the future (Socialjustice.com. 2014).
The reformation of the Charity Organizations didn’t grant relief themselves however they served as a resource to simplify the transaction of relief to relief applicants by: maintaining relief applicant requests, records of the aid given to them, and referring those worthy or unworthy to the proper agencies (Trattner, 1999). Their goal was to eradicate fraud and duplicity of services while also maintaining efficiency and treating poverty. The charity organization movement intended to treat poverty by enacting “friendly visitors” to look into each case and define the cause of destitution while also watching for overlapping relief. These “friendly visitors” and their investigations were the cornerstone of the Charity Organization Society’s (C.O.S) treatment; granting aid without investigation was like giving medicine without diagnosis (Trattner, 1999).