BANGLADESH: Catholic Church celebrates International Women’s Day By RVA News
Catholic Church in Bangladesh observed International Women’s’ Day at Christo Jyoti Pastoral Centre in the diocese of Rajshahi on March 8. (Photo: Father Bablu C. Corraya)
COMMENTARY: Everyone has an opinion about the pope. But how does Pope Francis understand his past 10 years? - Inside the Vatican, Podcast from America Magazine
Pope Francis listens to a question while responding to journalists aboard his flight from Tallinn, Estonia, to Rome in this Sept. 25, 2018, file photo. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
FORUM:
A painting on a Catholic church's ceiling depicts the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles. (CNS/Octavio Duran)
How can we get to know the Holy Spirit — and what pronoun should we use? by Daniel P. Horan, NCR Online
Image - Unsplash/Bruno Justo Pego
(Image - Unsplash/Julius Yls)
HOLY FATHER: March 8 2023 General Audience Pope Francis - Vatican News - English
Pope Francis at Mass for the Sunday of the Word of God on Jan. 22, 2023. | Vatican Media
“By virtue of the Baptism received and the consequent incorporation into the Church, every baptized person participates in the mission of the Church and,
in it, in the mission of Christ the King, Priest, and Prophet.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=corw24v51vM
INDIA: The Apostolic Carmel Congregation at the service of people in need - A new mission on the peripheries - L’Osservatore Romano (C N U A)
Mother Veronica was the daughter of an Anglican Minister, who entered the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition after converting to Catholicism. While on mission to India in 1861, she began to feel drawn toward the Carmelite way of life. Her calling coincided with the desire of a group of Carmelite bishops in India to provide faith formation through education and other works of mercy through an Order of Carmelite Sisters. Sister Mary Veronica of the Passion founded the Apostolic Carmel Congregation in Bayonne, France, in 1868. It was established in Mangalore, India two years later.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Congregation’s foundation, Superior General Sr. Susheela motivated us Sisters to undertake at least one project in the villages for the poor and needy. Simultaneously, Pope Francis was inviting religious to go to the peripheries and live among the people. As we Sisters, working in the Congregation’s Mission Station at Bidar, were pondering over this invitation, we felt the need to found a house at Jamgi Colony, to keep the faith alive of 43 Catholic families who originally belonged to the Evangelical Church of India. These families had earlier approached me because they were not finding adequate spiritual support. They knew me through Self-Help Groups we had established in the area, and some of the educational programmes we operated that their children were attending through sponsorships. Since they had experienced our love and care, they felt confident to come to us and express their desire to become Catholics in order to get spiritual help and care for their children. I in turn directed them to the local Parish Priest who began the catechumenal process with them. In 2013, the local Bishop received them into the Church.
We then decided to open a Convent and Social Work Centre close enough to Jamgi Colony. In this way, we could live near the neophyte Catholic families, continue to catechize and support them in their newly adopted Faith, and see to their Socio-Pastoral needs. Obtaining land to build a convent proved difficult since records regarding property ownership were lacking. Once that obstacle was removed, the land purchased and all necessary permissions obtained, Carmel Niketan was constructed and ‘born’ on 24 June 2017. The inaugural ceremony and blessing of the house was attended not only by the local Bishop, the General, and Provincial Superiors but also by many priests and members of the 43 families we had come to serve. It was very touching to witness the joy of the people of the Jamgi Colony expressed by how they felicitated us sisters. Our primary mission is to provide catechesis to these Catholic families. In addition, we conduct outreach programmes in 10 villages through Carmel Seva Trust (CST), originally established in 2016. CST’s goal is to help people become self-sufficient, reach out to those in need, and empower those who are marginalized in obtaining their rights.
Development of Women - We sisters contribute to the empowerment of women and their economic progress through Self-Help Groups. To date, 43 such groups have been initiated. No empowerment is possible without employment, so self-employment is encouraged. These groups provide leadership training, micro-credit loans, and job training.
Integrated development of children - Another objective of the cst is the integral development of children and the universalization of primary education, focusing on the mental, physical, and social development of both boys and girls in the villages. To this end, we have instituted children’s clubs, self-help groups, summer camps, scholarships, tuition centre, and child care.
Development of youth and adults - Many youths have no opportunity for further education after having completed twelve years of schooling. Poverty and lack of employment opportunities are very alarming. CST partly responds to this situation by sponsoring students to pursue higher studies, teaching them to live dignified life, and creating safe and healthy environments for them to grow. CST also conducts personality development and Life Coping Skill Programmes, vocational training, computer literacy, scholarships, leadership training, and training in legal matters.
Community development - CST also envisages community mobilization to strengthen efforts to ensure adequate and nutritious food, and accessible health care for the rural poor, especially for women and children. Villagers are encouraged to grow vegetable gardens through the distribution of fruit-bearing and income-generating plants. Since it is difficult for the rural poor to sustain the expenses of health care, CST organizes free general medical camps, eye checkup camps, and blood donation camps with hospital personnel. Through these and other activities, CST is attuned to the situation of the vulnerable and tries its best to answer the needs of the poor and marginalized. All this reflects one thing: the selfless dedication of our Sisters, our team, and the support of the management. (#sistersproject) By Sr Christine Misquith a.c. with Sr Bernadette Reis, fsp
https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/news/2023-03/ing-009/a-new-mission-on-the-peripheries.html
MYANMAR: A Thousand youths receive the sacrament of confirmation within a week By RVA News
Cardinal Charles Bo gives the sacrament of confirmation at Queen of Heaven Church, Tanghpre Parish on February 17, 2023
NEWS ANALYSIS: Women's way - Pope opens the path for more women at the Vatican, in the church By Carol Glatz, CNS / USCCB
Pope Francis greets women ambassadors to the Holy See and women leaders of Catholic organizations after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican
on March 8, 2023, which is International Women's Day. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) As Pope Francis marked International Women's Day today, Vatican News published statistics on women working in the Vatican and several groups shared the results of surveys about women in the church.
https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/womens-way-pope-opens-path-more-women-vatican-church
ROME: 10 years as pope - Pushing the church to bring the Gospel to the world By Cindy Wooden, CNS/ USCCB
ROME: 10 things to know from the latest survey on the Catholic Church today By Peter Pinedo, Catholic News Agency
More than 100,000 people attended the papal Mass in Juba, according to local authorities. | Elias Turk/EWTN
WORDS OF WISDOM: Grateful Living - C N U A
- Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. - Omar Khayyam
- Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet. - Thich Nhat Hanh
- The smallest surprise, received gratefully, yields a harvest of delight. - Br. David Steindl-Rast
- The contentment found in gratefulness is not about “standing still” but showing up to your life and being present,
always aware of the invitations before you; a receiving rather than a seeking. - Joe Primo
- Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. - Melody Beattie
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao Tzu
- The art of deep seeing makes gratitude possible. And it is the art of gratitude that makes joy possible. - Ann Voskamp
- Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone; who lends the best of ourselves to it, and with joy. - Audre Lorde
- To this day I believe we are here on Earth to live, grow, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom. - Rosa Parks
- In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper in the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair. - Howard Thurman
- Let me fall if I must. The one I will become will catch me. - Baal Shem Tov
- At some point in life, the world’s beauty becomes enough. - Toni Morrison
- "I am especially glad of the divine gift of laughter; it has made the world human and lovable, despite all its pain and wrong." - W.E.B. Du Bois
- "It was my life – like all lives, mysterious and irrevocable and sacred. So very close, so very present, so very belonging to me. How wild it was, to let it be." - Cheryl Strayed
- "Wherever you are is the entry point." - Kabir
- "Living gratefully offers a merciful path for walking through life with our eyes and hearts wide open." - Kristi Nelson
- Change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things. - Barack Obama
- The foundation of the quality of your life resides in how you engage with the present moment each day. - Shannon Ables
- Take your good fortune and lift your life to its highest calling. Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege.
Use it. Dwell in possibility. - Oprah Winfrey
- Gratitude is the way the heart remembers––remembers kindnesses, cherished interactions with others, compassionate actions of strangers, surprise gifts, and everyday blessings. - Robert Emmons
Source:
www.gratefulness.org
RELAX PLEASE: Enjoyment of Food - C N U A
If I Had My Life to Live Over ...
Someone asked me the other day if I had my life to live over would I change anything?
My answer was no, but then I thought about it and changed my mind.
If I had my life to live over again I would have waxed less and listened more.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about the shadow over my feet, I'd have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the "good" living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have burnt the pink candle that was sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored.
I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television ... and more while watching real life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband which I took for granted.
I would have eaten less cottage cheese and more ice cream.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the Earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for a day.
I would never have bought ANYTHING just because it was practical/wouldn't show soil/ guaranteed to last a lifetime.
When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now, go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more I love yous ... more I'm sorrys ... more I'm listenings ... but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it ... look at it and really see it ... try it on ... live it ... exhaust it ... and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.”
- Erma Bombeck, Eat Less Cottage Cheese and More Ice Cream: Thoughts on Life from Erma Bombeck (The Cybersalt Digest)
Enjoyment of Food - Old Abraham was a poor tailor whose shop was next door to a very upscale French restaurant. Every day at lunchtime, Abraham would go out the back of his shop and eat his black bread and herring while smelling the wonderful odors coming from the restaurant's kitchen. But one day, Abraham was surprised to receive an invoice from the restaurant for 'enjoyment of food'. So he went to the restaurant to point out that he had not bought anything from them. The manager said, "You're enjoying our food, so you should pay us for it." Abraham refused to pay and the restaurant sued him. At the hearing, the judge asked the restaurant to present their side of the case. The manager said, "Every day, this man comes and sits outside our kitchen and smells our food while eating his. It is clear that we are providing added value to his poor food and we deserve to be compensated for it." The judge turns to Abraham and said, "What do you have to say to that?" Abraham didn't say anything but stuck his hand in his pocket and rattled the few coins he had inside. The judge asked him, "What is the meaning of that?" Abraham replied, "I'm paying for the smell of his food with the sound of my money." - (The Cybersalt Digest)
“On anniversaries the wise husband always forgets the past...but never the present.” -
People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point ... the glass is refillable. -
"Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good." - Solomon, Proverbs
Smoking and Praying - Jack and Max are walking from religious service. Jack wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while praying. Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?" So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Father, may I smoke while I pray?" The Priest replies, "No, my son, you may not! That's utter disrespect to our religion." Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him. Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try." And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, "Father, may I pray while I smoke ?" To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son. By all means. You can always pray whenever you want to." (The PearlyGates newsletter)
Sleeping Juror - A lawyer was well into a lengthy cross-examination when he stopped and said: "Your honor, a juror is asleep."
The judge ruled: "You put him to sleep; you wake him up." -
"If you are not yelling at your kids, you are not spending enough time with them." - Reese Witherspoon
Bugged at Work - "I have a sore throat, Doctor. I ache, I have a fever." "Sounds like a virus." "Everyone in the office has it." "Well then, maybe it's a staff infection." -
“I cured myself of shyness when it finally occurred to me that people didn't think about me half as much as I gave them credit for. The truth was, nobody gave a damn. Like most teenagers, I was far too self-centered. When I stopped being a prisoner to what I worried was others’ opinions of me, I became more confident and free.” - Lucille Ball
Want to know what worry really is? A waste of time. -
“One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.” - A. W. Tozer
Obedience, Ten Commandments - Pa and Ma were at church, and as they were leaving the minister said, "Pa, I wish we'd see you here more than twice a year!"Pa said, "Ya, I know, but at least we keep the ten commandments." The minister said, "Well, that's good you keep the ten commandments." And Pa said, "Ya, Ma keeps six of 'em and I keep the other four…" -
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