ASIA: INDONESIA: SUICIDE BOMB KILLS 3-IN CHURCH- INJURES 20
AFRICA: KENYA: RIP DR. MARGARET OGOLA- DIR. OF AIDS HOSPICE
AMERICA: USA: ARCHBISHOP SAYS PREACH ON POVERTY- POOR NEED HELP
EUROPE: SPAIN: RIP FR. SILVA: FOUNDER OF SPANISH BOY'S TOWN
AUSTRALIA: HOMELESS HELPED THROUGH LIFE-CHANGING COURSE
TODAY'S MASS READINGS: 26th SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME/ YEAR A
TODAY'S SAINT: SEPT. 25: ST. FINBARR
PAPAL GREETINGS TO CITIZENS OF FREIBURG IM BREISGAU
VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass in the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) of Erfurt, Benedict XVI travelled by plane to Freiburg im Breisgau where he first made a visit to the local cathedral.
(IMAGE SOURCE: RADIO VATICANA)
The Holy Father then went on to greet local citizens gathered in the city's Munsterplatz, thanking them for their warm welcome. "I have come to you joyfully, in order to pray together, to proclaim the word of God and to celebrate the Eucharist", he said. "I ask for your prayers, that these days will be fruitful, that God will deepen our faith, strengthen our hope and increase our love. During these days, may we become aware once more how much God loves us and how good He is, so that we may trustingly place ourselves and all our cares and concerns into His hands. In Him our future is assured: He gives meaning to our lives and can bring them to fulfilment. May the Lord accompany you in peace and make you messengers of joy!"
Having imparted his apostolic blessing the Pope moved on to the local seminary where he held a private meeting with Helmut Kohl, former chancellor of Germany, before meeting with representatives from the Orthodox Churches.
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CATHOLICS AND ORTHODOX: DIALOGUE ON QUESTION OF PRIMACY
VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2011 (VIS) - At 5.1.5 p.m. today the Holy Father met with fifteen representatives from the Orthodox Churches in Germany gathered in the main hall of the Seminary of Freiburg im Breisgau. Germany has a total of 467 Byzantine Orthodox communities with some 1,300,000 faithful belonging to various autocephalous Churches.
Having greeted Metropolitan Augoustinos, president of the Orthodox Episcopal Conference in Germany, and thanked him for his words, "so full of confidence", the Pope reaffirmed that "among Christian Churches and communities, the Orthodox are theologically closest to us; Catholics and Orthodox both have the same basic structure inherited from the ancient Church. So we may hope that the day is not too far away when we may once again celebrate the Eucharist together.
"With interest and sympathy the Catholic Church follows the development of Orthodox communities in Western Europe, which in recent decades have grown remarkably", the Pope added. He then went on to express his satisfaction at "the increase of pan-Orthodox co-operation, which has made significant progress in recent years. ... May the work of these episcopal conferences strengthen the bond between the Orthodox Churches and hasten the progress of efforts to establish a pan-Orthodox council".
On the subject of dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, the Holy Father highlighted the importance of continuing efforts "to clarify theological differences. ... The resolution of these questions is indispensable for restoration of the full unity that we hope and pray for. Above all it is on the question of primacy that our continuing efforts towards a correct understanding must be focused. Here the ideas put forward by John Paul II in the Encyclical 'Ut Unum Sint' on the distinction between the nature and form of the exercise of primacy can yield further fruitful discussion points".
He also expressed his appreciation for "the work of the Mixed International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and theOriental Orthodox Churches. ... The results so far obtained allow us to grow in mutual understanding and to draw closer to one another", he said.
"In the present climate, in which many would like, as it were, to 'liberate' public life from God, theChristian Churches in Germany - including Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians - are walking side by side along the path of peaceful witness for understanding and solidarity among peoples, on the basis of their faith in the one God and Father of all. At the same time they continue to place the miracle of God's incarnation at the centre of their proclamation. Realising that on this mystery all human dignity depends, they speak up jointly for the protection of human life from conception to natural death".
In closing, Pope Benedict reiterated how "faith in God, the Creator of life, and unconditional adherence to the dignity of every human being strengthen faithful Christians vigorously to oppose every manipulative and selective intervention in the area of human life. Knowing too the value of marriage and the family, we as Christians attach great importance to defending the integrity and the uniqueness of marriage between one man and one woman from any kind of misinterpretation. Here the common engagement of Christians, including many Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians, makes a valuable contribution to building up a society equipped for the future, in which the human person is given the respect which is his due".
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HOLY FATHER MEETS WITH SEMINARIANS IN FREIBURG
VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Today at 5.45 p.m. Benedict XVI met with a group of sixty seminarians in the St. Charles Borromeo Chapel of the Seminary of Freiburg im Breisgau.
Following the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and an introduction from Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg im Breisgau, the Holy Father made some off-the-cuff remarks to the seminarians. He invited them to dedicate themselves to their studies because, he explained, the relationship between faith and reason is of particular importance in our time, and the use of reason is fundamental in order to spread the faith.
Benedict XVI also turned his attention to the need for discernment, faithfulness and prayer, underlining the importance of community life and of listening to others, in order to live in the faith. Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico LombardiS.J. explained to journalists that the Pope's words were intended as an exhortation to the seminarians and as an indication of the way they should live their formative years.
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SEEK NEW PATHS OF EVANGELISATION FOR CHURCH AND SOCIETY
VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2011 (VIS) - At 6.1.5 p.m. today in the main hall of the Seminary of Freiburg im Breisgau the Holy Father met with council members of the Central Committee for German Catholics. The committee was founded in 1952 to support the apostolic work of the Catholic Church.
The Holy Father focused on the "exposure programmes" promoted by the committee whereby, for a certain period, experts in various sectors share the daily lives of poor people in developing countries "in order to see the world through their eyes and hence to learn how to practise solidarity. ... Let us imagine", the Pope said, "that an exposure programme of this kind were to take place here inGermany. Experts from a far country would ... find much to admire here, for example the prosperity, the order and the efficiency. But looking on with unprejudiced eyes, they would also see plenty of poverty: poverty in human relations and poverty in the religious sphere.
"We live at a time that is broadly characterised by a subliminal relativism that penetrates every area of life", he added. "Sometimes this relativism becomes aggressive, when it opposes those who claim to know where the truth or meaning of life is to be found. And we observe that this relativism exerts more and more influence on human relationships and on society. ... Many no longer seem capable of any form of self-denial or of making a sacrifice for others. Even the altruistic commitment to the common good, in the social and cultural sphere or on behalf of the needy, is in decline. Others are now quite incapable of committing themselves unreservedly to a single partner".
"We see that in our affluent western world much is lacking. Many people lack experience of God's goodness. They no longer find any point of contact with the mainstream Churches and their traditional structures. But why is this? I think this is a question on which we must reflect very seriously. Addressing it is the principal task of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation. But naturally it is something that concerns us all".
In this context the Holy Father noted that "the Church in Germany is superbly organised". However, he asked, "behind the structures, is there also a corresponding spiritual strength, the strength of faith in a living God? We must honestly admit that we have more than enough by way of structure but not enough by way of Spirit. I would add: the real crisis facing the Church in the western world is a crisis of faith. If we do not find a way of genuinely renewing our faith, all structural reform will remain ineffective".
"We are called to seek new paths of evangelisation. Small communities could be one such path, where friendships are lived and deepened in regular communal adoration before God", Benedict XVI suggested. "There we find people who speak of these small faith experiences at their workplace and within their circle of family and friends, and in so doing bear witness to a new closeness between Church and society".
Following the meeting, the Holy Father moved on to the fairgrounds of Freiburg im Breisgau to preside at a prayer vigil with young people.
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POPE TO YOUNG PEOPLE: HAVE THE COURAGE TO BE SAINTS
VATICAN CITY, 24 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Following his meeting with members of the Central Committee for German Catholics at the Seminary of Freiburg im Breisgau, Benedict XVI travelled to the city fairgrounds where he presided at a prayer vigil with young people. Extracts from the Holy Father's address are given below.
He began by referring to the candle-lighting ceremony, which was part of the vigil. In an imitation of the Easter rite of lighting the Paschal candle, the Pope lit candles borne by a number of young people who, in their turn, lit candles carried by others. "This wonderful liturgical rite ", he said, "reveals to us in signs more eloquent than words the mystery of our Christian faith. Jesus who says of Himself: 'I am the light of the world', causes our lives to shine brightly, so that what we have just heard in the Gospel comes true: 'You are the light of the world'.
"It is not our human efforts or the technical progress of our era that brings light into this world", the Holy Father added. "Again and again we have to experience how our striving to bring about a better and more just world hits against its limits. Innocent suffering and the ultimate fact of death awaiting every single person are an impenetrable darkness. ... While all around us there may be darkness and gloom, yet we see a light: ... Christ, risen from the dead, shines in this world and He does so most brightly in those places where, in human terms, everything is sombre and hopeless".
"To be sure, those who believe in Jesus do not lead lives of perpetual sunshine, as though they could be spared suffering and hardship, but there is always a bright glimmer there, lighting up the path that leads to fullness of life. The eyes of those who believe in Christ see light even amid the darkest night and they already see the dawning of a new day.
"Light does not remain alone. All around, other lights are flaring up. In their gleam, space acquires contours, so that we can find our bearings. We do not live alone in this world. And it is for the important things of life that we have to rely on other people. Particularly in our faith, then, we do not stand alone, we are links in the great chain of believers. Nobody can believe unless he is supported by the faith of others, and conversely, through my faith, I help to strengthen others in their faith".
The idea of sainthood has often been distorted
"We increasingly experience the failure of our efforts and our personal shortcomings, despite our best intentions. In the final analysis, the world in which we live, in spite of its technical progress, does not seem to be getting any better. There is still war and terror, hunger and disease, bitter poverty and merciless oppression. And even those figures in our history who saw themselves as 'bringers of light' - without being fired by Christ, the one true light - did not manage to create an earthly paradise, but set up dictatorships and totalitarian systems, in which even the smallest spark of true humanity was choked".
"At this point we cannot remain silent about the existence of evil. We see it in so many places in this world; but we also see it - and this scares us - in our own lives. Truly, within our hearts there is a tendency towards evil, there is selfishness, envy, aggression. Perhaps with a certain self-discipline all this can to some degree be controlled. But it becomes more difficult with faults that are somewhat hidden, that can engulf us like a thick fog, such as sloth, or laziness in willing and doing good. Again and again in history, keen observers have pointed out that damage to the Church comes not from her opponents, but from uncommitted Christians".
"Dear friends, again and again the very notion of saints has been caricatured and distorted, as if to be holy meant to be remote from the world, naive and joyless. Often it is thought that a saint has to be someone with great ascetic and moral achievements, who might well be revered, but could never be imitated in our own lives. How false and discouraging this opinion is! There is no saint, apart from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has not also known sin, who has never fallen. Dear friends, Christ is not so much interested in how often in your lives you stumble and fall, as in how often you pick yourselves up again. He does not demand glittering achievements, but He wants His light to shine in you. He does not call you because you are good and perfect, but because He is good and He wants to make you His friends. Yes, you are the light of the world because Jesus is your light. You are Christians - not because you do special and extraordinary things, but because Christ is your life. You are holy because His grace is at work in you".
"This gathering shines in more ways than one - in the glow of innumerable lights, in the radiance of so many young people who believe in Christ. A candle can only give light if it lets itself be consumed by the flame. It would remain useless if its wax failed to nourish the fire. Allow Christ to burn in you, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation. Do not be afraid that you might lose something and, so to speak, emerge empty-handed at the end. Have the courage to apply your talents and gifts for God's kingdom and to give yourselves - like candle wax - so that the Lord can light up the darkness through you. Dare to be glowing saints, in whose eyes and hearts the love of Christ beams and who thus bring light to the world. I am confident that you and many other young people here in Germanyare lamps of hope that do not remain hidden. 'You are the light of the world'".
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CHRISTIAN LIFE IS HUMBLE SERVICE OF NEIGHBOUR
VATICAN CITY, 25 SEP 2011 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father concelebrated Mass at the airport of Freiburg im Breisgau with bishops from the twenty-seven dioceses of the Federal Republic of Germany. The event was attended by thousands of faithful from Germany and surrounding countries. Extracts from the Holy Father's homily are given below.
"'Father, you show your almighty power in your mercy and forgiveness', as we said in today's Collect", the Pope began. "There are theologians who, in the face of all the terrible things that happen in the world today, say that God cannot be all-powerful. In response to this we profess God, the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth. ... At the same time, we have to be aware that He exercises His power differently from the way we normally do. He has placed a limit on His power, by recognising the freedom of His creatures. We are glad and thankful for the gift of freedom.
"However, when we see the terrible things that happen as a result of it, we are frightened. Let us put our trust in God, whose power manifests itself above all in mercy and forgiveness. Let us be certain, dear faithful, that God desires the salvation of His people. He desires our salvation. He is always close to us, especially in times of danger and radical change, His heart aches for us and He reaches out to us. We need to open ourselves to Him so that the power of His mercy can touch our hearts. We have to be ready to abandon evil, to raise ourselves from indifference and make room for His word. God respects our freedom. He does not constrain us.
"In the Gospel Jesus takes up this fundamental theme" in the parable of the two sons invited by their father to work in the vineyard. The first son refuses but later repents and goes to work, while the second agrees but in the end does not go. Of the two sons, only the first does his father's will. "Translated into the language of our time", the Pope explained, "this statement might sound something like this: agnostics, who are constantly exercised by the question of God, those who long for a pure heart but suffer on account of our sin, are closer to the Kingdom of God than believers whose life of faith is 'routine' and who regard the Church merely as an institution, without letting their hearts be touched by faith".
He went on: "The words of Jesus should make us all pause, in fact they should disturb us. ... So let us ask ourselves, how is my personal relationship with God: in prayer, in participation at Sunday Mass, in exploring my faith through meditation on Sacred Scripture and study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church? Dear friends, ... the renewal of the Church will only come about through openness to conversion and through renewed faith".
"Christian life must continually measure itself by Christ. ... Just as Christ was totally united to the Father and obedient to Him, so too the disciples must obey God and be of one mind among themselves. ... The Church in Germany will overcome the great challenges of the present and future, and it will remain a leaven in society, if the priests, consecrated men and women, and the lay faithful, in fidelity to their respective vocations, work together in unity. ... The Church in Germany will continue to be a blessing for the entire Catholic world: if she remains faithfully united with the Successors of St. Peter and the Apostles, if she fosters co-operation in various ways with mission countries and allows herself to be 'infected' by the joy that marks the faith of these young Churches".
"Christian life is ... humble service of neighbour and of the common good. ... Let us ask God for the courage and the humility to walk the path of faith, to draw from the riches of His mercy, and to fix our gaze on Christ. ... He is our future.
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ANGELUS: TRUST IN THE BEAUTY OF GOD'S PLAN
VATICAN CITY, 25 SEP 2011 (VIS) - Following this morning's Mass at the airport of Freiburg im Breisgau, the Holy Father prayed the Angelus, a prayer, he said, which "constantly reminds us of the historical beginnings of our salvation".
Mary's "yes", the Pope explained, "is the trusting 'yes' to God's plan, to our salvation". Mary "addresses her 'yes' to us all, whom she received as her children entrusted to her at the foot of the Cross. She never withdraws this promise".
"As we pray the Angelus, we may join Mary in her 'yes', we may adhere trustingly to the beauty of God's plan and to the providence that He has assigned to us in His grace. Then God's love will also, as it were, take flesh in our lives, becoming ever more tangible. In all our cares we need have no fear. God is good. At the same time we know that we are sustained by the fellowship of the many believers who are now praying the Angelus with us throughout the world, via radio and television".
Following the Marian prayer, the Holy Father went back to the seminary of Freiburg im Breisgau where he had lunch with members of the German Episcopal Conference.
ASIA: INDONESIA: SUICIDE BOMB KILLS 3-IN CHURCH- INJURES 20
Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The provisional death toll from an early morning suicide bomb attack on a church in Kepunton, in Solo, Central Java is at least three dead and 20 wounded.According to initial reports, a man entered the church and at the end of Sunday services, and blew himself up.
Two other people were killed in the blast as well as the attacker, according to police. A hospital official Dr. Oen says about 20 people, including a child, were hospitalized and several others have minor injuries.
What happened today is the most severe episode in a series of attacks and violence that is affecting the Christian community of the world's most populous Islamic country.
AMERICA: USA: ARCHBISHOP SAYS PREACH ON POVERTY- POOR NEED HELP
WASHINGTON—Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), urged bishops and other Catholic clergy nationwide to bring the issue of poverty into their homilies.
He also underscored the need for educational and advocacy efforts on behalf of the poor and jobless.
Archbishop Dolan made the appeal in a September 15 letter to the nation’s bishops at the urging of the USCCB Administrative Committee. The Committee oversees USCCB work between plenary sessions and met in Washington, September 13-14.
“Widespread unemployment, underemployment and pervasive poverty are diminishing human lives, undermining human dignity, and hurting children and families,” he wrote. “I hope we can use our opportunities as pastors, teachers, and leaders to focus public attention and priority on the scandal of so much poverty and so many without work in our society.” The entire letter can be found athttp://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/economic-justice-economy/letter-to-bishops-on-economic-situation.cfm
Archbishop Dolan added, “Sixteen million of our children (almost one out of four) are growing up poor.”
“It is especially disheartening that African-Americans and Hispanics live with unemployment and poverty at far higher rates than others. Immigrant workers are especially vulnerable to exploitation and unfair treatment. These realities contradict our national pledge of ‘liberty and justice for all,’” he said. “They also contradict the consistent teaching of our Church. Our Catholic tradition begins with respect for life and the dignity of all, requires a priority concern for poor and vulnerable people, reflects the ties and bonds of solidarity, respects the mutual relationships of subsidiarity, and promotes the dignity of work and protection for workers.”
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Keywords: Jesus, Christian, poverty, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, African-Americans, Hispanics,joblessness, unemployment
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EUROPE: SPAIN: RIP FR. SILVA: FOUNDER OF SPANISH BOY'S TOWN
CATH NEWS REPORT: Fr Jesús Silva was still a seminarian in 1956 when he came to the aid of 15 boys who had been orphaned or abandoned and found refuge for them in his mother’s house. Inspired by the 1938 filmBoys Town” which he had seen as a child, and by a Marxist interpretation of the Gospels, he established the Ciudad de los Muchachos, or Boys Town, on property outside Ourense purchased for him by his brother, a lawyer.
“Change was the fundamental element of our teaching,” he told the newspaper Diario de Navarra in 2009. “The idea was to change a world that we were dissatisfied with. We said, ‘Another world is possible.’ ”
The self-sufficiency and self-rule of the original Boys Town in Nebraska, which evolved from an orphanage founded by Fr Edward Flanagan in 1917, provided a model. At the Spanish charity’s property, Benposta, Fr Silva built residences and schools to train the boys, as young as 4 and as old as 20, in a trade or profession.
Adults were assigned a supporting role. The children governed the town, electing their own mayor and cabinet, and voting on decisions in a two-house legislature. The town had its own police force and municipal officials, as well as a bakery, grocery store and printing press. It even had its own currency.
The Spanish Boys Town, also known as Boys Nation since the 1960s, came into conflict with Galicia’s regional government, which wanted to build a football stadium on its property. It closed in 2003.
Because one of Fr Silva’s uncles was a circus promoter, he was a circus chaplain. In 1963 he created the International Circus School at Benposta, which trained El Circo de los Muchachos, billed as “a circus for kids performed by kids.”
AFRICA: KENYA: RIP DR. MARGARET OGOLA- DIR. OF AIDS HOSPICE
Dr Ogola, a paediatrician and medical director of Cottolengo HIV and AIDS orphans Hospice, died September 22, at the age of 53.
Dr Ogola was a celebrated Kenyan author of three novels, The River and the Source that won the Jomo Kenyatta Literature Award and Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in Africa in 1995.
The two other novels are I Swear by Apollo, a novel that examines issues of medical ethics and the question of authentic identity and Place of Destiny, a novel about a woman dying of cancer.
The late writer also authored a handbook for parents titled Educating in Human Love, as well as A Gift of Grace, a biography of the first Catholic bishop, and cardinal in Kenya, Cardinal Maurice Michael Otunga.
The late Dr Ogola was Vice-President of Family Life Counselling in Kenya and National Executive Secretary of the Commission for Health and Family Life at the Kenya Episcopal Conference (KEC) from 1998 to 2002.
From 2002 to 2004, she was the Country Coordinator of the Hope for African Children Initiative, a partnership of several international NGOs, which included Plan, CARE, Save the Children, Society for Women and AIDS, World Conference For Religion and Peace and World Vision.
The late Ogola helped found and manage the SOS HIV/AIDS Clinic, which is for People Living With Aids. In 1999, she received the Families Award for Humanitarian Service of the World Congress of Families in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr Ogola leaves behind a husband, four children, and two foster children.
AUSTRALIA: HOMELESS HELPED THROUGH LIFE-CHANGING COURSE
Sydney Archdiocese REPORT:
23 Sep 2011
The course has already helped many young
homeless and disadvantaged
A 12-week course designed to help the disadvantaged has been found to be not only having an impact but completely changing lives.
The course helps men and women struggling with homelessness, mental illness and long term unemployment break out of the poverty cycle. It has been offered by the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and other Australian universities since 2003. Now a comprehensive study has found the program is changing lives and not only led to full-time jobs and increased self esteem, but social inclusion and a life in the mainstream.
The study entitled: Addressing Multiple Disadvantage, was financed through an Australian Research Council grant and involved ACU and its academic partners at Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Sydney and Curtin University in collaboration with Mission Australia and the National Council of St Vincent de Paul.
"The study found the impact of the courses on students was immediate, positive and profound," says ACU Associate Professor Peter Howard who is National Leader of the Catalyst-Clemente program, as it is known, at ACU's campuses in NSW, the ACT, Qld and Victoria.
"This university program has proved to be transformational in nature in that it brings about new learning opportunities and new futures for people," he says.
Associate Professor Peter
Howard, ACU's National
Leader of the Catalyst
Clemente program
The Catalyst-Clemente program not only aims at equipping those on the margins with the ability and skills to put a roof over their heads and earn a regular wage, but focuses on social inclusion.
"The way out of poverty also means engaging in activities that lead to social interaction, learning and community participation. It's about ending the isolation that comes with disadvantage," says Toby Hall, CEO of Mission Australia, a longtime supporter of the program.
Another equally enthusiastic and longtime supporter of Catalyst-Clemente and the courses offered, is Dr John Falzon, CEO of the National Council of St Vincent de Paul Society who is delighted with the positive results of the study.
"They are even better than we expected," he says.
Like Mission Australia, Vinnies - as the St Vincent de Paul Society is popularly known - works closely with Australia's homeless and disadvantaged, and believes the program's benefits will have a long lasting impact and influence on the lives of those who embark on the program.
The course has given many people new opportunities
"By undergoing the course these men and women are not only being brought back into contact with their community but are improving their image of themselves and their relationships with family and friends," he says adding that when someone is able to interact more broadly with the community, other factors such as getting a job, finding a stable home, seeking counselling become more accessible and more likely.
"The result of the study gives testament to this and shows how the program is genuinely changing lives," he says.
Of those who have enrolled in the Catalyst-Clemente courses at ACU and the other university campuses since the program's inception eight years ago, most faced multiple challenges.
In the wide ranging study, it was found 79% of enrolees had experienced homelessness and 44% were used to sleeping rough. In addition 74% had spent time in crisis accommodation and almost all have lived for periods in boarding houses or hostels.
In addition, at the start of each course, the study found a fifth were living in emergency or short term accommodation while a third had managed to find public or community housing.
74% of those taking the course have
experienced homelessness
But all still faced financial instability most having to rely on pensions or benefits, and almost half at some stage in the past 12 months having to go without food or to turn to a welfare agency for help.
Many suffered from depression with 58% reporting chronic physical health conditions and almost all socially isolated as a result of poverty, family-related problems, lack of transport and a network of friends, health problems, childcare responsibilities or difficulties with access due to a disability.
The basic requirements for students to enrol in the Catalyst-Clemente program is a desire to learn, a willingness to commit to the initial 12-week program, a literacy level sufficient to read a newspaper and a degree of ongoing stability in his or her life.
While undertaking tertiary education is a considerable leap for those who have battling poverty and disadvantage, those who had the courage to enter the program not only saw an positive upswing in sense of self worth and a big increase in confidence, but the study found that their financial and housing situations as well as their employment opportunities, health and ability to cope with day to day problems also markedly improved.
"To face multiple challenges and still be able to apply themselves to a university subject is a remarkable achievement," says ACU's Associate Professor Peter Howard adding that new and current students will be even more encouraged by the results of the study which underline the positive impact participation in the program is having.
http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/news/latest_news/2011/2011923_1770.shtml
TODAY'S SAINT: SEPT. 25: ST. FINBARR
BISHOP
Feast: September 25
Information:
Feast Day:
September 25
Born:
550 AD, near Bandon, Ireland
Died:
620 AD, Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland
Patron of:
Cork
Bishop and patron of Cork, born near Bandon, about 550, died at Cloyne, 25 September, 623, was son of Amergin. He evangelized Gowran, Coolcashin, and Aghaboe, and founded a school at Eirce. For some years he dwelt in a hermitage at Gougane Barra, where a beautiful replica of Cormac's chapel has recently been erected in his honour. Finbarr was buried in the cathedral he built where Cork city now stands. He was specially honoured also at Dornoch and Barra, in Scotland. There are five Irish saints of this name.
SOURCE http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/F/stfinbarr.asp
TODAY'S MASS READINGS: 26th SUN. OF ORDINARY TIME/ YEAR A
| Ezekiel 18: 25 - 28 | |
| 25 | "Yet you say, `The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? |
| 26 | When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die. |
| 27 | Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life. |
| 28 | Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. |
4Make me to know thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.5Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long.6Be mindful of thy mercy, O LORD, and of thy steadfast love, for they have been from of old.7Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions; according to thy steadfast love remember me, for thy goodness' sake, O LORD!8Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.9He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.3Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
28"What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.'29And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he repented and went.30And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,' but did not go.31Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
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