The Catholic Community of St. Charles Borromeo is committed to parish social ministry as an expression of our faith. Our outreach and charity efforts speak to the message of Christ to serve the least among us. Further, in recognizing the solidarity of the human family, we commit ourselves to advocacy work and justice education.
Current Events/News
(updated 3/9/10)
Homelessness and How It Can Be Ended
2009 estimates of the homeless in Mercer County range from a one-day count of 1,067 adults and children to an estimated 3,808 adults and children. The Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness began in 2003 with the single, transformative idea that homelessness could be ended; and experience has shown that homelessness can be ended cost-effectively. It is not simple, but it is achievable.
On Tuesday, March 16th from 7 - 8:30 p.m., come hear Executive Director Herb Levine describe the goals, core principles, and action steps that this organization has outlined to deal with a devastating problem in our community and turn it around. This event is sponsored by JustFaith graduates.
Service Opportunities in the Season of Lent:
Tuesday, March 9 - Lunch service at Elijah’s Promise (FULL)
Thursday, March 11 – Lunch service at TASK (FULL)
Thursday, March 11 – Dinner service at the House of Manna (FULL)
Saturday, March 13 – Habitat for Humanity (SPOTS AVAILABLE! Contact Katie Onka at konka@borromeo.org)
Saturday, March 27 – Parish Lenten Blood Drive (TIME SLOTS AVAILABLE! Contact Chris Tuday at ctuday@comcast.net or Jim Dowd at jvdfox@yahoo.com)
March Diaper Drive
During the month of March, the Women's Club will be collecting donations of diapers to benefit The Center for Great Expectations. Diaper donations can be delivered to parishioners Janina Reich at 22 Hoagland Drive, Belle Mead, or Irene Goldoni at 3 La Costa Court, Skillman. Diaper donations will also be gratefully accepted at the SCWC's Seder Supper being held at St. Charles on March 23rd. For questions, please contact Janina Reich (jtcr2002@aol.com) or Irene Goldoni (irenepinto40@hotmail.com).
OPERATION RICE BOWL
For over 35 years, Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl (ORB) has offered Catholics in the US a way to connect with out brothers and sisters overseas. Please continue to pray, fast, learn, and give with your Rice Bowl throughout Lent. Visit http://orb.crs.org for some wonderful additional resources, including an Interactive Map that allows you to see where and how your contributions are put to use. Stop by the Religious Formation office if you have not yet picked up a Rice Bowl.
Our work is guided and shaped by our Catholic social teaching--a body of principles and values that draw upon the Gospel and biblical traditions. The U.S. Bishops have arranged these principles under seven main themes:
The Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
Call to Family, Community, and Participation
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society—in economics and politics, in law and policy—directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Rights and Responsibilities
The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
Solidarity
We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.
Care for God's Creation
We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
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