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Pope Francis & Atheists & Catholic Charities
Pope Francis’ recent talk about the how the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all – including atheists struck a chord with the world – and with me in a particular way. People often have asked me if Catholic Charities helps “non-Catholics.” At first this bothered me because Catholic Charities for as long as I can remember and much beyond has always helped people regardless of their religion. I was a little frustrated that after all these years people would still ask. But then I realized we must not have been doing a good enough job in making sure people knew this fact. So now in all material we put…
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More on Bangladesh
When I visited my family earlier this week for Christmas, the millenniums and the baby boomers were all quite inquisitive about my recent trip to Bangladesh. I showed them my cell phone pictures of the workers who were disabled by the garment factory tragedies of the last year. Immediately, they wanted to know about the conditions in the factories there. Their initial reaction – without even the slightest goading by me – was outrage by the unsafe conditions that led to the two recent tragedies. They didn’t know until a little later that their Christmas gifts would further raise their awareness about the garment industry in Bangladesh – and the…
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Faith, Dignity and Solidarity: Values at the Heart of Catholic Charities
At the 68th Annual Cardinal Christmas Luncheon that Catholic Charities and Our Ladies of Charity hosted this week, I had the opportunity to reflect on how this event that helps support the services we provide to those in need represents values that are at the heart of Catholic Charities. They include the Christian faith that motivates our work, the dignity of each individual regardless of religion and the solidarity that bridges differences for the sake of doing good.” Let me say a few words about each: Our Catholic Christian Faith: Unabashedly and explicitly we name this a Christmas luncheon celebrating the coming birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, We…
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My Trip to Bangladesh Continues to Resonate as We Approach Christmas
Last month, I was invited to visit garment factories in Dhaka, Bangladesh with a delegation of New Yorkers that included Tom DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, and Stuart Appelbaum, the head of the RWDSU (Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.) More than 1,100 workers’ lives were lost in the collapse of Rana Plaza nearly eight months ago, making it the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry. In a front-page story published just yesterday in The New York Times, reporter Jim Yardley wrote how “inside the single room he shares with his wife and young child, Hasan Mahmud Forkan does not sleep easily. Some nights he hears the screams of the garment workers he tried…
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Tune in to JustLove to Hear About the Life of Nelson Mandela Plus News on Alleviating World Hunger
On this week’s show, Monsignor Sullivan speaks with Anthony Egan SJ of South Africa’s University of Pretoria about the life of Nelson Mandela and importance he plays throughout the world. Also on the show is development expert Tim Wall who returns to the program to speak about world hunger and the positive progress being made in this area. Listen to JustLove on Saturday at 10am EST on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio on The Catholic Channel 129.