Justice and Charity Current Events
For the past 20 years St. Joseph’s in Lino Lakes has been one of 7 area Churches that has supported the Centennial Food Shelf. Most of the food donations are the result of food drives that are held during the year. In the Spring of 2005 the Justice and Charity Commission worked together with the Liturgy commission to create a tradition of bringing up of non-perishable food items at every weekend Mass. A decision was also made to invite these food items to be brought forward to large baskets on the altar steps during the preparation of gifts. Our belief was that the action of bringing up food items at this time would connect our offering of our gifts at Eucharist with the reality of hunger and our call to act with justice. The biggest challenge is to find ways to help people remember to bring something. In November refrigerator magnets were distributed to parish families to serve as a reminder to grab a non-perishable food item on the way to church.
Fair trade is an international movement to make sure that a high percent of every dollar you spend at these events goes directly back to the producers. Your support directly impacts the economic systems of these countries and enhances the dignity and self determination of those doing the work.
The seven core principles of Catholic social teaching challenges us to work to establish God’ reign on earth by living out the social Gospel given us by Jesus. The following is the sixth principle and addresses directly the importance of just work and wages.
6. Economic Justice : The economy must serve people, not the other way around. All workers have a right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to safe working conditions. They also have a fundamental right to organize and join unions. People have a right to economic initiative and private property, but these rights have limits. No one is allowed to amass excessive wealth when others lack the basic necessities of life.
Catholic teaching opposes collectivist and statist economic approaches. But it also rejects the notion that a free market automatically produces justice. Distributive justice, for example, cannot be achieved by relying entirely on free market forces. Competition and free markets are useful elements of economic systems. However, markets must be kept within limits, because there are many needs and goods that cannot be satisfied by the market system. It is the task of the state and of all society to intervene and ensure that these needs are met.
January 26-27 – Our Global Family Event. This event includes our usual Fair Trade products along with highlighting local agencies and organizations that in some way promote charity and justice. Join us and celebrate all the good work being done through our parish and through our outreach into the world.
(Include the list of participants from last year.)
Sponsored by: St. Joseph’s Justice and Charity Ministries
Join us in the Great Hall, great food, great crafts, great causes!
Celebrating local and international connections!
- Hand Crafting Justice – sponsored by the Sisters of Good Shepherd. Proceeds go to support Fair Trade organizations around the globe.
- Egg Roles – sponsored by Sr. Rose Vu. Proceeds go to support a variety of missions in Vietnam.
- BeadForLife project supporting women in northern Uganda
- Guatemalan Coffee – Proceeds go to a co-op in Antigua, Guatemala.
- Ponchos made by villagers in Peru.
- Common Hope – Learn how to sponsor a Child in Guatemala
- Hanna’s Hope Orphanage – Sponsorship enables mothers to learn a trade and keep their babies.
- Chocolate and tea from Africa through Catholic Relief Services
- Loaves and Fishes – At St. Mathew’s church in St. Paul. 3rd Tuesday.
- Centennial Food Shelf- At Our Savior Lutheran – 4th Tues. and Thurs.
- Meals on Wheels – Daily deliveries from St. Joseph’s.
- Paint-A-Thon – A one day event in late Summer.
- Prison Ministry – mentors needed for re-entry and musicians needed for
- Catholic Mass on Sundays at Lino Lakes Prison.
- St. Joe’s Teen Mission Trips
- Total Life Care Center – advocates for pro-life.
- Alexandra House – Emergency services for abuse victims.
- Veterans For Peace - Promoting peace full strategies for conflict.
- Joseph’s Coats – Collecting coats and blankets for this St. Paul street ministry.
- Fare For All – A cooperative Food Purchasing Program
March 8-9 – Our fourth Fair Trade event of the year. This weekend, besides the crafts from third world countries, our teens will be selling cookies to raise monies for their summer mission trips, there will be breakfast burritos to raise monies for Hanna’s Hope orphanage in Guatemala. We will also be having our first Fair Trade Partners crafts available for sale. Anyone in the parish is invited to support our Fair Trade work by donating home made crafts, garments, art, and other products to this event. All sales from these items will be donated to our parish outreach projects. If you want to share some of your creativity with as a Fair Trade Partner, call: 651-784-3015.
Renee and Dan Legierski of our parish are in the process of
adopting two girls from Hannah’s Hope in Guatemala. As one of the ten
poorest countries in Latin America, Guatemala is home to nearly 7.1
million people living below the poverty line. Many of these are
children. With an amazingly indomitable spirit, these children struggle
daily for survival in unspeakable conditions.
With no government structure in place to care for these
orphans, Hannah's Hope homes in Guatemala - the only homes of their
kind in Guatemala - offers these children the hope for a new life. A
Hannah's Hope home was opened in Guatemala in 2000. The founder,
Heather Radu, had already been in Romania and witnessed firsthand the
lack of quality care that needy children received. When she prayerfully
came to Guatemala, she saw the same desperately poor conditions. The
seeds for Hannah's Hope Guatemala were planted and continue to help
change children's lives today.
Sponsorship: please consider being a sponsor of Hanna’s Hope orphanage. A $12 a month sponsorship for a year or a one time donation will go a long way to support this very important work. Flyers can be picked up at the parish office or you can go to the parish web site or to All God’s Children’s web site: www.allgodschildren.org.
