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 Among the
greatest commandments Jesus Christ gave to his disciples was the command
to love our neighbors as ourselves. This command takes on great urgency to
His disciples today, as the needs of our brothers and sisters around the
world grow more dire and as today's global community stretches beyond our
front doors to the farthest corners of God's world.
"Solidarity highlights in a particular way the
intrinsic social nature of the human person, the equality of all in
dignity and rights and the common path of individuals and peoples towards
an ever more committed unity.
In the presence of the phenomenon of
interdependence and it constant expansion, however, there persists in
every part of the world stark inequalities between developed and
developing countries, inequalities stoked also by various forms of
exploitation, oppression and corruption that have a negative influence on
the internal and international life of many States. The acceleration of
interdependence
between persons and peoples needs to be accompanied by equally intense
efforts on the ethical-social plane, in order to avoid the dangerous
consequences of perpetrating injustice on a global scale. This would have
very negative repercussions even in the very countries that are presently
more advantaged.
[Solidarity] is a firm and persevering
determination to commit oneself to the common good. That is to say to the
good of all and each individual because we are all really responsible for
all. Solidarity rises to the rank of fundamental social virtue since it
places itself in the sphere of justice. It is a virtue directed par
excellence to the common good and is found in 'a commitment to the good of
one's neighbor' with the readiness, in the Gospel sense, to 'lose oneself'
for the sake of the other instead of exploiting him and to 'serve him'
instead of oppressing him for one's own advantage."
"Principles of the Church's Social Doctrine," Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church
Catholic Relief Services assists the poor and
disadvantaged, leveraging the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to
alleviate human suffering, promotes development of all people, and fosters
charity and justice throughout the world.
Working through local offices and an extensive network of partners, CRS
operates on five continents and in 99 countries. We provides direct
assistance where needed, then encourages people to implement their own
development. Together, these approaches foster secure, productive, just
communities that enable people to realize their potential.
As the official international relief and development agency of the U.S.
Catholic community, CRS is also committed to educating the people of the
United States to fulfill their moral responsibilities toward our global
brothers and sisters by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of
poverty, and promoting social justice.
Jesuit Refugee Services
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an
international Catholic organisation, whose mission is to accompany, serve
and defend the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people. JRS
undertakes services at national and regional levels with the support of an
international office in Rome.
JRS programmes are found in over 50 countries, providing assistance to
refugees in refugee camps, to people displaced within their own country,
to asylum seekers in cities and those held in detention. The main areas of
work are in the field of Education, Advocacy, Emergency Assistance, Health
and Nutrition, Income Generating Activities and Social Services.
This reflection draws on existing teaching and
policies to recommit our community of faith to be ever more faithful
witnesses of God's love and justice, protecting the dignity of all God's
children, especially the poor and vulnerable. This is about having a
decent place to live, enough to eat, clean water in your village, and
clean air in your community. This is about the virtues we practice in our
own lives and the values we promote in public life. And this is about
whether there is a place at the table for all in our communities, nation,
and world.
This website is designed to help achieve the goals of
the Justice for Immigrants Campaign. It provides tools and
information for diocesan and community-based organizing, education, and
advocacy efforts. You will find information about Catholic teachings that
underpin this Campaign, as well as proposals from the Catholic Bishops to
achieve reforms in our nation’s immigration laws and policies that better
reflect our values as a nation of immigrants.
Across the globe, Heifer donors, volunteers, staff
and project partners strive daily to build communities, distribute
resources fairly, improve access to education and preserve our
environment. Heifer has learned over the years that a holistic approach is
necessary in order to build sustainable communities. So we’ve developed a
set of global initiatives – areas of emphasis that must be addressed if
we’re to meet our mission of ending world hunger and poverty and caring
for the earth: Agroecology, Animal
Well-Being, Gender Equity, HIV-AIDS, Microenterprise, and Urban
Agriculture.
Mercy-USA for Aid and Development (M-USA) is
dedicated to alleviating human suffering and supporting individuals and
their communities in their efforts to become more self-sufficient. Founded
in 1986, M-USA is a non-profit relief and development organization, whose
projects focus on improving health and promoting economic and educational
growth around the world.
The Fair Trade Federation (FTF) is an association of
fair trade wholesalers, retailers, and producers whose members are
committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to
economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers worldwide. FTF directly
links low-income producers with consumer markets and educates consumers
about the importance of purchasing fairly traded products which support
living wages and safe and healthy conditions for workers in the developing
world.
Mandeville
sdrose@bellsouth.net
6-2-2006
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