Catholic san Francisco
(CNS PHOTO BY PAUL JEFFREY)
Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Women attend a workshop on breast-feeding at a Catholic Relief Services-supported clinic in Prey Pkosh, Cambodia.The workshop is part of a program that seeks to lower Cambodia's high maternal and infant mortality rates by monitoring the health of pregnant women, teaching safe birthing practices and encouraging new mothers to breast-feed and have their infants vaccinated.
World poverty goals targetting Catholic medical women, children face obstacles group honors By Barbara J. Fraser PREY PKOSH, Cambodia (CNS) — In a small village in northeastern Cambodia, more than 50 women sat on the wooden floor of a simple community building listening intently as Siv Rady explained the importance of breast-feeding. Some of the women cradled infants while others kept an eye on older children to be sure they did not take a tumble down the stairs of the building, which was raised on stilts to protect it from seasonal floods. Siv Rady, 44, has been a midwife since she was 20. She began by helping women deliver their babies, but now spends much of her time providing counseling. By monitoring the health of pregnant women, teaching safe birthing practices and encouraging new mothers to breastfeed and have their infants vaccinated, she hopes to help lower Cambodia’s high maternal and infant mortality rates. Around the world, women like Siv Rady are working to make a difference in the lives of other poor women and children, who — because they have the least economic and political power — are the most likely to suffer hardship.
That is why many of the Millennium Development Goals — set by the leaders of 189 countries in 2000 to cut poverty in half by 2015 — especially target women and children. While some parts of the world are advancing, poverty has actually increased in Africa, and the current pace of progress in most areas of development is too slow to meet the 2015 goal. “The problem is that these goals have not been incorporated into national government goals or by international organizations,” said Nabil Handal, chief operating officer for the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Relief Services in the Palestinian territories, one of the many places around the world where Catholic organizations are working to improve poor people’s standard of living. The eight millennium goals set targets for eradicating poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development.
Handicapables’ founder Nadine Calligiuri By Jack Smith San Francisco Apostolic Administrator John C. Wester celebrated the annual Saint Luke Mass for the San Francisco Guild of the Catholic Medical Association Oct. 29 at St. Cecilia Church in San Francisco. Bishop Wester was joined on the altar by the clergy of St. Cecilia’s including Msgr. Michael Harriman, pastor; Fathers Mark Taheny and Frank Murray, current and former chaplains of the medical guild; and Fr. Kirk Ullery, chaplain of Handicapables. In his remarks, Bishop Wester made note of the presence of Nadine Calligiuri, founder of the Handicapables, who was receiving the second Annual Saint Luke’s Award for “outstanding contribution to Catholic medical ethics and practice” at a dinner banquet following Mass. Bishop Wester commended to the medical community the examples of St. Paul and Christ, who in the day’s readings, exemplified the spirit of humble service which should characterize Catholic health care workers. HANDICAPABLES, page 3
WORLD POVERTY, page 5
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION News-in-brief . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Suicide and medical care . . 6
Father Efrem honored ~ Page 7 ~ November 11, 2005
Books in review ~ Pages 8-11 ~ SIXTY CENTS
How to read Scripture
Loyola Pres. at USF . . . . . . 7
~ Page 13 ~
Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . 17
Scripture and reflection . . 12 Commentary . . . . . . . . 14-15 Movie review . . . . . . . . . . 18
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 7
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No. 35