First person report
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Cathedral choly doors' to he sealedNov.28
sealing a set of Cathedral doors until they are opened at
Christmas Midnight Mass.
Following is the second report by Tara Carr on an Oct. 2430 press tour of the Hurricane Mitch-devasted areas of Nicaragua and Honduras. It was organized by Food for the Poor, a U.S.-based relief organization that focuses on needs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Representing Catholic San Francisco, Carr is a staff member of the archdiocesan Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns. Photos and story by Tara Carr
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This design will be incorporated on medallions affixed to bands
In the wake of Hurricane Mitch a handout ^ hand-up or handshake?
C/ne set of entrance doors of St. Mary 's Cathedral will be symbolically and literally sealed Nov. 28, the first Sunday of Advent, by Archbishop William J. Levada in anticipation of that seal being broken open at the Christmas Midnight Mass in a ritual that will inaugurate the Jubilee 2000 holy year. The Christmas rite will echo the parallel event in Rome, where Pope John Paul II will open the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the beginning of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It will be the first time St. Peter's Jubilee Holy Door will have been j Ug/LEE continued on page 5
x nternational relief organizations traditionally rely on direct donations and shipments of emergency food and supplies to respond to the needs of the poor in the developing world and in war-torn nations. Many of us trust this approach to ministry to the poor and appreciate follow-up reports on how our donations are spent. However, what about when another hurricane strikes? How can we, the world community, avoid the cycle of disaster, relief, another disaster, and a new need to address with no progress or infrastructure in place since the last emergency? An emerging alternative to the direct-relief model is an approach in which training and empowerment change societal structures and create an opening for community development and sustainability. But does this model come to grips with immediate needs? How many die of illness or starvation as long-range, grassroots planning is at work? To highlight the strengths and shortcomings of the two different models of poverty reduction, I would like to share observations on two separate projects observed on our recent Food for the Poor organized trip to Nicaragua and Honduras. Both projects work to HONDURAS continued on page 6