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Young pro-lifer leads the charge 3 December 13, 2012
Pope: Americas need renewed missionary spirit, well-catechized laity
The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart
Honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe
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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
The universal church needs Catholics in the Americas who are joyful missionaries, well-catechized and faithful to the teachings of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI said. The only way to solve today’s problems is through credible and effective Christian witness and charity, he said, since only actions based on God’s truth and love can be the “decisive force which will transform the American continent,” he said. The pope made his comments during the opening Mass of a Dec. 9-12 international congress marking the 15th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops for America. The congress, organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and the Knights of Columbus, was looking at ways Catholics can cooperate more closely to confront today’s challenges in North, Central and South America.
Common concerns The pope said some of the problems the whole continent must deal with include increased secularization, affronts to human dignity, threats to the institution of marriage, migration, violence, the illegal drugs and arms trades, corruption and inequality and poverty “caused by questionable economic, political and social” policies. PLEASE TURN TO POOR ON PAGE 18
Photo by Jennifer Hardy/Catholic Relief Services
A child walks on a street in the town of Cateel, a coastal community of Davao Oriental province in the Philippines, which sustained devastating damage from Typhoon Bopha (known as Pablo in the Philippines). Buildings were severely damaged, and most homes are destroyed. Most coconut trees are down or damaged beyond recovery. The coconut industry is a main source of income for the community.
Responding in the wake of disaster Typhoon survivors struggle to find shelter in storm-ravaged Philippines
Family’s quest to revitalize town after Sandy prompts others to join in
By Dennis Sadowski
By Christina Leslie
Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service
Struggling to escape the heat of the midday sun, survivors of Typhoon Bopha scavenged whatever debris they could to build makeshift shelters across storm-ravaged provinces of the southern Philippines. From the coastal communities of Boston and Cateel in Davao Oriental province to the inland town of New Bataan in Compostela Valley province, little remained standing from the 120mph winds and flash flooding of Dec. 4 that left more than 700 dead and nearly 900 missing across the island of Mindanao. Jennifer Hardy, regional information officer for Asia for Catholic Relief Services, told Catholic News Service Dec. 11 that emergency workers and aid agencies were having a difficult time
A New Jersey family’s desire to bring new life to their hurricane-stricken shore town has prompted scores of like-minded individuals to join them in their mission of compassion. Melissa and Chip Dayton, along with seven of their eight children, have volunteered tirelessly with the SquanStrong movement since Sandy’s landfall Oct. 29 to revitalize the town of Manasquan and share their faith-filled surplus of compassion in time of need. Manasquan townswoman Dana Connelly’s request via Facebook for volunteers to conduct a clothing drive and town cleanup gained the attention of the Catholic family, eager to help their neighbors affected by storm surge from both the Atlantic Ocean and the inlet.
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PLEASE TURN TO FAMILY ON PAGE 4
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