Voices of the Vineyard

 It is perhaps obvious that publishing these “Voices of the Vineyard” provides an opportunity to acquaint oneself with organizations that are advancing the Kingdom. What follows is an article submitted by Blessings International located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (www. Blessing.org). Readers will be encouraged by the example of this apostolate. “Even so the body is not made up of one part, but many” 1Cor. 12:14. As co-laborers with Christ, Blessings International’s vision is to heal the hurting globally and locally by providing life-saving pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and medical supplies. We partner with pregnancy resource centers, medical mission teams, charitable clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies to achieve Christ’s goal of loving and healing people and transforming lives.  As a life-honoring organization, Blessings is passionate about intervening within the continuum of care as it pertains to maternal health, bringing life and healing to those most vulnerable across the United States. Blessings is a trusted,…

Most Catholics in this country are aware of American organizations, religious and otherwise, that provide emergency relief and development assistance to poverty-stricken areas around the world. Because of American generosity, these agencies are able to effectively and consistently much-needed aid. While not an American, Malteser International is also a well-established organization through which generous souls in the United States can support disaster relief and humanitarian work overseas. Headquartered in Cologne, Germany with US offices in New York, Malteser International is the relief agency of the Catholic Sovereign Order of Malta (the Knights and Dames of Malta) and fulfills the Order’s mission of ‘serving the poor and the sick’. According to its website (www.malteser-international.org), since 1956 Malteser has had as its core task improving the health and well-being of suffering and displaced people around the world. “We provide emergency and disaster relief in the immediate aftermath of acute disasters and work…

Readers may recall that in the past this column has reported on the work of TOBET, the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team, headquartered in Texas (www.tobet.org). Monica Ashour, the creative and indefatigable advocate of Pope John Paul II’s teachings on the theology of the body, has been the force behind the successful – and now international – promulgation of TOBET’s outreach.  As an offshoot of TOBET, Ms. Ashour and her colleague Mark Salvia have co-founded an organization called EveryBody International (EBI) whose mission statement is: “to provide compelling educational resources to renew the culture through human formation based on the truth of God’s design for the human body which shows forth the True, the Good, and the Beautiful”. EBI has launched what many readers will concur is an exciting initiative addressing the critical need for faith-based educational environments that are also safe for children. Those interested should visit (www.bridgesandboundaries.org) …

Readers will be inspired by this story about Father Paul Mast of the Diocese of Wilmington and the genesis of his tax-exempt foundation Compassion Street, Inc. It also provides the background for the Compassion Street Musical which will be reprised later this Spring in Wilmington. The date was August 28, 2013. The place was the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The occasion was the 50th anniversary of “The March for the Dream,” culminating in Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Rev. Paul Mast was in the crowd. Tired of the long-winded political speeches, which didn’t help the oppressive capital city sauna-like temperature, he walked to the King Memorial off Independence Avenue. The contemplative space invited a prayerful reading of Dr. King’s iconic speech. Afterwards, thirsting for a bottle of water, he walked to the Smithsonian METRO stop. As he…

It is commonly recognized that the standard fare in today’s film industry is at best non-religious, if not in fact irreligious. Exceptions are rare and to be celebrated. If they are not already acquainted with it, readers of this column will welcome this introduction to  Bongiorno Productions   (www.BongiornoProductions.com) and find its creative use of the genre to be informative, edifying, and inspiring.  As its website indicates, the husband-and-wife team of Marylou and Jerome Bongiorno have produced numerous fictional, documentary, art, and experimental films and screenplays with a wide distribution for theatres, national PBS series, foreign TV, and museums.   Several years ago these two filmmakers won national acclaim for their highly recommended documentary, “The Rule”, an account of St. Benedict’s School in Newark, New Jersey (also referred to as Newark Abbey). This uplifting film offers great hope for educators committed to effective and excellent education for disadvantaged inner-city youth.  Once…

Since the so-called sexual revolution in the 1960s confusion about human sexuality has proliferated, especially in the United States.  What traditionally was recognized as an immutable part of the essential core of our being became, in the eyes of many, an extraneous factor that could be manipulated at no risk to our fundamental integrity.  The spread of this heresy has been rapid and alarming, to the extent that between the years 1979 and 1984 Pope John Paul II (now sainted) delivered 129 lectures on the subject of the ‘theology of the body’.  TOBET, (the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team) was founded at the beginning of this century to provide educators material that can be used to combat this self-destructive trend. Its website is www.tobet.org. Readers who visit TOBET’s website will be astounded by the extent of this apostolate’s outreach in just over twenty years.  Founded in 2001 by Monica…

Mid-Atlantic Pueri Cantores Youth Choral Festival and Mass celebrated by Cardinal Gregory. An exciting and promising development is underway in this country. Growing numbers of parents, grandparents and choir directors throughout the nation are being touched by the ineffable power of children and young adults singing sacred music. Readers of this column can share in this enlightenment by visiting www.pcchoirs.org, the website of the American Federation Pueri Cantores. The American Federation of Pueri Cantores (AFPC) is part of the International Federation Pueri Cantores which is the official international student choral group of the Catholic Church recognized by the Vatican.  AFPC has been around in the United States since the middle of the last century.  However, in the rocky years following Vatican II the organization experienced decline and was essentially dormant. In the past fifteen years it has found its ‘legs’ (or more appropriately its voice) and is now well under…

A compelling example of philanthropy as the outreach of God’s love is the work of the Edmundite Missions in Selma, Alabama. It is an especial pleasure to bring this apostolate to the attention of our readers because the President and C.E.O. of the Edmusndite Missions is Mr. Chad McEachern, one of NCCF’s long serving board members. Headquartered in Selma, Alabama, the Edmundite Missions has been serving the men, women and children living in poverty-stricken communities throughout the Deep South since 1937. Founded by two members of the Society of St. Edmund, we continue to follow our founder’s call to, “Do the best we can, with what we have, to serve those most in need.” Through our ministry, we meet immediate needs by providing food, clothing and shelter for thousands of people. We also exemplify service to solutions by offering mentorship, apprenticeships and educational programs for youth and adults, providing a…

Because it has been around for four decades many of us are at least somewhat familiar with the organization Food For The Poor. Readers may appreciate learning more about FFTP’s relief and development efforts around the world. The following write-up has been recently provided us. We pass it on with a spirit of solidarity with all who seek a “closer union with our Lord”. Overview of Food For The Poor April, 2023 Founded in 1982 and headquartered in South Florida, Food For The Poor (FFTP) is one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, providing housing, healthcare, education, water, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, emergency relief and micro-enterprise assistance, in addition to feeding hundreds of thousands of people each day. Since inception, the charity has provided more than $17.8 billion in aid. FFTP operates and supports programs that feed hundreds of thousands of…

It has been said that the word ‘eternal’ refers not so much to the duration of time as it does to the quality of time. The Kingdom of God is the ‘already/not yet’ reality within us. Its invitation is not delayed for some post-mortem event. Rather it is for an encounter in the present. Saint Paul’s Outreach (www.spo.org), an organization founded decades ago in Minnesota, extends this invitation to college students around the nation. Readers discouraged by the spreading nihilism we read about on our university campuses would do well to acquaint themselves with this apostolate for young adults. Could SPO be a harbinger of the new springtime Pope John Paul II predicted?  Here are excerpts from SPO’s website. College campuses are battlegrounds for the minds and souls of young people and many are leaving the Church. Only 10% of Catholic students attend Sunday Mass. Many are lonely, isolated from…

“Pope Francis recently called on Catholic universities worldwide to contribute to research and teaching about refugees and migrants. As a Catholic and Augustinian institution with a deep an longstanding commitment to community service and founded to educate immigrants, Villanova is answering Pope Franci’s call”.   So begins the website of this impressive endeavor to address creatively and effectively the lives of the new arrivals to this county. The website further states: ” Founded by Michele Pistone, an immigration law professor and practitioner, VIISTA responds to the access to justice crisis within the immigration field. It addresses two essential problems: the lack of sufficient legal advocates working within the immigration system and the high barriers to entry into the legal workforce for those directly impacted by immigration. With an innovation grant from Villanova and funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Professor Pistone created VIISTA . VIISTA is a three-module online certificate program…

There is exciting news in Philadelphia. Pope Francis has elevated the Miraculous Medal Shrine to Basilica status (Miraculousmedal.org) It is now the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Readers not already familiar with this Shrine will find the following excerpt from its website interesting. How appropriate that the Shrine is located in that city where our nation was founded given that the Blessed Mother, under her title of the Immaculate Conception has been the Patroness of the United States since the mid-19th century.  “In 1875, approximately 25 years after arriving in Germantown, the Vincentian Priests of the Eastern Province (Congregation of the Mission) developed plans for the Congregation’s private chapel, which they named the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. When Bishop James Wood (then bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia) heard about these plans, he asked them to build a public chapel instead. With humility and obedience,…

The concept of covenant has its beginning as early as the Garden of Eden and runs through the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jeremiah. At the Last Supper Jesus speaks of the blood to be poured out for the ‘new covenant’. A covenant describes the mutual responsibilities of those parties who are partners in it. Since its inception fifty years ago the Covenant House has in an inspiring way demonstrated the powerful effectiveness of the concept. What follows is from its website www.covenanthouse.org.  Since 1972, Covenant House has opened its doors to over 1.5 million young people experiencing homelessness and trafficking, one youth at a time. That’s half a century of believing in youth and nurturing their promise, talents, and courage. Who We Serve In 34 cities across six countries, more than 2,000 young people sleep in a Covenant House bed each night. No one is ever turned away…

(Residents of the United States of America who are not already aware of the organization would be edified by the history and mission of Catholic Relief Services which began its ministry after World War II. Excerpts from the website of CRS -www.crs.org – appear here). “Catholic Relief Services is a pro-life organization dedicated to preserving the sacredness and dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Catholic Relief Services is a manifestation of love for our brothers and sisters around the globe by the Catholic Community of the United States. We protect, defend and advance human life around the world by directly meeting basic needs and advocating solutions to injustice. As a part of the Universal Church, Catholic institutions are our partners of preference in our work. To reach all those who need our help, we also participate in humanitarian initiatives undertaken by a wide range of groups, such…

Following in our Savior’s footsteps, good works keep His Way visible by bringing Sunday TV Mass, prayer publications, and online inspiration to Catholics who cannot get out to church.  Heart of the Nation becomes a blessing for multitudes in times of illness, frailty, inclement weather, or other struggles. Since 1984, Heart of the Nation has produced Sunday TV Mass with compassion for the faithful at home, in healthcare settings, or in prison. In 2011, Heart of the Nation began publication of its free, large-print Prayer & Worship Guide to help subscribers with poor eyesight, hearing loss, or simply a desire to have the Scripture readings, prayers, and responses at hand to follow along during Mass. Priests, musicians, choirs, cantors, and lectors participate in production of the TV Mass. A local parish donates use of its church. Multiple cameras and closed-captioning enable immersion in the hope-filled experience of the Catholic liturgy.…

One of the less considered facts of the Christmas story is the plight the Holy Family suffered first as displaced persons and then as refugees. In compliance with an imperial edict Joseph and Mary, despite her advanced pregnancy, were required to undertake an arduous journey to relocate in Bethlehem. Then, after the birth of Jesus – because of political wranglings – they were forced to flee to another country.  Here we are, two millennia later, and the ordeals of forced displacement continue. Good news on which to reflect this Advent is that the International Catholic Migration Commission has been addressing this issue since People Pius XII. It is a worldwide network of Catholic Bishop Conferences and Catholic inspired organizations working on migration and refugee issues at local and national levels. As its website states (ICMC.net) The International Catholic Migration Commission protects and serves uprooted people, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displace…

Readers familiar with the shark tank approach to fund raising might be interested in learning about a novel endeavor launched by Mission Capital, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides tools and resources for Catholic evangelism and discipling ministries. As we go to press Mission Capital is sponsoring a ‘New Evangelization Shark Tank’ in Ann Arbor, Michigan where donors will meet empaneled representatives from six charitable organizations involved in the promotion of evangelism and discipleship. The purpose, of course, is to provide the attending donors the opportunity to partner with and support the charities. It promises to be not only an effective fund-raising approach but, as important, an engaging way for donors to respond in a fuller way to the call of evangelization. The next shark tank is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. in March of next year. Before admitting each organization to the ‘tank’ Mission Capital assures itself…

Readers who desire to visit the Holy Land but are unable to will appreciate learning about the Franciscan Monastery of The Holy Land in America located in Washington, D.C. (myfranciscan.org). Its mission statement appears below. Those interested in knowing more about the history and culture of the land in which our Lord lived and the places he walked would benefit enormously by Fr. David Wathen’s recently published book “A Pilgrim’s Spiritual Handbook to the Holy Land”. They would also enjoy visiting the monastery to take the “tour” of the holy sites that have been replicated there. The Franciscan Monastery in Washington 800 years ago, the Romand Catholic Church entrusted the guardianship of the Holy Land of the Christian religion to the Holy Land Friars of the Order of St. Francis, creating what is now known as the Custody of the Holy Land. The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in…

Readers have asked what they might do to help the victims of the terrible flooding that has devastated Pakistan these past several weeks. Those interested might look into Malteser International, the emergency relief arm of the Order of Malta (www.Malteser-International.org) . Malteser International  is conducting a relief effort in that desperate country. The following information is from its website. With over 140 projects is some 35 countries throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas, Malteser International provides emergency relief after disasters and supports recovery efforts with a focus on sustainable development. For nearly 60 years, Malteser International has been standing by those affected by poverty, disease, conflict and disaster, helping them lead a healthy life with dignity – without distinction of religion, origin or political persuasion. Malteser International’s General Secretariat and its European headquarters are located in Cologne, Germany. The American headquarters are based in New York. The international network of…

As mentioned above reverence engenders in those who are graced with it a deep awareness of and respect for the God-given dignity they encounter in others. Readers who are not already familiar with it might be interested in learning about Project Hope Alliance in Orange County, California. The organization and those who manage and support it exemplify how philanthropy effectively – and in this case wondrously – addresses and fosters the dignity of homeless youngsters. Project Hope (Homeless Outreach Program in Education) was founded 28 years ago by a schoolteacher who – using her car as a classroom – began assisting homeless children with their education. As its website states (www.projecthopealliance.org) Project Hope, now called Project Hope Alliance, helps homeless students from kindergarten to age 24 with a long-term, an on-site intervention model that helps them “access resources, enjoy being a kid, and achieve their educational and life goals’.  The…