All it takes is ONE

What is The ONE Campaign?
ONE is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans – ONE by ONE – to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. The ONE Campaign is engaging Americans through a diverse coalition of faith-based and anti-poverty organizers to show the steps people can take, ONE by ONE, to fight global AIDS and poverty.

Why is The ONE Campaign needed?
Right now, the US government is making decisions about how much money to spend on humanitarian assistance next year and the UK is poised to lead the world’s wealthiest nations at the G8 summit next July. By joining the ONE campaign, we will show our leaders that we want to do more to respond to the emergency of AIDS and extreme poverty.

What is the goal of The ONE Campaign?
The ONE Campaign seeks to give Americans a voice, to ring church bells and cell phones, on campuses and in coffee shops, for an historic pact to fight the global AIDS emergency and end extreme poverty. We believe that allocating an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food, would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation of the poorest countries.

Who founded The ONE Campaign?
The ONE Campaign was founded by Bread for the World, CARE, DATA, International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam America, Plan USA, Save the Children US, World Concern, and World Vision, and works closely with the National Basketball Association, Rock the Vote, and the Millennium Campaign.

What can ONE person do?

• Sign the Declaration
• Email a friend
• Ask President Bush to fight poverty
• Wear the wristband
• Get local
• Host a banner on your website

Wear White on International White Band Day - July 1, 2005
July 1 will see people around the world wearing their white bands and wrapping public buildings in white to send a message to the G8 world leaders that they demand action on trade justice, debt cancellation, and more and better aid. International White Band Day will prove to be one of the largest global actions ever taken.

FILED UNDER: LIVE8

Make Poverty History: Live 8

Music and youth CAN change the world. Below is information on a massive global effort to end poverty.

Every single day, 30,000 children die, needlessly, of extreme poverty.

On July 6th, we finally have the opportunity to stop that shameful statistic.

8 world leaders, gathered in Scotland for the G8 summit, will be presented with a workable plan to double aid, drop the debt and make the trade laws fair. If these 8 men agree, then we will become the generation that made poverty history.

But they'll only do it if enough people tell them to.

That's why we're staging Live 8. 5 concerts, 100 artists, a million spectators, 2 billion viewers, and 1 message... To get those 8 men, in that 1 room, to stop 30,000 children dying every single day of extreme poverty.

We don't want your money - we want you!

Live 8 is a series of concerts and events across the world which are being staged to highlight the problem of global poverty. It's a chance for ordinary people to call on world leaders at this year's G8 summit and tell them to put a stop to the needless deaths of 30,000 children every single day.

On 6th July 2005, the leaders of Great Britain, the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia will meet at Gleneagles in Scotland to talk about world affairs, including Africa. They will be presented with a workable plan to double aid, drop the debt and make trade laws fair.

The G8 summit is our opportunity to demand that the world's most influential leaders take action now.

Live 8 has organised concerts in Philadelpia, Berlin, London, Rome, Paris and Edinburgh, with 100 artists, a million spectators, two billion viewers and one message: Make Poverty History.

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On Saturday, July 2, London, Philadelphia, Paris, Rome, Berlin, and Edinburgh will host the biggest simulaneous rock concert to demand that the 8 leaders of the world's super-powers end poverty now. Here's how you can make your voice heard:

• Watch LIVE 8
• Go To Edinburgh
• Send a Friend
• The Long Walk to Justice
• Wear a White Band
• Send in Your Picture
• Edinburgh 50,000
• Email Your Leader

FILED UNDER: LIVE8

Summertime Transitions

A person told me about her experience of moving her family to a new city. Within the first few weeks of their move, the local Christian church came by their home and offered them whatever assistance they needed to get settled--simple things like helping them unpack, dropping off ready-made dinners, finding the local dry cleaners.

We, Catholics, should be able to do at least as much. Summertime often brings transitions, and so parishes should be even more alert to visitors and newcomers during this time (and notice when members are absent). One simple thing we can do is watch our language. When a new person comes to our church, one of our first questions shouldn't be "have you registered with the parish?" When Jesus met people, one of his first actions was to address their basic human need. As ambassadors of Christ and people of faith, we can strive to meet the basic human needs of people, and through our simple human actions, they will encounter Christ.

Click here for a Blessing of Families in Their New Homes.
Click here for a Blessing of Departing Parishioners.

Blessing for Departing Parishioners

When a parishioner leaves a parish, it is a time of sadness. Yet we also rejoice because they will be ambassadors for us, representatives of Christ to a new community. In a unique way, they are being "commissioned" to spread the Good News they have heard from this community. So we send them with our prayers and blessings.

The Book of Blessings, Chapter 67, offers a brief blessing for departing parishioners, consisting of an intercession and a triple blessing. This brief rite is good to use at the last Sunday Mass with the departing parishioners. At a farewell party or other gathering during the week, the following more extensive blessing adapted by Nick Wagner may be more suitable.

Blessing of Departing Parishioners

Introductory Rites
When the community has gathered, a suitable song may be sung.
The celebrant greets those present.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.

Brothers and sisters,
our Lord, Jesus, commissioned the church
to go out to proclaim the good news.
We are gathered here to pray for our friends
as we send them out to serve the Lord
in new ways and new places.

The scriptures remind us that God is life
and God’s love is our strength.
Let us listen now to God’s saving word.

Reading of the Word of God
A reader proclaims a text of sacred Scripture – Romans 10:9-18.


Testimonies
Members of the parish may share some stories about the departing parishioners, testifying how God has worked through them to enrich the parish community.


Intercessions
The celebrant continues.

Brothers and sisters, God is the giver of all good gifts;
let us call upon our loving God in faith.

A reader leads the intercessions.

Our response is: Lord, hear our prayer.

For [N. and N.], for Christ our teacher
to walk with them always, we pray to the Lord.

For parishioners no longer with us, for Christ our brother
to be always at their side, we pray to the Lord.

For our parish of [name of parish],
for our commitment to the good work begun
by these fellow disciples of Christ, we pray to the Lord.

For those who have not heard God’s word,
for the good news to be proclaimed in every place,
we pray to the Lord.

The celebrant continues.

With faith and confidence, let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us: Our Father…

Prayer of Blessing
With hands outstretched over the departing parishioners, the celebrant leads the following prayer.

Eternal God,
look kindly on your servants, [N. and N.].
We send them forth as messengers of salvation and peace
marked with the sign of the cross.
Guide their steps with your mighty arm
and with the power of your grace strengthen them in spirit,
so that they will not falter through weariness.
Make their words the echo of Christ’s voice,
so that those who hear them
may be drawn to follow the Gospel.
Fill the hearts of these, our friends, with your Holy Spirit
so that they may lead many to you, the Father of all,
to sing your praises in your holy temple.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Concluding Blessing
The celebrant continues.

And may almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, (+) and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Go in peace to bring the Good News to others
and to the love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.

FILED UNDER: PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS

Suggested Intercessions for Father’s Day - June 19, 2005

12th Sunday Ordinary Time - June 19, 2005
Click here for the day's readings.

For those who have fathered us into birth,
for those we call “father” who have shown us the face of our Father in heaven,
for expectant fathers and those whose arms ache to cradle their own,
for fathers who have borne the pain of losing a child,
and for fathers who have laid down their life for their children:
May the one who is Father and Lord of all be their guide and their peace.
We pray to the Lord.

For all who have been deprived of their fathers
through war, violence, or imprisonment,
addiction, divorce, or separation;
for those whose fathers have left home in search of work in another land,
that their wounds may be healed and their families mended together.
We pray to the Lord.

For foster fathers, step fathers, and fathers by adoption,
that they will find true happiness in the mystery of fatherhood
and that their love for their children may bind them closer
into the perfect love of God.
We pray to the Lord.

For those we call father,
those who showed us how to throw a ball or cook a meal,
those who taught us how to drive and showed mercy upon us for the dents,
those who kissed away our hurts, calmed all our fears,
and protected us as best they could.
We pray to the Lord.

For all fathers, living or dead,
those nearby or those distanced by miles, disease, or division,
that they all may be embraced and strengthened
by the loving arms of God, the Father of us all.
We pray to the Lord.


FILED UNDER: INTERCESSIONS, PRAYERS

Fight Homelessness 12 Inches at a Time

Bob Dolci is the liturgist at Our Lady of Guadalupe in San José. On Sundays he prepares the home for the People of God; during the week he helps those with no home find dignity, shelter, and safety again. I will be purchasing several sets of rulers. Please consider helping this project in any way you can. - Diana

From Bob Dolci

Dear Friends:

As you might know, the company I work for, EHC LifeBuilders, serves the homeless in Santa Clara County. Each year, we serve over 13,000 people, many of whom are families. With the decreased financial support of our government, combined with the ever-rising needs of the families we serve, we are faced with more and more challenges. I am writing to you today in the hopes that each of you will assist me with our end of the year fundraiser.

Our Ruler Project is designed to show our community in visual terms about the work we do. We are constructing a house, that once complete, will be relocated to one of the family housing programs for the children to play in. Can you envision a playhouse constructed out of rulers? Me neither. But we are doing it. And imagine this - each ruler has the opportunity to have a name on it. A name is a voice, a statement, a commitment that says to our community that is not okay for children to sleep outside. That is it unconscionable in a valley of such wealth to allow children sleep in cars, parks, and under bridges. That housing is and should be a basic human right.

You can lend a voice to our mission. For a mere $10, you are committing to buying a set of rulers--one you keep, the others I will faithfully inscribe your name or whatever name or word you'd like on it and add it to our project. (Of course, I wouldn't stop you from buying several sets of rulers….)

I've committed myself to selling 100 of these rulers, and to do that, I need your help. Not only in purchasing a set(s) of rulers, but by also passing this message to others in your world who you know also care about homelessness and might want to participate in a tangible way. I believe in our community, I believe that we can manifest change, and I believe that if we bring our voices together we create momentum for what is right.

Here is a form that you can print out and mail in (you need Adobe Reader) with your payment. I'd appreciate you putting my name (Bob Dolci) on the envelope and also on the flyer, so I can keep track of each of you and your support and personally thank you. If you'd rather send it directly to me, you can do so c/o:

Boccardo Reception Center
2011 Little Orchard Street
San José, CA 95125.

I know we each get hit up all the time for donations - and I am doing that to each of you right now - but I also believe it can be more than that - we are building a monument for change and I would love nothing more than to see the names of the people I know and love alongside mine.

Please let me know if you have any questions - 408-539-2100, and I look forward to hearing from all of you. Thank you in advance for taking the time to support the work of EHC LifeBuilders and the work I've committed myself to doing for the past 12 years.

Sincerely,
Bob

Click here for a donation form you can print out and mail to Bob.


FILED UNDER: SOCIAL JUSTICE

Pilgrimage/Study Tour to Vietnam: November 17-28, 2005

Last year I went to Vietnam with about twenty other Church ministers from the United States. We went for 10 days to explore the country and learn from the Vietnamese people how they live, pray, play, sing, and eat as Catholics in Vietnam.



Br. Rufino Zaragoza, OFM, and Oregon Catholic Press are hosting another pilgrimage this November for Catholic ministers who want to learn about the Vietnamese culture and Catholic way of life.



Discover the beauty of Vietnam and experience the enthusiasm, liturgical traditions, and inculturation of Vietnamese Catholicism. Dialogues with locals, spiritual reflections, and prayer services at traditional pilgrimage sites will nourish the soul. Breathtaking scenery, mouth-watering meals, and enticing shopping also await the tour participants. Tour includes Saigon, Hue, and Hanoi for $1995, including airfare from SFO.

Contact tour coordinator, Br. Rufino Zaragoza, OFM, at (510) 536-1287, ext. 140, or e-mail: RufinoZ@yahoo.com.

Sponsored by OCP Pilgrimages, limited to twenty participants, deposits due early July. Visit www.VNPilgrimage.com for itinerary and details.


FILED UNDER: EVENTS