Vancouver catholic Worker

Samaritan House Home of the Vancouver Catholic Worker 1143 E Pender St Coast Salish Territories - Vancouver, BC V6A 1W6 604-349-5027 info@vancouvercatholicworker.org
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NEWS from here & there (but mostly here) 2013 Downtown Eastside Way of the Cross Walk Join us for the Eucumenical Stations of the Cross Vancouver's Downtown Eastside Good Friday 29 March 2013 Gather at the Lutheran Urban Mission Society 360 Jackson Ave (between Hastings and Cordova) @ 12 noon The Way of the Cross is an ancient form of meditation, using sight and movement. Early Christians used to walk the "Via Dolorosa" of Jesus in Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of their Lord. All that is required to "make the stations" is a prayerful pondering of the mystery of Jesus' suffering, moving from one scene to the next. (Those who are confined may simply look at or hold a crucifix.) For more information call 604-682-2362 Human Dignity: The Cornerstone of Catholic Social Teaching Canadian Catholic Organization for Development & Peace February 13, 2013 by Luke Stocking, Deputy Director, In Canada Programs and John Gabor, Animator, British Columbia Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;” – Genesis 1:26 Scripture makes it clear that each and every person is made in the image and likeness of God. This radical claim is the source of our belief in the inherent and inviolable dignity of the human person. The dignity of the human person is the cornerstone of all Catholic social teaching. Being made in God’s image, we are all God’s children. This is true no matter where we are born and no matter what our economic or social status. As you read this, there are seven billion living and breathing unique images of God on the face of the Earth. You are one of them. Because it comes from God, human dignity is not something that we can bestow or take away from another person. It is intrinsic to our existence. What we can do is enter into relationships that respect our mutual human dignity. When respect for human dignity forms the basis of our relationships, God’s divine nature shines forth in a true communion of persons. Too often we fail to do this. Too often we de-humanize our brothers and sisters or shut our ears when they cry out. Failure to recognize the human dignity of each and every person opens the door to all manner of violence and injustice. But how can we truly make human dignity the cornerstone of our relationships? This question is especially pertinent when we reflect on our relationships with people we may never meet; people who suffer in the far corners of the world and whose names we do not know. Although we may never meet, we still share the same planet and its gifts. These gifts are not simply for our own personal use but are entrusted to us by God for the flourishing of our human family. We are increasingly aware that our actions in one part of the world can affect people who live far away from us. We are interconnected. We are in relationship with all seven billion of God’s children. “Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 357 Catholic social teaching can serve as the guidepost that helps us to enter into relationships that respect human dignity. Solidarity, the option for the poor, care for creation, economic justice, and the common good are examples of values that are vital to any society built upon the dignity of the human person. At Development and Peace, Catholic social teaching guides our relationship with the world. We are not patrons to the poor. We are partners with them. This partnership is rooted in the recognition of our common human dignity. To recognize the human dignity of the poor as equal to our own requires us to respect their freedom. This freedom includes their right to choose what development means for them. The poor must always be seen as subjects and not objects of development. Development and Peace enters into relationship with groups of men and women who have a vision for their own development and of their liberation from poverty and injustice. Through your generous support, we are able to call them partners. It is an honour to join them in their work. http://www.devp.org/en #idlenomore (Dec. 30/12) If you haven't heard about the Idle No More movement yet, we encourage you to do some reading about the issues involved. It's not simple, as no grassroots movement ever is. At its heart is the life and health of the land, the earth and the historic and on-going relationship between the Aboriginal peoples of these lands and us, the settlers on these lands. What is most uplifting about this movement to us here at the VCW is the leadership of women - the 4 women who named this movement, Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat who is now on the 20th day of her hunger strike, and all the women organizing the beautiful, sacred, spirit-filled and creative events across Canada and around the world. There is good factual information reported and commentary and opinion found at rabble.ca including a report that refutes the Harper government's accusation that the finances of the Attawapiskat community have been mismanaged. http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/apihtawikosisan/attawapiskat-was-not-financially-mismanaged Vancouver Catholic Worker community stands firmly as an ally of Indigenous peoples, recognizing our settler status and we're willing to do the work of decolonization. Idle No More blog - http://idlenomore1.blogspot.ca/ From the blog of âpihtawikosisân who is Métis from the Plains Cree speaking community of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta. She currently lives in Montreal, Quebec. - http://apihtawikosisan.com/2012/12/26/idle-no-more-where-do-we-go-from-here/ Decolonization blog - http://decolonization.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Occupy Vancouver livestream for the above 3 links. Stories from our neighbourhood: The Power of Women group from the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre tell their stories in video through the Vancouver Media Co-op http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/author/dtes-power-women-group VATICAN II… The Church in dialogue By Gregory Baum from the scarboromissions.ca - January/February 2012 the whole article is here - this is the final paragraqh... The creative dialogue practiced at Vatican Council II has not been allowed to become the model for a renewed Church, as Paul VI had wanted in his Ecclesiam Suam. This is a great disappointment. Yet it reminds us that the Good News we have received is not the Church, but the Gospel. In the teaching of Jesus and in his life, death and resurrection, Christians find the newness of life, the forgiveness of sin, the rescue from despair and the power to love God and today’s deeply troubled humanity. Faith in the Gospel continues to produce vital movements in the Church, groups of Catholics committed to social justice, protecting the environment, practicing meditation, developing theological insights, working for peace, serving the weak and the sick, supporting community development—and in doing so, welcoming God’s kingdom coming into the world. Protesters Guide to the Law of Civil Disobedience in B.C. - "Take Back Our Community" Edition - September 2011 Local lawyer Leo McGrady has updated his work since the Olympics in 2010. He would like acknowledgment for his work but the material is available for posting, distributing and copying. Civil.Disobedience.Guide.September.2011		Be Radical, have Roots! Events & Community Connections What's Happening at Samaritan House SPIRITUALITY OF SOIL A Lenten Journey from Cosmic Dust to Easter Garden 5 consecutive Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. Starting February 20th, 2013 1143 East Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. This retreat/journey will help us heighten our appreciation of Earth, and God's living and acting within it, the current threats to our soil, and how we can respond in faith. Each week, we will start with a Lenten reading that reminds us about God’s gifts of fertile dust, seeds, sheaves, trees. The reading is followed by a reflection and an action. As a group we can to adapt the material in any way that will facilitate our sharing, prayer, and community. The program was designed by Holy Child Jesus Sr. Terri MacKenzie. The program is free ─ donations to Our Lady of Guadalupe Tonantzin Community will be accepted. To register and for more information, please contact: Vikki at tepeyacvancouver@gmail.com Please bring a small container to the first session on February 20th Come to 1 session Come to all the sessions Come when you can. Our newsletter has returned! PDF copy of From the Well is here for download, sharing, printing ... Interested in contributing to another edition? Let us know what you'd like to share. We are the birthplace and spiritual home of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Tonantzin Community. This growing community is based in east Vancouver gathers for worship led by Roman Catholic Womanpriest Vikki Marie. Vision Statement We envision and aspire to be a community that is Christ-centred, egalitarian, inclusive, and compassionate. We are a community of hope, prayer, and faith in action that welcomes everyone and embraces all who come, whoever you are and wherever you are in your journey of faith. For more info and mass times & places: https://tepeyacvancouver.wordpress.com/ We support Gaza's Ark http://www.gazaark.org/ Gaza’s Ark Mission Statement Gaza’s Ark will build a boat in Gaza using existing resources. A crew of internationals and Palestinians will sail it out of Gaza, the only Mediterranean port closed to shipping, carrying Palestinian products to fulfill trade deals with international buyers, to challenge the illegal and inhuman Israeli blockade. Gaza’s Ark will be constructed in Gaza by Palestinian hands and expertise, with international assistance where requested. Gaza’s Ark will help revitalize the dwindling ship building industry in Gaza and help ensure the transmission of this disappearing expertise (another effect of the blockade) to the younger generations. Through Gaza’s Ark and trade deals secured between Palestinian producers in Gaza and international businesses and NGOs, a channel will be established to export Palestinian products from Gaza that are available despite the blockade. Gaza’s Ark will provide training to Gaza’s sailors in the use of up-to-date electronic sailing equipment and techniques, which they have been denied for years as a result of the blockade. Although it will help in a very limited manner to alleviate Gaza’s unemployment crisis by paying wages to the boat builders and providing business opportunities to traders, Gaza’s Ark is not an aid project. It is a peaceful action against the blockade which Israel unilaterally and illegally imposes on Gaza. Gaza’s Ark stands in solidarity with the Palestinian fishers in Gaza whose ability to operate in territorial waters and to derive a livelihood is threatened by the same illegal Israeli blockade which our campaign is challenging. Gaza’s Ark challenges the blockade by building hope on the ground in Gaza. It affirms our confidence that the Palestinians of Gaza can rebuild their economy through outbound trade that threatens no-one’s security. White Poppies for Peace We have white poppies available by donation. Stop by the house or give us a call. Or click the photo for link to the source, a great internet resource - The Peace Pledge Union in the UK.
Last updated on 19 March, 2013