WHAT CAN WE DO AT ST. MICHAEL’S FOR WORLD DAY OF THE POOR 2018?
On November 19, 2017 we celebrated the first annual World Day of the Poor. This annual Day of the Poor, set by Pope Francis at the close of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, will occur annually on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Would you like to help St. Michael’s plan for next year’s World Day of the Poor?
THE PURPOSE OF THE WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
Pope Francis wants each of us to make the annual World Day of the Poor a day when each of us has a very personal encounter with someone who is poor. He hopes that through this encounter, Catholics will grow in solidarity and friendship with the poor in their communities. He says, “If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist.”
THE CELEBRATION IN THE VATICAN
Setting an example for us to follow, the Vatican arranged several World Day of the Poor meals. On that Sunday morning in St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis and some four thousand poor and needy people celebrated Mass together. After the Mass, guests dined with the Pope at tables covered with white cloths in the hall where the pope on Wednesdays holds his public audience. Click here to read the AP piece.
WHAT CAN WE DO AT ST. MICHAEL’S
The diocese of Arlington Virginia is to be commended for putting together a World Day and Week of the Poor. Arlington’s Bishop Michael F. Burbidge writes “This is not a celebration of poverty in the way that World Youth Day is a celebration of young people. Pope Francis intends for this day to call our attention to the plight of the poor and to the many kinds of poverty that exist in our world. He also wants to ‘encourage believers to react against a culture of discard and waste, and to embrace the culture of encounter.’” Click here to read Bishop Burbige’s full message.
PREPARING FOR THE 2018 WORLD DAY OF THE POOR AT ST. MICHAEL’S
What would you like us to do here at St Michael’s for next year’s World Day of the Poor? Wouldn’t it be great if we could get hundreds of our parishioners participating in a day or week of special solidarity and friendship with the poor in our local communities?
Check out the websites below. Are any of the happenings in parishes of these diocese things that would be fitting to do here in Cranford for the 2018 World Day of the Poor Day? Can you come up with other ways to offer personal encounters with the poor? If so, please let us know of your interest by contacting the Parish Center. And also let us know if you want to be part of a parish group working on the 2018 World Day of the Poor. The parish center phone number is (908) 276-0360 and its email address is parishcenter@stmichaelscranford.org