an overnight shelter. I may have
been preparing to profess a vow of
poverty, but these people lived real
economic poverty each day.
The Passage Day Centre for the
Homeless, a collaborative ministry of
London’s Westminster Cathedral and
the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, provides far more than
a hot breakfast to men and women
“sleeping rough” on the city’s streets.
Staff and volunteers help clients find
housing, seek employment, gain
literacy, and learn computer skills.
Counselors and health-care workers
provide mental and physical care.
Chaplains offer spiritual care, daily
Mass, and common prayer. Combined, these efforts treat the whole
person with dignity and empower
these men and women to rebuild
their lives.
The preferential option
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Of course I did not need to travel
3,000 miles to find people experiencing poverty. Here in the United
States the poverty rate is increasing
at an alarming rate. In 2010, 46.2
million Americans were living below
the poverty line—a $22,314 annual
income for a family of four—the
largest number since the U.S. government began tracking such data
more than 50 years ago. Globally
more than 3 billion people live on
less than $2 a day.
The Catholic faith calls us to
live out a “preferential option for
the poor and vulnerable.” What that
means in the simplest of terms is that
we, as a society, must put the needs
of people living in poverty and vulnerable situations first. By option the
church does not mean “optional” but
rather that we need to opt, or choose,
Victory Noll Sisters
; Proclaim the Word of God
; Stand in solidarity with the poor
; Foster justice
; Promote the development of leaders
Share
Our
Spirit
Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters
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VISION 2013
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