DECEMBER. Virtue: Charity

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1 DECEMBER Virtue: Charity Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. (Act 9:36) Catholic Graduate Expectation: A Caring Family Member Principles of Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

2 Overview of the Virtue of Charity The virtue of Charity means being generous with our presence, time, and money. Charity allows us to give freely without expecting anything in return. The virtue of charity encompasses a range of small acts and habits that affects our own immediate surroundings as well as the larger global community. It can be as simple as giving someone a smile or it can be expressed on a larger scale through raising funds for world organizations. Catholic Graduate Expectation -- I CARE! A CARING FAMILY MEMBER WHO: Relates to family members in a loving, compassionate and respectful manner. Recognizes human intimacy and sexuality as God given gifts, to be used as the creator intended. Values and honours the important role of the family in society. Values and nurtures opportunities for family prayer. Ministers to the family, school, parish and wider community through service. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE: Catholic teaching proclaims that a basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

3 Witness of Faith Blessed Mother Teresa The Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C., commonly known as Mother Teresa (26 August September 1997), was a Roman Catholic Religious Sister and missionary of Albanian origin who lived for most of her life in India. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries. They run hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics; children's and family counselling programs; orphanages; and schools. Members of the order must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the fourth vow, to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor". Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honors including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2003, she was beatified as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta".

4 Reflection Inspired by the Faith of Mother Teresa Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. Blessed Mother Teresa God and My Friends Once a gardener said to me, The plants want to grow; Leave them he said to me. Yes, there is pruning And mulching And feeding and enriching. But we must trust the soil; The deep tangle of distrust and guilt Only weakens the roots. So know this: Love is mysterious presence Love is the face of God Love is the key to the abyss Love is the prober of depths Love is the face of your friend Love is where God is. -Mary Malone

5 Caring School / Te acher Action of the Month: Avoid labelling the young person and offer them opportunities to show themselves in a positive ways. -Michael Ungar, Strengths-Based Counseling With At-Risk Youth Give compliments to your students freely and often. The charity of giving kind words costs us nothing! Listen when no one else wants to Be patient

6 Liturgical Calendar and Saints of the TCDSB Take the time to learn more about the life of a Saint whose special day is being celebrated this month. Acknowledge a friend, family member or neighbour who shares a Saint s name this month and make a point to recognize the personal talents and gifts that they bring to your community! Liturgical Calendar -- ADVENT Advent, the beginning of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church, is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. It was historically known as "little Lent," because, like Lent, it is a time of repentance, with prayer, fasting, and Confession. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas, and therefore varies in length between 22 days and 28 days. The "liturgical year" includes the first Sunday of Advent and the last week in Ordinary Time. The liturgical year consists of two times: one can call the first time strong times and the other is known as ordinary time. The strong times are, Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, during which a particular mystery of salvation is celebrated. Ordinary Time, in turn, does not hold any particular mystery, but rather the same mystery of Christ in His fullness, especially on Sundays. Ordinary Time is divided into two parts throughout the liturgical year and in total lasts 33 or 34 weeks.

7 Saint Days of the Toronto Catholic District School Board- St. Edmund Campion December 1 St. Francis Xavier December 3 St. Barbara December 4 St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas of Bari December 6 St. Ambrose December 7 Immaculate Conception December 8 (and any of the schools named after St. Mary) Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton December 10 Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Jane Frances December 12 Mother Cabrini, Monsignor Percy Johnson December 22 Nativity of Our Lord, Holy Child, Divine Infant, Prince of Peace December 25 St. Stephen December 26 Holy Family, St. John, St. John the Evangelist December 27 Marshall McLuhan December 31

8 Catholic Charities of the Month Mary Centre Mary Centre helps individuals and families identify and develop skills of an adult with a developmental challenge, who is living at home, to gain self-confidence and independence. Its respite care program provides a place of rest for caregivers and families. Mary Centre delivers integrated support services and creates new opportunities for the benefit of the developmentally challenged, their families and the community in which we live. Although a small agency, it serves as a large centre of support, information, caring and sharing. How to Reach Us Head Office Wilson Ave Toronto, ON M3H 5Y9 Phone: (416) Fax: (416) dconforti@marycentre.com

9 Our Place Community of Hope Centre Our Place Community of Hope provides a ministry of hospitality and presence to people experiencing mental health issues, through a community which seeks to include all people by affirming and empowering them toward personal and communal responsibility. People take part in selected voluntary activities rather than programs, helping them to build social skills and gain leadership experience. Our Place is a response to the needs of people with mental health problems especially now when there are still insufficient community services available to support the needs of people living with mental illness. How to Reach Us Head Office 1183 Davenport Road Toronto, ON M6H 2G7 Phone: (416) Fax: (416) info@ourplacecommunityofhope.com

10 Get Involved and Make A Difference! Elderly community outreach and intergenerational programs (senior homes, hospitals, churches etc). Activities could include: students reading to seniors, sing along etc. Shoeboxes for the poor Community cleanup Breakfast programs Hats, mittens, sock, umbrella, toothpaste, soap drives

11 Simple Everyday Acts of Kindness Give Your Seat to an Elderly Person Make it a personal goal that whenever you are on a crowded bus, train or public place (doctor's office, waiting room, etc.) that you will always give up your seat for someone. Offer it to an elderly person first, but you can also offer it to anyone! Perhaps there is a pregnant woman or a man struggling to hold a couple of bags and papers. Offer your seat to someone who needs it every time you have the opportunity. This will require you to always be aware of your surroundings; don't get lost in a book or magazine, or zone out listening to music. Be active in looking around you and making sure everyone is okay. You may discover other ways to help people other than giving up your seat. You could stand near a door and hold it open for people as they come and go. Or you could pick up items that someone else dropped. Simply pay attention to others around you. You might even end up starting a conversation and making a new friend! If you are taking the bus for a short ride only, don't even bother to sit down. Leave the seats for someone else who has longer to travel. Or if you only have a quick wait at the doctor, feel free to stand and leave the seats open for other patients to take. Vol u n teer to Co ach a Kid s Sports Team Your time is precious.but it can be one of the most valued contributions of charity which you can give to others. Volunteer to coach a youth team and then get involved in the overall youth program. Meet the people who run the league and help them out as needed. Volunteer to clean up or ready the field for the next game or match. Lead your team by example and use this as an opportunity to teach them skills they will need both on and off the field. If you aren't able to commit to coaching a full season, then perhaps you can help out with the league. Volunteer to help with registration day or materials. Or you could even sign up to be a referee. Collect and donate old sports equipment for those in the league who can't afford new equipment. There are so many ways to help with youth sports!

12 Title: The Young Spiritan/Men on Fire By: Neil McNeil High School, TCDSB REFLECTION ON ACTIVITY: What elements from Neil McNeil s The Young Spiritan/Men on Fire group could you implement in your school? In what ways do Men on Fire recognize and appreciate the dignity and responsibility of being persons created in the Image of God? To what extent do you feel that you are serving in a Christ-like way to better your communities- home, parish and school- and those in it? Describe the personal qualities and skills that are essential to contribute to the efforts to create a feeling of a caring family community? Description: The Young Spiritans/Men on Fire is a group of self-directed young men and their teachers taking action to stand up for local and global justice and generate awareness toward social justice causes. This is done through acts of charity that they proudly call Love in Action. Both groups use the imagery of the Holy Ghost in honour of the school s founders, the Spiritan Fathers. Fidelitas in arduis, (Faith in hard times), is the model that guides these young people and the dedicated teachers. Locally, the Young Spiritans have been helping out at weekly Out of the Cold program, bi-monthly at a Spiritan Refugee House, monthly at a downtown breakfast program. They also plan and run food drives at the school, Christmas baskets including clothing and food, a Day of Silence raise awareness towards those in the world who are not heard. They also participate in Free The Children events such as We Day, Take Action, and the penny drive. For the global initiative, the Young Spiritans plan and run a 24 hour fast at the school that raises money for the Spiritan Fathers to help re-build St. Martial in Haiti. The Men on Fire work with elementary school students to introduce them to service through workshops and sandwich patrol in neighbourhoods with visible homeless populations and work with the elderly in senior residences.

13 Title: Acts of Kindness for the Community REFLECTION ON ACTIVITY: Jesus walked with the poor and the vulnerable embracing each of them as unique gifts of God s creation. His entire ministry was based on the giving of himself so that others may have life, especially those who were marginalized. To what extent do you feel that you are serving in a Christ-like way to better your community and those in it? Description: Students committed themselves to creating a more positive environment in their school and developing a climate of caring for each other and the outside community. Their Random Acts of Kindness included sending greeting cards and letters of thanks to members of the school staff, serving at a soup kitchen once a month, visiting a seniors home and putting together welcome kits to make new students feel at home. Students demonstrated communications skills in crafting announcements to encourage their peers to participate, and then keeping students and teachers informed via a bulletin board that carried photographs and information related to the different acts of kindness. Project Type: Student-Led Teacher-Facilitated Grade(s) Impacted: Teachers, Community School Name: Bishop Gallagher Senior Catholic E S School Board: Thunder Bay CDS Board Other ideas you can try! Keep a bank or box in your room and deposit loose change in it. Every time you go out, you might put money to pay for another s meal in the box. Hold a family/friends meeting to decide how to distribute your generosity fund to help better serve the communities to which you belong, either: home, school and parish. Identify one activity/event in the school, your family or your parish that serves others who are in need. You might consider an annual event such as the Adopt A Family Christmas Basket where individual classrooms sponsor a family in need for Christmas. Or, you might want to consider an ongoing activity such as a food bank in your parish or, the Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

14 Charity Scripture Passages and Quotes Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angel and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. (Acts 2: 44-45) And now abide with faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1Corinthians 13: 1) The measure you give will be the measure you get. (Matthew 7: 2) It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free. (Mark 4:18) Love of neighbour, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire ecclesial community at every level: from the local community to the particular Church and to the Church universal in its entirety. As a community, the Church must practise love. (Deus Caritas est) For the Church, charity is not a kind of welfare activity which could equally well be left to others, but is a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being. (Deus Caritas est) Make God your partner in all things. (Author Unknown) Give without any thought of receiving. (Author Unknown) In a world which ignores the human thirst for God, we are called to share the living waters of our faith. (This Moment of Promise) Ubi Caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. (Where there is charity and love, God is there.)

15 Charity - Discussion Starters The Chinese have a saying, "If you keep a green bough in your heart, surely the singing bird will come." How and where can you make a place for charity in your life at your home, school and parish? Describe specific opportunities. Who has taught you the most about generosity and kindness? Do you think they are given enough attention in our society? Explain your views. Life Among the Believers All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2: 44-45) How have your experiences in Catholic schools reflected this same spirit of the early Church? Suggest ways in which a school could promote such a strong sense of collaboration and community.

16 Prayer Options Charity - Prayers and Affirmations 1. Scripture Reading Mother Teresa often quoted the bible when speaking to others. Here is one of her favourite passages from Matthew 25: On the last day, Jesus will say to those at his right hand, Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you vis- ited me." Then Jesus will turn to those on his left hand and say, Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask him, When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or sick, and did not come to your help?" And Jesus will answer them, Whatever you neglected to do unto one of the least of these, you neglected to do unto me!" 2. Spread love everywhere you go; First of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor Let no one ever come to you Without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God s kindness; Kindness in your face, Kindness in your eyes, Kindness in your smile, Kindness in your warm greeting. 3. People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered: All: Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: All: Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies: All: Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you: All: Be frank and honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight: All: Build anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow: All: Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it my never be enough: All: Give the world the best you've got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it's between you and God: It was never be- tween you and them anyway. -Compiled by Les Miller and Melinda Rapallo York Catholic District School Board

17 4. To Our Lady of Guadalupe (Feast Day December 12 th ) O Mother of the Americas, You came on a dark hill in a dark time To one who had no documentation. To the challenge of the authorities, You offered roses and grace. You wanted a space, Simple and extraordinary, A space where all could worship Together, equally your children. You call us again in this dark time To create a space Where all your children Are welcomed, cherished, Offered bread, roses, and what grace we can gather. O Lady, still shining, Madre, Mother, You wait on the hillside, Until we believe, Until we can welcome The ones whom you send. 5. Christmas Season Prayer May the love that breathes life into all of humanity Be born in us this Christmas season. May the love that brings forth all of creation, Be born in us this Christmas season. May the love that overcomes hatred and brings healing, Be born in us this Christmas season. May the love that forgives and renews, Be born in us this Christmas season. May the love that brings the fruits of justice, Be born in us this Christmas season. May the love that brings the blessing of peace, Be born in us this Christmas season. May that Peace now be the gift we with share with all our brothers and sisters. From A Gift of Peace, by Richard Becher, in Shine On, Star of Bethlehem, CAFOD, 2004

18 Affirmations: I co-operate with others in all that I do I value everyone's work I respect and listen to others I think of others before myself I follow rules of fair play I work hard in school so that I can build my community and make it a better place Concluding Prayer Hail Mary (or your choice)

19 Charity - Media Links Is it fair that good people get hurt? Why is it difficult to accept myself the way I am? Young people have so many questions when it comes to issues such as fairness, acceptance, self-control, and respect. But they re not just sitting around waiting for answers. They re doing great things! In this dynamic and inspirational 10-part series, host Mary Rose Bacani brings you virtues in action. Each halfhour episode presents virtues in action in our Catholic school community, in our personal lives, and in the lives of young people who have followed the call to priestly or religious life. A life of virtue is not impossible. Take it from those who say, People of virtue? They re in The World I Know! The World I Know supports the promotion of safe, caring, inclusive and healthy school communities.

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