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brian
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 746 |
| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Tue Oct 31st, 2006 05:15 pm |
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was wondering if anyone could tell me that they trust the Catholic Medical Mission Board. i got a letter from them and they seem pretty good, but i wanted to double check. I always prefer to support compassionate Catholic charities but that also try to evangelize as well, though that is not strictly necessary....
i was also wondering if i should ever support any non catholic but Chrsitian charities if i really believe in the work they are doing like with homeless or third world stuff, or if this is not the best becasue i could find Catholic ones that do the same thing, and would not spread false teaching.
also what about missionaries of the poor. has anyone heard of that? i saw someone on EWTN talking from there and i really liked a lot of what he had to say.
Last edited on Tue Oct 31st, 2006 05:16 pm by brian
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5080 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Tue Oct 31st, 2006 07:37 pm |
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brian wrote: was wondering if anyone could tell me that they trust the Catholic Medical Mission Board.
When I am considering a charity, the first thing I do is check with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance at http://www.give.org.
Their report on the Catholic Medical Mission Board is available here. They meet 18 of the 20 criteria, and fail two, but both of them seem rather technical and they promise compliance. They have been in operation for a long time, and include priests, nuns, and a bishop on their board of directors, and several medical professionals as well. They do spend more than 96% of their income (including in-kind contributions) on program expenses. Anything above 95% is considered very good.
always prefer to support compassionate Catholic charities but that also try to evangelize as well, though that is not strictly necessary....
Remember the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words." Few people have evangelized more successfully than Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) and yet she never preached.
i was also wondering if i should ever support any non catholic but Chrsitian charities if i really believe in the work they are doing like with homeless or third world stuff, or if this is not the best becasue i could find Catholic ones that do the same thing, and would not spread false teaching.
When you support a charity, you are furthering their work. If you believe you can do that with a good conscience, do it. There are many Catholic charities, but there are also many good organizations without official or even unofficial ties to the United States. My personal favorite is Food for the Poor. I've been to Haiti and seen their work, and examined their financial statements myself. The record of my trip is available here.
Remember that the Bible calls us to tithe. That means we're supposed to return a tenth of what God has given us. The Catholic Church tells us that means our time, talent, and treasure, and the tenth of our treasure should be split between the Church and other worthwhile organizations. Some examples include the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Doctors Without Borders, etc.
also what about missionaries of the poor. has anyone heard of that? i saw someone on EWTN talking from there and i really liked a lot of what he had to say.
I would assume this is a religious order and not technically a "charity". Such groups are not rated by the Wise Giving Alliance. Their website is available here. They seem to have a similar purpose to the order founded by Blessed Teresa.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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mrsbmoo
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 274 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | former Methodist. RCA, Presbyterian, Holiness, Wesleyan... Catholic as of June ... |
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Posted: Wed Nov 1st, 2006 02:36 pm |
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I wanted to answer the part about giving to non-catholic charities. When I decided to become catholic I had a teen in Haiti whom I had sponsored through a non catholic charity for a few years. I felt that I had made a commitment to that person that I should see her through until she could complete her education. How could it possibly do more to serve God to put this 16(now 17) year old in a position where she had to quit school, lose her medical care and food for her family and likely have to start working to help support her parents and 5 siblings. An education, medical care, and food are not divided by doctrine and even in a protestant setting she is being brought closer to God.
I also support Focus on the Family. Their mission, while nominally evangelical, encompasses ideals and values shared by both evangelicals and catholics(family preservation, anti-abortion). I have noticed lately that they have several Catholics who write articles on their web site and EWTN shows their cartoon "Adventures in Odyssey".
I don't think we have to presume that just because it is not a catholic charity that it is somehow adversarial with our beliefs. My parish works with other churches(including Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopal) in our town to support a food pantry, soup kitchen, crisis pregnancy center and free clinic.
Certainly I support exclusively Catholic charities too. I have a sponsored child who is in a Catholic Orphanage in Liberia and am collecting clothes in my church to send there. I also support the "Desert nuns", offshoots of Mother Angelica's group who are building in Arizona. I am a Benedictine Oblate candidate so I support the literacy and anti-poverty work that the monastery with which I am affliliated runs.
Thus, I wouldn't support it without checking it out if it is Catholic and I wouldn't automatically rule it out if it isn't Catholic.
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Becky
Wife of Michael(called Moo) and stay at home mom to 5 daughters between 10 months and 17
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