Go to January 20 Event
CAPP-DC

The fifth anniversary of CAPP-DC was celebrated with Mass in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception  on Sunday, November 8, 2009.  In his homily, Monsignor Michael Fisher, Diocesan Ecclesiastical Counselor to CAPP-DC, drew on the tenets of Catholic Social Teaching as proclaimed in the readings from the Old Testament and the Gospel. 

We learned that even those with little, give much – their all - as both women did in the readings.  In the first reading (1Kgs 17:10-16), a woman of great peace, who accepted what she thought was imminent death of herself and son, gave in faith the last that she had to Elijah .  Neither her jar nor jug went empty.  And the woman in the Gospel of Mark (Mk12:41-44) gave her last coins in faith and trust.  Although these women may have been considered the least, they were treated and honored in the Scriptures – the respect for the human person and their dignity – a tenet of Catholic Social Teaching.  These are images of how we should live our lives: in trust, faith, hope, and love; respectful of ourselves and others; committing ourselves to the common good; and engaging in community

John Carr, Executive Director, Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, was the breakfast speaker, presenting the social teaching of Pope Benedict XVI.  Mr. Carr expressed that our mission starts with Jesus' Mission as stated in the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 4:18-19), “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.  The Lord has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, to set the downtrodden free.”  This is the mission of CAPP.  Taking up Jesus’ mission allows us to be salt and light in society.  We look for God in Jesus; we look for Jesus in others; therefore we love our neighbors and God; and serve others because we see Christ in others.

The social teaching of Pope Benedict XVI began with his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, the formation of the heart; continues with the importance of Christian faith-hope in the modern age in Spe Salvi; and in Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict’s third encyclical, we are called to see the relationship between human and environmental ecologies and to link charity and truth in the pursuit of justice, the common good, and authentic human development.

Upcoming Events

CAPP-DC in partnership with the World Bank Group/IMF Staff Catholic Association will host a “brown bag” lunch panel discussion on Caritas
in Veritate entitled, "Introducing the Teaching of the Catholic Church about Human Development on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, at the  International Finance
Corporation (IFC*) Auditorium, 2121 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,  from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. (*The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group).

Panelists will be Professor Andrew Abela, Chairman of the Business and Ethics Department, The Catholic University of America, and
Dr. Maurizio Ragazzi, Senior Counsel at the World Bank. 

Professor Abela’s topic will cover – “Introduction to the Church's teaching about development since the encyclical, Populorum Progressio, in 1967 and what the latest and third development encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, has to offer.”  Dr. Ragazzi’s topic will cover: “Perspective as a member of an international organization and from his own work experience in international public law when reflecting on the encyclical in his work context.” 

Please note:  attendees are required to register by January 18 at cappdc_3@msn.com - (please note underscore, cappdc_3) and arrive at IFC site no later than 11:30 a.m. (security check-in required).