For many people, St. Patrick’s Day is a time to wear green, eat corned beef and cabbage, and have a night out with friends. But behind all the merrymaking is a story of a 4th century missionary whose life exemplified the kind of self-sacrificial love we strive to emulate here at Cross.
From Sorrow to Smiles
It is sometimes difficult to hear the heartbreaking stories of the people we help, especially when they involve children. What keeps us encouraged are the stories we receive from our partners detailing how dire situations have been turned around and lives are renewed.
Turning Haiti’s Mourning into Gladness
This week, Cross Catholic staff met with Haitian mission partner Gladys Mecklembourg, who runs an orphanage on the country’s west coast, to learn how her ministry is coping with the earthquake crisis. We have provided funds to help Gladys meet emergency needs as she balances her responsibility of caring for her children with efforts to reach out to suffering people throughout the community.
Hot Dogs vs. Moonwalks
What if Einstein never went to school but made a living running a hot dog stand instead of formulating new ways to ponder creation that earned him the Nobel Prize for Physics? Sound preposterous? Not so much, if he’d lived in Haiti, where a college education is about as attainable as a moonwalk.
Winning Favor With China
Old news: a prominent religious scholar wants China to pass a law guaranteeing religious freedoms. New news: The scholar, Liu Peng, is getting publicity for his cause in China Daily, the official government English language newspaper of China. How’s that for a twist!
Remember Today’s “Tiny Tims”
Disney’s 3D adaptation of A Christmas Carol is introducing a new generation to Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale of greed, poverty, and repentance. This is good news for parents concerned by the avalanche of materialistic messages that too often overwhelm the humble story of Jesus’ birth and the value of giving.