A few months ago we covered here the news of the death of Margaret Ogola, an extraordinary Kenyan woman who devoted a great part of her working life (as medical doctor and educator) to the important issues facing her country and the continent: poverty, AIDS, healthcare, and family.

In many parts of the globe, huge swathes of the human population –especially in Africa and Asia– still suffer extreme hunger and poverty. In the face of increasing inequalities of the standard of living between and within countries, poverty reduction (or at least alleviation) becomes a noble task and turns out to be the key to sustainable development.

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of responsibility, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.

There are, however, several ethical and governance issues in sustainability efforts. In a Sustainability conference held recently in the Philippines, such issues were tackled. We share here with you the slide presentation:

Holy Week at the Vatican this year will be as intense as usual for the Holy Father, who is scheduled to celebrate six Masses and deliver five homilies and addresses that will usher in the Solemnity of Easter for the Catholic Church.

Here’s a look at Pope Benedict XVI’s events and Masses leading up to Easter. From the March 25 issue of National Catholic Register.

Watch this video: “What do we truly expect for Holy Week?”

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LENT Infographics

A few days ago, I was listening to a pro-life lawmaker talking about the need to develop Infographics for the stuff we talk about, especially as the youth are quite visual in their learning.  Searching “Lent Infographics” gave me this (I hope you like it; please comment below if you don’t).

What is Infographics? It’s a marketing communication trend, which this video explains quite clearly:

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Last year, we wrote up this blog article “Holy Week movies”.

HAVE A GOD-FILLED HOLY WEEK!

Boys Town Founder, Fr. Edward Flanagan, is to be declared ‘Servant of God’. The cause for Fr. Flanagan will formally open March 17 in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska. “For years, many in the Omaha community and beyond have venerated the memory of Father Edward Flanagan,” Archbishop George Lucas said Feb. 21. “I am happy that we can begin the process of examining the holiness that was apparent in his life and ministry, to see if he might be canonized.” www.boystown.org

When he visited reformatories in Ireland after World War II, he denounced the methods used and the generalized abuse that the kids were subjected to; unfortunately, the Ministry of Justice said his statements were all “exaggerations.”

For many generations, Boys Town marked an important alternative vision of education: the idea that authoritarianism was not the way to educate, even juvenile delinquents you pluck out of crime-infested streets. For some European countries, Boys Town was a bright look upon faith, friendship and education.

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A 1938 film starring Spencer Tracy, Boys Town, was based on the life of Father Flanagan, and Tracy won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Mickey Rooney also starred as one of the residents. Some scenes from the movie were filmed at Boys Town, and Father Flanagan reviewed the script prior to the filming. A sequel also starring Tracy, Men of Boys Town, was released in 1941.

Movie plot summary: When a death row prisoner tells him he wouldn’t have led a life of crime if only he had had one friend as a child, Father Edward Flanagan decides to do something about it. An advocate of child rights and an opponent of the severe approach to juvenile delinquency at the time, Flanagan genuinely believed that there is no such thing as a bad boy. Starting with just a few boys in a rented house, Father Flanagan eventually establishes Boys Town on 200 acres of land 10 miles outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Much of the film focuses on Flanagan’s attempts to influence one boy, Whitey Marsh, who will become a hoodlum if he doesn’t change his ways. When Whitey is implicated in a bank robbery, it puts all of Boys Town at risk. Throughout it all Flanagan has to fight prejudice in those who believe delinquents should just be locked up and the never ending shortage of money to accomplish his goals.

Here’s the official trailer of the 1938 movie:

 

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The movie Boys Town is included in National Catholic Register’s “Top 100 Pro-Catholic Movies” as well as in CinemaNet’s “50 Best Films about the Youth”.  [See CinemaNet’s article “The School as Presented on Film.”] Our friend and film critic, Alfonso Méndiz, talks about this subject matter as he reviews the book “La vida humana a través del cine” [“Life through film”]. In this book (University of Navarra Publications), two professors (who are sisters), Gloria Tomás and María Consuelo Tomás, use 112 movies to do an in-depth review and analysis of human life issues, such as, human dignity, the value of human life, intimacy and transcendence, the world of values, freedom as self-determination, affectivity and emotions, corporeality and human frailty, sexuality, and interpersonal relations in the family, among friends and at the workplace. They deal as well with such important topics abortion, euthanasia, suicide, violence, ecology and bioethics.

–> Have you watched the movie ‘Boys Town’? Tell us about it!

–> Fr. Edward Flanagan: PRAY FOR US!

http://www.incontroromano.it/en

More than an International Congress, Incontro Romano fosters national research and initiatives. Each year Incontro Romano proposes a general topic, which is then studied and applied by the different participating countries through a broad scope of projects. In this way, numerous service and social undertakings, and trainings take place in addition to national congresses that investigate the subject in depth. These events seek to have an impact on social improvement and to promote both the dignity of the service professions and the distinguishing characteristics of woman’s contribution in this field.

For year 2012, the Theme is: LIFE: A GIFT

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In Rome, the Institution that organizes the Congress is called SAFI (Scuole e Attività Formative Internazionali) (International School for Formative Activities).  You may visit their website at: http://safi.elis.org/default.asp.  SAFI, in turn, was created by the Association Centro ELIS (Educazione, Lavoro, Istruzione, Sport) which was inaugurated in 1965.

The activities carried out in collaboration with various organizations in developing countries have led Centro ELIS to promote a cultural and educational initiative encouraging the exchange of experiences relating to the promotion of the role of woman in various NGOs in all five continents.  Since 1991, Incontro Romano has seen the participation of thousands of students and professionals in the service sector —medical and nursing professions, hotel & restaurant & tourism sectors, education, domestic work, etc.— from all corners of the world.  The delegates discuss very important topics, take part in conferences and present their various projects with the aim of promoting the growth of the individual, under his/her various aspects, in the various social and professional sectors.  The objective of the participants’ work has always been linked to the need of going deeper into and sharing personal experiences related to the role of the woman in society and the promotion of her “feminine genius”.

• Incontro Romano Philippines 2012

The Incontro Romano Philippines 2012 National Congress saw the presentation of seven papers, on such varied topics as “The Work of the Administration in Opus Dei Centers”, the “Adverse Effects of Contraceptives”, the Christian practice of Visits to the Sick, a reflection on the movie “There Be Dragons”, etc., all in connection with the Theme “LIFE: A GIFT”.

The paper “Work of the Administration” involved a survey of residents of a given Residence and Study Center in Manila and sought to find out whether the work of the women in the Administration has positively affected their lives. The objectives section of the paper reads: “The women in the Administration fulfill a special role in furthering the life of residents, both in its human aspect as well as in its spiritual and apostolic aspect. If indeed our Administrations in the Philippines are to imitate those envisioned by the Founder, we would like to know whether we are truly provided the service and family spirit as set out by the Founder and practiced by the first ones in the Administration of Opus Dei. …”

The study on the ills of contraceptives, on the other hand, was written as a response to the “Reproductive Health (R.H.) Bill” and the fight against it that is being waged in the Philippines. The presentation began with the scientific reality that life begins at fertilization and then proceeded to exposing the negative medical and psychological effects of the use of contraceptives by women. The paper author said: “Studies have shown that contraceptives have harmful effects on human beings especially on women. Doctors and professors are against their use because they know their harmful effects.” The paper ended with calls for an end to the manufacture and use of artificial contraceptives, as they are just a waste of money, and kill babies and the women themselves.

• Click here for Incontro Romano Philippines.
• A newspaper article on the schools run by Foundation for Professional Training Inc. (FPTI) was carried in an Opus Dei blog in Spanish

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I’ve just gotten hold of a copy of “Una Luz Encendida” and I’m enjoying it tremendously!

Part of Chapter III ‘The Calling’, says: ” The truth was that Dora was a treasure and gift from God for the Residence. Encarnita Ortega, who was one of the directors of the Administration, explained that “she had a heart of gold, and she worked divinely: she had perfect control of the flat iron and dry cleaning and sewing; she cleaned with extraordinary perfection; she served at table without the slightest failing; she knew the kitchen perfectly well.  In addition, her manner was respectful, natural, and she knew how to teach the other girls with authority yet with a lot of refinement. It’s true that she had quite a strong character but she struggled to have it under control.” ”

I’ve decided to do a provisional translation of the Chapter on her CALLING TO OPUS DEI and put it here. Please click here.

Other links:

• Interview with the author
• Blog on Dora del Hoyo

YOUTUBE VIDEO – BIOGRAPHY OF DORA: