Religious Orders or organisations worthy of admiration
Gamma Gamaliel
Shipmate
in Heaven
This morning I attended a lovely and very simple Mass at the cottage home of the RC Little Sisters of Jesus in Walsingham.
I picked up a copy of their newsletter and was impressed by the work they do in and alongside poor or marginalised groups around the world.
Are there particular RC or other religious orders whose work we admire or faith-based organisations - not solely Christian ones - who we consider do things worthy of note or support?
I picked up a copy of their newsletter and was impressed by the work they do in and alongside poor or marginalised groups around the world.
Are there particular RC or other religious orders whose work we admire or faith-based organisations - not solely Christian ones - who we consider do things worthy of note or support?
Comments
Thanks @Gamma Gamaliel
The Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation and its Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital started by Catherine Hamlin and her husband does work that I admire. The Byron Uniting Church has a yearly soup lunch to raise money to support their work.
(There is a Sydney Ferry named for Catherine Hamlin)
Catherine Hamlin was motivated by her Christian faith to start this.
Also, when traveling, we sometimes stop at the St. John's Monastery and Bakery on the road between Goldendale and Yakima, WA. Greek Orthodox. They provide a great travelers rest which we arrive at about lunch time. Great sandwiches and breads and baclava. Our congregation will often buy liturgy related items from them.
And we're Anglicans!
Another protestant sacred space user here.
A good (RC) friend of mine is at St Bueno's in N.Wales on retreat this week. I'm looking forward to asking him about it.
It was exactly what I needed at that time.
The Ignatian thing isn't entirely my 'bag' but I found the 6 days I spent there highly restorative and, at the risk of sounding pious, replete with 'God moments' - if we can put it that way. Some very deep and memorable experiences - not in a woo-woo way but striking coincidences and so on.
As well as their work with the homeless and those afflicted with drug or alcohol addiction, they do excellent work tracing missing persons.
Who'd have thought?
They work closely with the police and other agencies in this area, one in which they have a particular expertise.
A Salvationist once told me of her uncle, or another close relative I forget which exactly, who found it difficult to get a job because of his epilepsy. The Salvation Army offered him a clerical job in their area of operations dealing with the tracing of missing persons. He was not a Salvationist or even particularly religious at that time.
He went on to develop an expertise in this area and a lifelong career in that line of work. He was always profoundly grateful to the 'Army for giving him that opportunity.
I think the Salvation Army were 'behind the curve' in some respects in other areas of their ministry, particularly orphanages and children's homes in India and elsewhere but get the impression they have made recent efforts to update their approach.
They do good work in all sorts of ways. I know of a secular drug and alcohol counselling service which has little time for any faith-based organisations operating in that arena other than the Salvation Army for which it has the utmost respect.
It doesn't dismiss what else they do. It does mean I cannot laud them.
I am going to say the Westminster Quakers. They have been raided twice by the police now, because they are prepared to rent out their rooms for meetings that are anti-establishment. And they didn't stop after the first raid.
And the response - is to stage a meeting for worship outside Scotland Yard. So - hundreds of people turn up and are silent.