Spring 2 - Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry.

Exodus 22:20-22

You have been a refuge for the poor,
    a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
    and a shade from the heat.

Isaiah 24:4

‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Matthew 25:35-40

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

Luke 6:20-22

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:17-18

The option for the poor “is not a political option; nor is it an ideological option, a party option… no. The preferential option for the poor is at the centre of the Gospel. And the first to do this was Jesus. He took risks to be near to the poor,” the pope summarised. And thus, Jesus’ followers “recognize themselves by their closeness to the poor, the little ones, the sick and the imprisoned, the excluded and the forgotten, those without food and clothing.”

Pope Francis, August 2020

The Catholic social teaching principle 'Option for the Poor and Vulnerable'  encourages us to imitate Christ's love for the poor by working to create a society where the needs of the poor are always considered first. Caring for those who are less well off is everyone’s responsibility. Preferential care should be shown to vulnerable and marginalised people, whose needs and rights are given special attention in God’s eyes.

Chosen saint - Saint Rosa Maria Sgorbati

Rosa Maria Sgorbati was born in 1940 in Italy near Milan. From the time she was young, she wanted to be a missionary. After college, she joined the Consolata Mission Sisters and took the name Leonella.  She studied nursing in England and then was offered the opportunity to work in Kenya. For thirteen years, she served and worked in Hospitals in Africa. She went on to start nursing schools where she would teach local people to care for the sick. She oversaw the Registered Nursing school recognized internationally in Africa. She is learning many of the languages of the people so that she could teach them to care for others. Many of the areas and countries she worked in Africa had much political and religious turmoil and unrest. In 2006, she had just finished teaching a nursing class at a local children’s hospital when she was shot and killed. Her final words were “I forgive; I forgive; I forgive.” Leonella once said, ‘I cannot be afraid and at the same time love. I choose to love.” Pope Francis declared her blessed and a martyr killed for her faith in 2018.

What does Option for the Poor and Vulnerable looks like at Saint James'?

We work with the SVP to ensure that the most vulnerable in the local area have enough food.  We help with the local foodbank.

The Caritas Ambassadors have worked to ensure that people living with dementia are shown that we love and care for them. 

We have created parcels for the homeless at Easter (Tabor House) and worked with Saint Catherine's Church to provide for a temporary Shelter (Christmas)

We work with the Over 60s group at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour to ensure that they feel welcome and loved in school.