Benedict XVI is sending a promise of prayers for the 100th anniversary celebrations of Catholic Charities USA, which reaches out to 9 million people every year.
The Pope sent a message to the organization through an Aug. 11 letter from his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.
The letter affirmed that the Holy Father “prays that the present anniversary will be an occasion for gratitude to Almighty God for the abundant harvest of generosity, solidarity and good works reaped.”
As well, the Pontiff encouraged charity workers to “see their work as a tangible witness of their faith in Christ.”
A Vatican communiqué announced today that Cardinal Cordes will address a gathering of Catholic Charities USA in Washington, D.C., marking the anniversary of its founding.
The cardinal will deliver the keynote address at the five-day gathering, which begins Saturday.
He will speak about the faith roots of the Church’s charitable work and “the need to nurture the specific identity of ecclesial organizations, as reaffirmed by the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, ‘Deus Caritas Est.'”
During his visit to the United States, the prelate will hold various meetings and give lectures on charity, social doctrine and the priesthood in the Archdioceses of New York and Newark, New Jersey, and other dioceses in the state of Connecticut.
WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPT. 22, 2010 (Zenit.org)