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World Day of the Poor (2017)

Nov 13, 2017 9:00:00 PM

At the end of the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis urged the entire Christian community to reach out to the poor, the weak, and to all whose dignity is trampled. The motto for the World Day of the Poor on Sunday November 19, 2017 centers around the concrete call to action: “Love not in word but in deed” taken from the First Letter of Saint John, revealing the nature of God as being Love in action, exemplified and expressed in God sacrificing His Son for humanity (John 3:16). 

Every day this week at the Vatican’s Piazza Pius XII, in support and leading up to the celebrations this Sunday, clinical and specialist medical examinations will be performed free of charge for all applicants thanks to the collaboration of medical institutions that include the Department of Dermatology of the Gemini Clinic, the Department of Gynecology of Rome Tor Vergata, volunteer nurses of the Italian Red Cross, the Italian Army, and the National Confederation of Mercy of Italy. 

To encourage you, and in support of the World Day of the Poor, here is the link for you to download the PDF copy of the World Day of the Poor book. 

http://www.pcpne.va/content/dam/pcpne/pdf/giornata-poveri/GiornataPoveri_EN.pdf 

In it, Pope Francis further cited the example of St. Francis of Assisi, who was not satisfied with just embracing lepers or giving them alms, but chose to live with them in Gubbio. This is the transformative power of charity and the Christian way of life – building a relationship that transforms through accompaniment and connection. We are all encouraged to help make this World Day of the Poor a tradition. Let us reach out concretely to connect and contribute to the work of evangelization in the world today, and transform the lives of all with whom we come into contact. 

Bishop Gary Gordon

Written by Bishop Gary Gordon

The Most Reverend Gary Gordon serves as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria.

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