August 2007
Irreplaceable
"But, Mom," he said, trying to brighten the conversation, "You don't have to worry about buying another one. Charlie's mother said it was irreplaceable."
Crime, accidents, and natural disasters can wipe out work, destroy possessions, and even take away loved ones. Be grateful for what you have today, and structure your life on purposes and values that last.
Humor provided by www.cleanjokeoftheday.com.
In the Face of Evil
How one man's courage saved thousands
In 1943, Monsignor Hugh Joseph O'Flaherty visited Italian Prisoner of War camps, taking the British and other Allied prisoners books and Red Cross packages and sending word to their families via Vatican radio. When Italy capitulated, the Italian guards abandoned many of the camps, and many POWs sought asylum at the Vatican.
Pursue Moral Clarity
In 1925, he earned his bachelor's degree and was ordained a Catholic priest. He earned doctorates in divinity, canon law, and philosophy over the next two years. O'Flaherty served as a Vatican diplomat to Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Haiti, and Santo Domingo. In 1938, Pius XI made O'Flaherty Primo Notario for the Holy Office, and O'Flaherty's responsibilities included continuing negotiations with Catholic leaders in the United States on matters of morality, policy, and politics.
His position also allowed him to make important contacts with people of influence in and around Rome, and his fame increased as he won amateur golf championships and attended lavish parties with Rome's social elite.
The same month escaped POWs began reaching the Vatican in droves, the commander of the German SS forces in Rome, Colonel Herbert Kappler, demanded the Jews pay for guarantees against harassment, deportation, and forced labor. O'Flaherty helped collect the required funds, and when Kappler broke his guarantees, O'Flaherty began hiding Roman Jews as well.
His suspicion of the British initially led him to doubt rumors of Nazi death camps, but the brutality he witnessed reversed his thinking. His connections provided the resources to secure supplies and hide refugees in Rome and the surrounding countryside. His network of clergy, partisans, aristocrats, and Free French secret service agents eventually sheltered over 4,000 POWs and 8,000 Jews until Rome's liberation in June 1944.
Ludwig Koch, the Austrian leader of the Roman Gestapo, publicly threatened, "I'll have the nails off his fingers before shooting him." Nevertheless, O'Flaherty continued his work, using numerous disguises to move about in plain sight.
As the Allies closed in, Koch asked the Monsignor to take charge of his wife and his mother, but Koch's family refused assistance, and Koch was shot by Italian partisans before he reached Milan.
Kappler received a prison sentence for war crimes, and O'Flaherty was his only monthly visitor. In 1959, O'Flaherty baptized the former Nazi into the Roman Catholic Church.
After the war, the Irish priest became a Commander of the British Empire and received the United States Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm. He boxed up these awards and sent them to his sister in Ireland. O'Flaherty died on October 30, 1963.
Teaching Good Citizenship
Many school districts mandate that students receive some instruction in citizenship, and Character First! Education is an excellent resource for teaching students how to become responsible, caring, hard-working, and productive members of the community.
If your school does not have a character-education program, tell the leadership about Character First! by pointing them to the website or sharing this newsletter.
The Character First! Education curriculum includes a 16-page Teacher's Guide for particular character qualities. Elementary Teacher's Guides provide stories, crafts, games, object lessons, coloring sheets, and other activities suitable for grades K-5. The Secondary Teacher's Guides draw a character lesson from academic subjects, including history, language, music, art, math, computers, science, nature, social studies, health, and athletics.
Find these and other useful resources on the Character First! website, or talk to a Customer Service representative at (405) 815-0001 to learn how Character First! can help your school reach its full potential.
Watch the free introduction video.
Building Communities of Character Conference
Hear how other communities implemented character programs, and receive step-by-step instruction on how you can start a character emphasis in your community. This year's conference will be hands-on and practical.
Don't put off registration. The next conference is scheduled for 2009! Registration is $375 per individual, with a $60 discount for groups of 5 or more.
Click here for conference information and registration.
I hope to see you in Oklahoma City!
Steven Menzel, Director
International Association of Character Cities
