The Justice and Peace Office is an expression of our charism to bring God's healing love to the poor, the sick, and the needy. Sister Mary Shaw, ASC, promotes and develops programs and activities that inform, inspire and involve people in the ministry of Justice and Peace.
As Franciscans, we seek to promote human dignity and respect for all creation, while providing a voice for the voiceless through attitudes and behaviors of nonviolence. In conjunction with the Ad Hoc Committee, the Office of Justice and Peace will also monitor and inform on the following issues: Death Penalty, Unjust Systems, Healthcare, and Immigration.
In solidarity with all of God's peoples, especially the poor and disenfranchised, we seek to bring life and healing through our advocacy, stewardship and presence.
Deepening our reverence of creation as it reflects "the presence of the Divine" (Thomas Berry, CP), we will consider ways that we can develop our human-earth relationship and increase our understanding of the new cosmology and ecology from a cosmological perspective. We will promote stewardship of the world's resources and encourage this stewardship in our ministries.
EMPOWERING WOMEN:
Women are not helpless in face of existing challenges. Around the world they are decision-makers for themselves, their families, villages, businesses, and governments. For societies where this is not the case, people speak of the need for women's empowerment. We must ensure that women's empowerment and gender equality stand at the heart of all of our work to craft a better future.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING:
Human Trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that is widespread throughout both the United States and the world. After the issue of drug dealing in our world, this is the second largest and the fastest growing criminal industry in the world.
NON-VIOLENCE/DEATH PENALTY:
Pax Christi says, "Violence ends where love begins. The use of peaceful means, not force, to bring about political or social change."
On November 12, 1988, we dedicated the first Peace Pole on our property based on the global Peace Pole Project. On July 2, 2008, we dedicated a new Peace Pole, made of western red cedar, standing seven feet tall. The phrase “May Peace Prevail on Earth” is displayed in six languages: English, Japanese, German, Hebrew, Polish, and Hindi (pictured above).
