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.
News: February 3, 2021
The significance of Black History Month
News: October 1, 2020
Here's a video on our patron - St. Francis of Assisi.
News: September 10, 2020
Franciscan Action Network is developing election-related videos. The videos are deliberately non-partisan and no candidates are mentioned.
News: August 19, 2020 “Jubilee for the Earth” is a podcast mini-series about biodiversity and our sacred story launching August 31. It is produced by the Missionary Society of St. Columban, a Society of priests and lay people who live and share the good news of the Gospel by working with those who are poor and exploited, including the earth.
News: August 19, 2020
As Laudato si’ Year gets underway, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Global Catholic Climate Movement released a video inviting Christians to take part in the annual Season of Creation, which runs from September 1 to October4.
News: August 13, 2020
In the words of Pope Francis, we strive to empower all to enflesh a culture of life…respecting life in all forms.
News: March 6, 2020
In preparation of World Water Day on March 22, please view this video.
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 responsible stewardship of the world's resources and encourage this stewardship in our ministries. (To learn more, we invite you to click on the links below.)
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. (To learn more, we invite you to click on the links below.)
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. (To learn more, we invite you to click on the links below.)
NON-VIOLENCE:
Pax Christi says, "Violence ends where love begins. The use of peaceful means, not force, to bring about political or social change." (To learn more, we invite you to click on the links below.)
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).