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Africa

Aboriginal Issues

Refugees

Restorative Justice

Reverence for Life

The Spiritan Rule of 1732 challenges all of us "The members must first of all seek the Kingdom of God and its justice, place their whole trust in God, find more happiness in giving than receiving and always be more concerned about the interests of others than our own."
Our current Rule of Life tells us we must be"the advocates, the supporters, and the defenders of the weak and the little ones against all who oppress them (SRL14) which means that "we must make every effort to analyse situations, to lay bare the relationship of individual cases to structural causes" (SRL 14.1)
The TransCanada Province, has decided to create the Spiritan Office for Justice, Peace and Reconciliation. We are a team of three people: Gerry FitzGerald CSSp, Anne MacGregor O''Neill, Lay Spiritan and myself Joy Warner, Lay Spiritan, who will be the volunteer Co-ordinator of the office. We are beginning this new ministry in the spirit of our two founders who were totally committed to working for those who were the most rejected and oppressed. We also share the spirit of the following mission statement of the Canadian Religious Conference :
"Baptized in Christ, consecrated publicly to God in religious life, we are called to be a prophetic sign, in the world and in the Church, of life lived radically according to the gospel, with a particular option for the poor, the oppressed, and those whom society ignores and rejects, whether at home or abroad.Therefore, the "love of Christ urges us" (2 Cor 5:14) to be in solidarity with the poor, to denounce injustice, to foster a concern for the environment, to work for peace and for the coming of the reign of God."

We recognize that we are a small group with limited resources but nevertheless we believe that with the help of professed and lay members of the Province, as well as you the faithful readers of Spiritan missionary news, we can play a useful role in advocacy, education and action on behalf of those who are suffering injustice and oppression in Canada and across the globe.

After consultation with our Provincial and with input from an advisory group we have decided that our main focus will be on the following five areas:

We hope to send out e-mails with information and educational materials which will keep people up to date on current concerns and campaigns and enable them to take action for justice and peace. We are also available to animate workshops and educational events on the above topics, and are willing to travel wherever we are needed. We will try to respond to requests for information as promptly as possible. We can also provide suggestions for prayers and readings which can be incorporated into justice and peace liturgies and prayer meetings. We also look forward to receiving input and suggestions from you, as we know that there is a fount of wisdom and knowledge among our Spiritan supporters on these and other topics.

We hope to make contact with Justice and Peace representatives in other Spiritan Provinces and to collaborate in their work. The Europeans have established a Spiritan Justice and Peace Network which meets regularly, and we would like to do the same in North America. We also hope to respond to requests from Spiritans around the world for solidarity and support within our limited means.
If you are interested in collaborating with us and would like to receive our mailings or if you are interested in being on an urgent action list and are willing to write letters on behalf of Amnesty International or other time limited issues, please forward your e-mail to me and I will send information out as it comes in.

Please pray that this ministry will help build God's reign of justice and peace for all.
Joy Warner
Co-ordinator, Spiritan Office for Justice and Peace

Blessed are you who are poor...	In my parish in New Guinea, there was one young man named Ben, who I don't think missed daily mass. Ben had leprosy - his hands were disfigured, and one leg was shorter than the other so he walked with a limp. However when I think back and picture Ben in my mind, I can only picture him as laughing and smiling. God had graced Ben with a kind and thankful disposition. Ben's faith put me to shame and constantly reminded me that I have so much, and yet I am not a very thankful person. Ben was grateful for what he had and it didn't seem like much. I know that he only had two shirts, a green one and a white one, a pair of shorts and a pair of long pants, one pair of beat up running shoes, and yet when Ben took the Body of Christ in his diseased hands, he knew he was the richest man alive, and he could each day walk back to his leper colony thankfully praising God. Fr. Paul McAuley, CSSp Toronto, Canada
Blessed are you who are hungry...	Integral Christianity, integral spirituality means ministry to body and soul. You can't divorce religion from the lives of the people. No way. Isaiah said that true religion in the sight of God is to look after widows and orphans. On the final exam, as I understand the Scriptures, we'll be evaluated on one issue: "I was hungry and you gave me to eat." If we don't score well on that issue we'll fail. Feeding people who are hungry is an absolute essential of the Christian church. Christ himself fed five thousand when they were hungry - and they were only missing an evening meal. We have to integrate development with our preaching. We must show that we're active in our Christianity and not just verbal. We must link religion and daily life and not just religion and Sunday worship. Fr. Conor Kennedy, CSSp Malawi, Africa
Blessed are you who weep...	Much of my past few years has been spent in communities north of the road system with the First Nations people, the Ojibway and Cree. There has been much sadness and tragedy in their lives. Many a time I have sat with the families of suicide victims. I have felt helpless and completely powerless and often asked myself, "What am I doing here? Am I being intrusive? Should I leave?" Yet each time I know I am where I should be, and the fact that I am an older woman makes it even more important that I stay. If someone talks, you sit still and listen, if someone holds your hand or weeps on your shoulder, these are silent words. Listen, enter into the pain and wait. Deirdre McLoughlin Sioux Lookout, Canada
Blessed are you when people hate you...	I had my own baptism of fire at the hands of the rebels in 1999. Around 4:00 a.m. they broke into my residence. My only escape was to run and take shelter in the church. About 5:00 p.m. another batch of rebels arrived, desperate and unfriendly. They beat me up and held me at gunpoint, ready to kill me. All I could say was, "Jesus, save me." I narrowly escaped death. One day two rebels came to see me. They needed money for medicines. One of them asked for prayers for the atrocities he and others had committed. He was haunted by what he had done and could not sleep at night. I promised to pray for him, but also advised him to stop his involvement in the war. Another day a young man met the rebel who had amputated his left hand. For some time neither could utter a word; they just looked at each other. The rebel broke down and asked for mercy. The mob began to beat him but the young man intervened, "Please, leave him alone. I have forgiven him." Fr. Daniel Osei-Yeboah CSSp Sierra Leone, Africa