 Rooted in Gospel values, the example of St. Francis Xavier, and the vision of Theodore James Ryken, the last three General Chapters of the Xaverian Brothers (1995, 2001, and 2007) call the Brothers to center their lives on the example of Jesus in seeking out and working with the poor and marginalized. From a contemplative stance, the Brothers are called to help those who are on the margins to lead the full lives God intends, and to do whatever they can to help change those structures of society which keep many people poor and marginalized.
Recognizing that a contemplative stance enables us to more fully embrace our union with God in the spirit, and thus to live out that core sense of justice that Jesus calls all of us to, the Office of Peace and Justice provides for the Brothers and their friends and associates the following:
- Resources on spirituality and social justice which help one to defy the modern assumptions of consumerism and individualism and live according to the Gospel.
- A clearinghouse of information putting the Brothers and their friends and associates in connection with faith groups and other human needs organizations that create awareness of and promote justice and peace, targeting specific needs worldwide and here at home.
- Information on current social justice activities undertaken under the auspices of the Xaverian Brothers.
- Action Alerts which will give breaking news from a social justice perspective and provide suggestions for actions people can take to promote social justice and peace.
Educational Materials
The widening wealth gap in the U.S.
Mind the Gap . . . A campaign to educate our entire nation about our huge and widening wealth gap, where it came from, and its impact on all of us. It is a project of NETWORK (national Catholic social justice lobby). To learn more abour this, go to: MIND THE GAP!
“The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner (32) . . . Economic activity . . . needs to be directed towards the pursuit of the common good, for which the political community in particular must also take responsibility. (36)”
-- Caritas in Veritate (2009), Pope Benedict XVI
The Signs of the Times for US Male Religious
A brief, powerful message from Fr. Giles Hayes, OSB, President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men begins this way-
“’Male religious of the United States! Read the signs of the times.’ This, the clarion call of Vatican II, is as important now in 2011 as it was in the late 1960s. What are the compelling signs of 2011 we should not miss?”......
For the rest of the article Click here
God’s Mission: Many Faces: A Portrait of U.S. Catholics in Mission
The mission of Catholics today in answering Jesus’ call in Matthew: 25: A new CMSM Forum article, "God's Mission: Many Faces: A Portrait of U.S. Catholics in Mission," by Gary Riebe-Estrella, SVD, is available online at <www.cmsm.org/forum/index.html>. You can also download a pdf versionof the article on the same page.
It seeks to answer the question of what the mission of Catholics is today in answering the call of Jesus in Matt.25...The author sets forth in a clear way that “ while eventual ‘Americanization’ may have been the goal during the first half of the 20th century, ‘catholicization’ will need to be goal for the 21st century.”
“A church which was once made up predominantly of poor immigrants and which developed ministerial strategies to first provide a safe haven for these immigrant Catholics in the face of a hostile national ethos and then to facilitate their integration into the American mainstream, now stands as a church economically divided between rich and poor.…..It is discerning that we are the Body of Christ and are meant to witness to that reality in our relationships with each other on which the question of judgment hangs. How do we American Catholics stand before that judgment today when still, to again quote Paul, ‘each one goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk?’”
Nuclear Weapons
A moral problem: the threat of nuclear weapons today...Nuclear warheads, if used, indiscriminately kill civilians, cause radiation burns, poison the environment and create sickness and genetic damage for generations to come. Join filmmaker Bud Ryan on an epic journey to discover what the Bomber can learn from the Bombed and what the true state of the nuclear threat is today.
Pax Christi USA is very excited to announce that The Forgotten Bomb, the documentary by Pax Christi New Mexico co-coordinator Bud Ryan and his partner Stuart Overbey, is now available on DVD!
Comrehensive Test Ban Treaty...As the debate over the CTBT begins to ramp up in the fall of 2011, our consideration of this issue must also take account of the moral dimensions of nuclear testing. A number of resources are listed below dealing with the history of nuclear weapons testing, its human and environmental costs, and why the United States has a responsibility to ratify the CTBT.
Nuclear Threat Initiative | "Issue Brief: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty"
Global Security Newswire | "Obama Administration Readying to Make Case for Test Ban Treaty"
Ellen Tauscher, Dept. of State | "The Case for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty"
CTBTO Preparatory Commission | "The Effects of Nuclear Testing"
Utah History to Go | "Nuclear Testing and the Downwinders"
ACTION ALERTS
Advocate with Catholic Relief Services - Public policies regarding issues such as global hunger, conflict and peace, global health, migration, and global poverty all make an enormous impact on the lives of people living in poverty around the globe.
Click the following links to learn of how you can take part in advocacy actions sponsored by Catholic Relief Services in 2012 and learn more about the work of CRS.
Current Action Alerts
Download PDF of Catholics Confront Global Poverty quarterly newsletter - Winter 2012 (Catholic Relief Services and the USCCB) The Catholics Confront Global Poverty quarterly newsletter strives to provide you with concise updates and easily accessible resources on the global poverty issues you're advocating for. We hope this newsletter is helpful for you as you continue to advocate with and on behalf of our brothers and sisters who are poor and marginalized.
Thanks to You Poverty-Focused International Assistance Increases in 2012 Budget
 The thousands of calls and letters that you and other advocates for poverty focused international assistance have been sending to legislators have won a significant victory for this essential funding. Just in time for Christmas, Congress passed, and the President signed into law, a budget that actually increased funding for these accounts by nearly 3 percent over 2011 levels. This was an extraordinary turn-about, as you have been working diligently to keep the funding from being significantly reduced.- This outcome means that our nation will continue to do its part to feed the hungry, vaccinate children from deadly diseases, shelter refugees fleeing conflict, and provide clean water to impoverished communities around the world. This is a significant accomplishment in such a difficult economic environment.
- The budget, however, did deal a blow for migrants and refugees, with significant cuts to Emergency Migration and Refugee Assistance and Debt Restructuring accounts. These budget battles are expected to continue through 2012 year, with more at stake and more serious cuts to poverty-focused international assistance looming.
- Thank you for looking out for our brothers and sisters who are most vulnerable. Your persistence paid off! For more information, please read CRS' press release.
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The Murphy Initiative for Justice and Peace
The Murphy Initiative for Justice and Peace is sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers and thirteen other religious congregations with ministries in the Baltimore Archdiocese. The Initiative is envisioned as a common voice of these communities to work collectively for social justice and to support the ongoing justice and peace work within each community.
Especially helpful is its This Just In and Continuous Calendar links which tell of current peace and justice efforts and events sponsored by member communities, and by other Catholic and faith based social justice organizations in the Baltimore area, the nation, and the world. The Murphy Initiative is named for Bishop Frank Murphy, auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore who, before his death in 1999, helped greatly in the production of the USCCB’s 1983 Pastoral letter, The Challenge of Peace, and conveyed so well the Gospel message of peace and justice in his own gentle and welcoming way.
To learn more about the Murphy Initiative and the ways God is calling us to work for social justice - to remove conditions that contradict the God-given dignity of each and every person, no matter who they are - go to: www.pfmjpi.org (Bishop Frank Murphy’s first name was Patrick)
Africa Faith and Justice Network
WWW.AFJN.ORG: Africa Faith & Justice Network educates and advocates for a transformation of U.S. policies toward Africa. Grounded by a commitment to social justice, AFJN brings the most important issues affecting the people of Africa to our lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Visit the new Africa Faith and Justice Network’s new website, recently launched in collaboration with Africa Action, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, and many others, at www.africahumansecurity.org for ongoing reports on AFJN’s response to the ongoing efforts of the U.S. to increase U.S. militarism in Africa andactions you can take in support of it’s advocacy efforts in support of a more human centered U.S. security policy.
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Climate change & God’s call...Watch a brief video...Take the St. Francis Pledge
As Sr. Helen Prejean said recently, “If following God’s call is not scary, surprising, and an adventure all at the same time, it is not the call of the Gospel of Jesus”. God’s cry to us in the face of the great challenge of climate change is just such a call. On Earth Day, April 22, leading national Catholic organizations (including the CMSM, LCWR, and USCCB) called on all Catholics to enter seriously into the discussion on climate change and to act in ways that will help all to meet the challenges it presents.
They produced a very powerful 4 minute video which clearly points out a distinctly Gospel based, Catholic contribution to any consideration of the effects of climate change- the linking of our call to care for creation with our call to care for “the least of these”, the poor who will be most adversely affected. To view it, click YouTube - Catholic Climate Covenant - Who's Under Your Carbon ...
Then click St. Francis Pledge where you can sign on to pledge to learn and pray about the effects of climate change and move yourself to act in ways that are an answer to the call of the Gospel.
To learn more about the effects of climate change and for suggestions for your prayer and actions you can take, go to www.catholicclimatecovenant.org .
Our Use of Water and Climate Change
The corporate control of water can greatly effect climate change. This file water-disaste1 will put you in touch with a very brief but engaging and thought provoking slideshow on bottled water and it will provide you with some things you might consider as you reflect on your attitude toward, and use of, bottled water.
A major reason for re-examining our use of bottled water is that the corporate control of water is having a deleterious effect on the 1.1 billion people who currently lack access to enough drinking water. To learn more about this, click the link -Think Outside the Bottle | Corporate Accountability International
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