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J/P Alert is the newsletter of the Justice and Peace office of CMSM. It is intended to inform and stimulate discussion and involvement among the members. Its contents do not necessarily represent official positions of CMSM.
R. I. P.: Walter Burghardt, SJ
On Feb. 16, 2008, Woodstock Theological Center lost one of its most cherished and distinguished former fellows when Father Walter Burghardt, SJ, passed away in Philadelphia at the age of 93.
Walter was one of the most outstanding theologians and preachers of our era, and his passing is a great loss. With his fervor for justice and unbounded compassion, he breathed confidence and optimism into his work at Woodstock, and touched the lives of countless people.
He was perhaps best known for his published collections of homilies, and for his leadership of Woodstock's "Preaching the Just Word" program, which he launched in 1990. Through the program's retreats and workshops, Walter and Woodstock senior fellow Father Ray Kemp have worked with thousands of priests, deacons, and other preachers around the country, helping them to improve their preaching and use their homilies as a powerful tool for promoting the Biblical vision of social justice.
However, Preaching the Just Word was only the capstone to Walter's lifelong connection with Woodstock. After entering the Society of Jesus in 1931, he earned his M.A., Ph.L., and S.T.L. degrees at the old Woodstock College in Maryland, and was ordained there in 1941. While his subsequent academic career would carry him to positions around the country and around the world, he always cherished his connection to Woodstock. For years he taught Patristic Theology at Woodstock College in Maryland, and served on the College's faculty after it relocated to New York.
When the decision was made to close the College in 1974, Walter helped spearhead an effort to ensure that the Woodstock tradition did not perish, and that the College's scholarly mission continued in a new form -- as a theological research center. Walter was a part of the Center from its very birth, serving as a Research Associate from 1974 to 1990, when he became a Senior Fellow.
Amidst all of this activity, Walter also found time to teach at Princeton, Notre Dame, and Georgetown, serve as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and the American Theological Society, work on the International Papal Theological Commission, and serve as Managing Editor of "Theological Studies" for 19 years. He published over 300 articles, and was awarded honorary degrees by at least 17 colleges and universities.
His example of scholarly rigor, deep love for our Maker, and a passion for social justice is one that all Woodstock fellows strive to live up to.
Gasper F. LoBiondo, SJ
Director, Woodstock Theological Center
PRAYER OF HOPE FOR PEACE IN COLOMBIA
O God, how long will those who make war
govern our countries?
O God, how long will those who steal, kill and destroy have so much power?
O God, how long will security be like a long night of terror?
O God, how long will the search for justice be dangerous in our world?
God of justice and peace, God of the humble
and the powerless,
Hear our cry, listen to our prayer, have compassion for our pain.
God, be merciful to the millions of displaced people, hear the cry
of the captives.
God of hope, who accompanies us, sustains
us and encourages us.
See our sadness, look at our anguish, be moved by our tears.
God, hear the cry of those who have been killed, liberate the righteous,
give security to our land.
God of peace, put an end to plans for war
and violence in Colombia.
God of justice, do not allow trade agreements that produce poverty.
God of goodness, do not let those who are evil continue to succeed.
O God, listen to us, who are in prayer in
Colombia and the United States.
O Holy Spirit, bring us together in common action for peace in
Colombia and in the world;
O Jesus, help us work together for the good news of peace,
That as your churches we might accompany and give protection
to those who suffer.
We want to be a sign of solidarity and celebrate together the
hope of your kingdom.
ORACION DE ESPERANZA POR LA PAZ DE COLOMBIA
Oh Dios, ¿Hasta cuando los que hacen la guerra gobernaran nuestros
países?
Oh Dios, ¿Hasta cuando los que roban, matan y destruyen tendrán
tanto poder?
Oh Dios, ¿Hasta cuando la seguridad será como una larga
noche de terror?
Oh Dios, ¿Hasta cuando la búsqueda de justicia será peligrosa
en nuestro mundo?
Dios de la justicia y la paz, Dios de los
humildes y de los sin poder.
Escucha nuestro clamor, escucha nuestra suplica, compadécete de
nuestro dolor.
Dios ten piedad de los millones de desplazados, escucha el llanto de
los cautivos.
Dios de la esperanza que nos acompañas, nos das consuelo y nos
animas.
Mira nuestra tristeza, mira nuestra angustia, conmuévete de nuestras
lágrimas.
Dios oye el grito de los asesinados, libera a los justos, da seguridad
a nuestra tierra.
Dios de la paz impide los planes de guerra
y la violencia en Colombia.
Dios de los justicia no permitas tratados comerciales que producen pobreza.
Dios bondadoso no permitas que los malos continúen teniendo éxito.
Oh Dios, escúchanos que en Colombia y en Estados Unidos estamos
en oración.
Oh Espíritu santo, únenos en una sola acción por
la paz en Colombia y en el mundo.
Oh Jesús que trabajemos juntos por las buenas nuevas de paz.
Que como iglesias acompañemos y demos protección a los
que más sufren.
Nosotros queremos ser señal de solidaridad y juntos celebrar la
esperanza de tu reino.
Milton Mejia
Chicago, January 2008
Prayer for Colombia
Today our voices and hands are raised in
gratitude
to you, God of life, to thank you for your company and your love.
Today our voices and hands are raised together
To pray to you for Colombia, O God.
Today our voices are united as one people,
United in a single prayer of love,
For all those who suffer violence, or persecution,
For those who have disappeared, O God,
Today we join our voices to ask you, O
God,
That justice would shine for those who are imprisoned
Because of their work for justice and peace.
Today our voices and hands are joined
Together with yours, God, to work and speak for
All those who have no voice in Colombia.
Today we join our voices to pray to you,
O God,
For the children living the horrors of
War, neglect and lack of love,
Today our voices and hands are joined
in prayer, O God
For women used in the war who are
Victims of a system that oppresses and takes away
their dreams of a better world.
Today our voices and hands are joined,
O God
in prayer for the youth of our Colombia, for those who,
Because of war and lack of opportunities,
have lost Hope.
Today our voices and hands are joined
in prayer, O God
For all the men who suffer the rigors of violence and destruction.
Today our voices and hands are joined
in prayer, O God,
For all Colombia, for the millions of displaced,
For the persecuted, for the exiled, for the disappeared,
For the children, the youth, the women, the men,
And for all those who make up the armed groups,
For your Creation.
Liberate Colombia, O God. From its mountains
and rivers may there flow a song
Hope,
From the smiles of your innocent people, may justice shine
forth,
As a symbol of love, may peace spring from simple and generous
hands.
O God, your people in Colombia are waiting
for Redemption.
Amen
Plegaría por Colombia
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se levantan en
gratitud
Al Dios de la vida, para agradecer su compañía y su amor.
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se levantan unidas
Para pedirte por Colombia, oh Dios.
Hoy nuestras voces están unidas como un solo pueblo,
Unidas en una sola plegaría de amor,
Por todos los que sufren la violencia, persecución,
Por los desaparecidos te pedimos, oh Dios.
Hoy nuestras voces se unen para pedirte
oh Dios,
Que brille la justicia para los que están encarcelados
Por trabajar por la justicia y la paz.
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se unen
Junto a las tuyas oh Dios, para trabajar y hablar por
Todos los que en Colombia no tienen voz.
Hoy nuestras voces se unen para pedirte
oh Dios,
Por los niños y niñas que viven el horror de una
Guerra, el olvido, y la falta de amor,
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se unen para
pedirte oh Dios
Por las mujeres utilizadas en la guerra y que son
Victimas de un sistema que las oprime y arranca
De sus vidas los sueños de un mundo mejor.
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se unen oh
Dios para
Pedirte por los jóvenes de nuestro país, por aquellos que por
Causa de la guerra y las pocas oportunidades han perdido
La esperanza.
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se unen para
pedirte oh Dios
Por todos los hombres que sufren los rigores de la violencia y la destrucción.
Hoy nuestras voces y manos se unen para
pedirte oh Dios,
Por toda Colombia, por los millones de desplazados,
Por los perseguidos, por los exiliados, por los desaparecidos,
Por los niños, por los jóvenes, las mujeres, los hombres,
Y por todos los que integran los grupos armados, por tu Creación.
Libera a Colombia oh Dios, que desde sus
montanas y ríos fluya un canto
de
Esperanza, que desde las sonrisas inocentes de tu pueblo resplandezca el
justicia,
Como símbolo de amor, que desde las manos sencillas y generosas surga
la paz,
Oh Dios tu pueblo Colombiano espera su Redención.
Amen.
Adelaida Jiménez
Chicago, Enero 25/08
For a Future Full of Hope
Sincelejo, Colombia
February 23 2008
I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. [Jeremiah 29:11]
God’s plan for humanity is a plan of life, abundant life as Jesus promised.
Ignorance, fear, distrust and other human circumstances have clouded the judgment of our current world leaders. They have been dazed by their own power and its glow has blinded them. They stumble towards destruction and death believing that they can offer security and peace through violence.
The world lives in a time of confusion; nations and cultures clash. Oppression, hunger, misery and poverty destroy millions of lives. Violence is imposed as conflict resolution and war is presented as a social panacea.
But, as if a flower in a trash-heap or a light in the dark and stormy night, hope is born in the midst of this historic morass and offers us signs of life.
This longed-for hope is the outcry of God’s people. It is a holy energy that emerges from deep within each nation produced by the joining of prophecy and prayer of the worldwide family of faith.
It is the prophetic message, just prayer and active solidarity that enables the Word to become flesh amongst us, realizing God’s plan for abundant life.
God’s power is here, it is active, and it is within God’s people. But just as seeds need water to sprout, Christians require prophecy and prayer to free their power.
It is time to clamor, to prophesy, to pray and to act!
God is once again giving the people of the United States a historic opportunity to straighten out their history and to align it with God’s plans for abundant life. We ask God to grant them wisdom to elect new leaders who live and believe in justice, fraternity, equality, freedom and peace as given to us by Jesus.
They should clamor, pray and advocate for the US Congress to act with wisdom and not approve laws and treaties, such as the current free trade agreement, that would hurt the small farmers of the US and Colombia, widening the gap between rich and poor.
Because the Bible says the prayer of the righteous is powerful, we the people of God in Colombia humbly ask our brothers and sisters of the United States to join us on April 27th and 28th in the Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia. May we be of one spirit as we pray and act for peace in Colombia, the United States and around the world. May God’s plans become reality.
May God’s peace always keep you restless and vigilant.
Your brother, friend and fellow pilgrim,
Ricardo Esquivia
National Coordinator of the Peace Commission of the Evangelical Council
of Colombia
A Convention for the
Common Good
Announcing . . .
A Convention for the Common Good
July 11-13, 2008
in Philadelphia, PA
You may have read about this in our January/February issue of NETWORK Connection or on our web site. Today we are inviting our NETWORK members and other activists to save the date and plan to join us.
We are still developing the details, but here's what we plan to do during this election year:
- We plan to initiate a substantive discussion of government for the common good. We will engage people across the country in advance of the Convention to draft a Platform for the Common Good.
- Delegates at the Convention will ratify the Platform for the Common Good, and work together on ways to use the Platform. We envision people using the Platform to educate and organize voters in their areas and also asking candidates to endorse the Platform.
- And after the election, we will hold elected officials accountable to the common good!
More information is on the "Save the Date" flyer, and on NETWORK's web site at http://www.networklobby.org/ConventionMainPage.htm
“Catholic Social Teaching and a vision of Gospel nonviolence suggest policy directions for Iraq that embrace international cooperation and replace reliance on military measures with diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Iraq and establish a just peace.”
In the fourth posting of policy analyses and popular educational resources on the critical issues in the 2008 election decisions, our Voting the Common Good project addresses an issue that is certain to be one of the most divisive and volatile of the campaign season: THE WAR IN IRAQ.
Through the collaboration and leadership of one of the Center of Concern’s partners in this project, Pax Christi-USA, this set of materials offers a penetrating policy analysis of the underlying dynamics of the war and addresses key concerns such as the threat of a bloodbath should the U.S. withdraw its forces.
This posting includes:
- The policy paper: “Towards a Just and Peaceful Solution in Iraq”
- Talking Points outlining the main issues
- Questions for Candidates
- A Fact Sheet: “The Human and Economic Costs”
- A Resources Sheet featuring Prayer, Study and Action Resources
- Recent Church statements on Iraq
- An article by Iraqi citizen Raed Jarrer: “False Sectarianism and the Battle for Oil: Monopolizing Power in Iraq.”
These materials can be found at www.coc.org/Election2008
This posting on the Iraq War joins the following previous materials which are still available on our site:
- Globalization and Domestic Elections
- Immigration
- International Relations
Center of Concern · 1225 Otis Street NE · Online Communications · Washington · DC · 20017
e-mail: communications@coc.org •
voice: 202-635-2757 ext. 130
web: http://www.coc.org
Bread for the World Offering of Letters
Bread for the World's 2008 Offering of Letters focuses on increasing poverty-focused development assistance in FY 2009 in order to reduce global poverty. USCCB is a close collaborator with Bread for the World on both domestic and international hunger. Our office urges you to make use of Bread's Offering of Letters Kit that was mailed last month to many dioceses and parishes. Extra copies of the kit can be ordered through their website: www.bread.org.
U.S. Bishops’ Justice For Immigrants Campaign Hires New Director
WASHINGTON – The Justice for Immigrants Campaign of the U.S. Conference Catholic Bishops (USCCB) named Antonio B. Cube Jr. as its new national director.
Cube is presently the legislative director for the Washington State Catholic Conference and has extensive experience as a public affairs consultant and in community outreach programs. He has over five years experience as a legislative assistant and has lead coordination of staff work activities on immigration, anti-poverty, social justice and minority issues. He also has served as a government affairs, communications and public relations consultant to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The announcement was made in Washington by Johnny Young, Executive Director of the USCCB Migration and Refugee Services.
“ The selection committee chose Mr. Cube for the position because of his extensive and broad experience working with a wide range offices and organizations. He was also selected because of his work in fields related to the kind of work carried out by the National Director of the Justice for Immigrant Campaign. In addition, the committee felt that his entry on duty now will enable him to further energize the campaign and have a positive impact on our efforts to put Comprehensive Immigration Reform again at the center of the debate on immigration,” said Young.
Cube will start work at the USCCB March 17. He succeeds School Sister of Notre Dame Jane Burke, who retired from the position in November.
Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
FEATURED SPEAKERS: Bishop Mark
S. Hanson |
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Middle East Peacemaking in a Turbulent Time
Join Middle East peace advocates from across the countryand a range of Christian churches to: learn about opportunitiesfor Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking in the context of broader regional dynamics and with the Bush Administration's initiative to move the peace process forward in 2008; and lobby Congress with up-to-date specific talking points designed to make your voice heard.
At the CMEP conference, Church leaders, issue analysts and policy experts will provide important insights and updates and prepare conference participants to meet with elected officials.
Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of 22 U.S.
churches and church-related organizations, is positioned
to guide church members and clergy in effective advocacy
grounded in the principles of our faith. CMEP will help arrange
your meetings with your Representative and Senators.
REGISTRATION FEE: $100.00
Register on-line see updates and housing information www.cmep.org
SUNDAY
EVENING
Opening Program
MONDAY
•
Plenary panels, luncheon with speaker, workshops, preparation for advocacy
•
Evening denominational gatherings
TUESDAY
Congressional Prayer Breakfast
Lobby Day on Capitol Hill
April 20-22, 2008 in Washington, DC
Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University,
800 Florida Avenue, NE
and the
Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol Street
110 Maryland Ave., NE, Suite 311,
Washington, DC 20002
1-202-543-1222
Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East
Peace is a Washington-based program of the Alliance of Baptists, American
Friends Service
Committee, Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Armenian Orthodox
Church, Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of
Men's Institutes, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Church
of the Brethren, Church World Service, Episcopal Church, Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, Franciscan Friars OFM (English Speaking
Conference, JPIC Council), Friends Committee on National
Legislation, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Maryknoll Missioners,
Mennonite Central Committee, Moravian Church in
America, National Council of Churches, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed
Church in America, Unitarian Universalist Association,
United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church (GBCS & GBGM)
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
How
can the Justice and Peace Office help you get involved?
T. Michael McNulty, SJ, editor
mmcnulty@cmsm.org
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8808 Cameron St., Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 301-588-4030
• Fax: 301-587-4575 • www.cmsm.org
