Peace Sunday 2012 - 45th World Peace Day theme: Education Young People in Justice and Peace. In England and Wales the day is celebrated as Pax Christi - Peace Sunday on 15 January 2012
1. Remember to pray for peace in the Middle East around Epiphany time. Use the Pax Christi Interfaith Prayer for Peace available in the Spirituality page or order the Prayer Card (£2.00 for 50) from the office.
2. Try to ensure that your parish celebrates Pax Christi - Peace Sunday
3. January 18-25 Christian Unity Week. The 2012 theme is We will all be the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Outline liturgy here Resource material for the week can be found with Churches Together in Britain & Ireland, www.ctbi.org.uk
4. Mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January. Resources are available from Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre (www.bethshalom.com)
5. Talk to your local headteacher about the importance of peace education in the curriculum. Show her/him the Education for Peace page of our website for a range of ready-made resources.
6. Order the Pax Christi International Women's Day postcard to send a message to women you know who are working for peace (March 8 is International Women's Day).
7. Ash Wednesday 2012 is on 22 February. An annual liturgy and witness of Repentance and Resistance to nuclear war preparations will take place at the Ministry of Defence, London and other military sites.
8. At some time during Lent, think of someone close to you whom you have been unwilling to forgive. Use this reflection to think of your own need for forgiveness.
24 March is the anniversary of Archbisop Oscar Romero, martyred in El Salvador in 1980.
For more information go to Peace People page or order a copy of Oscar Romero and the Nonviolent Struggle for Justice by John Dear sj. Available from the office price £2.50
9. During Lent use the Pax Christi resource Show me your Face by Gerard W Hughes as a daily reflection. Order the Pax Christi Peace and Forgiveness prayer card to distribute in your parish. £1.00 for 50 cards
10. During this week make an effort to challenge any racist or sexist comment you may encounter.
11. Pay special attention to news items about Northern Ireland and remember to include prayers for Northern Ireland in your parish Mass and private prayer.
12. Organise a service of reconciliation using materials from Pax Christi. Our Reconciliation : The Heart of Peace pack, based on the Pax Christi ICON of Peace is an excellent resource. Available from the office, price £6.00.
14. During Holy Week use Pax Christi's Follow Me - Way of the Cross based on writings of Blessed Franz Jagerstatter for personal or community reflection on Christ's passion and death. Available from the office.
15. Pray for members of the Scottish parliament that it will promote justice and peace in the country. Remember that Faslane is the home of the Trident nuclear submarine, a weapon of mass destruction.
16. Read and pray the Beatitudes, (Matthew 5: 1-16) and reflect on their meaning for your life.
17. Visit or invite to your home someone who lives alone or has been bereaved. Help them to feel that you are close by to help them.
18. Pray that workers everywhere should receive a just and living wage and that work be found for all who search for it (1 May, feast of St Joseph the Worker, patron of working people).
19. Pray the rosary for peace. Use the Pax Christi booklet My Soul is Filled with Joy to help you meditate on peace and justice while saying the rosary.
20. 15 May is International Conscientious Objector Day. Find out more about present-day objectors to military service in countries such as Israel, Russia and the USA. Celebrate the life and witness of Franz Jagerstatter, Martyr for Peace whose feast day is on 21 May. Read more on our Peace People page.
21. For Pentecost, organise a service of thanksgiving for the gifts of creation, and their proper use. Display the Pax Christi To Sow Peace poster and hand out the matching prayer card.
22. Join us at the Pax Christi AGM in London on 28th May 2011. If you are unable to attend please remember the work of Pax Christi in your prayers on that day.
23. Organise an event or service for peace in Israel and Palestine between 28 May - 3 June 2012, International World Week for Peace in Palestine-Israel. Contact Pax Christi for prayer resources.
24. June marks the week of action against the Arms trade. Contact the Campaign Against Arms Trade for resources.
25. Remember in your prayers all those who suffer in prison for their beliefs and support what your local Amnesty International group is doing for such prisoners of conscience. (22 June is the feast of St Thomas More)
26.The UN Day for Victims of Torture is on 26 June. Action by Christians Against Torture produce vigil material for use at this time and they also provide campaign and letter-writing ideas.
27. Find out more about the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim religions. Try to arrange visits to their places of prayer to learn more about their faith and worship.
28. Think back to some conversations you have had this week. How much talking did you do? Try to develop the peacemaker's skill of being a good listener.
29. Give up a meal or luxury this week and put the cost in your Pax Christi Pennies for Peace collection. Contact the office for jar labels.
30. This summer read a book by Dorothy Day, Fr John Dear sj, Gerard W Hughes sj, Thomas Merton or another peacemaker. Look at our Resources page or our resource list for suggestions.
6 & 9 August - Westminster Cathedral, London Prayer Vigil and Stall - Hiroshima and Nagasaki Anniversaries. We have a Hiroshima/Nagasaki liturgy pack available from the office price £2.50 to support you in planning.
31. 9 August - anniversary of the execution of Franz JÄGERSTÄTTER. Why not organise a memorial service in your own community. Order the Franz Jagerstatter resource pack for more materials and liturgy ideas. Available from the office price £6.00.
32. Write to the Prime Minister challenging Britain's dependence on nuclear weapons and the Trident programme in particular.
33. Make a commitment to practice daily personal meditation. Be Still and Know is a Pax Christi publication which can help you in prayer and meditation.
34. Talk with a friend or neighbour about one issue of news this week that relates to injustice or violence.
35. Contact a local community project to see if you can offer time, skills or resources to help their work.
36. Day of Prayer against the Arms Trade will be marked on 11 September in 2011. This is also the 10 anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers in the UNA. REsource and liturgy materials from Campaign Against Arms Trade.
37. Give your Jewish friends or neighbours a New Years card to celebrate Rosh Hashanan, 28 September 2011, the Jewish New Year..
38. Write a letter to your local newspaper pointing out that 21 September is the UN International Peace Day and asking that the UN be strengthened and renewed.
39. Pray for those who work in the media that they may be guided by honesty and justice. (28 St Gabriel's Day)
41. Remember the indigenous peoples of the world, e.g. in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand.
42. Use the leaflet produced by the Week of Prayer for World Peace (17 - 24 October) for daily meditations (available for .50p from Pax Christi)43. Organise an activity for One World Week (23-29 October). Their website has many resources for liturgy, celebration and action. www.oneworldweek.org
44. Make time each day to find God's presence and peace in the stillness and quiet of nature.
45. Set aside a few moments each day to meditate on past and present victims of war and pray that you be encouraged to do all you can to create real peace.
46. Buy and wear a white poppy for peace. Find out about the work of the Movement to Abolish War at www.abolishwar.org.uk - show their video/DVD 'War No More' available from Pax Christi.
47. Buy your peace/charity Christmas cards this month, praying for the charity and the recipient of the card as you write them.
48. Write to someone who is in prison for their involvment in work for peace and justice. Contact Amnesty International or War Resisters International for suggestions.
Every year, Pax Christi International invites us to send messages of peace and solidarity to our peacemaking partners and local contacts in Bethlehem. Look out for details on our website in November
49. Organise a special vigil for those who suffer abuse of their human rights. (Human Rights Day is 10 December)50. Find out about and pray for the work of aid agencies, especially CAFOD, in disaster and war-torn areas.
51. Are there local projects for the homeless that could do with some help over the Christmas period?
52. Reflect on the meaning of Christ’s coming to the world. What does the ‘peace of Christ’ mean to you? Arrange a service in your home, praying for peace and goodwill throughout the world.
Think of Bethlehem...
Download
'Bethlehem Story'
a powerpoint presentation, produced for children, to give a sense of Bethlehem as a living place today
This year has brought new prospects for freedom in the Arab world and in other countries the movement towards democracy and accountability seems unstoppable despite the cruel repression. Inspired by these examples individuals and groups everywhere show enormous courage in choosing nonviolent routes that lead to peace and justice.
During this Advent and Christmas, we invite you to share in these times of hope and change. In the past we made a call for sending wishes and prayers, now we invite you to exchange stories for peace. These can be short, about a situation in the world or about your own life. What they will have in common is a message of peace and justice, nonviolence and bridge building that have offered hope and inspiration.
Please e-mail your stories before the 25th of December 2011 (Western Christmas) and/or the 7th of January 2012 (Eastern Christmas) to Pax Christi’s partner the Arab Educational Institute at the following address: info@aeicenter.org. The stories will be used in Bethlehem, Palestine and elsewhere in educational and religious settings and published here www.aeicenter.org