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2008
10 December
Hundreds gather for Annual Pax Christi Advent Peace Service
St Aloysius Church, Euston, London was the venue for the annual Pax Christi Advent Peace Service. Hundreds gathered to take part in a liturgy with music led by composer and liturgist, Bernadette Farrell, and hear scriptural and contemporary readings and prayers that set out the longing of our world for peace. The Westminster Diocesan Deaf Service signed the whole service, adding a new, inclusive element to the evening which was much appreciated. During the service those gathered were invited to take part in the Pax Christi Christmas Messages of Hope and Peace to Bethlehem, a project Pax Christi has supported for some years. They were also urged to 'stay with Pax Christi' for the whole year, seeking ways in which each one can build a culture of peace in schools, parishes and communities. Around a centrepiece featuring the Earth surrounded by images of war, conflict and violence, worshipers lit candles of hope as part of a prayer commitment to work for peace in the year ahead. The service was followed by an alternative christmas market, offering goods in support of small scale peace and justice projects in the UK and around the world. |
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 Into this world... preparing for the Prince of Peace |
10 December
Wife's love gave Austrian martyr strength, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn says
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service ROME (CNS)
| Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer beheaded for refusing to serve in the Nazi army, had the strength to follow his conscience because of his wife Franziska, said Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna. With the 95-year-old widow and the couple's three daughters in the front row, Cardinal Schönborn participated in the Dec 9 presentation of a new biography in Italian, "Christ or Hitler? The Life of Blessed Franz Jagerstatter." The book launch was held in Rome's St. Bartholomew Church, which Pope John Paul II designated as a shrine to martyrs of the 20th century. The original handwritten copy of Blessed Jägerstätter's "spiritual testament" is on a side altar in the church, along with letters and objects owned by other victims of Nazism and communism in Europe and of dictatorships in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The Austrian martyr's widow said she did not want to respond to reporters' questions, but she did say her happiest memory was the 1936 honeymoon pilgrimage she and Franz took to Rome. Her daughter, Maria, said her earliest memory was "the whole family sitting around the table and Mother reading the letter that my father had been beheaded. Everyone cried." Maria was 4 years old when her father was beheaded by guillotine on Aug. 9, 1943. "We never felt he abandoned us," she said. Rather they believed he was in heaven and "he protected us." Her father was beatified in 2007, but he "was always a saint to us. If you read his last letter, you would know he was," she said.
In the letter, written a few hours before he was executed, Blessed Jägerstätter apologized to his wife and family for the suffering they endured; he promised to watch over them always; and he talked about how Jesus must have suffered knowing that his mother was there watching him die. Cardinal Schönborn told the audience that he first heard of Blessed Jägerstätter in 1968 when he read the late Gordon Zahn's book, "In Solitary Witness: The Life and Death of Franz Jägerstätter." Strangely, he said, almost no one seemed to have heard of the Austrian martyr and his transformation from a superficial Catholicism to a deep faith that forced him to question how one could be "a soldier for Christ" and a soldier in Hitler's army at the same time. The growth in faith, the cardinal said, was due to the example of his wife. "Franz had the strength to follow his conscience because he was supported by the love of his wife," he said. Cardinal Schönborn introduced Franziska Jägerstätter and her three daughters to Pope Benedict XVI Dec. 10 at the end of the pope's general audience. The pope stood to greet the widow and continued to hold her hands as they spoke; then, her daughters came up and gave the pope flowers and other gifts. Read more about Franz Jägerstätter... |
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Franziska meets Pope Benedict XVI - 10 Dec 2008 |
29 September 2008
Two Priests and a Christian community honoured with Pax Christi Peace Awards
This Autumn the annual Pax Christi International Peace Award will be given to Franciscan priest, Dom Luiz Flávio Cappio, the bishop of Barra in the state
of Bahia, Brazil, and the members of the Brazilian community who have worked
with him.
In the United States, the Pax Christi USA annual book award goes to Jesuit theologian, Jon Sobrino.
The Pax Christi International award ceremony will take place during a weekend of events entitled “Waters for Peace” from the 17 to 19 October 2008 in Sobradinho, in the state of Bahia, Brazil, organized by the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), a Member Organisation of Pax Christi International in Brazil. Events for 17 October include a seminar on the issue of water and environment, a Eucharistic liturgy and a press conference. On 18 October, an inter-religious event will take place followed by a prayer pilgrimage to the Säo Francisco River. An international day of fasting in solidarity will be launched that day. The Pax Christi Peace Award ceremony will be held on 19 October. Laura Vargas Valcarcel, Vice President of Pax Christi International, will deliver the award speech. Dom Luiz is being recognised for his nonviolent action in protest against the Säo Francisco river transposition project. Brazil’s third-largest river, the Rio Säo Francisco in the north-eastern state of Bahia, was relocated to build more hydropower stations and supply water for industrial farming, shrimps production and steel plants in an area inhabited by rich people. The project would effectively destroy many villages of fisher folk and river inhabitants and cause vast environmental damage. The award will also honour the actions of the members of the community, who worked actively against the project themselves. The struggle behind this Award also echoes the many struggles around the world related to land and water resources and rights. |
Dom Luiz Flávio Cappio |
Jesuit theologian Jon Sobrino is the recipient of this year's Pax Christi USA Book Award, No Salvation Outside the Poor: Prophetic-Utopian Essays. Fr Sobrino will join Pax Christi USA at its traditional Friday evening gathering at the School of the Americas (November 21) to accept the award, address the audience and answer questions. He is the survivor of the November 1989 massacre at the University of Central America, committed by School of the Americas graduates. Six of his brother Jesuits, their co-worker and her daughter were murdered. |
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19 September
UK Churches want to know more about crisis for Christians in Holy Land -
Ecumenical day conference: Hallows Church, 83 London Wall, LONDON EC2 5ND - begins at 10.00am
Over 100 UK church leaders from all denominations will gather on Monday 22nd September for a day conference to discover more about the ongoing crisis in the Holy Land and how this affects the Christian community. "More and more UK churches are wanting to find out more about the situation for Christians in the Holy Land. They are telling us that they want to be able to talk about it confidently in their churches and want to have information to pass on to congregations. Whilst Christians in Bethlehem are calling for Christians in the U.K. to hear them.... " said Garth Hewitt, Director of the Amos Trust and one of the speakers at the conference entitled The Disappearance of the Holy Land.
The conference aims to give more information about the current situation and discuss how churches should respond. Issues to be addressed include the crisis of the diminishing Christian presence in the Holy Land, the denial of human rights of the Palestinian Community, the impact of settlements, the segregation wall and the destruction of the biblical landscape. It will also discuss the implication for church pilgrimages to the Holy Land in the light of new and differing restrictions for Palestinian and Israeli tour guides.
The ecumenical conference has been organised by a coalition of 9 Christian and Jewish groups and charities namely Living Stones, Ekklesia, Pax Christi, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Friends of Sabeel, Justpeace60, Amos Trust, the Interfaith Group for Morally Responsible Investment, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
The speakers are from both the Palestinian and Israeli communities providing first hand reports of the current situation in the Holy Land. Speakers will be: Jeff Halper, Jewish Israeli anthropologist and founder of the Israeli Campaign Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) , and author of "An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel." - Sami Awad, a Christian Palestinian from Bethlehem, who is the director of the Holy Land Trust, an organisation that supports alternative tourism and facilitates nonviolence workshops across the West Bank - Garth Hewitt, director of the Amos Trust, Canon of St Georges Cathedral, Jerusalem, and author of "Bethlehem Speaks: Voices from the Little Town Cry Out" - Palestinian Ambassador, Dr Manuel Hassassian, (who is a Christian from Bethlehem) will also greet the conference.
There will also be a launching of a new film for churches - "Bethlehem - Hidden from View", which gives an updated picture of the crisis in Bethlehem and features all of the conference speakers. The conference follows up the Just Peace 60 initiative of May of this year, when over 140 Church leaders and theologians put their names to a historic joint declaration calling for a just peace in Palestine/Israel. The signatories included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, other senior bishops and ministers from many denominations, who committed themselves "to a courageous settlement whose details will honour both peoples, shared love for the land, and protect the individual and collective rights of Jews and Palestinians."
Conference Venue: All Hallows Church, 83 London Wall, London EC2 5ND - begins at 10.00am
1 September
Pax Christi members experience the global village - in Lourdes!
This summer five members of Pax Christi British Section went to volunteer in the Pax Christi Peace Pavillion in Lourdes. Open all year, this summer was an especially busy time as people from around the world came for the Jubilee of the first apparition of Mary to Bernadette 150 years ago. First Anthea: I had a really good time in Lourdes. Good time isn't really the right phrase but I don't know how else to phrase it. Helen and I worked with Francoise from Lille and I think we made a good team, well balanced. |
Pax Christi Peace House, Lourdes |
And from Sr Eileen : 15th August, feast of the Assumption. The Cardinal of Paris came to Lourdes to concelebrate the Mass as it was the National French Pilgrimage. There were thousands in the large park at the other side of the grotto. We attended this open air Mass. Two sisters from Central Africa drop in for information about something else but I invite them to sit down and write something about Peace. This is what they wrote: No to violence. No to war. No to genocide. No to racism. Peace is something universal. The slogan “Peace and Love” is not a slogan for fun but it means the love we have for others. We put them on the wall. They are wonderful... Our last evening we attended a conference entitled “Peace in the great lakes of Africa”. Burundi, Congo, Rwanda. A priest called Father Gaston from Goma spoke as a member of Pax Christi who suffered in Rwanda. The room was packed and the Bishop of Lourdes attended with a wonderful French priest who lives in the City Saint Pierre with the homeless and poor people. Read more here |
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27 August
LONDON VIGIL CHALLENGES CANADIAN GOVERNMENT OVER DEPORTATION OF US WAR RESISTERS
Members of Pax Christi, the Oxford Catholic Worker and Voices in the Wilderness held a 10-hour vigil outside the Canadian High Commission in London to call attention to the Canadian Government's plans to deport US soldiers who have fled the war in Iraq. On the same day the organisers had a letter published in The Guardian, calling on its readers to join their campaign and write to the high commissioner James R Wright urging that the Canadian government abide by the will of its parliament and people and make provision for US war resisters to have sanctuary in Canada. They held giant placards bearing pictures of the resisters and the words ‘Canada: Stop Deporting US Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in the Illegal War in Iraq. Grant Them Sanctuary’ will be exhibited outside. There are currently at least 12 US soldiers in Canada seeking asylum [2]. They have refused to take part in the invasion and occupation of Iraq – an invasion deemed “illegal” by the UN Secretary General [3], that has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis [4]. If they are returned to the US, they face lengthy periods of incarceration. Last month Robin Long became the first US war resister to be deported [5], and a second war resister, Jeremy Hinzman, has now been given a 23 September deadline to leave Canada with his wife, son and baby daughter, or be deported [6]. Long is currently serving a jail-term in Colorado. |
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Though its people [7] and Parliament [8] both oppose such deportations, Canada's minority government has refused to stop them. A spokesperson for the vigil said: “Between 1965-1973 more than 50,000 draft-age Americans made their way to Canada, refusing to participate in the Vietnam war. At the time, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau said: "Those who make the conscientious judgment that they must not participate in this war... have my complete sympathy, and indeed our political approach has been to give them access to Canada. Canada should be a refuge from militarism." Today, we call on Canada’s Government to stand by these ideals, and to abide by the will of its people and Parliament, by halting the ongoing deportation of US soldiers who have refused to fight in Iraq.”
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12 August
Franz Jägerstätter Commemorations
Sixty-five years after his execution,the life and witness of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter is still remembered around the world.
In London, a hundred people gathered in the Crypt Chapel in Westminster Cathedral for the annual Pax Christi memorial service where a reflection was offered, making the links between the witness and challenge of Franz and the anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan 9th August 1945. Both call Christians to examine their conscience in the face of violence and warfare.
In Austria, in his home village of St. Radegund a vigil was held at 4 pm, his hour of death, and in the evening a services was concelebrated in the parish church. Bishop Manfred Scheuer of Tirol gave the homily at the Mass. Fransiska Jägerstätter and her daughters also took part in this service. Photograps and video clips of the events can be seen here.
Earlier, Kuno Füssel, theologian and mathematician spoke at a gathering of around 60 people, organised by Pax Christi Upper Austria and Munich. In his talk he spoke of Franz as a liberation theologian - clear of mind and with a bold heart. Following the gathering participants, including members of Pax Christi Italy, made a pilgrimage from Burghausen to St. Radegund
The text of Kuno Füssel's talk in German can be downloaded here.
7 August 2008
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembered
Pax Christi members around the country have marked the 63rd anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August 1945. Among them, day-long vigils on the steps of Westminster Cathedral in Central London; a service in the Chapel of Unity in Coventry Cathedral with readings prayers and poems; a night vigil at Aylesford Priory in Kent; a memorial service in Swinton, Salford and an evening service of prayer in Aigburth, Liverpool. In London, hundreds of people took leaflets about the anniversaries and others joined with twice daily times of prayer for peace. Ninety people attended the Coventry event where they were addressed by guests form Japan and by the Mayor of Coventry. The event was coordinated by the Lord Mayors Committee for Peace and reconciliation, the Quakers and Pax Christi. Pax Christi vice-president Bruce Kent participated in the memorial service in Hiroshima on the morning of 6th August where he was attending on behalf of CND. The Mayor of Hiroshima, Tadatoshi Akiba issued a Peace Declaration at the ceremony, urging that the citizens of the world pledge to do everyting in their power to accomplish the total eradication of nuclear weapons.. |
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Pax Christi partner in Japan, Sr Filo Hirota, who works with the Japanese Conference of Bishops', has asked the Pax Christi movement to support the Save Article 9 Campaign. Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution renounces war as a means of settling international disputes and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces and other war potential. Article 9 is an international oath declaring No to War, a shared property of all the world’s citizens who wish for peace. Today, however, the Japanese government is moving towards amending Article 9, partly due to the U.S. demand for full-fledged military support from Japan in its “war on terror”. Despite the restrictions of Article 9, Japan’s Self-Defence Forces have gradually expanded over the years, bringing Japan’s military expenditure to one of the highest in the world, and they provided support to U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. You can find out more about the campaign here
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 Pax Christi members in London brave the wind and rain at their stall/vigil outside Westminster Cathedral |
25 - 26 June
Pax Christi Chair, Stewart Hemsley, meets Iraqi Christian delegation in Brussels
Pax Christi International recently hosted a series of meetings in Belgium, France and Germany, for a church-led delegation from Iraq. Stewart Hemsley, Chair of the British Section of Pax Christi attended on our behalf. The meetings began in Brussels with briefings at the Pax Christi International office and then moved to the European Union where the delegation made representtion to the UK permanent representative, Owen Jenkins. They spoke of the plight of the Christian minority who feel that they lack any real representation in the new Iraqi Parliament. They also met representatives at the European Commission, Karin Gatt-Rutter of the Iraq Desk and MEPs Nickolay Lmadenov and Jana Hybaskova at the European Parliament.
These meetings were arranged following the Pax Christi International Northern Consultation in June when the movement made a commitment to offering greater solidarity to Christians in Iraq. In March 2008 the British Section of Pax Christi wrote to Mr Gordon Brown on the anniversary of the war with Iraq and following the murder of Archbishop Rahho. A copy of the reply letter can be downloaded here.
A copy of a report by Stewart Hemsley can be downloaded here. In order to protect the security of members of the Iraqi delegation their names have been removed.
15 June
Claudette Werleigh speaks at Pax Christi Annual Meeting in York
Pax Christi members and guests gathered in York on 14 June for the Annual General Meeting of the movement. During the day they heard from Claudette Werleigh, the new International General Secretary of Pax Christi. Claudette, from Haiti, spoke about the early influences of liberation theology and the education work of Paulo Friere on her work in community development - both of which empower people to challenge injustice and violence themselves. In talking about the work of Pax Christi International, she stressed the importance of the solidarity that can be created through international movements that bring people from very different backgrounds in contact with one another in their search for peace.. Two members were elected to the Executive Committee, Arianna Andreageli who teaches law at Liverpool University and Michael Mitchell, a former volunteer who now lives in Sussex. Nan Saeki and Josie Campbell stood down after six years of service to the Comittee and were thanked for all their support and encouragement. |
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A liturgy of commitment during the afternoon celebrated the work of the past year and invited all present to renew their work for peace for the future. The Pax Christi book of remembrance was presented during the liturgy and Pax Christi members and friends who died during the past year were recalled. Members heard of new projects of the movement - publications such as Peace People Who Changed the World and Franz Jagerstatter - A Different Kind of Hero, suitable for youth and schools groups and of a number of international opportunities for young people - the summer workcamp in Florence and the international peace pilgrimage to the First World War graves to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the war. In addition members were encouraged to continue solidarity work with peacemakers in Israel and Palestine. |
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8 May
Christian Leaders on Israel’s 60th Anniversary
Over 140 Christian leaders have made a unified call for a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel. Their declaration is published in The Independent newspaper. Never before has such a diverse range of prominent Christians acknowledged that for Palestinians, Israel's celebration has become a 'Catastrophe' (Nakba). They seek a shared solution to the longstanding conflict. Stewart Hemsley, Chair of the British Seciton of Pax Christi, Fr. Claude Mostowik, National President of Pax Christi Australia, Dave Robinson, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA, Prof Mary Grey, and Nobel Peace Laureat Mairead Corrigan Maguire are among the co-signers. The letter reads as follows:
Today, millions of Israelis and Jews around the world will joyfully mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel. For many, this landmark powerfully symbolises the Jewish people's ability to defy the power of hatred so destructively embodied in the Nazi Holocaust. Additionally, it is an opportunity to celebrate the wealth of cultural, economic and scientific achievements of Israeli society, in all its vitality and diversity. This same day, millions of Palestinians living inside Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the worldwide diaspora, will mourn 60 years since over 700,000 of them were uprooted from their homes and forbidden from returning, while more than 400 villages were destroyed. For them, this day is not just about the remembrance of a past catastrophic dispossession, dispersal, and loss; it is also a reminder that their struggle for self-determination and restitution is ongoing. To hold both of these responses together in balanced tension is not easy. But it is vital if a peaceful way forward is to be forged, and is central to the Biblical call to "seek peace and pursue it" (Ps. 34:14). We acknowledge with sorrow that for the last 60 years, while extending empathy and support to the Israeli narrative of independence and struggle, many of us in the church worldwide have denied the same solidarity to the Palestinians, deaf to their cries of pain and distress. We therefore urge all those working for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine to consider that any lasting solution must be built on the foundation of justice, which is rooted in the very character of God. After all, it is justice that "will produce lasting peace and security" (Isaiah 32:17). Let us commit ourselves in prophetic word and practical deed to a courageous settlement whose details will honour both peoples' shared love for the land, and protect the individual and collective rights of Jews and Palestinians in the Holy Land. “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid” (Micah 4:4) |
Read more and see complete list of signatories at http://justpeace60.blogspot.com/
20 March
Vigils around the country recall 5 years of suffering in Iraq
A number of vigils and times of prayer and reflection for peace were held round the country on 19th March, the eve of the start of the war with Iraq.
In London fifty people gathered for an ecumenical vigil at Downing Street, London. This involved saying prayers on the half-hour and the reading of the names of Iraqi and Coalition war dead. In Oxford another ecumenical group gathered at Carfax in the city centre. In North London following a time of prayer members of the Justice and Peace group at St Melitus Church leafleted commuters at the local train station. Other vigils took place in Birmingham, Coventry, Stafford, Kendal, Woodbridge, Bridgened and Somerset. Extract from a prayer used at the Downing Street vigil: We pray for others: for the people of Iraq, whose lives and dreams are broken daily; This project was organised by Pax Christi and the Fellowship of Reconciliation who also sent a letter about the UK's responsibilities for the war to Prime Minister, Gordon Brown |
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13 March 2008
A Call for remembrance, prayer and action: Iraq 5 years on
20th March marks the 5th anniversary of the war with Iraq – a war which has cost tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions and brought fear and destruction to all communities. In recent months, Christians will also be aware that the minority Christian community has borne its own share of this violence. The destruction of churches, the targeting of church personnel leading this week to the death, following kidnap, of Chaldean Archbishop Rahho of Mosul.
The Pax Christi and Fellowship of Reconciliation are calling on Christians throughout the country to make 19th March, the eve of the start of the war, a day of remembrance, repentance and prayer for the people of Iraq and the role that our nation has played in this war.
In London there will be a vigil at Downing Street between 5.00 – 6.30 pm on Wednesday 19th. During the vigil prayers will be shared and names of the dead will be read out in public. This will include the names of Iraq people as well as of US and UK military personnel who have been killed in this war. A number of similar public vigils will be held around the country, including Oxford, Coventry, Stafford, North London and Kent and there will be times of prayer and reflection taking place as part of church- community commemorations on the same day.
Pat Gaffney of Pax Christi said: “ The vigil takes place in Holy Week when we remember Jesus’ path to the Cross – the betrayal, the torture, the abandonment – and so too we remember the people of Iraq and the years of suffering they have experienced through wars, sanctions and now occupation. We will be urging our Government to make reparation for the destruction we have caused and calling on all people of good will to join efforts to being stability and peace to Iraq.”
13 February 2008
Call for remembrance, prayer and action for Iraq
A call for day remembrance, prayer and action on 19 March, the eve of the anniversary of the war with Iraq is one of the responses that came from an ecumenical seminar held in London on 12 February entitled ‘Iraq War – 5 years on : A continuing challenge to Christians.’ Representatives from Justice and Peace and social responsibility networks gathered to discuss ways in which might Christians might respond to the war and on-going occupation of Iraq.
Copy of the leaflet Christian Peace Witness for Iraq |
11 February 2008
Ministry of Defence building marked with blessed ash on Ash Wednesday, 6 February 2008
2008 marked the 25th anniversary of prayer, repentence and resistance to nuclear war preparations at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, London. Around 70 people from around the country gathered in Embankment Gardens where they were marked with ash as is the tradition on Ash Wednesday. In a silent procession they then made their way to three stopping points in Horseguards Avenue: The Old War Office, Whitehall and the Ministry of Defence building. A group who had prepared in advance marked the Old War Office and Minsitry of Defence buildings with blessed charcoal. There were no arrests although there was a very strong police presence during the whole afternoon.
At the prayer stop at the Old War Office, Stewart Hemsley, the Chair of Pax Christi addressed the group saying: "The liturgy we are celebrating is an act of ‘Repentance and Resistance to Nuclear War Preparations.’ We use the symbols of ashes and sackcloth to show our repentance for trusting as a nation in death dealing weapons like the Trident missile system. We reject the idea of security by what our leaders call ‘hard power’ which is aggressive and threatening behaviour backed up by military might. Scripture teaches us not to put our trust in ‘Princes’ or their weapons.Those who advocate ‘hard power’ and all that that means are the agents of despair, death and destruction. The full text of Stewarts reflection can be downloaded here
This action was supported by Pax Christi, Christian CND and Catholic Peace Action. Other actions and vigils took place in Edinburgh and Newcastle upon Tyne. You can dowload a copy of the liturgy here.
 Gathering for prayer in front of Ministry of Defence building, London |
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11 January 2008
Pax Christi Celebrates Peace Sunday
On Sunday 20th January Catholic parishes in England and Wales will celebrate Peace– Sunday a day that offers us an opportunity to reflect on the Holy Father’s World Peace Day message with the theme “The Human Family: Community of Peace”. In this years message the Holy Father reminds us that we are all called to make peace and build relationships of solidarity and cooperation as befits members of the one human family
Pax Christi have provided every parish in the country with liturgy and reflection materials to help mark the day. Hundreds of parishes around the country have been in contact with Pax Christi to order additional materials for use with young people, children and adults. Some parishes will focus on the theme “The Human Family: Community of Peace” to celebrate the diversity of their parish community encouraging activities that help to map out the breadth of countries represented in the parish. Others will use the children’s activities to create peace chains – where children describe words that indicate what it takes to be a peacemaker or make peace boxes containing poems, images, photographs of peace activities which can be passed on as a gift to another community.
Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi said: Pax Christi has worked since the 1960s to help promote the Pope’s World Peace Day message. Each year we see more and more parishes becoming involved – using our resources with creativity and imagination to help communicate a message of peace. This year we know that people will be praying especially for communities in Kenya, Pakistan and Iraq – reflecting the images we see daily on our television screens. These remind us of the need to work for peace every day – to discover what part we may be playing as a country in contributing to violence in the world and act to challenge this. This is what solidarity is about – finding practical and real ways of being with people in times of violence and warfare.
Liturgy and reflection materials from Pax Christi are available at
http://www.paxchristi.org.uk/PeaceSunday.html
