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Ten Days for Peace August 3rd, 2012
The month of August in Japan begins with a focus on peace. ‘Ten days for Peace’ (Aug. 6-15) is a very important time for the country, as well as for the church in Japan, but especially for the people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Please join the Oblates and others who are remembering this weekend in prayer, and working for peace in the world.
A National Event Calendar shows 71 events planned across the United States this weekend to honor the victims of the US bombings and to call for an elimination of all nuclear weapons.
View the calendar and find an event: http://nuclearweaponsfree.org/calendar/
Read the address from Leo Jun IKENAGA, S.J., Archbishop of Osaka, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan (Download PDF)
Watch: Fixing the Future! July 25th, 2012
- The Oblate-sponsored Community Supported Garden at La Vista is a good example of the community based economic alternative highlighted in Fixing the Future.
Fixing the Future is both a film and a project to help communities across America become aware of the sustainable, community-based economic alternatives developing everywhere in the US.
Host David Brancaccio, of public radio’s Marketplace and NOW on PBS, has traveled across the country to visit people and organizations that are attempting a revolution: the reinvention of the American economy. The film features communities using sustainable and innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity. Fixing the Future highlights effective, local practices such as: local business alliances, community banking, time banking/hour exchange, worker cooperatives and local currencies.
Combat trafficking and slavery connected to Olympic events! June 15th, 2012
This summer, London will play host to an estimated 5 million visitors as the eyes of millions around the globe will be trained on the world’s top athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympics are an opportunity for the citizens of the world to unite in celebration of the best of the human spirit: dedication and discipline, mutual understanding, fair play and solidarity
But they also expose a darker side of human nature: for international sporting events and the large audiences they draw are also potential venues for the exploitation of the world’s most vulnerable citizens via the deplorable practice of human trafficking and modern day slavery.
Please take action today! Sign the ICCR petition on Change.org asking the International Olympic Committee leadership “to take the necessary steps to address and eliminate human trafficking and modern slavery by adopting strong requirements for sponsors, suppliers and construction companies.”
The petition says, “We recommend creating clear guidelines for business partners covering the complete project life cycle of the Olympics, including:
- Adopt a policy prohibiting trafficking and slavery
- Conduct assessments of actual and potential human trafficking risks
- Integrate assessments into oversight and monitoring programs
- Train key staff on how to identify and eradicate various forms of trafficking
- Publicly report progress using the Global Reporting Initiative’s Event Organizing Sector Supplement
Explore Tax Justice in the Movie “We’re Not Broke” June 14th, 2012
The FACT Coalition (a campaign of the Tax justice Network USA) in raising questions about the real causes of the financial crisis. According to the movie We’re Not Broke, “conservative pundits and politicians continue to push a false narrative. America hasn’t gone broke, we’ve been robbed. Corporations have spent years dodging their responsibilities and not paying their fair share.”
Locate a screening of the film We’re Not Broke accompanied by an in-depth discussion of the real cause of our financial crisis on the website of The Fair Share Tour.
June is Torture Awareness Month June 8th, 2012
You are invited during the month of June to join the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and our partner organizations in reflecting and taking action to confront the “Culture of Torture.”
The Missionary Oblate JPIC Office is a member of the National Religious Coalition against Torture (NRCAT) and has endorsed the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC)
JPIC staff will participate in a June 21st event organized by TASSC, called Justice for Survivors of Torture. This event will feature the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Méndez, and will be held at Catholic University of America.
Resources:
Please share widely…
- NRCAT Worship resources (Download PDF) This is a Christian worship resource for use during Torture Awareness month. Please share with pastoral leaders in need of such material.
- Torture is a Moral Issue: A Catholic Study Guide
