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A Ministry of Presence: Ceasefire Walk in Oakland, California July 17th, 2024
Republished from OMIUSA.ORG
By Jack LAU, OMI
[On Friday June 28, 2024, Bro. Noel Garcia, OMI (Secretary General), joined Fr. Jack Lau, OMI, and Ms. Carrie McClish, an Associate of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, for their weekly walk against gun violence in Oakland.]
For the past three years, they have walked every Friday night, seeking an end to the violence that plagues their city. They are part of Faith in Action East Bay, a faith-based community organization dedicated to promoting peace and ending gun violence through shared values from diverse faiths, races, and social backgrounds.
The evening begins at a local church with a prayer, followed by a review of the safety rules. Equipped with signs, they then take to the streets.
The group usually walks between five and ten blocks, eventually standing on a busy corner with signs displaying messages like “Stop the Violence,” “Violence is Not an Oakland Value,” and “Honk for Peace.” Drivers frequently show their support by honking as they pass. This is a ministry of presence, signaling to the neighborhood that the “beloved community of varied faiths” stands with them.
Oakland Ceasefire employs an evidence-based strategy to reduce community violence. This initiative, driven by a community-police partnership that includes clergy, street outreach workers, service providers, and law enforcement, uses data to identify those most at risk of being shot or killed. The program then engages these individuals, offering them options and opportunities for change.
Mass Shooting Tragedies Are the Expected Consequences of Hatred and Violence August 6th, 2019
Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace and nonviolence movement, joins with the thousands of individuals and groups who have raised their voice over the mass shooting events of the past ten days.
These mass shooting tragedies are not the new normal, but they are the expected consequences of the continued and growing rhetoric of hatred, fear, bigotry, racism, and intolerance voiced consistently from the White House.
Read the full statement at: www.paxchristiusa.org
Missionary Oblates Join Investors Calling for Corporate Action to Address Gun Violence April 3rd, 2018
Missionary Oblates JPIC has joined the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and over 140 institutional investors in a statement calling on gun manufacturers, retailers and distributors, as well as companies with ‘financial ties to these industries, to review their operations, supply chains, and policies and take meaningful action on this public safety concern.’
The recent Parkland, Florida school shooting has ignited robust calls for action on the issue of gun violence. As an organization committed to justice and peace, we pray for victims and their families and join this rallying cry for immediate action on gun violence.
The investor statement was issued on March 29th and contributors to the statement include members of ICCR who have led engagements with gun manufacturers and retailers for several years. The letter outlines specific measures companies can immediately put in place, to reduce the risk of gun violence. Some of these recommendations were adapted from the Sandy Hook Principles, a set of guidelines aimed at curbing gun violence and coming out of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy,
You can read the full statement here.
March for Our Lives Event is this Saturday, March 24 March 22nd, 2018
As we approach the end of Lent, a time to reflect on the life of Jesus in light of our present-day issues, we join the entire country in prayer and reflection for victims of gun violence and urge tougher action on gun laws. The Parkland, Florida school shooting has ignited robust calls for action on the issue of gun violence. As an organization committed to justice and peace, U.S Missionary Oblates JPIC is united in one voice with our young people who are speaking out and rallying against the incidence of gun violence in their schools.
We are empowered by words from the 2016 Missionary Oblates Chapter in Rome: “In these times of great global changes, we respond to the call of the Spirit, as did St. Eugene De Mazenod: being close to the new faces of the poor, the most abandoned….”
Young people and adults concerned about gun violence will converge on Washington, DC this Saturday, March 24, to participate in the March for Our Lives Rally. They will stand in solidarity with victims and demand the appropriate steps are taken so children feel safe in their schools. The rally will begin at 12:00 pm ET on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd street and 12th street NW. Please find more information and RSVP here! Hundreds of sibling marches are also planned for other places in the U.S and the world. Click here to find an event near you.
The Franciscan Action Network and other Catholic groups are planning a candlelight vigil at the U.S. Capitol to witness against gun violence. The vigil will be from 6:30-8:30 pm on Friday, March 23. On Saturday, March 24 they will gather at 11 am outside St Patrick’s Church (619 10th St NW, Washington, DC) and walk with other people of faith to the start of the March at 3rd and Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
For more information visit the March’s official page.
Can’t participate in one of the rallies? Sign the petition to protect and save our children.
The Business of Guns September 13th, 2013
Gun manufacturing and sales is big business in the United States – surprisingly big business. America is the global leader in terms of gun ownership. There are nearly 9 guns for every 10 Americans, a proportion 40% gun ownership rate that Yemen, which ranks second in the world.
Learn more about the scope and strength of the gun industry in this one minute video designed for MBA students. Watch The Business of Guns here.
Take action on the proliferation of guns. Visit: Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence
