Bending the Arc references a quote by Rev. Dr. King who said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This digital newsletter from the CSA Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation office showcases the work of changemakers, opportunities to learn, and opportunities for you to help “bend the arc” toward justice. Full contents of the newsletter are published on this page.
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Block the Vote!
The Israeli military has massacred over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and has now begun carrying out massacres and mass forced displacement in Lebanon. The Israeli government is bringing the entire region to the brink of full-blown war. The grief, sorrow, and pain is endless. And it is funded and enabled by the Biden administration, which continues to arm the Israeli government. Congress must intervene.
For the first time in U.S. history, there will be a vote in Congress to block weapons to Israel. Senators Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, and Jeff Merkley have introduced Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to stop a $20 billion weapons shipment approved by the Biden administration.
Call your Senators immediately and tell them to block these weapons, and to support a full arms embargo on the Israeli government to save lives. Here’s how:
Follow the instructions on the page closely. When you click "Call me", you will receive a phone call on the number you provided and be patched through to your Senator. You will be able to view a script at this time. After you deliver a message, press * (star) to be connected to your next Senator. If you don't get through, please leave a voicemail.
When I did this, I read the message to a staffer for Sen. Johnson’s office and recorded the message for Sen. Baldwin’s office. It was very easy!
JCoR Advocacy Days
In an earlier Bending the Arc post from 7/31/2024, we detailed the efforts of JCoR and its partners in calling upon the US Congress and Department of Homeland Security to approve legislation aimed to stop the supply of arms and ammunition from the United States to Haiti and an invitation to join Advocacy Days in D.C. later this month. Even if you cannot go to Washington, your voice can still be heard!
WRITE to your congressional representatives and president with this template letter: https://quixote.org/action#/16
CALL your congressional representatives (contact information available here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials )
For more details, visit: https://jcor2030.org/stop-illegal-u-s-arms-to-haiti-advocacy-days/
JCoR - Justice Coalition of Religious - is a group of 23 non-governmental organizations that are accredited to collectively represent over 200 congregations of Roman Catholic women and men Religious at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. UNANIMA International is one of the NGOs that make up JCoR, and CSA is one of 23 Congregations who make up UNANIMA International.
Roots and Legacy of the Farmworkers Movement
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with film screenings and panel discussion.
Milwaukee PBS presents a free screening of Roots and Legacy: Jesus Salas followed by a panel discussion at Flores Hall in Milwaukee on Wednesday, September 25, 6:30 - 8:30 pm.
The documentary is based on Jesus Salas’ memoir Obreros Unidos: The Roots and Legacy of the Farmworkers Movement. It sheds light on the historical struggle of Latino migrant farmworkers during the 1960s. Facing harsh living conditions, they united to confront employers who denied them their rights. The movement led to new social services organizations and significant progress for Latinos in Wisconsin.
Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvevL1WYobQ
The screening will be followed by panel discussion. Don’t miss this opportunity to come together and honor the contributions, the rich culture, and heritage of Milwaukee’s Latino community.
RSVP by clicking here.
Not in the Milwaukee area? This movie will also premiere on September 18th on Milwaukee PBS’ YouTube channel.
The Middle East Crisis
Peter Makari, UCC Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe will offer a Zoom presentation for churches and communities of faith on the crisis in the region.
On Thursday, September 26, at 7 pm, Peter Makari, a leading specialist on the crisis in Gaza and the Middle East, will offer a Zoom presentation for churches and other communities of faith on the crisis in the region. Born in Egypt, Peter is the Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe for the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) A member of the Board of Churches for Middle East Peace, he is among the most well-informed Church leaders on developments in the Middle East, having spent much of his life studying and living in that part of the world.
Interfaith Peace Working Group (IPWG) invites readers to join Peter in an hour-long discussion of the present crisis in Gaza and Israel. Mark your calendars now! No registration needed.Use this Zoom link on the 28th: https://UCC.zoom.us/j/83824972681?pwd=KNjOoQkkRV6b2KzXBzaNhMROMADVsL.1
Meeting ID: 838 2497 2681 and Passcode: 688763.
For additional information, contact Jerry Folk at interfaithpeaceworkinggroup@gmail.com
Tracy Abler, JPIC Coordinator for the Sisters of St Agnes, recently accepted an invitation to serve on the Interfaith Peace Working Group Steering Committee.
Where Olive Trees Weep
Celebrate International Day of Peace (Sept 21) with screenings of a film that provides a look into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people.
The film, Where Olive Trees Weep, offers a searing window into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. It explores themes of loss, trauma, and the quest for justice. View the film trailer and learn more at https://whereolivetreesweep.com/
The film will be screened on International Day of Peace - Saturday, September 21 @ 7:00 pm at Madison Friends (Quakers) Meeting House, 1704 Roberts Court, Madison WI. The screening will be preceded by a social gathering starting at 6:30 and a discussion session will follow the film.
Can’t get to Madison? Use this link to privately view the film on your own or host your own small group: https://kinema.com/events/where-olive-trees-weep-hjpxh. Admission is free with this link, but only on September 21, 2024, courtesy of the Interfaith Peace Working Group of Wisconsin.
The Sisters of St. Agnes will also be offering a free screening of the film on Monday, September 23 at 5:30 pm at their Motherhouse in Founders Hall, County Road K, Fond du Lac. Please use this link to reserve your seat: https://forms.gle/R3Q21JmA9kjJXvwEA. Please share widely.
You can also:
- Show or view the film on another date: https://sand.thrivecart.com/where-olive-trees-weep/ A donation for that is welcome, but not necessary.
- Get ideas for ACTIONS to take now: https://whereolivetreesweep.com/resources/
- Contact Interfaithpeaceworkinggroup@gmail.com for a film discussion guide, media resources to promote your event, and any questions
It Is Immoral and “Illegal” to Possess Nukes
Nuclear weapons offer an illusion of security. By allowing the U.S. nuclear posture to shift from deterrence to employment, there will be a scenario where the U.S. will use nuclear weapons.
Successive U.S. administrations have eschewed arms control in favor of maintaining American strategic advantage over real and/or imagined adversaries.
This is accomplished by embracing nuclear weapons employment strategies that deviate from simple deterrence into war-fighting at every level of conflict, including scenarios that don’t involve a nuclear threat.
At a time when the U.S. advocates policies exacerbating already high levels of tension with nuclear-armed adversaries Russia and China, the Biden administration has signed off on a new nuclear employment plan that increases, rather than decreases, the probability of nuclear conflict.
Left unchecked, this policy can have only one possible outcome — total nuclear annihilation of humanity and the world we live in.
Read more in this recent article by writer, Scott Ritter, in Consortium News - an independent investigative journalism and political review.
According to a 2021 petition by Change.org, “The threat of nuclear annihilation is greater than it has ever been… A nuclear war must never be fought, because everyone will lose," said several presidents, including Joe Biden. The leaders of every major religion call for abolishing nuclear weapons. Pope Francis says it's immoral to possess them.
It's not only immoral. It's illegal to possess nukes, since the International Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was signed and ratified by the majority of world nations and became law in January 2021.
Yet the U.S. possesses thousands of nuclear bombs. About 1,750 of them are deployed on missiles (aimed and on hair trigger alert), and another 3,500 are in reserve. Consider the horror of the bomb that destroyed the city of Hiroshima in 1945. Today’s nukes are, on average, 20 times more destructive than the Hiroshima bomb. In other words, the US has enough nukes to incinerate 100,000 Hiroshimas and let the remaining living beings die a slow death from radiation poisoning.”
Learn more and Speak Up here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-making-nukes
Pax Christi USA Virtual Conference
Pax Christi USA’s virtual conference is September 6-7, 2024 (Friday 6-8pm CT, Saturday 11am - 4:30 CT).
Being a prophetic church in a time of polarization and conflict is the theme for this year’s conference.
As we witness unprecedented divisions in our world and even our own Catholic family, this Pax Christi USA virtual gathering on Zoom will examine the root causes of the growing polarization with speakers who are actively working in the fields of church politics, nonviolence, and religious nationalism. We will look for ways in which we can be prophetic — working together in dialogue for a better understanding and offering nonviolent solutions that can give all of us hope.
Click here to see more information as well as a link to the registration form.
Urge Congress to Support Nuclear Disarmament
As we remember the suffering of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we continue to pray that world leaders will take decisive action to end the manufacturing of these weapons of mass destruction and address the ongoing consequences of the arms race.
On August 6, nearly 500 individuals gathered for an online prayer service to commemorate the tragic events of August 6 and 9, 1945, when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. It is estimated that over 200,000 lives were lost those days.
If you missed the online event, the recording is available now here:
The statistics reported are staggering and terrifying. Some of these include the fact that 1) the U.S. and Russia maintain roughly 1,800 of their nuclear weapons on high-alert status and can be launched within just minutes of a warning; 2) today’s weapons are even more powerful than those of 1945; 3) the President of the United States has the sole authority to authorize the use of nuclear weapons.
Sisters, associates, and friends in the United States are urged to contact Congress about taking action to support nuclear disarmament. Specifically, we urge support for House Resolution 77, which calls on the United States to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and to pursue five important policies that would move us back from the brink of nuclear destruction.
Looking for more information? The Clinton Franciscans are sharing this resource sheet.
Stop Illegal Arms to Haiti
Update:
CSA and other faith-based organizations and their partners are calling upon the US Congress and Department of Homeland Security to approve legislation aimed to stop the supply of arms and ammunition from the United States to Haiti.
Haiti is facing one of its most challenging periods in recent history. Armed gangs control much of the country’s infrastructure, kidnappings and murders are now commonplace, and nearly five million people face food insecurity. Although guns and ammunition are not manufactured in Haiti, the tightening grip of armed groups on the country is made possible by an abundant supply of guns and ammunition that are flowing into Haiti, primarily from the United States. Weak gun laws in several U.S. states–combined with insufficient national investment in the prevention of weapons smuggling through the port of Miami–allow trafficking of guns from the US to Haiti.
In response, CSA and other faith-based organizations and their partners are calling upon US residents to participate in a joint action to call upon US Congress and the US Department of Homeland Security to take serious and reasonable actions to stop the illegal flow of arms and ammunition from the United States to Haiti.This group seeks the passage of several pieces of legislation that are currently under consideration in US Congress and would support the reduction of arms being trafficked to Haiti from the US.
The four bills currently introduced in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives can be found here.
Americans across the country are asked to join this group’s efforts by signing and sharing this letter. Simply enter your address to have the letter sent directly to the legislators in your area and to President Biden. Our advocacy does matter!
For those willing/able to take greater action, there will be a Lobby Day in Washington D.C. September 25-25, 2024. Anyone interested in participating can register by August 30.
There is funding available to help with travel costs.
Of interest, the group Stop US Arms to Mexico has created a report with an interactive map that identifies where bad gun dealers are in the U.S. and how their weapons and ammunition end up in Haiti.
Original article:
A mobilizing initiative organized by faith-based organizations concerned about the illegal flow of weapons from the USA to Haiti, which is fueling the ongoing gang violence from which all Haitian people are suffering. Learn how your community can advocate against gun trafficking and exports. Print the poster.
Join this webinar on July 30 at 4 pm CT.
Live interpretation will be provided between English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.
Feel free to visit the Nuns Against Gun Violence website and use any of their free resources to further your efforts to end gun violence.
Bullets in Vending Machines‽
A Texas company is now installing ammunition vending machines in grocery stores across Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Read this message from the Democracy for America Advocacy Fund: “The company behind these machines claims their age-verification technology makes these transactions safe. But we know better. No amount of technology can prevent these machines from normalizing gun violence and making deadly weapons more accessible than ever.
We need to stop this dangerous trend before it spreads. We need to send a clear message that our grocery stores should be safe spaces for families, not convenient pit stops for potential killers.
We've already lost too many lives to gun violence. We can't make it even easier for tragedy to strike.
We're up against a powerful, well-funded gun lobby that puts profits over people's lives. But we have something stronger: the will of Americans who are tired of living in fear of gun violence.”
Tell Congress to act now. Demand a nationwide ban on ammunition vending machines in grocery stores.
Nuns Against Gun Violence condemns shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania
We stand in solidarity with all victims of gun violence and advocate for the swift passage of H.R. 698/S. 25, the comprehensive federal assault weapons ban legislation.
In the wake of the tragic violence and attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, Nuns Against Gun Violence mourns the loss of Fire Chief Corey Comperatore and the perpetrator Thomas Crooks, and the injuries sustained by Mr. Trump and two other attendees. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Camperatore and Crooks families and all affected by this weekend’s trauma.
This tragedy was just one of 300 mass shootings in the United States to date in 2024, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It has heightened our awareness of the constant drumbeat of gun violence and its accompanying fear. We stand in solidarity with all victims of gun violence and advocate for the swift passage of H.R. 698/S. 25, the comprehensive federal assault weapons ban legislation. Military-style firearms have no place in civilian hands. We urge Congress to prioritize the safety and well-being of all Americans by enacting this lifesaving legislation. Every life is precious.
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes is part of Nuns Against Gun Violence, a coalition of Catholic Sisters and their allies, compelled by their faith, representing more than 60 communities to speak with a united voice against the crisis of gun violence. We affirm the value of human life through prayer, education, and advocacy for common-sense, evidence-based gun violence prevention.
Hiroshima - Nagasaki Prayer Service
August 6 and 9 mark a shameful time in history when, in 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over 200,000 people. Despite this horrific humanitarian tragedy, the world’s nuclear-armed states possess a combined total of about 12,100 nuclear warheads, putting the entire planet at risk of annihilation.
On August 6, 2024, the Franciscan Peace Center, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, will be hosting a virtual prayer service to mark this dark day and to call for renewed efforts to eliminate all nuclear weapons.
The prayer service will be held via Zoom from 6-7:00 pm CDT on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
The prayer service will be recorded for those who will not be available to participate in the live event.
CSA is a co-sponsor of this event.
This statue of Saint Agnes stands in the center of the permanent collection at the United Nations. The damaged statue was found in the ruins of a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Nagasaki, Japan in 1945. The Cathedral was completely destroyed when the atomic bomb exploded half a kilometre away. The charring and mottling on the back of the statue are the result of the intense heat and radiation.
Public Health Approach to Gun Violence
As the U.S. grapples with another mass shooting, America’s top doctor issues a first-of-its-kind advisory declaring gun violence a national public health crisis and recommending it be treated as such.
In a recent 40-page publication, the surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis. What does that do? In a June 25, 2024 NPR article, Dr. Vivek Murthy says “a public health approach can guide the nation’s strategy and actions as it has done in the past with successful efforts to address tobacco-related disease and motor vehicle crashes.” He adds, “It is up to us to take this generational challenge with the urgency and clarity the moment demands. The safety and well-being of our children and future generations are at stake.” Read the full article.
To further understand the report, watch this Meet the Press video.
Please continue to follow, or join the efforts of, Nuns Against Gun Violence. Watch the recording of their June 18, 2024 webinar - “Firearms & Faith: Navigating Catholic Social Teaching in a World of Gun Violence.”
Yoga & Nonviolence: Moving Toward a State of Inner Peace
Yoga & Nonviolence: Moving Toward a State of Inner Peace
Saturday, August 10, 2024
10:00 AM-12:00 PM Pacific Time
Join Campaign Nonviolence (A Project of Pace e Bene) for an online event with Carla Conde
In this workshop you will:
- Understand the Definition of Yoga and Its Connection to Nonviolence:
Learn how yoga supports individual growth and betterment physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. - Explore Various Definitions of Violence and Its Types/Aspects:
Gain a deeper understanding of what nonviolence entails. - Learn Yoga's Principles to Address Violence:
Discover how principles such as ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truthfulness), and svadhaya (self-study/discovery) can address violence towards oneself and society. - Understand the Role of the Autonomic Nervous System and Polyvagal Theory:
Explore how these concepts impact our sense of inner peace and provide insights into cultivating self-awareness and self-regulation in daily life. - Practice Gentle Physical Postures and Breathing Exercises:
Enhance self-awareness, self-regulation, and empowerment through Yoga practices. - Engage in Questions and Discussion:
Participate in an interactive session for further clarification and discussion.
One Nation Under Guns
Acclaimed author delves into America’s complex relationship with firearms to better understand how our history has brought us to where we are today.
More than a hundred lives are lost to firearms every day in America. The cost is more than the numbers—it is the fear, the anxiety, the dread of public spaces that an armed society has created under the tortured rubric of freedom. But the norms of today are not the norms of American history or the values of its founders. They are the product of a gun culture that has imposed its vision on a sleeping nation.
Historian Dominic Erdozain argues that we have wrongly ceded the big-picture argument on guns: As we parse legislation on background checks and automatic-weapons bans, we fail to ask what place guns should have in a functioning democracy.
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) Fund invites you to join Dominic Erdozain, author of “One Nation Under Guns,” in a special online program where he will share more of his perspective, also detailed in his book.
Here are the details you need to know:
Thursday, June 20
12:00 p.m. CT
Register now to receive a Zoom link on the day of the event.
Don't miss this opportunity to engage with one of the foremost authorities on America's relationship with firearms. If you’d like to read the book leading up to the discussion, you can grab a copy at your local library or order it here!
Wear Orange for a Future Free of Gun Violence
National Gun Violence Awareness Day is traditionally observed on the first Friday in June. Thousands of people wear the color orange to honor Hadiya Pendleton and the more than 43,000 Americans who are killed with guns and approximately 76,000 more who are shot and wounded every year.
June 7-9, all are encouraged to Wear Orange and join others in honoring survivors and building community with those working to end gun violence. There are many ways you can participate. For one, Mercy Sisters will host an online vigil on Thursday, June 6 at 6:30 pm CT.
Other ideas can be found at Everytown for Gun Safety
Click here to explore the gun homicide footprint in your community.
Nuns Against Gun Violence (of which CSA is a member) has prepared a prayer resource for June 7 - National Gun Awareness Day - that you can download here. They are also hosting a webinar exploring what Catholic Social Teaching has to say about the epidemic of gun violence in our world on June 18 at 6 pm CT.
Register here
Call for Peace and Nonviolence
The Catholic Advisory Council of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Pax Christi USA, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, and the Franciscan Action Network invite all Catholic individuals and organizations in the United States to sign on and to an open letter expressing our grief and dismay over the horrors that have occurred in Israel-Palestine over the last six months. Read the entire letter and see all the signatures here. Sign the letter here. Please share!
Don’t stop there! Each day, mothers are witnessing the death of their children in the Middle East. Please join Franciscan Action Network - click here to again urge your legislators to call for peace in the Middle East. This will take less than one minute.
Also, use this SSND Voter Voice Tool to urge President Biden and members of Congress to do all they can do to stop the bloodshed and move all involved to a just and lasting peace. Letters to the editor are also an effective tool for communicating messages. Click here for assistance in putting one together.
An Amnesty International petition gathered more than a million signatures from people around the world. You can follow their work and reporting.
Want to be better informed? For an alternative news source with live updates, visit Al Jazeera.
We must be relentless in our call to peace and justice - Read, Listen, Sign, Call, Write, Act!
Biden Administration Approves Expansion Of Background Checks On Gun Sales
Today, April 11, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a new action that will save lives by reducing the number of firearms sold without background checks. This final rule implements the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act’s expansion of firearm background checks-the only significant expansion of the background check required since then-Senator Biden shepherded the Brady Bill over the finish line in 1993. The President and Vice President are moving as close as possible to universal background checks without additional legislation.
This New York Times article describes the rule released by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which will require anyone “engaged in the business” of selling guns at a profit to register as a federally licensed firearms dealer. That means sellers must run background criminal and mental health checks on potential buyers. Read the full article.
This is a huge win for gun violence prevention groups like Nuns Against Gun Violence. A few months ago, many of us submitted comments on the ATF site to close this loophole and the exciting news today is proof President Biden paid attention.
Read more about the specifics of the Engaged in the Business rule in this White House Fact Sheet.
The photo here is one I took last September when visiting my daughter in upper Wisconsin. This was a roadside sale (next to a fresh produce and pumpkin stands) that I found absolutely frightening.
Gaza—Let Us Not Waver
17,000 children of Gaza have been orphaned or separated from their parents.
You are invited to watch a short video of 11-year-old, Dareen al-Bayaa. As you consider her suffering and the suffering of other children, also reflect on the thousands of innocents killed and the million plus people displaced living in poverty and at risk of famine and disease.
This is far beyond too much. Our hearts and their spirit challenge us to stay vigilant with our prayers and calls to stop the violence. Our message must not waver. Silence the weapons, now. Bring in the aid and take care of the displaced, now. Secure freedom for the captives and do the hard work of negotiating a just peace, now.
The U.S. has a particular responsibility to make sure this gets done. You are invited to use the SSND Voter Voice tool to urge President Biden and members of Congress to do all they can to stop the bloodshed and move all involved to a just and lasting peace. Letters to the editor are also an effective tool for communicating messages. Click here for assistance in putting one together.
On March 4, Vice President Kamala Harris demanded an immediate ceasefire to allow for humanitarian efforts. Some criticize her message as long overdue, watered down, and hypocritical as the U.S. continues to provide Israel with military aid. What do you think? What are you planning to do about it?
Gun Violence in America
Test your knowledge on gun violence, laws, read other news, AND PRAY with a plethora of recommended resources:
Quiz from The Trace
How much do you know about background checks? Concealed carry? Take this 12-question quiz, offered by The Trace, to find out. TheTrace.org is the only newsroom dedicated to covering gun violence. Please add this to your list of resources on the subject.
Pray the STATIONS OF THE CROSS
NEW! The St. Louis Archdiocese’ Gun Violence Prevention Task Force is inviting Catholics to pray a Stations of the Cross on March 1 for gun violence victims. Read about it or participate here.
Intercommunity Justice & Peace Center
Here is another recommended resource devoted to gun violence. It is published by the Seattle-based Intercommunity Justice & Peace Center. You may see some familiar faces on page 5!
ACTING AGAINST MASS SHOOTINGS
In the U.S., we continue to have near daily mass shootings. Do not let up on contacting your lawmakers and demand common sense gun laws as proposed by groups such as Everytown, Brady United Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, and many more like these.
3-D PRINTED AUTOMATIC
And just when you wondered if things could get any more ridiculous… the CSA JPIC Office was alerted to this article in a recent Wall Street Journal this week (free article link): The $50 Device that turns handguns into automatic weapons.
Braver Angels Discussion of "American Creed"
What does it mean to be American? What holds us together in turbulent times?
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy came together from remarkably different backgrounds, life experiences, and points of view to explore the idea of a unifying “American creed” in a film with the same name.
The film, American Creed premiered in February 2018 and was one of the most widely carried PBS documentaries of the year. The documentary relaunched in November 2018, followed by an all-new short film featuring teenagers whose perspectives on American ideals and identity have been influenced by seeing the documentary.
With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the film’s launch marked the beginning of a public engagement campaign including community conversations, classroom activities and local storytelling in cities and towns across the country—all designed to foster a bold national conversation about American ideals and identity.
You can watch the trailer, stories, or the film for free here. Be sure to share this with others!
After watching the film, you are invited to join a discussion hosted by Braver Angels on February 15 at 7 pm CT. Sign up here to join the conversation.
Start Disagreeing Better
Want better conversations with people whose politics aren’t yours? Wish family members and friends on the other political side would hear your views about politics? Then sign up for Braver Angels new 90-minute, interactive "Skills for Disagreeing Better" workshop this Saturday, February 10 at 1 pm CT. You’ll learn about the value of listening – really listening – and about how to make your points in ways that the other person can absorb. Register here.
Questions? Contact Mary Beth Stibbins at mbstibbins@braverangels.org
Lenten Fast for an End to Gun Violence
This Lent, Sisters, Associates and Allies of Nuns Against Gun Violence are invited to pledge to fast for an end to gun violence in whatever way they can. Be sure to join their virtual Ash Wednesday service too.
To date, nearly 150 participants have pledged to offer their personal sacrifice and prayer for a more peaceful society. CSA JPIC Coordinator, Tracy Abler, has pledged to abstain from food one day a week during Lent. Anyone can still pledge to participate by filling out the Lenten Fasting Commitment Form.
Fasting can be whatever works best for an individual. One can give up some food during Lent, perhaps meat; eat one less meal a day; abstain from food for a whole day; or anything else they are able to commit to.
“As Catholics, our faith calls us to protect life, and yet our country continues to be plagued with an epidemic of gun violence,” said Mary Ann McGivern, a Sister of Loretto and one of the organizers of the fast. “Our fast will be a prayer to God and an opportunity to publicly appeal to our civic communities for action to reduce gun violence.”
Organizers invite members of its coalition congregations and all like-minded individuals to join in this fast against gun violence. Participants will join their hearts, minds and bodies in a sacrifice—according to each one’s capability—as an expression of love, in a spirit of generosity, willingly abstaining from food and drink or undertaking other meaningful sacrifices as they put forth a united call for people to lay down their guns and enact gun violence prevention legislation.
JOIN THE NUNS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE ASH WEDNESDAY PRAYER SERVICE
Nuns Against Gun Violence will gather virtually for an Ash Wednesday prayer service to inaugurate the fast on Wednesday, February 14 from 4-4:30 p.m. EST. The service will include prayer, Scripture, silence and a reflection by Mary Ann McGivern, SL. Register at bit.ly/nagv-ash-wed.
ABOUT NUNS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE
Nuns Against Gun Violence is a coalition of Catholic Sisters and their allies that affirms the value of human life through prayer, education, and advocacy for common sense, evidence-based, gun violence prevention. The coalition was founded in April 2023 to bring together congregations of Catholic sisters to speak with a united voice against the crisis of gun violence. Supporters meet bi-weekly to share resources and events and plan advocacy efforts. More information is available at nunsagainstgunviolence.org.
H.R. 77
The threat of nuclear war is growing. Global tensions are on the rise, and in our own country, there are plans to rebuild the entire U.S. nuclear arsenal at the staggering cost of $1.7 trillion over the next three decades. This includes plans to build more “usable” nuclear weapons for nuclear war fighting, increasing the chance that these weapons could be used. U.S. taxpayers already spend $10.3 million/hour or $172,000/minute every day maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Back from the Brink is calling for renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first, taking the United States nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert, and ending the sole, unchecked authority of any U.S. President to launch a nuclear attack.
Below are two sample letters you may use and send by mail or email to your representative. Please personalize your letter if possible.
If you cannot send a letter, click here for a one-click option to contact your representative.
Another good resource is a January webinar by Pax Christi, Building a World Without Nuclear Weapons: An Urgent Imperative. If you go about 28 minutes in, you will hear the testimony of Ira Helfand, MD, a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and a co-Founder and Past President of Physicians for Social Responsibility, IPPNW's US affiliate, speak of the implications of the use of nuclear weapons.
Israel-Palestine and Catholic Social Teaching
The Ignatian Solidarity Network offers the recording of a December 5 webinar that explores the deeper context and history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, including the hardships faced by Palestinian Christians.
In a webinar that was being planned months before the October 7 attack by Hamas, presenter Jordan Denari Duffner, PhD. explores the deeper context and history that shape today's challenges—including the hardships faced by Palestinian Christians—and discusses how Catholic social teaching can inspire our efforts to advocate alongside Jews, Muslims, and others for a just peace for all people in the Holy Land.
Jordan Denari Duffner, Ph.D., is an author, educator, and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations and Interreligious dialogue. Her books are Finding Jesus among Muslims and Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination. She is an alumna of Brebeuf Jesuit and Georgetown University.
Watch the recording on YouTube.
This resource is being shared especially for those outside of the Fond du Lac area who’ve been struggling to find understanding in the conflict and peace in their hearts, and have been unable to attend CSA’s program called, “Faith Perspectives of the Israel-Hamas War: A Human Response.” This intimate, in-person program, presented by Sisters Cyndi Nienhaus and Marie Scott, aims to provide some historical context, but primarily to help mitigate any antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab sentiments people are experiencing. The January 18 program was well received and will be repeated on February 1. The evenings include a presentation, dialogue with other participants, prayer, and song.
“Stranger at the Gate” Documentary
The community is invited to engage with a short film and discussion that proves, Love Conquers Hate.
In this short (29-minute) 2022 documentary, a U.S. Marine plots a terrorist attack on a small-town American mosque, but his plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face-to-face with the people he is about to kill.
You are invited to attend the free showing of this short film at the Moraine Park Technical College Conference Center (235 N.National Ave, FDL - Lot C, Door 02) Thursday, February 29, 2024, 4:00 - 6:00 PM. No registration required.
A panel discussion with special guests will follow the film.
National Day of Action Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza
Wisconsin groups join others worldwide in demanding action from American politicians who seem complicit in Gaza’s nightmare.
According to a tracker from Working Families.org, as of January 22, 2024, at least 65 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities in Israel and Palestine, none of which are from Wisconsin.
There is a national day of Action calling for a ceasefire on Friday, Jan. 26. Here in Wisconsin, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, World Beyond War Madison, Building Unity, and Jewish Voice for Peace-Madison will be organizing at the state capitol in Madison from 11 am - 1 pm with a press conference at noon. Among other things, they will be joining together in support of the lawsuit against the Biden Administration for its complicity in genocide. Per this Intercept article, 77 groups worldwide back the lawsuit against Biden in the U.S. Court.
According to an AP News report on December 29, 2023, for the second time, the Biden Administration bypassed Congress on an emergency determination to cover $147.5 million for the sale of equipment Israel needed to make more weapons of war.
Now, the US Senate is set to vote on the Biden administration's request for ANOTHER $14 BILLION of weapons for Israel. Imagine the things our country could do with those billions of dollars in peaceful ways that would allow people to live?! Wisconsin groups are imploring Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson to vote NO on more weapons. Members of Congress are being asked to divest us from militarism and call for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestine.
The Sisters of St. Agnes are women committed to being peacemakers; women who believe, as citizens of a democracy, that it is our responsibility to add our voice to the public discourse. “We are women who believe our nation spends too much on making war possible and far too little on creating and empowering just societies in the world.” These are words from the CSA’s Statement of Belief on Peace & Nonviolence.
While the complexity of this historical conflict over the holy land in these areas is great, one thing is for certain...war is not the answer and all human lives should matter.