VeryTopShalom News North America  

Standing for Peace

An instrument of hope, formation, and action

concerning priority matters of social justice.

In This Issue
UN Designations for 2014
Human Trafficking Month
Confronting Modern Slavery
Religious Freedom
Prayer Vigil for Life
Poverty in the U.S.
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Endangered Species Act
World Day of Peace Message
Ephiphany
Prayer for Christian Unity
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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January/2014
   
 

In our efforts to build just relationships and respond to the urgent needs of our times, let us us commit in 2014 to deepen our contemplative and prophetic living, strengthen relationships for more effective networking, and promote education and actions that address the root causes of injustice, as S. Roxanne Schares (International Shalom Coordinator) and S. Eileen Reilly (UN-NGO Office Director) have pledged in their 2014 New Year's Day Letter to SSNDs and friends around the world.

 

We echo their thoughts and join them in extending heartfelt thanks for all you do to witness to the Gospel with audacity and hope.   

  
Shalom North America Contacts
 
  

Click here for our printer-friendly (pdf) version of the newsletter. 

 

 
                                   

Human Life and Dignity             waveofprayer


UN Areas of Focus for 2014  
The United Nations (UN) has designated 2014 the International Year of Family Farming in recognition that family farming and smallholder farming are important for sustainable food production to achieve food security. The hope is to stimulate policies that promote sustainable development based on respect for the environment and biodiversity.  The goal is to combat poverty and hunger.

         

The UN has also designated 2014 the International Year of Small Island Developing States, aiming to increase recognition of the environmental problems that small island states face.

Human Life and Dignity                    

Human Trafficking - Creating Awareness, Taking Action   
President Obama has designated January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. It is important that businesses, national and community organizations, faith-based groups, families, and individuals recognize the vital role we all can play in ending modern slavery.

The USCCB is using this year's National Migration Week materials to educate parishes about human trafficking. In addition, they have set aside February 8 as a national day of prayer for survivors and victims of human trafficking. Learn what women religious around the world are doing to address trafficking. What can you do to help? Follow these links for a wide-variety of reflection/action resources and for a prayer service.

 

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Human Life and Dignity              

Challenging Corporations to Confront Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery   

Members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) have launched a campaign to get companies to implement policies that will prevent human rights abuses in their global supply chains. The initiative will first focus on companies in the food-agricultural and hospitality sectors and then move on to companies in the electronic and retail sectors. The foundation for these corporate dialogues will be the recently published Statement of Principles and Recommended Practices for Confronting Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery which has been endorsed by nearly 500 organizations and individuals from all over the world including SSNDs from the AM and CP Provinces.

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Human Life and Dignity              

Religious Freedom Day    

Each year the President declares January 16 as Religious Freedom Day, the anniversary of a 1786 Virginia statute on religious freedom which encouraged appropriate activities in homes, schools, and places of worship. This is not a parade of religions, not a celebrate-our-diversity today, but a time to acknowledge freedom to express religious beliefs without suffering discrimination, a time to foster peace with those whose beliefs differ from our own. How might you celebrate the spirit of this day?     

 

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Human Life and Dignity               

Prayer Vigil for Life     

On January 21-22, thousands will gather for prayer vigils and marches to reinforce the belief that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder. Pope Francis denounced abortion as a symptom of today's throw-away culture, but he also cautioned that the church must find a balance. Being pro-life means a focus that is womb to tomb, from pre-natal and post-natal care to elder care - throughout all stages and circumstances of life. That is the balance Pope Francis called for. Let us pray and advocate for quality of life for all.  

 

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Poverty and Economic Justice    

More than 46 Million Americans Live in Poverty     

Families were having a difficult time making ends meet before the recession. With continuing unemployment and increasing costs of living, more and more families have to choose between necessities like health care,child care, and even food. You can help magnify the voice of the poor and vulnerable.

    

Work to understand the issues and help others understand as well. Pray for change. Use this calendar throughout January for daily reflections and resources for action.      

 

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Economic Justice and Integrity of Creation              


Pay Attention to the Trans-Pacific Partnership      

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement is a massive trade pact being negotiated between the United States and 11 countries across the Pacific Rim. The agreement would have significant impacts on our climate, air, and water, as well as on labor and food safety, but civil society has been excluded from TPP negotiations.  Labor, environmental, consumer, and Congressional leaders are concerned about the threat to jobs, the planet, and consumer safety.  They have called for the release of TPP information and have voiced strong opposition to "Fast Track" authority for the pact.  Learn more/take action.
 

Integrity of Creation              


Celebrate Forty Years of ESA - Protect the Law that Protects Creation      

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) turned 40 on December 28, 2013.  Many consider the Endangered Species Act the strongest law for protecting biodiversity passed by any nation.  On the occasion of its passage, President Nixon said "Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of plant and animal life with which our country has been blessed."  The ESA has been more than 99 percent successful at preventing extinction; without it, scientists estimate that at least 227 species would have likely gone extinct since the law's passage.

           

Unfortunately, as we celebrate four decades of ESA success, a bill that could gut the ESA and put imperiled species at great risk has been introduced in Congress.
Learn more/take action.   

 

Peace and Non-Violence               Francis


Pope Francis' World Day of Peace Message       

In his World Day of Peace Message, Pope Francis calls us to overcome indifference and choose the pathway to peace-"an opus solidaritatis," in order to build a more just and peaceful world. Underscoring the critique of globalization, he observes that the "ever-increasing number of interconnections and communications in today's world makes us powerfully aware of the unity and common destiny of the nations." But this unity, he writes, is "still frequently denied and ignored in a world marked by a 'globalization of indifference' which makes us slowly inured to the suffering of others and closed in on ourselves."  Reflection/action resources. 
 

Peace and Non-Violence               


Epiphany       

Although the image of Wise Men bearing unusual gifts is woven into our carols and traditional interpretation, and while more recent inclusive interpretations tell us that Wise Women would have brought more practical essentials, the meaning of epiphany is 'an enlightening realization understood from a new and deeper perspective'.  On this feast, let us remember that Wise Ones still search for the many names and faces of the Divine, still strive for that realization of Peace on Earth.  What is your Epiphany, your enlightening realization at this time?
 

Peace and Non-Violence               


Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - January 18-25       

Being faithful to Christ's desire for the unity of his disciples, has led to this year's theme Has Christ Been Divided?  which focuses on the provocative question raised by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians. The roots of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity go back to the 1800s; it is one of the oldest, most widely observed ecumenical events in the world. The initial work on the theme for this year's week of prayer was prepared by a group of representatives from different parts of Canada. The texts were later approved by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting of Christian Unity. Again this year, let us pray together that we may be more fully united one with another, and all of us with Christ. Learn more/resources.
 

Peace and Non-Violence               


Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 20, 2014       

Dr. King

As early as 1956, Dr. King spoke of "The Beloved Community" as the end goal of nonviolent boycotts to dismantle racism in the United States. As he said in a speech at a victory rally following the announcement of a favorable U.S. Supreme Court Decision desegregating the seats on Montgomery's busses, "the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community." As we begin 2014, joining Pope Francis in a prayer for world peace, let us remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the wisdom and vision he continues to share with all who dream of shaping "the Beloved Community." Resources for reflection.
 

The SSND International Shalom Network witnesses to the Gospel with audacity and hope as we collaborate to build just relationships and respond to the urgent needs of our times.    

Shalom LogoShalom News North America is an e-publication of the Shalom North America Contacts (SNAC) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame - Arlene Flaherty, Ethel Howley, Jeanne Wingenter, Paulette Zimmerman, Rose Mary Sander, and Tim Dewane. Your comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcomed. Email us at [email protected].

Please only print this e-publication if necessary.