RC Archdiocese of Birmingham
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Welcome
The Commission aims to inform on the theology, spirituality and practice of Justice & Peace throughout the Birmingham Roman Catholic Archdiocese and provide the Archbishop with advice when required in matters regarding Justice & Peace. The Commission particularly encourages parishes and schools to get involved in the Justice & Peace movement. It covers areas as diverse as global issues such as cancelling the debts of the world's poorest countries; the International Peace movement; environmental issues; housing; homelessness; supporting refugees and asylum seekers and human rights. Within this site you can find information about important dates within the Justice & Peace year, links to other agencies involved with Justice & Peace and resources to download to help in your existing or new Justice & Peace activities. During February, we commemorate the death of
Sr. Dorothy Stang, "Martyr of the Amazon." Sr. Dorothy was born in the United States, but moved to live with the poor in rural Brazil. There, she witnessed first-hand ranchers and loggers exploiting farmers and indigenous people, stealing land, cutting down forests, and murdering those who spoke up. Sr. Dorothy courageously spoke up herself. Over several decades, she pushed for protection of Brazil’s rural poor, especially those in the Amazon. Because of her work for justice, she was named to a death list, and eventually murdered. Here is how her sisters tell the story: “on February 12, 2005, on a dirt road at the Boa Esperanca settlement in a rural area in Para, two hired gunmen fired six shots and killed Sister Dorothy . . . As the gunmen approached Sister Dorothy, she took her Bible from her bag and began to read the Beatitudes: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.” Learn more and reflect on Sr. Dorothy's witness here. "The death of the forest is the end of our life" Icon of Sr. Dorothy Stang by Rev. Bill McNichols, SJ. Sr. Dorothy said that “only a profound change in our way of living–our values and attitudes–can bring new life to our world.” In October, bishops from around the world will gather in the Vatican for a month-long conversation on protecting the Amazon and its people. We at Global Catholic Climate Movement will bring care for the Amazon into our programs throughout the year. Please mark your calendars for important moments in the coming weeks:
Our actions and choices matter. We pray gratitude for Sr. Dorothy’s witness, and we pray that her spirit of justice will illuminate the path for us this year. Yours in faith, Marisa for GCCM 
Generation Y, Spirituality and Social Change published in March 2019, is a collection of stories and interviews with young people exploring how the next generation are living spiritual values through social action. St Ethelburga’s will be putting a percentage of the book sales towards an annual award and seed corn grant for young people.
Who do you know who puts their faith or spirituality into action? To win the award they need to have spark, innovation and a commitment to faith or spirituality. They need to be under 38 years old and based in the UK or Ireland. In 2019, it’s inaugural year, as there are not yet any proceeds from the book, the awards will come with a small cash prize of £200, and be presented at the book launch on 7th March: Exploring the Future of Faith. GREENPEACE
Clingfilmed coconuts? Shrink-wrapped turnips? Cauliflower 'steaks' in plastic bags? Many of us have experienced the frustration of unpacking our weekly shop and finding we're filling our fridges, rubbish bins and recycling with pointless plastic - and it's no surprise when supermarkets are producing 800,000 tonnes of plastic a year! Enough is enough. Will you help expose supermarkets' ridiculous packaging practices? Here's how: 1. Next time you spot some excessive plastic packaging, take a photo. 2. If you use Twitter, tweet the photo using #PointlessPlastic (don't forget to tag the supermarket too!) 3. If you don't use Twitter, you can either post it on another social media channel (like Facebook or Instagram) or alternatively email your picture to us at packaging.uk@greenpeace.org and we'll post it for you! Some people are concerned that plastic is necessary to reduce food waste - but a new study has shown that in some cases it might actually be making the problem worse. When plastic packaging requires food to be a specific size or shape, edible food is rejected because it doesn't look the right way. And whilst some people need pre-prepared fruit and vegetables because of mobility issues, no one needs them to be provided in plastic. If hundreds of us share these pictures of pointless plastic packaging online, together we can show supermarkets that their use of plastic is out of control, and that their customers have had enough. 'Unwrapped: How throwaway plastic is failing to solve Europe's food waste problem (and what we need to do instead)' Link to Green Peace video clip on reusable energy Don’t Ditch Fairtrade: CAFOD has asked Sainsbury’s not to ditch the Fairtrade mark on their own-brand tea. Fairtrade tea empowers farmers and producers in some of the world’s poorest communities. While Sainsbury’s has said the ‘Fairly Traded’ scheme it will trial for its tea will operate in a similar way to Fairtrade, small scale producers say they are concerned that they will lose control over how the money made from their goods can be spent. We’re asking supporters to hand in letters to store managers and sign our online petition. Information on the CAFOD website: https://cafod.org.uk/News/UK-news/Sainsbury-s-blow-to-Fairtrade Link to update 08/03/2018 PostReferendum Statements:
Archbishop Nichols' "No To Racism...." Catholic Association for Racial Justice "Supporting One Another" Holy Land
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As usual we suggest that you write a simple card or greeting to the individual saying that you are thinking of him/her and/or urging him/her not to lose hope (or words to that effect). A picture postcard is always welcome and cheapest to send. You can include your name and address (if you wish) but do not mention ACAT or include a religious greeting if so advised, as communication from a foreign organisation can endanger the prisoner and lead to a harsher sentence (a very general greeting, such as 'We are praying for you', is acceptable). It is important not to forget individuals featured in previous campaigns and some (marked with an *) are included here with updated information where available. For the Easter campaign we focus on prisoners persecuted for their faith, although others are included. Postage rates overseas at the time of writing are as follows: a letter or card weighing up to and including 10g (e.g. a postcard) costs £1.25 to Europe and the rest of the world; a letter or card up to 20g costs £1.25 for Europe (including the Ukraine) and £1.45 for the rest of the world. Dear ACAT supporter, Please remove Sergio Alberto Gonzalez Castro from the Easter Greetings list. He has now been freed. Follow link for for article with names Dear Friends
I hope you will be able to take the time to read and share the newsletter. The newsletter can be downloaded directly on https://tinyurl.com/y2y2cz77 Reports and newsletters mentioned in this issue and previous newsletters can be downloaded at: http://www.lancasterfaithandjustice.co.uk/newsletter/ Peace and best wishes Margaret McSherry Administrator Lancaster Diocesan Faith and Justice Commission St Bernadette's Parish House, Bowerham Road, Lancaster LA1 4HT T:01524 383081 M:07864012385 
You may have heard that Traidcraft will finish trading at the end of the year and that may have frightened you to death. How can we continue to run our Traidcraft Stall or get supplies? Fear not! The information we have received from Traidcraft is that, although details are not yet available, we WILL be able to continue to get supplies, although the set-up will be different. However, the new arrangements in 2019 will take time to put in place, so we think it would be wise to stock up before the end of the year. If you want any further information, you can phone their Customer Services on 0191 491 0855. "Our Common Home: Caring for God's Creation" an example of a Study Course for Lent that you may find interesting. 
NewsletterNJPN Newsletter
The latest NW NJPN E Bulletin covers January to February with articles on the recent COP24 talks in Poland, contributions from CAFOD, Christian Aid, the Fairtrade Foundation, Church Action on Poverty, Pax Christi, the Conference of Religious and the Jesuit Refugee Service, plus a packed diary of NW and national events. Look out too for an interesting opinion piece from Professor Paul Rogers from the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University. Regular guest contributor Jon Kuhrt, former Director of the West London Mission, has been appointed as a specialist advisor with the government's Rough Sleeper Initiative team. We wish him every success. Link to Brush Stokes newsletter January 2019 Brushstrokes Community Project Strengthening and supporting refugees and migrants across Sandwell, West Birmingham and beyond St Philips Parish Centre Watt Street Smethwick B66 3DA Phone: 0121 565 2234 E-mail: info@brushstrokessandwell.org.uk Website: www.brushstrokessandwell.org.uk 
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The Birmingham Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission is funded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and is a member of the Caritas - Archdiocese of Birmingham Network
Birmingham RC Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission 2015