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Thank you to everyone who attended.

Link to Photographs taken on the day

Nicholas Hanrahan - Community Outreach Officer Jesuit Refugee Services UK
Link to presentation
PowerPoint with Speakers Notes

David Newall - Project Manager Brush Strokes
Link to presentation

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Justice and Peace Assembly 2017
Almost sixty delegates, speakers and workshop leaders attended this year’s Justice and Peace Assembly.  The theme was “Pope Francis call to active nonviolence” held at St Peter’s School, Solihull. Staff and pupils from the school made us all feel most welcome.  Fr Gerry, Chair of Birmingham Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission opened this our 13th Assembly.
(Link to Photographs of the day)
The keynote speaker, Pat Gaffney from Pax Christi gave an enlightening talk on Pope Francis and the call to nonviolence initiatives.  “We are all losers after every war. Any war we fight will only take us back socially and economically to those dark days of survival of the fittest.” Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos.  One question that was asked of us was, “How do we encourage non-violent action?”  During the presentation we touched on how we thought Justice and Peace had become an add on, an optional extra, whereas in fact Justice and Peace should be at the core of our Christian life.  Pat’s presentation has been uploaded to the Justice and Peace website so that you are able to obtain a grasp of this interesting subject. 
Our second speaker was James Trewby from the Columbans, looked at Justice and Peace in Education and asked the question “How can we reach young people outside school?”.  He talked about the excellent job schools do to encourage our young people to participate in fund raising but what do we do to help them to be actively involved with Justice and Peace issues?  

Ten discussion groups explored in depth the morning presentations whilst afternoon workshops provided a selection of topics under the overall Justice and Peace umbrella offered by Austin Smith House (Non-Violence Action in the Bible), Justice for Palestine, CAFOD (Live Simply), Caritas AoB (Journey to Tabor), Bees Abroad (Relieving poverty through bee keeping), Catholics Together in Leamington (Switching to Green Energy), Pax Christi (How to spread the nonviolence work into the Parishes), Aid to the Church in Need (Persecuted and Forgotten) and the Eco Church (Caring for God’s Church).  For some of these workshop presenters it was their first time at the Justice and Peace Assembly.  Their feedback on the event was very complementary.
During the Questions to the Panel section, Mgr. Timothy Menezes was encouraged to participate in answering questions posed by delegates. 
The Closing Liturgy was prepared by pupils of Trinity School Leamington.
The Final blessing was given by Father Gerry Murray. 
Date for your diary:  Justice and Peace Assembly 2018 - Saturday 13th October 2018. 
We will also be organising a retreat during Lent. 
     
Pat Gaffney – Pax Christi and the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative
Link to Powerpoint presentation
http://paxchristi.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Justpeace_August-2016.pdf
http://paxchristi.org.uk/resources/nonviolence-in-action/
 James Trewby - Columbans - J&P Education
 Link to PowerPoint Presentation
Video clip

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Link to Columban's Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation statements here

2016
The annual Justice and Peace Assembly this year was “A response to Laudato Si’” at St Peter’s School, Solihull.  It was opened by His Grace Archbishop Bernard Longley with a truly inspirational opening prayer and faith reflection on the crucial role played by justice and peace organisations in this ever-changing world in which we live.
Archbishop Bernard remained during the entire day, taking an active part in many of the group activities, then closing the event with a motivational and spiritually-uplifting prayer as part of a Liturgy lead by the CAFOD team who attended the 2015 COP21 Climate Change Conference in Paris.
Almost ninety delegates, speakers and workshop leaders attended the day, which focused on the Holy Father’s recent Encyclical “Laudato Si’; On Care for our Common Home.”
The keynote speaker, Ellen Teague from the Columban Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation team in the UK, described so fully, not only the urgent situation which we are faced with through climate change, but the extensive role played by a variety of Columban groups and individuals throughout the world and their achievements in highlighting and promoting alternative forms of energy production to combat the dire effects of uncontrolled changes in the world’s climate.

2015
The 2015 Assembly took place on Saturday 17th October in St Peter's Secondary School in Solihull. Entitled "Changing the Unjust Structures of Society" our guest Speaker was John Battle, well known to us all in j&p circles and more widely. A summary along with photos will appear here soon.

Assembly 2014
Unless a grain of wheat ...
The example of Oscar Romero in
Pope Francis' Vision for the Church

Julian Filochowski
Chair of the Archbishop Romero Trust

Assembly 2013
Homeless and you sheltered me
The welfare state and the state of welfare

Alison Gelder
Liam Allmark

Assembly 2012
Inspiration from vatican II
Christ calls the Church to continual renewal

David McLaughlin
Brian Davies

Assembly 2011
Becoming a Just Church
No more desinctions ... all are one in Christ Jesus

Prof. Tina Beattie
Brian Davies

Assembly 2010
Steering Through the Rapids
A Spirituality for Justice and Peace

John Battle
Fr Paul Nicholson SJ
Sr Helen Ryan RSM

Assembly 2009
God or Mammon
The Global financial Crisis

Clifford Longley
George Gelber

Assembly 2008
There are no Strangers
I was a stranger ... you welcomed me

Francis Davis
Shari Brown

Assembly 2007
Stewards of Creation
Living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor

Sean McDonagh
Ellen Teague