MISSION STATEMENT of ST. BARTHOLOMEW
PEACE AND JUSTICE MINISTRY
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The Peace and Justice Ministry recognizes the Church as the Body of Christ.
- The goal of Peace and Justice Ministry is to provide leadership to St. Bartholomew parishioners to help them witness the Good News of Jesus Christ.
- Through education, prayer, reflection and direct communication, it helps parishioners to be effective in communities at local, national, and international levels, thereby enabling them to achieve meaningful and effective social action.
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January & February Events and Opportunities
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NEW MEETING SCHEDULE AND NEW PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
- Peace and Justice Meetings are now on the SECOND Wednesday of each month, and as always all are welcome to attend.
- Peace and Justice Newsletter will publish mid-month, reflecting ministry news and reports from the meetings and presentations.
January 18 P&J and Friends of Haiti will provide the RCIA Meal
January 21-22 Fair Trade sales
- coffee, tea, chocolate
- after all four Masses
- benefits after school tutoring at St. Ann Parish, teacher salaries and snacks.
- February16th and 17th next sale
February 14 Peace & Justice general and team meetings, 7 PM church lower level Room 2
- Meetings are scheduled for SECOND Wednesday of the month
- Teams: Programming, Communications, Finance and Grants
- All are welcome to attend and become involved!
Sundays Weekly Meal Site 4 - 6 pm, Meal Site Teams
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Dignity of the Human Person, by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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"The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from
abortion
and
euthanasia
. The value of human life is being threatened by
cloning
,
embryonic stem cell research
, and the use of the
death penalty
. The intentional targeting of civilians in
war
or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and
resolve them by peaceful means
. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the
life and dignity
of the human person."
This month we highlight the important work of the St. Bartholomew Pro-Life Ministry in maintaining these beliefs.
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Pro-Life Ministry Spotlight, by Kelley Snoddy
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In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis writes, “The great danger in today’s world…is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others. …God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.” We are aware that there is something “gone wrong” in our world today. Just listening to the nightly news or reading the newspaper headlines, we sense that our world is in a free fall, … all because people are not loving and respecting one another.
Ask yourself honestly, “Do I see
every
human being as a unique, unrepeatable person that is deserving of the highest respect, reverence, and love?” C.S.Lewis wrote, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” If we fail to agree that every human being is deserving of love and respect, then discrimination, injustice, and chaos will surely follow.
Drawing from Scripture and magisterial teaching from the time of the apostles until today, there is an unbroken line from the Almighty which condemns the killing of the baby developing in the uterus. [See
Declaration on Procured Abortion
, Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, paragraphs 6 and 7.] Six of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching speak directly to this. Many faithful Catholics assume that the culture is evangelized with this vital teaching. However, as long as
it is always legal, by federal law, to have an abortion through all nine months of pregnancy,
we must be speaking up and acting
out
to bring an end to this crime against life.
The January 22, 1973 Supreme Court decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton nullified over a century of abortion laws in all 50 states. As a result, the United States is one of nine nations that allow abortion after 14 weeks of gestation when the baby is viable. We also share notoriety with China, North Korea and Canada as the only countries in the world that permit abortion
for any reason
after viability.
This (and each) January, St. Bartholomew youth head to Washington, D.C. to join in the
National March for Life
where they can witness to the Church’s teachings while being bolstered in their personal belief that life is a gift from God. At home, our parish will commemorate Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on the weekend of January 20-21 in hopes that more of us will grasp the dire significance of 900,000+ abortions performed in the United States each year.
What might you do?
- Consider attending the Indiana March for Life on Monday, January 22 beginning with noon Mass at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 126 W. Georgia St., Indianapolis. http://www.archindy.org/plfl/images/Flyer.png
- Sign the Pro-Life Signature ad which is placed in The Republic on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade; show our community where we stand as Catholics.
- Participate in the Knights of Columbus Chili Cook-Off, January 13, which raises money to get our high school students to Washington, D.C. for the national March for Life.
- Come to a meeting of St. Bartholomew Pro-Life Ministry to learn more about our involvement with the Gabriel Project, 40 Days for Life, Healing Hidden Hurts (a post-abortive healing ministry), and many other things.
-Kelley Snoddy leads St. Bartholomew Pro-Life Ministry, she can be reached at kelley_snoddy@ymail.com
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We Are The Peace & Justice Ministry
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- Chairman David Harpenau
- Programming Team: Leader to be determined
- Grants & Finance Team: David Harpenau
- Communications Team: Jan Banister
- Blood Drive: Greg Scherschel, coordinator
- Next drive March 11, 2018
- Voter Registration: David Harpenau coordinator
- Next drive March 3-4, 2018
- Ecumenical Assembly: seeking new liason
- Pro-Life: Kelley Snoddy
- Giving Tree: Therese Westerfeld, coordinator
- Meal Site: Susan Chandler,
- Sundays 4-6 PM
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- Friends of Haiti: Judy Harpenau, liaison
- Bread for the World Offering of Letters: Rachel Rice coordinator
- Completed May 2017, next organizational meeting January 2018.
- Bread for the World, Marty Peter, Convener
- Second Tuesdays 7 PM at First Presbyterian
- Abolition Coalition: Donna Keogh, liaison
- St. Vincent de Paul: David and Hilary Baker, liaison
- Women's Jail Ministry: Sevy Badgley, liason
- Family Self Sufficiency: Jan Banister coordinator
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Peace & Justice Ministry Reports
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Bread For The World Activivist Corner
- Call (800-826-3688) or email your members of Congress and urge them to protect funding for critical anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs in the fiscal year 2018 spending bill.
- Congress passed a continuing resolution on Dec. 21 that keeps the government funded through Jan. 19. Lawmakers now have less than two weeks to agree on the dollar amounts necessary to fund the government through Sept. 30. At stake is funding for veterans, women and children’s nutrition, and international humanitarian and development programs.
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Prayer for Peace from Catholic Relief Services
Lord Jesus Christ,
Make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. Where there is injury, let us offer pardon. Where there is discord, let us build peace. Oh Divine Lord, you taught us that those who work for peace are called the children of God. Help us to persist in establishing justice and truth as firm and lasting foundations of peace. Lord, you offer us peace as a gift and peace as a responsibility that we must realize with your help. Give us the grace to reach for peace, to have attitudes of peace, that our words may be of peace, and that our works be works of peace.
Then, may we build the peace that we and our nations need.
Amen
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The December Family Self Sufficiency Dinner was served to
104 guests
.
The Holiday Giving Tree provided gifts and community spirit for
175 children.
St. Vincent de Paul Society collected
$9,800
for Catholic Relief Services to aid in the elimination of malaria.
The Women's Jail Ministry provided
65 Holiday gift bags
to women inmates.The Saint and Te Sultan
7 Muslims and 7 Christians
will participate in the JustFaith series The Saint and The Sultan beginning late January through May.
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