WASHINGTON, D.C. – At their Chapter 2005, the friars of the Province called themselves and their ministries to be active Franciscan peacemakers. One opportunity that the JPIC Directorate has arranged to help us fulfill our call for a public action of peacemaking as a province is the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice; March 7-10, 2008. This year’s theme — 2008: Claiming a Vision of True Security — is designed specifically to help our Province bring a Franciscan message of peace to our nation and world.
The program for Ecumenical Advocacy Days is better than ever. Sponsors are working at not only having an advocacy day on Capitol Hill that will help the United States have tools for better domestic and international peacemaking but also at getting the 2008 presidential candidates come for a public forum. In this way, the more than 1,000 participants will be able to shape the possibility of a more peace-filled future. Franciscans must be a part of this dynamic if we are to be true to our charism.
To get more information on Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice, visit the conference’s Web site www.advocacydays.org. This can provide developing details of the event and allow you to register.
Holy Name Province has again made this a high priority of its JPIC Activity. This event helps us address the Chapter 2005 priority calling all friars and partners in HNP ministries to be peacemakers. Ecumenical Advocacy Days is an opportunity to do political advocacy that can help “construct peace” in the best of our Franciscan Peacemaking tradition.
Because Ecumenical Advocacy Days is such a priority of Holy Name Province, we again have scholarship assistance for Holy Name Province ministries to participate in this event. Our goal is to have at least two representatives from each of our ministries. (More than two will, of course, will be welcome). A letter with this information has been sent to the guardians and JPIC local contacts, as well as the facilitators for the Engage Franciscan Peacemaking Process.
Tthe 2008 Ecumenical Advocacy Days will be the location for the launch of the new Franciscan Action Network, www.franciscanaction.org. This effort to build a national Franciscan approach to advocacy for JPIC has been strongly supported by the Holy Name Province and promises to be a real assistance to all of our ministries who want to be more effective at advocacy action.
— Russell Testa, director of the Province’s justice, peace and integrity of creation office in Washington, D.C., asks that anyone wanting information about the Ecumenical Advocacy Days or other peacemaking activity to contact him at jpic@hnp.org.