ROME — The Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office at the General Curia here recently published Guidelines for the Animation of the JPIC.
Reflecting more than two years of work, with the cooperation of the Animation Committee, the International Council for JPIC, and individual animators, the guidelines are meant to be used as a handbook or training manual for JPIC animators.
Animator Joseph Rozansky, OFM, said the guidelines, initially requested by animators, are not comprehensive but rather a foundation on which to build.
In an article in the May issue of Contact, the newsletter of the OFM International Council for Justice, Peace & the Integrity of Creation, Joe wrote: “The values of justice, peace and integrity of creation are an essential element of our Christian life,” especially as seen in Luke, Chapter 4, when the Gospel says, “… to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of the whole world, and to preach reconciliation, peace and justice by their deeds; and to show respect for creation.”
Making JPIC Tangible
Joe encourages animators to live their roles, making them more tangible than written values on paper. Since its creation in 1980, the JPIC office in Rome has taken the role of animators very seriously, according to Joe, including training and formation at all meetings.
He wrote: “The Order of Friars Minor has taken seriously the challenge to incarnate the values of JPIC. Our documents speak repeatedly of the need to live this aspect of our vocation, and we have strong and comprehensive JPIC structures, at all levels, to support this effort.”
“However, all documents and structures depend on the dedication, training and work of those responsible for the animation of these values in our midst. Of course, at the entity level, it is the Provincial and his Definitory who are responsible for animation of the friars in all areas, including that of JPIC.”
The guidelines include a history of JPIC in the Church and the Order, the basis of Franciscan commitment, reflections on how to integrate JPIC activities in all aspects of ministry, and the structures of JPIC in the OFM, according to Joe.
The section on methodology helps animators read signs of the times, promote JPIC spirituality, collaborate with others, prepare for a meeting, write a JPIC plan, and be an effective communicator, among other tasks. It also provides resource materials.
In Other JPIC News
The Contact newsletter also includes an article on “What is the Ethical Use of Resources: Natural and Financial?”
The article reminds readers that resources are finite and that decisions on their use should be made ethically.
It reads: “Ethical use of natural resources highlights the fact that our model for development needs to be sustainable. Such development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It respects the limited capacity of an ecosystem to absorb the impact of human activities.”
The article also promotes responsible consumption, imploring people to think carefully about when and how to purchase goods.
Ethical use of financial resources, it said, should promote better conditions of life in society, and sustainable development of the planet.
“Ethical investors are concerned with the return on their investments, but they combine this concern with a deep concern for society as well. Ethical investment is often carried out through ethical investment funds. They are socially responsible mutual funds that hold securities in companies that adhere to social, moral, religious or environmental beliefs. To ensure that the stocks chosen coincide with the fund’s beliefs, companies undergo a careful screening process. A socially responsible mutual fund will only hold securities in companies that adhere to high standards of good corporate citizenship.”