WASHINGTON, D.C. -– Beginning this month, the Justice and Peace section of the Province’s Web site will offer a new feature aimed at assisting friars to focus homilies on JPIC (justice, peace, and integrity of creation) themes.
“JPIC Preaching Tips” will be available in the Resources page of the site beginning the week of Jan. 12.
Homily Help Based on Chapter
Each week, a short introduction and suggested resources will be provided for friars preparing homilies for the following Sunday.
The idea behind these resources arose from HNP’s 2008 Chapter and guardians’ meeting. The JPIC Directorate had heard from many friars that they would like a little assistance in getting connected to materials that can help them better integrate JPIC themes in a timely way into their Sunday preaching.
We know that many friars take the Franciscan commitment to JPIC very seriously, but that it is often difficult to be connected to the myriad of complex issues among other commitments. These resources are hoped to be of assistance.
This will be a short experiment to see if the resources being provided are useful and being used. The materials will be posted each Monday, through April 6 (the Monday prior to Easter).
After Easter, we will do an evaluation to determine what changes need to be made to be sure this resourse has been valuable to friars. Jan. 12 was chosen as the best starting point because the following Sunday, Jan.18, is just prior to the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inauguration of President-elect Obama.
The JPIC Directorate is excited about this opportunity to serve its brothers as they serve the wider Church. As you use the resource, feel free to gather observations and submit them to me at jpic@hnp.org on behalf of the Directorate.
— Russell Testa is director of the Province’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation office in Washington, D.C.. He welcomes comments about the Justice and Peace Web site.