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Monthly Catholics for Peace and Justice Newsletter
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JANUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER
This edition of the Catholics for Peace and Justice arrives in the midst of the Christmas season.  The readings from the Mass at Midnight call us to be people who live justice and peace, vital attributes of the Holy One from whom the newborn babe is sent.  The first reading from Isaiah speaks of justice as a basis of the new order which Messiah brings to the world. In the second reading from Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are exhorted to live justly.  And peace rests upon those in God’s favor according to the Evangelist Luke’s nativity story.
 
Our call to justice, peace and reconciliation is echoed by Pope Francis in his “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas message: 
Yet, in the heart of the night, look! The sign of hope! Today, “the Love that moves the sun and the other stars” (Paradiso, XXXIII, 145), as Dante says, became flesh. He came in human form, he shared in our plight and he broke down the wall of our indifference. In the cold of the night, he stretches out his tiny arms towards us: he is in need of everything, yet he comes to give us everything. Let us ask him for the strength to be open to dialogue. On this festive day, let us implore him to stir up in the hearts of everyone a yearning for reconciliation and fraternity.
 
Warmest wishes for a New Year filled with Francis’ vision.
 
Jim Gill, CPJ Leadership Counsel 



Visit us at www.catholicsforpeaceandjustice.org and the Catholics for Peace and Justice Facebook page

 
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Looking for more social justice resources?
Visit the Social Justice Resource Center

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL


Pope Francis Quote

Visit the Catholic Ecology Center

 

ACTIONS | ISSUES

EVENTS | EDUCATION 


Recurring Events
GENERAL
 
Pope Francis Quote
Dear brothers and sisters, amid all the many problems of our time, hope prevails, “for to us a child is born” (Is 9:6). He is the word of God, who became an infant, capable only of crying, and in need of help for everything. He wished to learn how to speak, like every other child, so that we might learn to listen to God, our Father, to listen to one another and to dialogue as brothers and sisters.

Pope Francis, “Urbi et Orbi”, Christmas 2021


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Catholic Ecology Center
Come visit the new Catholic Ecology Center! Our new center sits on an amazingly diverse and beautiful 60 acres and is part of a 225 preserve. Enjoy our miles of hiking trails, boardwalk, pond, creeks and the Rubicon River. Come for a retreat, rent our facilities for your next event or join us for some of our great programs happening this winter.
 
More information at catholicecologycenter.org

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ACTIONS AND ISSUES

Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail
Commemorate Martin Luther King’s Birthday by reflecting on his Letter from Birmingham Jail. The virtual (Zoom) reflection will be guided by Jon and Lisa Metz. Register at jmetz@saintsebs.org  to receive a Zoom link and further information.
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Warrior Songs: Healing for Veterans
Ten years ago, Warrior Songs was created to use creative arts in healing veterans’ trauma. Warrior Songs tells veterans’ stories through song, and presents their work in civilian and educational venues.  Warrior Songs founder, Jason Moon, is a Wisconsin native. Learn more at https://warriorsongs.org/ Warrior Songs' work was featured on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's "The Human Factor" on CNN.  Watch the short segment here.
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  • The weekend of January 14-16 (Jan 16 is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day) will be a Weekend to Call for Racial Equity and an End to Mass Incarceration.  Already, dozens of congregations and groups have agreed to participate.  For some, it will be the sermon; for some, an announcement; for some, the theme of an Adult Study group.  Others are finding other creative ways to engage. For all those who ask, EXPO members and leaders of the WISDOM campaign to reform our criminal legal system will be available to speak.  Let us know if your congregation or group wants to participate! office@wisdomwisconsin.org
 
  • One invitation that will go out on the Weekend to Call for Racial Equity and an End to Mass Incarceration will be for people to participate in a 5-Week Training on the Criminal Legal System.  The training will be via Zoom, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, Thursdays, from January 27 through February 24.  It will be a chance for new people to learn about the system, from the "School to Prison Pipeline" through Extended Supervision.  New leaders are welcome!  The training will not just educate about the system but will also help people find a way they can plug into the effort for change. No experience is necessary. office@wisdomwisconsin.org

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From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Fiscal Policy
  • Wisconsin has been allocated $2,533 million in Fiscal Recovery Funds under the America Rescue Plan, half to be paid in 2021, the rest in 2022. The state’s job is to allocate the funds in ways that support ongoing recovery from the pandemic, especially for people most impacted. Reporting to the Federal government and to the public on states’ use of funds is required on an annual basis. This gives the public—us—an opportunity to influence our state’s budget decisions. See how Wisconsin and other states are using these funds in CBPP’s analysis of how states can best use federal fiscal recovery funds .
  • Learn why the Congressional Budget Office, assessing Build Back Better's fiscal impact, estimates that Build Back Better as passed by the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate, will not significantly raise the Federal Deficit over the first decade, and will reduce the deficit by $2 trillion over the following decade. Build Back Better would save about $2 trillion in its second decade.
Poverty Criminal Justice

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EVENTS AND EDUCATION 


Recurring Events: 

WISDOM Events 
  • The weekend of January 14-16 (Jan 16 is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day) will be a Weekend to Call for Racial Equity and an End to Mass Incarceration.  Already, dozens of congregations and groups have agreed to participate.  For some, it will be the sermon; for some, an announcement; for some, the theme of an Adult Study group.  Others are finding other creative ways to engage. For all those who ask, EXPO members and leaders of the WISDOM campaign to reform our criminal legal system will be available to speak.  Let us know if your congregation or group wants to participate! office@wisdomwisconsin.org
 
  • One invitation that will go out on the Weekend to Call for Racial Equity and an End to Mass Incarceration will be for people to participate in a 5-Week Training on the Criminal Legal System.  The training will be via Zoom, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, Thursdays, from January 27 through February 24.  It will be a chance for new people to learn about the system, from the "School to Prison Pipeline" through Extended Supervision.  New leaders are welcome!  The training will not just educate about the system but will also help people find a way they can plug into the effort for change. No experience is necessary. office@wisdomwisconsin.org
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Racial Justice Book Club
Join friends in a Zoom-based discussion of Rev. Martin Luther King's book Where Do We Go From Here?  When? Fridays at 4:00 pm beginning Jan 21, 2022.  
 
Patrick Conlin, a teacher at Messmer and member of the Cathedral parish, facilitates. Register at patrick.conlin87@gmail.com
 
You can purchase the book here:  https://bookshop.org/a/21239/9780807000670  

Thank you for this invitation from SS Peter & Paul Racial Justice & Healing Committee
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St. Mary Catholic Faith Community - Anti-Racism Program
  • One year "Racial Justice Working Team" with the goal of asking our parish to make a covenant to work toward becoming actively anti-racist at some point in the future
       JustFaith Programs
  • Faith and Racial Equity: September - November 2021
  • Faith and Racial Healing: January - March 2022
  • Faith and Racial Justice: April - June 2022
Learn more, and get involved, on the Parish "Exploring Anti-Racism" Website
Black Lives are Sacred Public Witness Events
Public Witness Events: Each event lasts 1 hour, starting with prayer and including 8 minutes 46 seconds of kneeling in honor of George Floyd and all those affected by police violence. These events are organized by an informal group of Catholic lay people, and we warmly welcome all who want to stand up for the sacredness of Black lives. Follow Black Lives are Sacred on their Facebook page Black Lives are Sacred MKE 
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Siena Retreat Center Events, www.SienaRetreatCenter.org, 5637 Erie St., Racine, WI 53402.
For a complete description of these and other programs and retreats, visit www.SienaRetreatCenter.org or call 262-898-2590. Partial scholarships are available for all programs.
 
 
Peace Action Wisconsin - Stand for Peace
Every Saturday, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Learn more
here. Updates on Facebook
  • Attention! Please wear masks and keep a social distance.
     
    • January 1: Chavez (16th) and Greenfield
    • January 8: 27th/Oklahoma
    • January 15: King/Locust
    • January 22: Layton/Howell
    • January 29: 76th/North
 
January Events

How can the City of Milwaukee Fight Climate Change? Jan 8
Milwaukee’s Sustainability Director, Erick Shambarger, explains how Milwaukee can meet the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations - Followed By The Annual Business Meeting of the UNA of Greater Milwaukee. A Virtual Zoom Event – Advance Registration is Required. Saturday, January 8, 10 AM – 11:30 AM . Register here. Learn more and get contact information here.
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Stories of the Land: Faith, Ancestors, and Indigenous Justice - Jan 28-29
Siena Retreat Center is pleased to present a weekend retreat weaving themes of land, indigeneity, and spirituality.  Held in person at Siena Retreat Center Friday, January 28, to Saturday, January 29, 2022, the retreat will be facilitated by Brenna and Eric Cussen Anglada, co-founders of St. Isidore Catholic Worker Farm in the “driftless” bioregion of Wisconsin and the ancestral home of the Ho-Chunk, Sauk, and Meskwaki.  Join us for an exploration of our connection to the Earth and her inhabitants through delving into our spirituality, family roots, colonial legacy,  and possibilities for solidarity and transformation. Learn more and Register here
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PRAY
 
O Christ, born for our sake, teach us to walk beside you on the paths of peace.


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REFLECT
The Word of God, who created the world and who gives meaning to history and to humanity’s journey, became flesh and came to dwell among us. He came like a whisper, like the murmur of a gentle breeze, to fill with wonder the heart of every man and woman who is open to this mystery.

The Word became flesh in order to dialogue with us. God does not desire to carry on a monologue, but a dialogue. For God himself, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is dialogue, an eternal and infinite communion of love and life.

By the coming of Jesus, the Person of the Word made flesh, into our world, God showed us the way of encounter and dialogue. Indeed, he made that way incarnate in himself, so that we might know it and follow it, in trust and hope.

Pope Francis, “Urbi et Orbi”, Christmas 2021

 

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