C O N T A C T Sept 2011

1

In this issueIn this issueIn this issueIn this issue:

- PROTESTS AGAINST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE (USA)

- FRANCISCAN ECOLOGICAL MARCHES (BRAZIL & MEXICO) - ENGLISH-SPEAKING CONFERENCE (ESC) JPIC SEMINAR AND CONFERENCE MEETING (USA) - JPIC PROGRAM OF SACRED HEART PROVINCE/USA - JPIC FORMATION IN FRANCISCAN SCHOOLS (PERU)

- MEETING BETWEEN EVANGELIZATION AND JPIC IN

SOUTHERN CONE CONFERENCE (LATIN AMERICA)

- FRANCISCAN WORK WITH PRISONERS (LITHUANIAN) - JPIC PLANNING SEMINAR IN THE PHILIPPINES - INDONESIA: JPIC TRAINING - BISHOP GIOVANNI MARTINELLI, A FRANCISCAN BISHOP IN LIBYA - DEATH OF MATEUSZ TUNIEWICZ ( FI AIA PACIFIC)

CONTACT

OFM JPIC NEWSLETTER OFM JPIC NEWSLETTER OFM JPIC NEWSLETTER OFM JPIC NEWSLETTER

SESESESEPTEMBERPTEMBERPTEMBERPTEMBER

Tel: +39 06 68491218

2011201120112011

www.ofm.org/jpic

[email protected]

Brother Jacek Orzechowski OFM

being arrested for protesting in

front of the White House

PREPARED BY THE OFM OFFICE OF JUSTICE, PEACE AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION IN ROME

2

Two OFM friars of Holy Name Province (USA), Jacek Orzechowski and Erick Lopez, were arrested on August 29. They were among the nearly 600 people arrested during weeks of demonstrations in Washington in front of the White House. Inspired by religious responsibility to care for God’s creation, they had joined protests against the proposed Key-stone XL pipeline, which would connect the toxic tar sands of Alberta, Canada, with the Texas oil refineries. Jacek and Erick were representing the Franciscan Action Network (FAN)* at the demonstrations. According to Brother Jacek, experts have said that use of petroleum from the tar sands will significantly increase the rate of greenhouse gas production. This will be destructive not only of the environment in northern Canada, but threatens to alter the ecological balance of the Earth itself. In the face of such disaster, Brothers Jacek and Erick note: “As Christians we believe that all creation is the gift of a lov-ing and caring God, a God who charged us to be stewards of that gift. Thus we have an obli-gation to seek what is beneficial to the earth and oppose what is harmful.….As followers of St. Francis of Assisi, we believe that the world is charged with the presence of God. When Saint Francis needed time alone to pray and

be with his savior he went to the wild places of Italy, especially Mount La Verna. He un-derstood that we cannot love and honor God without loving and honoring all that the Lord has created. Francis also believed that ours is a faith that must be lived and acted on. To preach the Gospel is first and foremost to live it, only then will our words and exhortations have real meaning.” Brothers Jacek and Erick said that it is con-cern for the potential disaster of the tar sands project that motivated their decision to be arrested. They added: “It is only when people of faith join the chorus of the vast majority of reputable scientists and those concerned about climate change in speaking and acting for the common good of all God’s creation, that we might be able to avert the catastrophe. We invite you to join us in saying no to the destruction of God's creation and yes to a more just and sustainable future for all people and our planet.” Brothers Jacek and Erick were taken to a police station in handcuffs, held for about four hours, and released when they paid a required fee.

* FAN is located in the USA. It is a grass-roots, faith-based civic engagement organiza-tion with a growing national base of groups and persons who are inspired by the witness and exam-ple of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. FAN is designed to bring a coordinated and effective voice to matters of Justice, Peace and Care for Creation.

CONTACT SEPTEMBER 2011

PROTESTS AGAINST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE

3

1. MARCH TO THE SOURCE OF THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER: MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL The Franciscan March has been held annually since 2001. It makes its way toward the source of the São Francisco River, a wonderful sanctuary for life. The March seeks to help people live out the spirituality of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. The objectives of the March are: to raise aware-ness of the current environmental situation; to pro-mote care of our world; to share Franciscan spiritu-ality; to awaken people to a better quality of life; to learn to value interpersonal relationships; to be in solidarity with the marginalized of society; to join forces with those who dare to march in search of liberation. The Franciscan March is an opportunity for evangelization in a JPIC perspective, an experi-ence of simplicity, poverty and fraternity. It is a time to bring together spirituality and militancy in defense of life in its different expressions. The 2011 March began on July 16th, and covered about 103 kilometers (64 miles), roughly 21 kilo-meters (13 miles) per day. After five days of walk-ing, there was a big celebration at the source of the São Francisco River, an important ecological sanctuary for the region and for the country. The theme for the March was: “Fraternity and Life on the Planet: Creation Groans with the Pains of Birth,” taking up once again the theme of this year’s Lenten Fraternity Campaign in Brazil. Participants showed courage and perseverance, and chose peace and well being as their response to the challenge of building fraternal and respectful relationships. The March has always sought to include different ethnic groups, religions and social classes. This year the March was blessed with the presence of a Muslim, a Jew and Spiritists. All were inspired to promote an

ecology based on the fact that we are children of God and inhabitants of the Earth. 2. MARCHES IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO On June 4, 2011, the Province of San Felipe de Jesús held an Ecology March to remember the International Day of the Environment. Around 800 people of all ages joined in the celebration. Brother Adín, JPIC animator for the province, reported that participants, including friars from the region, walked for about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). They collected trash from the roadside as they moved along. The President of the Mu-nicipality of Rayón also participated; he belongs to the green party in Mexico and was interested in the event. The next activity planned by the friars is reforestation of an area of 50 hectares; this will be part of a contest sponsored by the State government of Chiapas, throughout its 118 municipalities. There will be a prize for the win-ner. The friars are in contact with environmen-talists in their municipality, and hope to make a good showing in the contest. A second March was held in Chiapas August 1-2 of this year. It was the VII Franciscan March on the occasion of the Pardon of Assisi. Its theme was “Together, let us care for Nature.” Around 2500 people participated. During the March the friars promoted reconciliation and intercultural togetherness; activities included religious dances and reforestation (two thousand trees were planted). The March ended with celebra-tion of the Eucharist; Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera López from the archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, presided.


FRANCISCAN ECOLOGICAL MARCHES

4

Fifteen participants attended the ESC-JPIC Seminar held June 22-23, 2011 in Belleville, Illinois. The ESC provincials had encouraged JPIC animators in this effort so all but one North American province was represented. Joe Rozansky, OFM, of the Rome JPIC Office was the facilitator. The seminar began with participants respond-ing to the questions: “Where is JPIC operative in your province right now?” And “How would you like to see JPIC animation grow in the fu-ture?” Responses were as diverse as the provinces but the energy around JPIC con-cerns was clearly evident. Joe presented in-formation about the direction of the Order re-garding JPIC, some of the projects being un-dertaken, the resources and documents avail-able, ways to implement the JPIC-related General Council mandates, the role of the ani-mator, etc. He noted that the Amazon project is moving ahead, with each of the Latin Ameri-can Conferences committing one friar to form the initial fraternity. The Curia’s JPIC Office is collaborating with the Office of Evangelization in this project to insure that our presence is comprehensive, addressing justice and envi-ronmental issues as well as pastoral con-cerns. We discussed how the Order sees JPIC work as a shared mission, with the Provincial and Provincial Council as the primary JPIC anima-tors. We encourage Provincial Councils to study the Guidelines for the Animation of JPIC, found at http://www.ofm.org/01docum/jpic/jpicGUIDeng.pdf, and invite any interested friars to do so as well. We are aware that friars often see JPIC minis-try as something separate from their own min-istry. But the Order is clearly promoting the attitude that JPIC is a shared mission. As Jose Carballo, OFM, says, “The commitment to JPIC is a part of our DNA, of our spiritual-ity…” The way in which friars carry out the JPIC ministry can be as diverse as the friars themselves. But the ministry itself should be a part of every friar’s life in some way. The role of the JPIC animator is to carry out the Provin-cial Council’s animation strategy and to assist the friars of the province to participate in this

shared mission. In the ESC-JPIC meeting that followed the next day, the animators agreed to take on a common project: promoting commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi. They made the decision to ask that all prov-inces designate at least one official celebra-tion and, where possible, hold individual celebrations on or around October 27, 2011. Support material for these events will be made available to anyone wishing to partici-pate in or plan a celebration. The Province of St. Barbara has posted numerous re-sources on their JPIC website (www.franciscansforjustice.org) and will con-tinue to post them as they become available. The blog of the Romans VI, the JPIC group of the Franciscan family (http://spiritodiassisi.wordpress.com) also has many useful resources and links. As infor-mation becomes available about dates and times of individual celebrations, the informa-tion will be shared on the above noted web-sites, so that all who wish to participate can find local events in their area. These celebrations will also be used as a way to promote the upcoming ESC-JPIC theme for the year: "Franciscan Civility in Discourse." It will be a year dedicated to promoting, engaging, reflecting on, and hon-oring peace and civility in all communica-tions. We are called, as individuals and as commu-nities, to act justly and peacefully toward all of God's creation. The Spirit of Assisi re-minds us of that calling and challenges us to discover how we might promote civility in public discourse, not just in the upcoming year, but as a permanent way of interacting with all of our brothers and sisters.

Donna Graham OSF, Conference Coordinator

Michelle Juhasz, JPIC, Saint Barbara Province


ENGLISH-SPEAKING CONFERENCE (ESC) JPIC SEMINAR AND CONFERENCE MEETING

5

Maury Smith, JPIC animator for Sacred Heart Province in the USA, recently wrote a note to the friars of the province about his activities: I want to inform you about the discussion I had with the Provincial Council about JPIC. There will be a day of Recollec-tion for the Provincial Council during the Leadership Conferences for the Guardi-ans, to be held on October 1, 2011. Its main focus is on inviting the friars to re-flect on their JPIC ministry. This may be a JPIC ministry in which they are already in some way involved. Some friars have the gift to give direct service such as a soup kitchen, as one example. Other fri-ars have the gift to be involved in chang-ing unjust systems such as COPS in San Antonio as an example. One of the goals of the JPIC Day of Recollection is to af-firm all the gifts that the friars bring to JPIC. The tone of the discussion with the Provincial Council was that most friars are already involved in some way with JPIC. Another goal of the JPIC Day of Recollection is to support the friars in their efforts for JPIC. At the JPIC Day of Recollection for both the Council and the Guardians a recent document of the Order called “Pilgrims and Strangers in This World” will be re-viewed. It is a document that is like a re-source kit which makes it different from the documents we normally see from Rome. The resources in this document may be used for Days of Recollection, retreats, preaching, a daily spiritual read-ing of a small section and workshops. It is a valuable and handy resource to know about. Another part of the JPIC Day of Recol-lection is to invite the friars to develop a plan for the JPIC issue of their choice. This may be a review of what a friar is already doing or perhaps a friar wants to

move to another JPIC issue at this time. A special brief format will be used that has proven to be helpful and effective. A large benefit of learning this format is that it can be used in many areas of ministry and even one’s personal life.

And finally I would invite the friars to share at least a summary of their JPIC plan with the Office of JPIC. The office could then do a listing of the kinds of JPIC ministry the friars of Sacred Heart Province are doing. This would be an oc-casion of affirmation, support and cele-bration of what we are hoping to accom-plish for the poor people in our care.

Br. Maury Smith OFM

JPIC animator Sacred Heart Province USA


JPIC PROGRAM OF SACRED HEART PROVINCE/USA

6

We would like to highlight our participation at regional courses and training ses-sions, like those offered in Bogotá (Columbia), Mostazal (Chile) and Cochabamba (Bolivia). They provide a win-dow to help us know our needs, problems and appro-priate solutions relative to this priority of the Order.

We have provided other ma-terials to the schools to help in this work. For example, we have videos that acquaint students and the rest of the community with the problems of our planet and alert them to dangers caused by human activity leading to the deterio-ration of our Great Home. In like manner, we have distrib-uted written materials that serve to guide and help in this project. They include bro-chures that promote celebra-tions like “Day of the Environ-ment”, “March for Peace”, etc.

The experience of working in the JPIC Secretariat of the province fills us with pride and satisfaction, knowing that we are a sort of barrier against the pollution and de-terioration of the Earth. It al-lows us to do many things right where we are, things that will benefit future genera-tions. We do not even con-sider failing in this goal, which is to promote responsi-bility for this work, and in do-ing so to create a world with greater justice, fraternity to-getherness, and respect for Creation.

Brother José Hidalgo Benavides, OFM

Peru is a land of diverse landscapes and great natu-ral resources. It is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world and enjoys the good fortune of having people who live in direct contact with Mother Nature, showing her care and respect.

We friars who serve on the JPIC Secretariat of the Twelve Apostles Province of Peru, promote our work of communication and con-sciousness-raising in each of the high schools run by our province. We offer needed support so that they may adequately address JPIC issues and bear fruit in pro-motion of life and Creation. The present article is an overview of the work of the provincial JPIC animator in this area.

To foster our work in the schools, we held a series of meetings to educate them about the work to be done. At the same time supporting materials were distributed to help fulfill our objective and guarantee a fruitful result in caring for Creation.

We have promoted the planting of trees and the in-stallation of Peace Poles. Ecology Patrols have been organized and also teams of Environmental Auditors, which are made up of stu-dents from our schools. One of the ways that we have been raising awareness is though celebration of a “Day for Peace and Environ-mental Health”. It is a series of public activities in the main streets of our towns;

students, teachers and par-ents participate in these days.

We are aware that besides individual events of social impact, we need to reach society in a permanent manner, sharing informa-tion that will raise aware-ness of the public. To do this we created an “Ecological Guide” in 2007. We have produced and dis-tributed a provincial publi-cation, “Brother Sun,” since 2008. This journal deals with local, regional and national environmental themes related to the world ecological crisis. Production of this document depends on the collaboration of the schools and the administra-tion of our province.

We help prepare future Franciscan Youth Leaders in the care of the environ-ment by organizing annual congresses. Our students participate actively, making their concerns known and proposing solutions for the real problems of the planet. This work has been ongo-ing for twelve years. Last year the meeting took place at the College of Saint Francis of Assisi in Are-quipa. Each year the peo-ple responsible for JPIC in each of the schools meet to evaluate implementation of the activities of the previous year, and plan activities for the upcoming year. To date twelve meetings have taken place, one per year. The last one took place at Saint Joseph, Piura, in April of 2011.


JPIC FORMATION IN FRANCISCAN SCHOOLS

7

Surrounded by the Cordoba Mountains of Argentina, a meeting of the Southern Cone Conference was held in the city of Saint Anthony of Arredondo from the 23rd to the 27th of May, 2011. Participants included the provincials of the conference; the Gen-eral Animator for Evangelization, Brother Arturo Ríos Lara; the secretaries for Mis-sion/Evangelization; formators; animators in the area of Education; JPIC animators; along with other friars. The purpose of the meeting was to compare the most signifi-cant experiences in our various entities, and to plan together the future of our efforts in this part of South America.

Brother Luis Scozzina, conference JPIC Animator, presented the vision of the pon-tifical magisterium regarding the mission of JPIC. He added a reflection from the Gen-eral Constitutions and the most recent documents of the Order, which state that JPIC values are a constitutive dimension of

our form of life.

The JPIC Animation Plan for the Confer-ence was presented. It called for cele-bration of the Spirit of Assisi in 2011, with a commemoration on the day of the anniversary, October 27, 2011. More-over, a schedule and suggested cele-brations will be prepared for the various entities of the Conference, and the over-arching theme for these celebrations will be: “Praying for Peace is Praying for

Life.”

During the meeting, two experiences were presented showing the transversal-ity of JPIC values in evangelization and in education:

> The Project of the Franciscan Cen-ter for Studies and Regional Devel-opment – CEFEDER-UCA, located in Rosario, in the San Miguel Province.

> Plan for Recycling Electrical and Electronic Components (RAEE) at the Santa Monica Special School, located in San Lorenzo in the San Miguel Province.

It was agreed that the next Conference assembly will be held in Chile in April, 2012. Its main theme will be the values of JPIC as a dimension of our lives, based on mandate No. 43 from our last General Chapter.

Br. Luis Antonio Scozzina OFM Conference Coordinator for JPIC

Southern Cone


MEETING BETWEEN EVANGELIZATION AND JPIC IN SOUTHERN CONE CON-

FERENCE LATIN AMERICA

8

On May 19-20, 2011 the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice hosted an international conference entitled: “The Integration of Convicts into So-ciety”. The conference was organized by the vice-Minister of Justice T. Vaitkevičius; the OFM Province of St. Casimir, represented by the chaplain of prisons Br. Arūnas Peškaitis OFM; and the Prisons Department of Lithua-nia. The main themes of the conference were: the humanization and individualization of punish-ment, changing the public attitude toward convicts, the possible establishment of a pro-bation system, and deepening the under-standing of sentence as transformation of personality. The conference was attended by politicians, experts, non-governmental organi-zations, media representatives, as well as guests from abroad - Estonia, Latvia, Swe-den, and representatives of the European Probation Organisation and the International Association of Prisons. Regarding these issues, a major problem in Lithuania is a misunderstanding of the proba-tion system. Individualization and humaniza-tion of sentence is perceived by the public as a concession to evil rather than as an oppor-tunity for the convict to change. Such change is positive not only from humane and Chris-tian perspectives, but also from a pragmatic point of view. Prisoners should not be treated as non-members of society, but as people who, as far as possible, need to compensate the dam-ages they have caused. But for this to hap-pen, certain conditions need to be created. A prisoner must be seen as a human being in spite of all the things he/she has done, and needs to be given a chance to change, thus respecting his/her dignity. Custodial sentenc-ing should not be an end in itself. Unfortu-nately, in Lithuania this is the case. The exist-ing system of prisons has been inherited from Soviet times. Living conditions in prisons are poor and cells do not meet the basic stan-dards of hygiene, with as many as 15 – 20 prisoners crowded into some cells. This situa-tion creates a strict caste system among pris-oners. At best, only 50 percent of prisoners are provided with work, thus creating hostility

between the public and prisoners. There are no rehabilitation programs to help convicts change. Very little attention is paid to the attitude of prison guards who treat prisoners as objects rather than as human beings. Influenced by the media, public opinion toward prisoners and the prison sys-tem is negative. Politicians are afraid to dis-cuss these issues, worried about their public image and future elections. In this context, it is clear that a Christian and Franciscan contribution is very important. The international conference “The Integra-tion of Convicts into Society” was a first step towards understanding the present situation and changing the prison system in Lithuania by offering practical solutions to the issues raised.

Br. Arūnas Peškaitis OFM Prison Chaplain

Br. Alvydas Virbalis OFM

JPIC Animator of Lithuanian Province N.B. - Br. Arunas is a chaplain at the Prison of Lukiskes in Vilnius. He works with prison-ers on Death Row, where there are about 80 inmates. He has been a chaplain for 4 years.


FRANCISCAN WORK WITH PRISONERS IN LITHUANIAN

9

The JPIC Orientation-Planning Seminar that was held in the Philippines at OLAS June 20-23, 2011, was a graced encounter with the Lord of history. Attended by 13 friars and 27 lay people, the participants went home in-spired and motivated to implement JPIC in our institutions. We lived at the crossroads of our history where we can make a differ-ence. Poverty and the destruction of the environ-ment continue unabated despite the beautiful words of politicians. We have seen how relig-ion for 500 years has been used to legitimize oppression, even though changes that have happened in the Church and the Order have given us the capacity to transform the op-pressive pyramid structure of society into what Mary has proclaimed: “He has put down the mighty from their thrones and raised up the lowly.”

The influence that we have in Philippine soci-ety can either perpetuate the dichotomy of faith and life or hasten the birth of barangays. These are towns where people are empowered, where the poor put an end to political patronage and dependency and assert their right to equality in sharing the wealth of the country with the greedy ruling elite. Real transformation of an entrenched system will not be implemented by the peo-ple who benefit from it. Real transformation will be pursued by the poor who feel the intensity of marginalization, and change will come through a systematic and comprehensive rebuilding of the system, stone by stone. In deep solidarity with the

poor we can facilitate the process of awak-ening and evangelization by creating struc-tures of conversion. These would include real BECs (Base Ecclesial Communities), which are not simply prayer meetings, and a JPIC that is sustainable and truly rooted in the person of Jesus who exorcizes the “demons” from the pyramid. Participants prepared a summary of the con-version experience that they lived during the seminar, written in prayer form to help cap-ture what happened. The friars present made recommendations to the province to help set a direction for JPIC in life and ministry. They prepared a checklist to help friars evaluate the JPIC di-mension of life in house chapters. They called for preparation of a summary of the national and international situations that could be distributed to the friars, and sug-gested that the bi-monthly bulletin CON-TACT from the General Curia be sent to the friaries. Plans were made to follow up on sugges-tions made at the seminar, and to hold an-other province-wide JPIC meeting next year. Some suggestions were also sent to the of-fice. One invited friars to contribute P200 from their monthly allowances for the envi-ronment, to help create income-generating projects. Another asked that a liturgy be prepared to raise awareness about the con-tinuous destruction of the environment; it can be used in formation houses, parishes and schools. A third called for a JPIC seminar for youth, to tap into their energy. Finally, suggestions were given to help encourage more participation in JPIC activities, with a special effort to include lay partners.

Br. Pedro Montallana OFM JPIC Animator, Philippines


JPIC PLANNING SEMINAR IN THE PHILIPPINES

10

Bishop Giovanni Martinelli, an Italian Fran-ciscan, has been the bishop of Trípoli since 1985. In two recent interviews (Vatican In-sider, 23-08-2011, and Los Angeles Times, 03-07-2011), he shared his views on the situation in Libya. He called the NATO campaign immoral and ineffective, noting that “Kadafi is a Bedouin, and you can’t change his mind by bombing him.” His comments have led some critics to suggest that he is a Kadafi appeaser, and that he would be better off sticking to spiritual mat-ters. But Martinelli declares that he is an advo-cate of peace and negotiation. He notes that bombing and war are immoral, and says that he abhors all violence. He also points out what he calls the positive accom-plishments of Kadafi: a social welfare state, relative equality for women and, most point-edly, liberty of worship in a country that is overwhelmingly Muslim. At the same time, the bishop concedes that Kadafi was slow to respond to the needs of long-neglected eastern Libya, and was not able to listen to the young people of Bengazi or to under-stand them. The actions of Bishop Martinelli challenge us all to examine our positions and to reflect on different ways to approach perennial problems. He reminds us how Saint Francis challenged the popular wisdom of his own day. Christians accepted the Crusades as the only way to deal with Islam, yet Francis insisted that dialogue and peace were a bet-ter approach. We might take time to reflect on the two interviews of Bishop Martinelli in order to evaluate our own attitude toward war and violence, and to look for more ef-fective ways to promote dialogue and peace in our world today.

In 2002 the Indonesian Franciscan Family established INFO-JPIC (Inter-Franciscan JPIC Group) as an informal institution to organize collaboration among JPIC Coordi-nators. Every year INFO-JPIC organizes trainings, seminars or workshops to ani-mate and strengthen collaboration among JPIC Coordinators. Such collaboration has been very helpful in organizing joint activi-ties, like helping the victims of natural dis-asters in Aceh, Jogyakarta, Padang, Mentawai, etc. This year INFO JPIC facilitated a training session on Organizational Management. It took place August 8-18 in Pringsewu Lam-pung. There were 43 participants, including Franciscan JPIC coordinators (male and female), the coordinator for the SCJs (Sacred Heart of Jesus), and JPIC coordi-nators from the dioceses of Larantuka and Tanjung Karang. Besides the training session, participants had two days to reflect on JPIC values as values of the Kingdom, making them im-perative for Christians, especially for reli-gious. The late Mateusz Tuniewicz, director of the FI Office in Bangkok, was present to introduce Franciscans International. Dur-ing his return trip to Bangkok, he was drowned while swimming in Bali on August 12th. May he enjoy eternal joy. RIP.


INDONESIA: JPIC TRAINING A FRANCISCAN BISHOP IN LIBYA

11

We at the Rome JPIC Office of the Order of Friars Minor join with Franciscans International and the entire Franciscan Family in mourning the tragic death of Mateusz Tuniewicz, the Re-gional Director of the FI Asia Pacific program. He drowned in Indonesia between 11 and 12 August 2011. We pray for his family, particularly his wife, Anna-Karin Jatfors and their two children, son Emil (almost 4 years) and daughter Mila (11 months). Mateusz was a native of Gdansk, Poland, and joined FI as Regional Director for the Asia Pacific Program in June 2010, having previously worked for international justice and developmental organizations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. May he rest in peace.


DEATH OF MATEUSZ

****** * SPIRIT OF ASSISI * ******

Brothers and Sisters, after almost two years of preparation, the 25th anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi is upon us. In less than a month, on October 27, Pope Benedict and many other religious leaders will visit Assisi once again to promote peace and dialogue in our world. We invite all of you to join in the celebration. Franciscans throughout the world are planning local activities, and perhaps you can consider a similar event. The material found on the Spirit of Assisi blog of the JPIC promoters of the Franciscan family, at http://spiritodiassisi.wordpress.com/ , might help you in this process. May the spirit of Francis and Clare inspire us to live and proclaim the peace and justice that are the foundation of the message of Jesus!

C O N T A C T Sept 2011

Documents

Transcript of C O N T A C T Sept 2011