Dear Friends,
May the Lord give you peace. In our church bulletin for last Sunday we printed the following:
Dear Friends,
May the Lord give you peace. In our church bulletin for last Sunday we printed the following:
‘At a press conference on Monday 21st February 2011, the Council for Justice and Peace of the Irish Episcopal Conference launched FROM CRISIS TO HOPE: The document addresses the considerable financial turmoil that we face individually and collectively and the associated disaffection throughout Irish society. The document calls for the protection of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society as a core element of any measures aimed at addressing the current political, social and economic crises. Bishop Field outlined some of the implications of our Christian obligation to defend human dignity in Ireland today. He said “Defence of human dignity means:
Protecting human life, from the moment of conception to its natural end;
every_birthProtecting our children from poverty and ensuring that they have access to all the services they require for health and education, as well as the opportunity to develop their talents through those cultural and sporting activities that are so important for personal growth;
Ensuring that our young people are not forced to leave their home country as a result of a lack of opportunities;
Strengthening and protecting family life. Families are the cornerstone of strong communities, and ultimately, a strong society;
Ensuring that every person in this country can access the health care they require on the basis of need;
Providing support and assistance to people with disabilities;
Enabling older people to live dignified and independent lives.
Formally launching FROM CRISIS TO HOPE Bishop John Kirby said “People neglected the principles of solidarity and placed private sectional interests ahead of the good of the community as a whole. Greed became dominant, trust was betrayed and the result was the recession in which we now are.
The recent elections have led to the building up of hope. We pray that our hopes will be fulfilled and that we can look forward to a brighter future.
Caring for the poor and the marginalised is a major ministry of Franciscans, indeed it is thee ministry. We believe that our ministry is based on our life of prayer and community living. Next week-end five men, a couple of them who have been discerning with me for a significant amount of time now, will come to ‘Experience Our Life’ in one of our friaries. I invite you to remember them in your prayers as they continue on their discernment journey.
If you are interested in finding our more about ‘The Franciscan Way of Life’ please contact me at: brpatofm@hotmail.com
Wishing you and yours peace and joy during these times of recession.
God bless,
Fraternally,
Pat