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Welcome to Blessed Sacrament’s Peace and Justice Committee’s Webpage. May Christ’s Peace be with you. The Peace and Justice Committee is a parish’s link both with the larger communities (local, national, and global) in which the parish is involved, and with the universal Church and its Catholic Social Teachings. Our work is pretty much “where the tire hits the pavement”. We apply Catholic Social Teachings in very concrete programs of service and education. Just take a look at what we have going on, and if you would like more information on any of these activities, please contact Bernadette at BlSacPandJ@aol.com OUR YEAR-ROUND ACTIVITIES: A Rosary for Peace, prayed every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in the Church. Please join us for our weekly rosary. If you would like to lead the rosary occasionally, please contact Bernadette at the above e-mail address. A Food Pantry servicing parishioners and agencies on behalf of their clients. The food is collected on the last weekend of each month, which we call Food to Share Weekend. Parishioners are invited to bring non-perishable food items, laundry or cleaning supplies, or personal hygiene items to Mass that weekend, and to leave them at any of at the Church entrances. Items that are needed are usually listed in the bulletin on the next to the last weekend of the month. In 2007, thanks to your generosity, our pantry served over 260 individuals (68 families). And some of these families, especially parish families received continued help. God bless all who are so faithful to this ministry. A year-long commitment to some Peace effort is requested of our parishioners. Previously we have made the Family Pledge of Nonviolence our common commitment, but currently, we are inviting parishioners to choose from several works for Peace or develop their own. Paper doves with suggestions on them, and a space for your own ideas, are always available in the racks attached to the bookcase in the back of the Church, as are copies of the Family Pledge of Nonviolence. If you wish to participate in our Peace effort, just mark and sign the dove and drop it in the collection basket at any weekend Mass. Our Sister Parish, San Rafael Arcángel, located in Guatemala City, Guatemala. We send regular financial and prayer support to San Rafael, and share news of how our two parishes carry out our common faith. Unfortunately, violence is not uncommon in Guatemala, one sad legacy of years of war. Please continue to pray for a lessening of violence in Guatemala and for safety for our sisters and brothers of San Rafael. Beginning Saturday, August 2, and continuing through Sunday, August 10, we will again collect new school supplies. We will share them with: parishioners, Sacred Heart school, Community Action of Siouxland, and the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence's shelter for women and children. The two agencies do not receive supplies from the various drives around town, but try to have school supplies on hand throughout the year for their clients (especially the shelter, as their clients usually come with only the clothes on their backs). The collection box will be in the main vestibule in the back of Church. As you enjoy God's created world this summer, can you find something you can do that you're not already doing to help protect or beautify it? It's a sign of respect for God's handiwork! |
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