Living Peace

By Susan Rose Francois, CSJP

When Bishop Edward Gilpin Bagshawe welcomed the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace to the Diocese of Nottingham in 1884, he found in Mother Francis Clare and her companions courageous women who would promote peace through acts of mercy and justice to the poor. The next year, in fact, he published a compilation of pastoral letters on political economy titled just that, Mercy and Justice to the Poor.

by Stephanie Peirolo, CSJP-A

My granddaughter just turned six, and we’ve been talking about what a conscience is. I defaulted to the cartoon image I grew up with – a small angel on one shoulder and a diminutive devil on the other. They argue with you, and you have to decide who you are going to listen to when you make your choices. I do not pretend, even to a child, that the devil is not an excellent persuader.

by Kelly Marsicano, Communications Coordinator

Each of the five ministries sponsored by the Congregation and Peace Ministries was born out of the needs of the time. Whether they were founded 25 years ago or 125 years ago, the ministries continue to be responsive to the needs of the communities they serve, while holding on to the values on which they were founded.

by David Richardson, Peace through Justice Worker

Ten years ago, Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home echoed across the United Kingdom and around the world. It offered an invitation to reflect on our relationship with God’s creation and was a call to not only think differently but to live differently. That message has taken root here in the U.K, shaping a decade of ecological awareness, action, and collaboration.

Pause features poems, reflections and short excerpts on the same subject by various writers. This issue's compositions are dedicated to healing through our connection with one another and our common home.

by Teresa Maya, CCVI

“Charism is a gift of the Spirit.” A statement we have been tossing around in charismatic families for several decades, familiar, matter-of-fact even; and yet, we need to engage with its three components in light of the times we are living through. What is charism? How do we know it’s working? How do we know it’s healthy or waning? And for apostolic congregations, with a culture of service and giving, “gift” can be challenging. We are not used to being on the receiving end; we like to do, create, offer, and make possible. And then, the Spirit, the third person of the Trinity… present, inspiring, consoling, and often noticed only in retrospect.

by Michael and Brett Hayes

In a world where so many are hurting and in need of love, Michael and Brett Hayes have chosen to expand their capacity to love through fostering and adoption, compassionately creating a family and a safe and loving home for three boys. We reached out to them recently to learn more about how they chose to take this road less traveled.

by Melody Maravillas, Congregation Chief Financial Officer

During a museum trip, I chanced upon a lithograph by George Biddle. Fire appears to rain down on a perverted world, where greens and blues depict decay instead of life. The scene is so irrational that it is difficult to make any sense of it. A woman sits on top of a braying donkey as Father Time is goaded on by a pig riding on his back. Predatory dinosaur skeletons loom over an emaciated white horseman struggling to spread light amid the chaos. People cower underground in fear, some of whom have died waiting for a savior. The art evokes confusion and despair. Biddle’s work is titled Si Regnent Saeculum Nostrum Ignorantia Timor Odiumque (If Ignorance, Fear, and Hate Should Rule Our World).