NJPN E-Bulletin 12th February 2023
Dear Friends,
I will be honest with you, I am frightened to watch or listen to the news at present. This week has been particularly bad with the horrific images and rising death toll from the Earthquake that has affected Syria and Turkey.
The ongoing situation in Ukraine, and the promise of more help from European leaders, seem to be dragging us more towards an all out conflict (obviously there are other conflicts, but too numerous to mention); that and Shay Cullen’s article, which I will share with you later, in which he mentions that a US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025….oh, and the whole Chinese Air Balloon being shot down over the US too…what the heck is happening?
When I see the good work that happens when people work together, both locally and internationally, I wonder how the world’s leaders can constantly be at odds with each other. You can understand why people stick their heads in the sand and don’t get involved – they must feel as if whatever they do will not make any difference – but as Saint Teresa of Calcutta said
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
The e-bulletin addresses all of these issues, and I like to think that all of us go forward in hope and love and be that little ‘drop’ to make a difference. Thank you to everyone who engages in some way with it.
Talking of hope, bookings are now open for our Annual Conference at the Hayes in Swanwick, Derbyshire. This will be my third conference, and if it is anything like the last two, I will come away feeling re-energised and full of hope! Please come and join us. Details and booking form are on the NJPN website.
Our Action of the Week is around the climate, and the issue of divestment. See what you can do to help change things in your Diocese.
In two weeks’ time we have our Networking Day via Zoom (details below), so the next e-bulletin will be out around the weekend of the 5th March.
Wishing you all well,
Sharon
NJPN E-Bulletin 12th February 2023 NJPN E-Bulletin 12th February 2023
NW NJPN E BULLETIN FEBRUARY 2023
NW NJPN E BULLETIN FEBRUARY 2023
The February edition of the NW NJPN E BULLETIN leads with a hard-hitting opinion piece from Joseph Kelly of The Catholic Network on the background to the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. In a wide-ranging article, regular contributor Professor Ian Linden looks at “How ‘Global Britain’ is letting down the world’s poor.” At the end of this month it will be one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. To mark the day, CND and Stop the War have called a national demonstration in central London on Saturday 25 February at midday to say ‘no to war,’ and ‘no to the risk of nuclear war.’ We also have a request for host families for Ukrainians and a moving poem (first published by Pax Christi), ‘A plea for peace,’ by Mary Hale. Manchester Museum is set to re-open this month after an extensive refurbishment with news of the repatriation of sacred objects to communities of origin to Aboriginal communities plus a digital data base to catalogue images of over 5,240 objects looted during the 19th century British punitive expedition on the Kingdom of Benin (now Edo State, Nigeria) as part of the museum’s ongoing commitment to prioritise cultural heritage material for return. Ince Benet, former home of Fr. Tom Cullinan, has undergone a refurbishment and is now a prayer/retreat centre near Liverpool. There is a packed diary for February and March as well as notices of a wide range of interesting Zoom talks on pages 10-12.
Also included in this mailing are two resources for Lent: a daily reflection booklet with scripture readings and a Stations of the Cross based on an essay ‘Healing through the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ’ by my daughter Annie, a scripture scholar who died in 2020 during Covid. To print the booklets choose ‘landscape’, ‘print both sides’, ‘flip on short edge’ and ‘paper, actual size.’
Please read and pass on to others.
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin February 2023
STATIONS OF THE CROSS HEALING THROUGH THE LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
A JOURNEY FROM LENT TO EASTER
NJPN E-Bulletin 29th January 2023
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Taken from The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-10)
Dear Friends,
I hope that you have had a good fortnight. The weather has certainly been very seasonal – very cold! Not good if you are being careful about putting the gas/electric on.
The above logo introduces our Conference, which will take place between the 21st – 23rd July, at the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire. Don’t forget to save the date! Geoff tells me that Booking Forms will be going out with the postal copies of the newsletter very soon, and a copy of the form will also then be available on the NJPN website. Keep an eye out for it.
So it has been another dismal week in politics, another scandal, another resignation – and to top it all, Sir Rod Stewart is another celebrity that has come out and spoken against the Government. He reckons that in all his 78 years he has never seen the country in such a state. More on that later.
There were a few worthy items sent for our Action of the Week, but we have gone with this petition from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) as it is urgent, with a deadline of 31st January. The other items you will find further down this e-bulletin.
I should be sending the next edition out in around two weeks time. In the meantime, keep up the good work and stay warm and safe.
God bless,
Sharon
NJPN E-Bulletin 29th January 2023
NJPN Open Networking Day – ‘Cost of Living Crisis – Living or Existing’
The next networking day will take place on Saturday 25 February 2023 from 10.45am – 3.30pm and will be a zoom meeting.
There will be contributions from and discussion with those involved in supporting people who are struggling to survive in very difficult circumstances.
For further details and for booking please see NJPN Meetings page.
Contact: NJPN Administrator,
Email: admin@justice-and-peace.org.uk
Tel:02079014864
Click here to download the meeting flier
NW NJPN JUSTICE & PEACE E BULLETIN MID JANUARY 2023
Due a wealth of information and articles here’s a NW NJPN JUSTICE & PEACE E BULLETIN for MID JANUARY 2023. Several articles in the main body of the bulletin and on the diary page refer to events later this week so please take note and pass on to others as soon as possible.
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin mid January 2023
NJPN E-Bulletin 15th January 2023
(Above image copied from the Pax Christi UK website)
God of life and reconciliation and healing,
stop the warfare in the world and in my heart
and grant that peace will reign.
Lord Jesus Christ,
who takes away the sin of the world,
have mercy.
Amen.
(Prayer taken from CAFOD’s Weekly Reflection for the 13th January 2023)
Dear Friends,
A belated Happy New Year to you all. The start of mine has been a busy one, with a few hurdles, hence this going out a week later than originally planned.
So far, certainly in my area, January has been a miserable month. Constant rain, and we are now being lashed by strong winds. There has even been a mention of snow next week. We were lucky to avoid it before Christmas, but I am sure our turn will come soon enough. It was such a bleak morning that I actually went out and bought myself a posy of flowers sold in a jam jar by a local florist. As I am writing this, though, I am wondering about where the flowers came from, and how they travelled….
Talking of which, I don’t really stick to New Year’s resolutions, but this year I am determined to think about what I am buying (except for today!), how much plastic is involved, and where it comes from. At a meeting of the NJPN Executive Committee the other day, at which I took the minutes, someone made the very valid point that there are many people that would like to be able to shop sustainably, and do their bit to save the planet, but cannot do so on a budget. With the shock of my gas/electric bill for the month of December, I too will probably fall into that category.
As today is Peace Sunday, our Action of the Week is based around that subject. We also have lots of information to do with the climate and environment, as well as the situation with migrants and refugees. Please share anything that you can for the next edition, which I am hoping will be out the weekend of the 29th January.
Wishing you a peaceful and healthy start to 2023,
God bless,
Sharon
NJPN E-Bulletin 15th January 2023
NW NJPN E BULLETIN JANUARY 2023
Over the holiday break I’ve been going through old files and looking back at the NW Bulletins since they started in January 2014. To kick start 2023 I’ve included a few sample extracts, one from each year. What stands out from the monthly bulletins is that the same issues appear again and again: conflicts; the arms trade; poverty; austerity; homelessness; asylum seekers and refugees; slavery and human trafficking; gender equality; climate change; the list goes on.
It’s easy to become disheartened at the scale of the problems facing our country and our world today.
But now is not the time to be despondent. Perhaps a good New Year’s resolution might be to roll up our sleeves with renewed vigour and commit ourselves to lobbying, campaigning and community action to bring about a kinder, fairer, more peaceful world for all.
Let’s be inspired by Greta Thunberg’s words: “Right now, we are in desperate need of hope. But hope is not about pretending that everything will be fine. To me, hope is not something that is given to you, it is something you have to earn, to create. It cannot be gained passively, through standing by and waiting for someone else to do something. Hope is taking action.”
These stirring words are echoed by Niall Cooper Director Church Action on Poverty who says: “As we enter 2023, Church Action on Poverty is determined to offer a message of hope. Another world is still possible, and is already struggling to be brought into being by people and communities ‘on the margins’ across the country.”
Have a look at the other initiatives for action in the first NW NJPN E Bulletin of the New Year. Please read and pass on to others.
Wishing all our readers a happy and peaceful New Year.
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin January 2023
LivingLaudatoSiICNFeb23
NJPN E-Bulletin 11th December 2022
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(Above image Copyright of picture-alliance/Zum a Press/London News Pictures/P. Hackett)
Every day, somewhere in the world, the nativity scene is alive
Lord God,
open our ears to hear your voice of peace and open our hearts to work for an end to violence and conflict in our world.
Amen.
(Prayer taken from CAFOD’s Advent Reflection for the 5th December)
Dear Friends,
Thanks to those of you who sent good wishes following the last e-bulletin, when I thought I had Covid. Would you believe I didn’t then, but finally tested positive a week ago! I have been really lucky and not had much in the way of symptoms, apart from extreme tiredness. I get to about lunchtime and have had enough! (some might say that is my age, rather than Covid!).
On a more serious note, my downer of the week was hearing that the Government have given the go ahead for the Coal Mine in Cumbria. You will see an Action about that. Obviously that, and the numerous strikes we are all facing in the coming weeks.
Having said that, I am grateful for the roof over my head, and food on my table, and a loving family around me. Those who are fleeing war or persecution are not so lucky, and that was brought home to me by the above slogan that I saw on Facebook, along with a similar photograph.
At this time of year, much as we want it to be a joyful time, as Christian people we need to remember those whose life is not as easy as our own.
Our Action of the Week is based around that little town that we sing about at Christmas, Bethlehem, and the struggle that the Palestinian Christians face daily.
This is the last e-bulletin before Christmas and the New Year, so I wish you a peaceful and joyful time, but most of all, keep well and safe. The next issue will be out around the 8th January, so if you can bear that in mind when sending articles to be included.Thanks very much for your continued support over the past year,
Sharon
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NW NJPN E BULLETIN DECEMBER 2022
In a time with so much depressing news – climate change, unrest in many parts of the world and economic hardship facing many in the UK – the NW NJPN E BULLETIN for DECEMBER 2022 leads with six ‘core conditions’ of conscious hope from writer and peace campaigner David Gee. The controversial decision by FIFA to hold this year’s World Cup in Qatar has thrown into the spotlight many human rights concerns. The opening match for the England team showcased the remarkable sight of Iran’s players refusal to sing their national anthem in a gesture of solidarity with oppressed women and protestors back home. Index on Censorship praises the Iranian players but condemns President Biden’s administration for telling a court last week that as a “sitting head of government” Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman should be immune from civil court proceedings over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Maggie Beirne of Westminster J&P Commission reports on the recent NJPN quarterly meeting: guest speaker Peter Hussey referred to Pope Francis’ call for a better kind of politics – “one truly at the service of the common good”. We report on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine including a disturbing report that Ukrainian refugees are being forcibly drafted into the Israeli military. The Channel crossings continue to be in the news with those who have died this year commemorated and an arrest made. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation have produced a comprehensive forecast of the impact of the Autumn Statement on low income families. Pax Christi welcome the appointment of new CEO Andrew Jackson and we publish the obituary of newspaper lawyer Eddie Young who was instrumental in bringing the killers of Stephen Lawrence to justice. The findings of the 2021 Census reveal that for the first time, fewer than half the population of England and Wales describe themselves as Christian. There is a packed diary for December and the New Year.
Please read and pass on to others.
Best wishes
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin December 2022
Hello everyone
This year Advent has come upon us quickly and lasts for four full weeks. As there is material for Advent I am sending this out a little earlier than usual i.e in November.
There are several catchups on webinars and I have watched and recommend them all. Something positive to do if we do if we get some cold winter weather.
I have included in full the report of the NJPN Meeting in London earlier in November as the topic of ‘Truth and Integrity’ seem very important and it is encouraging that we are making links with the Quakers. In our local Churches Together the Catholics and the Quakers often find themselves supporting the same issues where other mainline Churches are hesitant or disagree.
Best wishes to you, your families and friends for the Christmas season,
Marian
Winter Mouthpeace 2022-3
