The August issue of the NW NJPN E Bulletin
The August issue of the NW NJPN E Bulletin celebrates the life of two dedicated North West activist who died recently. Patrick Darnes was a dedicated campaigner for justice and equality for the Palestinian people and Tony McNicholl was a former Justice and Peace worker for the Diocese of Wrexham. We honour the legacy of Civil rights campaigner Roy Hackett, one of the organisers of the Bristol Bus Boycott whose actions helped pave the way for the Race Relations Acts of 1965 and 1968, and also the actress Nichelle Nichols who broke the barriers for Black women starring as Lt Uhura on the original Star Trek TV Show and who shared one of the first multi-racial screen kisses with William Shatner’s Captain Kirk. The England football team’s resounding success in Euro 2022 will hopefully break down barriers in sport although there are concerns that the government is lagging behind in promoting equality for girls in school sports provision. There are reports on UK poverty, climate change, current events and some hard-hitting articles about the situation in Palestine plus a topical personal report from a US Sister who works with transgender people. Finally, read a poem on refugees by Brian Bilston and then read it again!
Please read and pass on
Best wishes
Anne O’Connor
NW NJPN Justice and Peace E Bulletin August 2022
Late addition to the NW NJPN August E Bulletin:
I’ve just received this request from Maria in Wrexham diocese re the late Tony McNicholl.
Maria says, “I wonder if you could add this to the piece? It’s a website with a tribute to Tony and a link to being able to donate to the charity for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.”
https://anthony-mcnicholl.muchloved.com/
Additional note from Anne O’Connor, E Bulletin Editor:
This is a debilitating illness and, coincidentally, was also suffered by Patrick Darnes whose obit is in the August NW Bulletin too.
Please consider supporting this charity in memory of two dedicated workers for Justice and Peace.
NJPN E-Bulletin 7th August 2022
NJPN E-Bulletin 7th August 2022
![](https://www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Logo-Feb-2021.jpg)
If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
(African Proverb)
Dear Friends,
It looks like it’s going to be a shorter e-Bulletin this week. Often these days, I find time just seems to run away with me, and that has indeed happened this weekend. I think this time I’ll just chalk it up to old age!
The news since our last e-Bulletin has been completely covered with
the Conservative Leadership race, and a lot of the campaign promises from both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss seem to show a certain
disregard for the marginalised people of our society. On top of that,
with the extensive leadership race coverage, it is obviously drowning
out the voices of those who truly need to be heard.
Now, I couldn’t write my editor’s note without saying a big thank you
to everyone involved in the NJPN Annual Conference that took place between the 22nd and 24th July. Like last year it was a wonderful and enlightening weekend, filled with insight and education. For those who didn’t come this year, I hope to see you next year (or at any one of our upcoming meetings!). It is so encouraging to see the huge amount of people who really do want to make a difference.
I was listening to the Gospel reading today, and in the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus explained to his disciples that it was best to
be ready and waiting when the Master arrives. Perhaps Jesus was
talking about the Day of Reckoning, or perhaps our own deaths.
Regardless of whether or not you are a Christian, I think these words could still apply. Now more than ever, we are aware that we have to try and leave the planet in a better state than how we found it.
Off the back of our Conference, I have a few related bits and pieces in this week’s e-Bulletin, but also I have tried to add in a bit of variety
here and there as well.
The next edition will be out around the first weekend in September. If you have anything you want included please send it through.
Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Sharon
Footnote: – it was actually my son, Michael, that wrote this editorial – he offered, and I agreed – hence the old age comment in the first paragraph!
NJPN E-Bulletin 7th August 2022 .
NJPN Conference 2022: ‘Let us build the City of God’
NJPN Conference 2022: ‘Let us build the City of God’ ![](https://www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/4-speakers.jpg)
Media Release
24 July 2022
‘Let us build the city of God’ by Dan Shutte was the final hymn of the 2022 annual weekend conference of the National Justice and Peace Network (NJPN) on Sunday. It summed up a morning highlighting the work of NJPN members to build a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. And some of the 160 participants at NJPN’s 44th conference 22-24 July in Derbyshire were dancing to the hymn at a gathering which took the theme, ‘Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”
Sunday morning was the final session chaired by Tim Livesey, CEO of Embrace the Middle East, which works with marginalised and excluded communities. It was uplifting, focusing on ‘Signs of Hope’ and introduced with, “four members will inform us what it means for hope to be a verb.”
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Aisling Griffin, Schools and Youth Worker Pax Christi, reported that, “injustice, peace, fairness and climate change are among the issues important for young people” and “teachers find young people more interested in social justice than ever before.” She said young people want practical ideas and she was “fortunate” to work on peace education with networks such as the Columban Education programme, CAFOD, Christian Student Movement, Young Christian Climate Network, Interfaith Youth Network and Teach for the Future. The Million Minutes Awards recognise young people putting Catholic Social Teaching into action, and she applauded the young people who received awards at the Westminster parliament three weeks ago. “Young people want to put their faith into action; they are involved in and leading social action; they are the hope for the present as well as the future of the Church.”
Ann Farr, Pax Christi’s Chair, reported on solidarity work in the Middle East. She has worked with Palestinians and Israelis as an ecumenical accompanier. Ann reported that Palestinians see hope in the replanting of olive trees destroyed by settlers seeking to claim Palestinian land. They plant new trees and are supported by the international community donating trees. Ann pointed to the L’arche project in Bethlehem, where disabled people are treated with respect, and the work of Comboni Sisters with the Jahalin Bedouin who have lost their ancestral homes and their traditional way of life but still manage to produce a ‘HOPE’ mural on the wall of a school. Pax Christi partners, the Arab Educational Institute and Wiam, were mentioned, who work everyday with people experiencing violence. “They create spaces of encouragement and it is essential we support activities in the West Bank,” she said. She urged the international community to bring hope by challenging systems in the Middle East which cause injustice. A Pax Christ prayer card was handed out.
Martin Birdseye of Christian CND talked of “many years working to end nuclear weapons,” and lamented that there remain about 13,000 weapons around the world. He talked of work towards the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which 122 nations have signed. “We have an important role – as citizens of one of the nuclear weapons states – to get our government to sign up to the Treaty” he said. He urged participants to get their home areas to produce local resolutions, as Manchester has done. “We need to get on with abolishing nuclear weapons,” he added, “and this will bring an active hope.”
John Paul de Quay of Journey to 2020 and the NJPN Environment Working Group talked of the focus on “ecological conversion” inspired by ‘Laudato Si’ and the call of Pope Francis in ‘Let Us Dream’. He said Journey to 2030, “is about reimagination and we need creative interventions.” The conference was invited to form groups to produce artwork on hopeful pathways for the future and ideas they came up with included gardens, wildflower meadows, education to recognise the interconnectedness of issues, good public transport and green buildings. “Everyone should have the opportunity to share real wealth and to thrive,” said one feedback.
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Ashley Ralston of the NJPN Environment Group introduced campaigning recommendations in the lead up to November’s COP27 UN Climate talks in Egypt. The UK will be urged to fulfil pledges made in Glasgow last November on reducing carbon emissions and phase out fossil fuels. Forests, oceans and biodiversity need better protection from pollution and large-scale extractive industries. “It is very important that Churches speak up and hold the UK government to account for delivering and building on COP26 commitments at COP27,” suggested Ashley and “this is a key chance to avoid catastrophic climate change.”
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Keynote speakers throughout the weekend explored the conference theme of ‘Hope’. Irish diplomat Philip McDonagh explored the meaning of hope, drawing on Pope Benedict’s encyclical Spe Salvi, especially the statement that “all serious and upright conduct is hope in action.” He felt “we should ‘image’ or visualise peace as the rightful possession of the human community as a whole,” despite current global conflicts. He felt that, “through developing a culture of dialogue or encounter in national, regional, and global politics we can transform our understanding of effective action and create the conditions for a different kind of civilisation.” He felt, “the National Peace and Justice Network is living proof that individual interventions in the name of justice and mercy reinforce one another and can support wider social objectives as well.” He pointed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as already providing a common plan for humanity and called for consultative processes to include representatives of religion to underpin their implementation. “In this moment of fractured politics and dissolving ethics, renewed attention to religion as a source of unity is a bold and much-needed initiative,” he suggested.
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Rev Dr Patrick Devine SMA spoke of his peacebuilding work in East Africa as
chairman of the Shalom Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation. Shalom seeks to identify, understand and address the underlying causes of conflict rather than just address the symptoms. Fr Devine spoke of dramatic, life-changing results in the areas of conflict transformation, peace education and poverty alleviation. Shalom researches root causes of inter-ethnic conflicts, trains local peace-builders, organises workshops to facilitate resolution and reconciliation processes between factions, and develops inter-ethnic and inter-religious schools. “Theory without practice is empty and practice without theory is blind,” he said.
‘Getting beyond Optimism to Hope: demonstrating or building the Kingdom in the world of politics,’ was the title of a presentation by Andy Flanagan of Christians in Politics and a singer-songwriter. He spoke of leading parliamentarians in singing about integrity, truth and justice at a parliamentary prayer breakfast in early July and a spate of government ministerial resignations which took place hours later! Christians believe that, “integrity in leadership is really important.” A firm believer in tackling the causes of injustice, he praised NJPN for its campaigning work over the years to promote justice and compassion. His music provided the Saturday evening entertainment.
Liturgies were organised by the Lay Community of St Benedict and both Catholic and ecumenical worship was offered. Conference planning partners included ACTA, Christians Aware, Joint Public Issues Team, and Stella Maris. Rev Ruth Gee, a Methodist pastor and patron of NJPN who led a service on Saturday afternoon, spoke of, “being united by concern and passion for justice and peace and by a shared faith.”
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Workshops included issues of domestic poverty and universal credit, Salford’s ‘Guardians of Creation’ project, restoring dignity to prisoners and their families, Church Action for Tax Justice and Interfaith work on Justice and Peace. A preview of the film, ‘Finite: The Science of Climate Change’, which looks at non-violent direct action in Germany and UK to protect ancient forests from coal mines, attracted an audience of 60.
A Just Fair hosted 25 stalls, including Together for the Common Good, Green Christian, Christian Climate Action, Columbans, Missio, World Community for Christian Meditation, Fairtrade, Palestinian Goods and Global Justice Now. Food at the conference was guided by LOAF principles (Local, Organic, Animal Friendly, Fairly Traded). Participants left with plenty of ideas and inspiration.
All talks from NJPN Conference 2022, ‘Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up’
at:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4HAuivOZMEVt5GE-gSBfoVQbZ4PtE_av