Peace and Justice with Beatitudes
St. Mary Magdalen, Brighton
Reported by Bonnie Gurzenda
Parishioner, St. James, Mason
Writer, Sharing the Wealth
In this world beset with turmoil, violence and gross inhumanity, a group of dedicated members of St. Mary Magdalen parish in Brighton have committed themselves to living and teaching the tenets of the Beatitudes. The 12 dedicated members have organized themselves under the umbrella of Pax Christi USA and become part of the parish's Charity and Justice Ministry. The group, which calls itself the "Beatitudes Pax Christi,"
is now in its third year and is finalizing plans for another year of presentations focusing on justice.
Pax Christi USA is a national Catholic peace movement and is a section of Pax Christi International. In its own words, the movement "…commits itself to peace education and, with the help of its bishop members, promotes the gospel imperative of peacemaking as a priority in the Catholic Church in the U.S. Through the efforts of all its members and in cooperation with other groups, Pax Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just and sustainable world."
The effort at the Brighton parish traces its roots back to a Renew program there a few years ago. At that time, a small group of participants chose to commit themselves to the Beatitudes as presented in the Bible. Each person pledged to work toward justice for all people and to be an example of a peacemaker. When Renew ended, some of the original members were joined by others who signed on at a parish stewardship fair. By consensus the name "Beatitudes" was chosen as was the affiliation with Pax Christi USA. Although affiliated, membership in the national organization is not required to participate in Beatitudes.
Member Hugh Conahan captured the group's intent when he wrote their powerful mission statement:
"As an expression of our Faith Community, we embrace the Beatitudes in the formation of our Pax Christi chapter. We have Faith that as Children of God we will grow in our understandings of the true meanings of Peace and be inspired to work toward securing a more peaceful World."
Looking back at those formative days for the Beatitudes, Fr. David Howell, pastor, noted, "One of the great challenges in promoting social justice is finding ways to show that there are practical, everyday possibilities for dealing with these seemingly larger-than-life issues. Often, they seem so big and intimidating that the temptation is great just to wring our hands and end up not doing anything at all!"
The Beatitudes have not succumbed to that "temptation." They have embraced the philosophy that doing something constructive, no matter how small, is better than doing nothing.
According to Ann Lindamood, facilitator for Beatitudes, one of the ministry's early projects couldn't have started more modestly. It began with collecting pennies in a glass jar. The pennies collected were used to purchase materials for a Peace Pole. Made of cedar 4 x 4’s, St. Mary Magdalen's Peace Pole stands 8 ft. tall and is a constant reminder of the group's mission and the parish's commitment. Each side of the pole displays a plaque imprinted with the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in one of four languages--Spanish, English, Hebrew and Arabic. Northern Michigan artisans made the plaques and the men of the parish installed the pole in a garden on parish grounds.
In August, 2006, near the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, more than 150 people attended the dedication of the peace pole and participated in a prayer service. Another prayer service was held at the Peace Pole this past August. That vigil consisted of lighting A candle() and offering silent prayer for all people in harm's way - with a special focus on St. Mary Magdalen parishioners. Attendees were given stones to place at the foot of the pole as symbols of non-violence. Again, the ministry tied this year's prayer service in with the anniversary of the atomic bombings as a "very special time of prayer for peace throughout our world."
Another early presentation by the Beatitudes involved educating the parish on the Fair Trade initiative. Through education, the Fair Trade movement seeks to employ purchasing power to see that workers everywhere earn living wages and are not exploited, and that environmentally sustainable production methods are used.
A nutritionist member of Beatitudes did the research and put together a list of Fair Trade products and the merchants in the area who carry them. Parishioners were encouraged to shop with these merchants who, in turn, offered a 10% discount to those who mentioned the name of the parish. An explanation of "Fair Trade" was published in the bulletin and the parish newsletter, The Visionary. Also, an information table was on display for several months to reinforce the educational efforts.
The Beatitudes will be meeting this fall to finalize plans for the four presentations during 2007 - 2008. They will begin in October with "Harvest, Hunger and Poverty," which will center on a talk by the Gleaners of Livingston County. Gleaners is a food bank for the needy that provides 30 pounds of food for each of its beneficiaries. The educational program will also include a display of just how much help and sustenance a 30-pound package can contain.
In January, 2008, Sr. Constance Supan will perform her one-woman play on the experiences of Mother Theresa Maxis as she founded the first order for "women of color" -- The Servants of The Immaculate Heart of Mary Order in Monroe, Michigan. The obstacles Mother Theresa confronted were so great that, at one point, she even had to leave community she founded! Sr. Supan’s presentation, "Prejudice as Encountered by a Bi-Racial Woman," will focus on the "isms"-- racism and sexism. Also very timely, with the month dedicated to Martin Luther King, the program will include a panel presentation from the Livingston County Diversity Council which will share experiences and field questions.
During the weekend before Earth Day next spring, the Beatitudes will promote the theme: "Living Spiritually with the Earth." A video will be shown and a display is planned. "Keeping the Earth," will feature comments from an ecumenical group led by Thomas Berry, other theologians - including rabbis - and scientists. It will show how the need exists to revere life, live in harmony and save our planet.
To close out the Beatitudes' 2007-2008 series next June, The Michigan Peace Team will offer a workshop, "Living a Non-violent Life." It is designed to teach parishioners how to react calmly and rationally in difficult circumstances.
"These presentations are free of charge," says Ann Lindamood. "Most are presented either on a Friday night or Sunday afternoon, with each one usually lasting from 90 minutes to two hours. Light refreshments are served." Beatitudes has no budget. The out-of-pocket costs are minimal and absorbed by the volunteers in the group.
Ann adds that their pastor, Fr. Dave Howell, is "very supportive of all we do," as is Dcn. Dave Scharf, who is the staff representative and in charge of promoting the projects to the staff. "Fr. Dave comes to all the programs," she says.
Fr. Dave is gratified with the substantial progress the group has made.
"The Beatitudes have taken on the task of giving parishioners a better understanding of social justice and showing them what it is possible to accomplish in this great arena of issues such as hunger, racism and sexism. They have tried to keep their efforts simple and practical and related to matters that are close to home and connected with the lives of our parishioners."
"At St. Mary Magdalen," Fr. Dave concludes, "we perform lots of charitable deeds with some sort of outreach each month. All too often we have been focusing on the needs. Now, with Beatitudes, we are trying to deal with the root causes of these needs."
Ann adds this quote from the late Margaret Mead to underscore the commitment of the Beatitudes, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has."
In summary, the members of Beatitudes are working faithfully to educate their parish on living a life of charity and justice. St. Mary Magdalen parishioners already reach out to the community with food for the needy, assisting the homeless, collecting clothing for needy infants, plus helping and encouraging the less fortunate to help themselves. By concentrating on the lessons of the Beatitudes found in Matthew's Gospel, the parish responds to the Gospel's call in creative and innovative ways that reach farther into the community. Beatitudes Pax Christi sees the parish as a major force in making the world a better place for all.
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