CPJ Newsletter July 2007 Catholics for Peace and Justice posted its newsletter for July 2007.

"Volunteer Position Still Open" to produce the newsletter.

"Catholics for Peace and Justice General Meeting -- September 8"

We need your help – we can’t have this discussion alone.

Why not? Don't our parish staffs and parish councils?

"Meet Your Catholics for Peace and Justice Leadership Council Members" including

Shirley Henika ... also wanted to be part of a group that was offering constructive suggestions/taking positive actions to end the war, rather than just "Bush bashing" which many anti-war groups resorted to.

CPJ's raised the issue of impeachment, but draws the line at "Bush bashing".

Fr. Jack Kern is pastor of St. Catherine on 51st and Center ... . He entered the seminary as "a child of the sixties concerned about racial justice and peace," and spent the three summers before ordination working at St. Boniface with Jim Groppi, now both his pastor and hero.

How a dead Episcopalian like Fr. Groppi can now be Fr. Kern's pastor is a bit unclear.

"Stop the War – Please Join Us Now. From Mark Peters"

Last month, we (the four members of this committee) asked all our members to pull out the stops and pressure their federal legislators to de-fund the war this coming September, which will be our last opportunity to stop the war for an entire year. We asked that, to help us measure our effectiveness, you let us know who you contacted and when. To date, we have heard from three of you that they have made calls.

Mr. Peters is a Parish Consultant for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, but despite that,

To say we're shocked is a bit of an understatement. Are people calling but just not telling us? Was what we were asking people to do unclear? Have people simply decided that it's hopeless and given up? Are people even reading the newsletter? We don't know.

Maybe they need a program that personally contacts all members like, as I always say, when there's a parish building fund drive.

We have also emailed over 100 Milwaukee area leaders to ask them to join us and Peace Action in a broad-based coalition to de-fund the war which would operate only between now and September, and called several others personally. So far the response has been almost nil ...

Does he have techniques in his day job that are producing dramatically better results in our parishes?

What are you doing to work for an end to the US occupation of Iraq and the safe return of our armed forces?

I'm reading the CPJ newsletter which, for all they seem to know, is more than most of the people on their mailing list.

"Engage! Putting Your Faith Into Action" From the CPJ Education Group

The program uses the video “Communities of Salt and Light” to emphasize that parishes are the heart of sharing and acting on the social teaching of the Church and calls on parish members to integrate social justice into every aspect of parish and community life.

If the way questions about parish liturgical practices are answered is consistently up to the standards of social justice, then this should be a snap. Here's the document on Organizing a Parish Social Ministry Coordination Team [7 pp. pdf], which begins,

Building a successful parish-based social ministry effort of the kind envisioned in Communities of Salt and Light requires tapping each and every able Catholic’s baptismal call to serve.

Must be intended to build on an earlier program to get each and every able Catholic at Sunday Mass, and that earlier program must be in its very early stages.

"Monthly Prayer for Peace"

Our next prayer gathering will take place in August. We will provide you details in our August Newsletter.

Actually, the prayer service is right now, August 7th, 7:00 p.m., so don't wait for the August newsletter.

"Guest Opinion: On Being Patriotic" By Mark Peters

Lately, I've been wondering what it will take to motivate people to make one last push between now and September to de-fund this war ...

Again, if he can demonstrate what it will take to motivate people to attend Sunday Mass, he might transfer those motivational techniques here.  ¶ 8/07/2007 07:00:00 PM