February 9, 2010

Pax Christi sows seeds for a peaceful future

The worldwide organization is focused on social justice and follows the teachings of the Catholic Church.

MARCI ELLIOTT | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Posted: 08.18.09

TALLAHASSEE | When Shirley Poore was looking for something to become involved in, something that she really believed in, a letter gave her the answer to what she was seeking. It was the letter “Challenge of Peace,” published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1983.

“There was a lot going on in the 1980s – the Cold War, nuclear missiles and more. There was a different climate in the church,” said Poore of Tallahassee. “I thought, ‘How can I be a mother and a Catholic and not be involved?’”

Reading the letter inspired Poore and two other women, Sheila O’Brien and Anne Richter, to establish the Tallahassee chapter of Pax Christi, the Catholic peace movement.

“It started on Feb. 28, 1986. We were called to be peacemakers,” Poore said. “Father Michael Foley of Good Shepherd Parish gave us permission. We held our first conference there. Father Foley has supported us ever since and is a big believer in what we do.” The chapter was started four years after Pax Christi Florida, the state and regional section of Pax Christi USA, was founded.

Poore, coordinator of the Tallahassee chapter, has made her work in Pax Christi a priority in her life. A quiet, soft-spoken grandmother with a calm voice, she and her husband, Bill, work in real estate. But she prefers to stay behind the scenes as she organizes Pax Christi vigils and events.

“Getting attention for ourselves is not our aim,” she said. “It’s not about us.”

Poore quickly points out that Pax Christi, Latin for “peace of Christ,” is not a single-issue organization, although it’s known mostly for its anti-death penalty and anti-abortion policies. Rather, she says, it is a worldwide organization focused on social justice and follows the teachings of the Catholic Church – and particularly the seven Catholic social teaching principles, or themes, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Life and dignity of the human person – This is the foundation of all the principles of the Church’s and the conference’s social teaching. It addresses issues such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning, stem-cell research and the death penalty. It also calls on all nations to avoid war and to protect the right to life through peaceful means.

Call to family, community and participation – Marriage and the family are the central institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined, and all people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Rights and responsibilities – Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families and to the larger society.

Option for the poor and vulnerable – In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, Catholic tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

The dignity of work and the rights of workers – The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, the basic rights of workers must be respected.

Solidarity – In one human family, all are their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, whoever and wherever they may be. Love of neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. The Gospel calls people to be peacemakers.

Care for God’s creation – Catholics show respect for the Creator by stewardship of creation. They are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

“We don’t want to be bleeding hearts and we don’t want to be regarded as nuts,” Poore said. “Sometimes people think we’re fools, but we’re willing to be fools if it gets our point across.”

Janet Kurisko, an active member of the Tallahassee chapter who is reducing her involvment because of family reasons, said belonging to Pax Christi has made major changes in her life.

“Now that I’m stepping back, I truly understand what Pax Christi does. I will forever support it financially and will continue to work against the death penalty and (for) the other principles,” Kurisko said. “It has totally raised my awareness. There is a season for everything. I had my season and it changed my life. I pray 100 percent differently.”

Kurisko has worked closely with Poore and the other Tallahassee chapter members and firmly believes in the movement’s mission and beliefs.

“I believe the work of Pax Christi will go on because it’s God’s work,” Kurisko said. “For the two years I’ve been active in it, I’ve called politicians, worked with the Florida Catholic Conference, did networking and other things I was called to do. It is mentally a full-time job.”

Poore maintains a “to-do” list of events and observances the Tallahassee chapter follows throughout the year. They range from raising awareness of racism on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January to Farmworkers Sunday in November.

Providing food, clothing, transportation and other needs for the poor is high on Pax Christi’s list. Another important issue is the campaign to close the School of the Americas, a U.S. military training school for Latin American troops. In Fort Benning, Ga., near Columbus, the school is said to have produced graduates with a long history of participating in and orchestrating killings, rapes and the suppression of popular movements for social change, according to SOA Watch, an independent organization that seeks to close the school.

On Nov. 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage daughter were massacred in El Salvador. A U.S. congressional task force reported that those responsible were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas, which changed its name in 2001 to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.

“The murderer of Bishop (Oscar) Romero has been traced to the School of the Americas,” Poore said. “We support the protest to close down the school.”

Archbishop Romero, who became the fourth archbishop of San Salvador, was assassinated in 1980 as he finished his homily at Mass by a right-wing group headed by former Major Roberto D’Aubuisson. His murder provoked an international outcry for reform in El Salvador.

At times, Poore feels as if her work in Pax Christi is a full-time job. She has a “Pax Christi room” in her Southwood home, filled with books, publications and all sorts of information on the movement and the issues it tackles.

“But all the time I put into it, with the results it achieves, is worth it,” she said. “The School of the Americas, Martin Luther King Jr. and racism, and the death penalty – those are the huge three issues for us. We are sowing seeds for the future.”

 

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