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"Christ has no body on earth but ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours. Ours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good. Ours are the hands with which He is to bless people now."

– Theresa of Avila

"Of course it’s easier to do nothing than to do something. But that’s not what we should be about. If we see a need or an injustice, we shouldn’t wait for someone else to act first."

– Fr. Dan Hinsperger

Social Justice

The purpose of the Social Justice group is to educate ourselves on social justice issues, and to make our parishioners aware of these issues. They are also instrumental in organizing Share Lent, food drives, emergency relief, encouraging social action, etc.

Share Lent Magazine

Click here to go to the DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE website, where you can download the special 30-page magazine features DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Share Lent

The Share Lent campaign highlights the action of DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE in the Third World. It is the most recognized program of the organization. The three intertwined objectives of Share Lent are fundraising, education, and renewal of the "Spirit of Lent".

During Lent, we are called to pray, to reflect on the roots of our faith, to look beyond ourselves, and to respond to the Gospel call to justice. The Share Lent program draws to our attention the situations of the people of the Third World, and to the work of DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE partners in responding to these situations. The program not only educates, but invites us to respond by sharing whatever financial resources we are able to support the work of DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE.

Fall Action

The Fall Action program calls us to respond with education and action here in Canada. It is the complement to Share Lent program.

The Fall Action campaign is just that – action, by Canadians to support global peace and development. These actions in Canada respond to the concerns expressed by our partner organizations in the Third World. The action usually takes the form of writing letters, either to apply pressure to governments, corporations or international institutions, or to express solidarity with individuals or movements in the South. Some of the campaigns have called for:

• The Canadian government to stop support of companies patenting seeds – which threatens the right to food for the people living in the Third World.
   
• The companies Nike and Levi Straus to implement independent monitoring of their codes of conduct, in order to provide just working conditions for their sub-contracted workers in the Third World.
   
• A democratisation of the structure of the international financial institutions, the IMF and the World Bank.
   
• The Canadian government to take a leadership role in reducing the weight of international debt on the poorest countries of the world.
   
• Comprehensive sanctions on South Africa during the era of apartheid.
   
• Land reform in the Philippines and Guatemala, in response to the displacement of people in both these countries from their land.
   
• Support for "Grandmothers of the Disappeared" in Argentina.

A Lord's Prayer for Justice

A variation on the Lord's Prayer.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

For a brief overview of the two major DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE programs, click here.

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