St. Ann Parish looking to pursue peace from Catholic perspective
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Lois Rogers, Correspondent
In recent years, Lawrenceville’s St. Ann Parish has referenced the quest for peace in many ways, such as displaying peace cranes in its Gallery of Light and holding prayerful interreligious vigils, gatherings and panels.
On Dec. 12 – the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – the parish will take things a step further by hosting a meeting to explore the possibility of implementing a broader focus on peacemaking from the perspective of Catholic social teaching.
Spearheaded by parishioner Martha Andrade, who has been active in peace initiatives from a Catholic perspective over the years in her own native Ecuador and around the United States, the meeting will begin at 7:30 in the church, 1253 Lawrence Road.
Gary Maccaroni, pastoral associate in St. Ann Parish, explained that after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the parish made an effort to “focus on the gift of peace not as the absence of conflict but according to the catechism of the Catholic Church.”
This has melded today with the desire to talk about peace, not as a political action, he said, but as it connects the teachings of the Church to being a follower of Jesus.
He likened the possibility of a peace-related program to the parish “Green Team,” which works on environmental issues. “It’s not a political action group when you take the teachings of the Church and talk about the care of the earth,” he said.
Peacemaking, Maccaroni said, is a work of Mercy, and it is part of Biblical tradition. “Christ is our peace. Jesus speaks about it.”
“What we have decided to do is call to mind what it means to be a peacemaker follower of Jesus,” he added.
The Dec. 12 conversation will focus, he said, on what kind of energy exists to get a cohesive program up and running. “In the last couple of years, we made September a month of peace and focused on peacemakers including Mother Teresa.”
Such efforts, Maccaroni said, included a panel workshop this September that drew about 100 people to hear leaders of different faiths speak on the perspectives of their traditions. “To people who are interested, we can say, ‘Here’s what we’ve done for the past couple of years.”
What’s important, he said, is to “get ideas from people who are interested, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus and the foundation of Catholic social teaching.”
For more information, call St. Ann Parish at 609-882-6491.
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By Lois Rogers, Correspondent
In recent years, Lawrenceville’s St. Ann Parish has referenced the quest for peace in many ways, such as displaying peace cranes in its Gallery of Light and holding prayerful interreligious vigils, gatherings and panels.
On Dec. 12 – the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – the parish will take things a step further by hosting a meeting to explore the possibility of implementing a broader focus on peacemaking from the perspective of Catholic social teaching.
Spearheaded by parishioner Martha Andrade, who has been active in peace initiatives from a Catholic perspective over the years in her own native Ecuador and around the United States, the meeting will begin at 7:30 in the church, 1253 Lawrence Road.
Gary Maccaroni, pastoral associate in St. Ann Parish, explained that after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the parish made an effort to “focus on the gift of peace not as the absence of conflict but according to the catechism of the Catholic Church.”
This has melded today with the desire to talk about peace, not as a political action, he said, but as it connects the teachings of the Church to being a follower of Jesus.
He likened the possibility of a peace-related program to the parish “Green Team,” which works on environmental issues. “It’s not a political action group when you take the teachings of the Church and talk about the care of the earth,” he said.
Peacemaking, Maccaroni said, is a work of Mercy, and it is part of Biblical tradition. “Christ is our peace. Jesus speaks about it.”
“What we have decided to do is call to mind what it means to be a peacemaker follower of Jesus,” he added.
The Dec. 12 conversation will focus, he said, on what kind of energy exists to get a cohesive program up and running. “In the last couple of years, we made September a month of peace and focused on peacemakers including Mother Teresa.”
Such efforts, Maccaroni said, included a panel workshop this September that drew about 100 people to hear leaders of different faiths speak on the perspectives of their traditions. “To people who are interested, we can say, ‘Here’s what we’ve done for the past couple of years.”
What’s important, he said, is to “get ideas from people who are interested, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus and the foundation of Catholic social teaching.”
For more information, call St. Ann Parish at 609-882-6491.
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