The last few months have seen an increase in the level of activity and activism around issues of peace and justice, including immigrant rights, gender equality, LGBT and climate change issues, whether local, national, or internationally focused. To help the Cathedral community respond both thoughtfully and in a timely fashion to calls for action on many fronts, the Dean is reconstituting the Cathedral Peace and Justice Committee. Marshall Moore has graciously agreed to serve as convenor.
As an initial step, we invite those with a keen interest in issues of peace and justice to send an email to peacejustice@stpaulcathedral.org expressing your interest and specifying the issue areas you are most interested in.
If you come across an initiative, a piece of news or a planned action that you would like the Cathedral to consider supporting, you can send a link about the event to the same email address. Marshall will gather all the submissions and cathedral leadership will determine the extent to which our congregation should officially engage in a given event.
We are working to create the commission so that we can branch out to other areas such as advocacy or policy statements, and this is just a starting point.
Statement of Purpose for our Peace and Justice Ministry
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8
Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” John 20:21
“The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” BCP p.855
“Love Christ. Serve Others. Welcome All.” Mission statement of St. Paul’s Cathedral
As Christians, we worship a God who we believe is passionate for justice and who desires peace and wholeness (“shalom”) for the whole creation. Our Episcopal catechism tells us that our duty to our neighbor includes a duty “to show respect for the life God has given us; to work and pray for peace; … to seek justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all people.” BCP p. 848
The Peace and Justice Ministry of St. Paul’s Cathedral seeks to encourage and assist the members of St. Paul’s in carrying out this duty and in serving the God of justice and peace. Working under the direction of the Dean and Chapter, we will do this in the following ways:
- We will make known to the congregation opportunities to speak or to stand publicly for issues of peace and justice in our own community and in the world.
- We will actively pray for peace at every level of our lives and for the world.
- We will commit to seeking reconciliation with God and with others, individually and corporately.
- We will support organizations whose mission is focused on the furtherance of peace and justice, provided they are congruent with the missions of the Episcopal Church and the Cathedral.
- We will host and facilitate Cathedral events designed to further peace and justice.
- We will seek out opportunities for ourselves and for the congregation to educate ourselves about issues of peace and justice, including but not limited to issues in the following areas
Immigration
LGBT rights
Ending war
Human trafficking
Stewardship of the earth and our environment
Racial inequity
Homelessness
Poverty & inequity
The use of violence to achieve societal change
In some instances, our efforts regarding one or more of these issues may overlap with the mission of our outreach, formation, or other Cathedral ministries. In such cases we will work cooperatively with the leaders of those ministries to further our common mission.
