We have already been together for two and a half days and have spoken much about the Alternative Orientation Assembly (AOA). We are blessed to be joined by Siobhan Rowan (Education Department) and Jess Agustin (Program Officer for Asia). They have been wonderful resource people for us and we have already had time to share many stories.
Friday began with business and then quickly moved into a presentation from the Regional Team who traveled to Timor Leste in February – hopefully you followed the blog that was put together on the exposure tour. If you haven’t, I would encourage you to take a look! (www.timorleste2010.blogspot.com)
Today we spent the morning on the usual regional business and then sat back to hear from Jess regarding International Programs and the challenges of the world we are trying to work in. He shared with us some of the discussions that our International Programs Department is having and helped to set the stage for our work on the AOA.
Once we began our work, things became much more serious. It is challenging to put our thoughts into a few sound bytes. After much discussion and little debate we are hopeful for Development and Peace as we move into the next 5 years. We see this time as an opportunity. We are committed to continuing the work of growing – one of the groups stated that if we are not growing, we are dying. The image was that of a plant growing, not growth as defined by the corporate world. One of our youth stated, “When picking an issue, pick it so that it benefits who we want it to benefit/who needs it, not so that we acquire more members”. We recognize that we, as Development and Peace, offer something unique to our Catholic Church in Canada and we celebrate that.
We feel very strongly that the thread of ecological justice that has been present in our work, both in the work of our partners as well as our work in Canada, needs to continue. We look forward to the opportunity for our movement to be able to re-claim and remind Catholics that we have a beautiful Biblical language regarding the earth and creation. We recognize that it is difficult to pull out one thread amongst many interconnected themes, but we feel that again Development and Peace has something unique to offer. We bring a Southern perspective through our partners and their experiences, and we can challenge ourselves, our neighbours and our government to change our approach and be part of the solution.
This Regional Assembly understands that walking in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world includes speaking out about things that need to change here in Canada. We feel strongly that we cannot shy away from advocacy work and that we need to persist in being a prophetic voice if we are to truly live our mission as Development and Peace.
Despite the challenges ahead we are hopeful that we will continue to grow and that the Spirit who inspires us will also direct us. We pray for Development and Peace across Canada as we continue planning and moving forward into the next 5 years.
BC/Yukon Regional Assembly
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Sounds like a great meeting. Wish that I had been there! Margie
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