Winter 2008 Newsletter

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Home / Newsletters / Winter 2008 Newsletter: Winter Issue 2008 From the President's Desk . . . Dear friends of Path to Peace Foundation, This year has been a challenging one for many people in light of a series of crises: security crisis, fuel crisis, food crisis and financial crisis, with ramifications spreading across the globe. Our reaction should not be limited to deploring the crisis and offering expressions of sympathy to the poorer countries and social strata which have been most affected. New means and measures need to be implemented to avoid similar crises in the future. During this holy season we remember how God stripped Himself of glory to come to live among us, assuming our human nature and living conditions in order to redeem mankind. St. Irenaeus, an early Father of the Church, said that at Christmas God became man in Jesus so that man might become God. In Jesus, God became poor not for the sake of poverty, but in order to make us rich in humanity and spirituality. I’m pleased to offer this thought to our dear Path to Peace supporters for our reflection at this time of year. Our generosity is not an end in itself nor simply a good deed, rather, it is to give back to God, through our brothers and sisters, and to be filled with divine life. It is in this spirit that we propose in this newsletter an appeal by the Canossian Sisters in East Timor who are asking for our help. And kindly remember the Path to Peace Foundation this Christmas. It is because of friends and benefactors like you who make it possible for us to do what we do. Merry Christmas and happy New Year! Sincerely, + Celestino Migliore 63^rd SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY The 63^rd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations opened on September 16. As has been our tradition, a Prayer Service on the vigil of the opening of the G.A. took place at the Church of the Holy Family. Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter for the occasion, offering his prayers that in this 60^th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, national and international leaders reappropriate the lofty moral vision and the transcendent principles of justice embodied in the UN’s founding documents. Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop of New York, offered an inspiring reflection. Among the dignitaries were Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon and the President of the General Assembly, as well as a number of ambassadors, UN officials, and clergy representing various faith traditions. The Prayer Service was very well attended. HOLY SEE’S ACTIVITIES AT THE UN As always, the opening of each General Assembly brings with it a flurry of activity. The Holy See Mission’s staff was very busy attending meetings, contributing to debates and negotiations. Our guidelines this year have been set by Pope Benedict in his speech at the General Assembly last April: human rights, based on the natural law inscribed on human hearts and present in different cultures and civilizations; the principle of “responsibility to protect,” as the foundation of every action taken by those in government with regard to the governed; and the full guarantee of religious liberty which cannot be limited to the free exercise of worship, but has to give due consideration to the public dimension of religion, and hence, to the possibility of believers playing their part in building the social order. To read the text of a particular statement, please visit our website, www.holyseemission.org PEACEBUILDING: A ROLE FOR RELIGION A side event on religion and peacbuilding sponsored by the Holy See Mission and the Path to Peace Foundation was held at the UN on October 7^th. The forum, which drew a standing-room only crowd, treated religion and how it can be a powerful force for freedom and justice. Archbishop Migliore said that contrary to Karl Marx’s contention that “religion is the opium of the people... religion is the vitamin of the poor. It gives the poor a precise identity, a sense of belonging, to those who otherwise can be left behind on the road to globalization.” Also participating in the side event were: Ambassador Ismael A. Gaspar Martins, the Permanent Representative of Angola to the UN, who served as the moderator; Gerard Powers, Coordinator of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network and Director of Policy Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame; Maryann Cusimano Love, Associate Professor of International Politics, of the Catholic University of America; and John Katunga, Senior Advisor for peacebuilding East Africa Region, of Catholic Relief Services. Panelist Gerard Powers said: “It is no accident that at least half the Nobel Prize winners in the past 25 years have been people whose work was inspired by their faith.” Professor Cusimano Love said Catholic and other faith-based groups that are not constrained by state sovereignty have a historic opportunity to transform international and local politics through what she calls “resurrection politics.” Speaking of his experience in East Africa, John Katunga said that religion “is now the single most powerful community mobilizer…a formidable actor for peaceful social change.” CANOSSIAN APPEAL The Canossian Sisters in East Timor, are asking help from the Path to Peace Foundation to assist them with their school, Instituto Profissional de Canossa. The past two years have been difficult for the Timorese people. Most of their students have been displaced; some are returning to their homes, while others are still living in their refugee camps. The Director of the school, Sr. Terezinha do MJ Gusmão Guterres, FdCC, has presented a budget of $77,000 for a three-year period to cover the teachers’ salaries, improvements to the facilities, including library services, language laboratory, Internet connection, scholarships for disabled and orphans. Although the Sisters have reduced their tuition from $162 to $95, 75% of the students are unable to pay that amount. Will you help us reach our first year goal of $25,000? Any contribution you give will be matched. Your $100 donation automatically becomes $200; $1,000 turns into $2,000. Whatever you are able to give, large or small, will be matched! Please see the enclosed donation response form to make your contribution. WELCOME NEW INTERNS In September we welcomed two new interns, Katherine Jauert and Kayla Kowitz, both 2008 graduates of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Katherine graduated from the University’s School of Law and wishes to pursue a career in International Human Rights. She says that her summer trip to Tanzania in 2005 made her realize “how vital religion was to all of these people. It is a source of hope where they otherwise have none.” She currently follows the Third, Fourth, and Sixth Committees for the Permanent Observer Mission and will be with us until July. Kayla received her B.S. degree in Business Economics and a B.A. in Catholic Studies. Kayla describes herself as “passionately Catholic” and is “increasingly motivated by the value of Catholic tradition and thought in the study of economics.” Kayla is following the First, Second, and Fifth Committee of the General Assembly and will be with us until Christmas. THANK YOU HOMELAND FOUNDATION This year we received a substantial grant from the Homeland Foundation which was used to purchase a new air-conditioning unit for the Offices of the Holy See Mission and Path to Peace Foundation. Our old HVAC system was thirty years old and had run its course. We are grateful to the Homeland Foundation for this most generous donation. GALA DINNER 2009 Please SAVE THE DATE of Tuesday, June 9, 2009 for our annual Path to Peace Gala Dinner. The dinner will be held at the Rainbow Room overlooking Rockefeller Plaza. Please plan to attend and encourage your friends to join us for a memorable evening. Donating to the Path to Peace Foundation is now only a click away. To donate online please go to http://www.thepathtopeacefoundation.org/support_us.html If you wish to unsubscribe to this Newsletter, please write or call us