Slideshow image

“Social Justice is a Godly practice we should strive to do on a daily basis.” Stephan Mattson  

We have a Social Justice Team at St. James and the members so far are Fr. Chris, Diane Allengame, Chris Mackey, Amy Dow, Valerie Jones, Chuck Davies and me.  We have been meeting via Zoom, and mulling over our mandate and how to accomplish our desire ‘to work for the full inclusion and fair treatment of all marginalized people and to advocate for the equitable distribution of resources in every sector of our common life,’ and hold this as a constant in our everyday living. This presents some problems in the time of COVID, where we can’t actually meet in person, or go about freely. But this won’t last forever and so now we are making a start.

Social Justice is an integral part of the teachings of Jesus and the life of Christians. Fr. Chris has pointed out that we are reminded of this in our baptismal vows:

  • Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ?
  • Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?
  • Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being?
  • Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?

To which, we all answer, “I will with God’s help.”

I am not sure when these words were written, but they maintain their appropriateness, especially in these times. As a start, our parish has made a commitment “to honour Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month and Indigenous History Month.”

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, a time to reflect on, and celebrate, the contributions that Canadians of Asian origin continue to make to the growth and prosperity of Canada. It has been celebrated across Canada since the 1990s. We are making plans for our celebrations at St. James, and will have more information on this shortly.

On another note, if you want to reach out to our community with love, and ask how we might better understand and integrate with each other, please join us.  

Contact Donna Davies – donnadavies@rogers.com or any member of the team.