Our missions:
Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation are important for all members of the Congregatio Jesu. We are committed to these values in all our Provinces and Regions.
As Mary Ward women, we aim to further Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) in a specific Mary Ward way – that is, in accordance with the charism of the Just Soul and its defining virtues of freedom, justice, sincerity and felicity (joy) which speak so powerfully to issues of JPIC and their integral nature in all aspects of mission and ministry.
A focus on JPIC has been an integral part of our mission for many years and the call to us now is to be more alert and responsive to JPIC issues in all that we do. There are many members of the Mary Ward Family working in educational institutions, integral ecology, non-violence, human trafficking, mining, inter-religious dialogue, pastoral care and social ministries where JPIC is promoted.
In the dynamic world of today, the signs of the times point to a lot of issues that call for friends of Mary Ward to join hands with others to promote JPIC. The Mary Ward way is the way of the Just Soul, once again calling on the members to stand out for Freedom, Justice, Sincerity and Felicity. JPIC is the hallmark of the identity of followers of Mary Ward. To walk in her footsteps is to promote JPIC to all of God’s creation in all circumstances. It means continuously working on personal conversion so that they are not part of plundering the resources of mother earth that should be available for all. It also means that they cannot be silent in the face of injustice! It calls for solidarity, courage, care of creation, networking with others and continuous dialogue.
The issues of fair trade, economic distribution, immigration, human trafficking, poverty, mining, climate crisis are modern day challenges that call for concerted efforts from everyone. It calls forth all friends of Mary Ward to pool together efforts and resources to form a Mary Ward family network that promotes human life and dignity, protection of the environment and solidarity.
Our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us (Laudato Si #1). But our sister cries out because of our lack of responsibility and love to her, and because “we have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will” (#2).
Given the situation of environmental deterioration in which we find ourselves, Pope Francis called on all who live on this planet to enter into the dialogue about our common home (#3).
In January 2020, the Mary Ward JPIC Office in Rome was created with the aim of bringing together and integrating the Institute’s collective efforts in JPIC ministry. A current priority for our JPIC ministry is integral ecology as illustrated in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si.
We are part of a global Catholic movement for the care of creation lived out in our 7-year plan according to the Laudato Si Action Platform.
Human trafficking is a modern day form of slavery wounding women, men and children around the globe by recruiting, harbouring or transporting them by force, fraud or coercion. It is the second largest crime in the world generating billions of dollars for traffickers while victimizing millions of people, some as young as four years of age.
An estimated 20.9 million women, men and children worldwide are victims of international traffickers. This number reflects those within our borders and across international borders. Victims can be found in domestic servitude, commercial sex industry, hotel and restaurant services, sweatshops, construction, agriculture, mail order brides, child soldiers, panhandling, as well as, the harvesting of organs and illegal adoptions. This crime will continue to exist as long as the demand is high and financially profitable for the traffickers.
Human trafficking exists in all the places where CJ members, associates and co-workers live and minister.
An important number of our members are working with others in education, advocacy, prevention, prayer and other ways to address the issue of human trafficking. We add our voice and actions to those of many other religious congregations and civil society NGOs.
We have assembled documents, work materials, reflections, etc. that you can use for your own JPIC events and projects.
Our Provinces and Regions have committed themselves to take action for our common home. They implement various projects for peace, justice and the integrity of Creation.
