Pax Christi Portland

Monthly Meetings

2006-05-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Pax Christi Portland normally meets monthly

for prayer, study and action

in St. Paul's Chapel (part of the St Philip Neri Paulist Center),

SE 16 & Division, Portland Oregon

1st Monday of the Month at 7pm

All are welcome!

About Us

2006-05-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Pax Christi Portland was founded in January 2003 by a group of everyday folks looking for a group with which to pray, study and act for peace. We are a Chapter of Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic Peace Movement. We meet at 7:00 PM the first Monday of every month in the chapel at the Paulist Center/St. Philip Neri Church. Please join us!

Pax Christi USA is the national Catholic peace movement of 14,000 members who are committed to the spirituality of nonviolence. Our membership includes over 140 bishops and approximately 230 local groups. Pax Christi USA strives to create a world that reflects the Peace of Christ by exploring, articulating and witnessing to the call of Christian Nonviolence. This work begins in personal life and extends to communities of reflection and action to transform structures of society. Pax Christi USA rejects war, preparations for war, and every form of violence and domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice and respect for creation.

Pax Christi USA is a section of Pax Christi International, the Catholic Peace Movement. In 1945, a small group of Catholics in France began to meet regularly to pray for peace. They were troubled by the fact that French and German Catholics, who professed the same faith and celebrated the same Eucharist, had killed one another by the thousands during World War II. Knowing that this was not the will of God, they prayed for forgiveness, reconciliation and the Peace of Christ. This was the birth of Pax Christi, which literally translated means "the Peace of Christ." Today Pax Christi is active in over 30 countries with a growing presence in Latin America and Africa. Pax Christi has consultative status as a non-governmental organization at the United Nations.

Pax Christi Portland In the News

2006-05-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Take a stand for gospel peace
Editorial, The Catholic Sentinel, February 4, 2005

Catholics take a leadership role in Portland peace rally
The Catholic Sentinel, October 14, 2004

Pax Christi leader speaks in Portland
The Catholic Sentinel, May 30, 2003

"Pax Christi Returns to Portland with a Message of Peace,"
by Shelby Oppel The Sunday Oregonian, May 11, 2003

"Catholics, others rally against war,"
by Kristen HannumThe Catholic Sentinel, March 20, 2003

"Pax Christi USA opens Portland chapter,"
by Ed LangoisThe Catholic Sentinel, February 14, 2003

"Parishes continue to deal with just-war questions"
by Ed LangoisThe Catholic Sentine, January 10, 2003

"Take a stand for gospel peace"

2006-05-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

"Take a stand for gospel peace"
Editorial in 2/4/05 Catholic Sentinel

In his church bulletin, Father Bruce Brown of Sacred Heart Parish in Portland asks his people to pray for peace in Iraq.

A longtime Air Force chaplain, he knows what he is saying when he writes week after week, "The war is going on too long."

Whatever our political leaning, we all want the violence to stop in Iraq and are hopeful the elections will serve as a major step forward.

Meantime, along with Father Brown, we are convinced that prayer can have a long-term positive effect.

Pax Christi Portland, Catholics devoted to peace, are taking this kind of prayer public. They will gather in Pioneer Courthouse Square from 7:30 am to 8 am every Tuesday until Easter.

Their usual practice is standing as a quiet, respectful and clear-headed presence. They want peace on all sides of the conflict, which is the only way to approach the Iraq problem effectively.
Pax Christi organizers are encouraging parishes, organizations and individuals to join in the prayer and fasting as a Lenten practice.

As busy workers with cups full of lattes and mochas scurry by, this group of Catholics will be making a stand for the gospel.

They could well be taunted, but we recall that Jesus said "Blessed are they who ar persecuted for the sake of righteousness."

Most of all, we hope some office workers will join the vigil spontaneously and let the Lord of peace touch their hearts.

"Pax Christi returns to Portland with a message of peace"

2006-05-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

"Pax Christi returns to Portland with a message of peace"
The Oregonian05/11/03
SHELBY OPPEL

Pax Christi, an international Catholic organization that promotes nonviolence, has re-emerged in Portland to add another Catholic voice to issues of peace and justice. A Pax Christi chapter existed in Portland in the 1980s but not in recent years, said Susan Francois, a founder of the new chapter. The group, which claims about 35 Catholic members from parishes around metro Portland, intends to sponsor educational speakers and to create other forums for people of faith to respond to violence and militarism, and to address matters of economic justice, racial equality and globalization.

The group's inaugural public event, a talk by Pax Christi's national coordinator, Dave Robinson, drew about 115 people to St. Andrew Catholic Church in Northeast Portland last week. Robinson criticized the Bush administration's rationale for war with Iraq and had harsh words for the U.S. media, which he said cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

These are "terrible times" for Americans who speak out against war, Robinson said. High school teachers and college instructors have been fired or censured for protesting the Iraq war, and the media have "demonized" celebrities who used their fame to promote antiwar views, he said.

In such a climate, Robinson said, groups such as Pax Christi are important for their willingness to speak out despite the risks. In the United States, the organization has 14,000 members, including 140 bishops and 230 local chapters.

The local chapter of Pax Christi may help fill a void left by the dissolution of the Office of Justice and Peace of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland. Frank Fromherz, the office director, was dismissed in April. Two other employees, the Rev. Loren Kerkof and Margaret Speck, will be laid off at the end of June. Archdiocese officials said they were among 18 employees laid off for budget reasons.

Fromherz, an outspoken antiwar activist, contends that his activism got him fired. Fromherz, Kerkof and Speck were given service awards by the Pax Christi chapter.

"We are hoping that through Pax Christi, and through all the parish peace and justice commissions, we can still somehow manage to work with each other and to get some kind of support and leadership from the archdiocese until such time as the funds (for an office of justice and peace) are available again," Francois said.

Pax Christi meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month at the Paulist Center at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 2408 S.E. 16th Ave. For information, call 503-234-1611 or e-mail pdxpax@cs.com or www.pdxpax.org.

Shelby Oppel: 503-221-5368; shelbyoppel@news.oregonian.com

"Catholics, others rally against war "

2006-05-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

"Catholics, others rally against war "
The Catholic Sentinel 03/20/2003
by Kristen Hannum

“The Pope says nope,” read a sign at Saturday’s peace rally and march in downtown Portland. Another sign proclaimed the Catholic group Pax Christi to be against war.

The signs were just two of thousands carried Saturday by Oregonians marching to oppose an invasion of Iraq.

The peace rally itself was one of hundreds that took place around the world over the weekend.
In Portland, the crowd included families with babies in strollers, college students wearing vintage ’60s colors, young people on stilts and graybeards with guitars singing peace anthems.
In addition to signs, including “Books, not bombs,” and “Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home,” numerous flags flew, mostly U.S., but with scattered French and U.N. flags as well.
Sunday brought a rally in Salem in support of the troops that also included speakers who said they weren’t pro-war and some people carrying peace signs, saying they supported the troops but not the war.

“It was exciting to see how many people were congregating and the peaceful feeling,” says Holy Names Sister Jane Lord about the Portland rally. “I saw other people with canes, people with children on their backs — and as we walked people came out of the stores and waved and smiled, or just watched us.”

Mary Ellen Sievertsen, a parishioner at the Downtown Chapel, also took heart at the size of the rally. “To look as far as the eye could see and see people — with all their homemade signs, people lined across the bridge, all the cheerleading, music and skits — it was wonderful.” Sievertsen’s son was a Marine who served in the first Gulf War.

Sunday night brought candlelight vigils for peace to dozens of locations in Oregon — and 6,850 total in 140 countries around the world. The vigils took place at 7 p.m. in their respective time zones, beginning in New Zealand. The vigils were described as rolling like a wave of prayer across the globe.

Randolph St. Clair-Jackson, a parishioner at the Madeleine Parish in Northeast Portland, organized Portland’s largest vigil, held at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Other Portland area vigil sites included St. Ignatius Church in Southeast, St. Clare’s in Southwest, and St. Matthew’s in Hillsboro.

St. Clair-Jackson, also a Marine who served in the first Gulf War, described the crowd at Pioneer Courthouse Square as being 450 to 500 strong and a slice of America. “There were families with their dogs and kids,” he says. “It was a nice, peaceful vigil, and in contrast to what you hear in the media about protesters, I didn’t meet anyone who wasn’t supportive of the troops. People were against a bad policy,” he said.

Polls have shown Catholics to be evenly split on the war, whereas Protestants have supported it two to one.

Catholic leaders have almost unanimously condemned a possible war in Iraq, from Pope John Paul on down.

Jesuit Father John Whitney, head of the Oregon Province of Jesuits, said he is opposed to this war because of his belief that “our greatest strength is not our military might or our technological expertise, but our character as a people capable of justice, of hope, and of the kind of courage needed to refrain from war and violence.”

“I stand against this war because that character is in danger of being squandered,” he told Gonzaga University students last week.

Portland businessman Jerry Lindsay told St. Andrew parishioners Sunday that he would provide $100,000 to pay the way for activists willing to fly to Iraq to stand as witnesses for peace — and perhaps as deterrents to bombing.

— Ed Langlois contributed to this report.

"Pax Christi USA opens Portland chapter"

2006-05-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

"Pax Christi USA opens Portland chapter"
The Catholic Sentinel02/14/2003
by Ed Langlois

A new chapter of the international Catholic peace movement has begun in Oregon.

Several dozen members of Pax Christi are meeting regularly. They hope to pray, study, reflect and advocate for peace and nonviolence.

“I have been participating in the emerging interfaith peace movement in Portland but was tired of being the only Catholic at the table,” says Susan Francois, a member of St. Philip Neri Parish in Portland. “I also yearned for a way to connect my faith with my desire for peace.”

News of possible war on Iraq has sparked the Oregon group, which includes many people who are members of the national organization Pax Christi USA. Pax Christi International began just after World War II.

The Oregon group began meeting in mid January. A few days later, 30 members marched in silence in a massive Portland rally against war in Iraq.

“The core goals that have emerged are to focus on praying, studying and learning together, exploring how we can be more peaceful people in our own lives, connecting and networking with other Catholic groups working for peace and justice, providing educational opportunities and taking specific actions for peace that emerge from our prayer and study,” Francois says.

The group meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of each month at St. Philip Neri for prayer and study. The plan now is to develop a strong community before taking action.

Members come with many kinds of experience, but all believe the Gospel calls Christians to nonviolence.

“I think we have to work really hard at changing our culture, working toward a culture of peace,” says Holy Names Sister Janet Ryan, who works at St. Ignatius Parish in Southeast Portland. “I joined the group because I want to work in solidarity with others who want to bring Christ’s reign of peace to the earth.”

Sam Gioia, an instructor in immigration and refugee studies at Portland State University, sees Pax Christi as a way to speak up for the poor, who usually suffer the most in wars. “I have come to realize the aims of war usually benefit people with wealth and power while ordinary folks pay a heavy price,” Gioia says.

Gioia joined the group after reading and praying over the Gospel passage about the two great commandments. Jesus tells listeners to love God and neighbor.

Gioia contends that “we cannot prosecute a war on one hand and love our neighbors on the other.”

He points out that he and the other members are in accord with Pope John Paul in calling for alternatives to war. In addition to prayer, Gioia hopes the group will take up collective action to reverse the U.S. move to war.

Brian Monberg, a 26-year-old member of the St. Vincent de Paul Downtown Chapel Parish, says the words of the pope and the U.S. bishops on Iraq have helped him seek peace during these troubled times.

“I think that a group deeply rooted in Catholic beliefs with such ecumenical breadth can contribute much to the peace community here in Portland,” he says.

"Parishes continue to deal with just-war questions"

2006-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

"Parishes continue to deal with just-war questions"
The Catholic Sentinel 01/10/2003
by Ed Langlois

Catholic parishes in Oregon are continuing to reflect on various aspects of a possible U.S. war with Iraq. Here is a look at what two communities have done recently.

In a parish bulletin, Father Richard Huneger of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Northeast Portland helped members understand Christian just war principles.

“The Just War Theory derives from the duty of the state to pursue justice, protecting the people from harm from without and from within, even at risk to self or the populace,” Father Huneger wrote, citing St. Thomas Aquinas. “Christian charity (love for neighbor as for self) can involve sacrifice and use of force as needed in order to ensure minimum public order for the common good with a view to fostering stable ‘peace.’”

Just war criteria, Father Huneger wrote, allow for force when it is: “1) declared by legitimate authority (controlling exercise of force); 2) for just cause (grave, lasting, and certain violation of rights); 3) as last resort (after exhausting all peaceful diplomatic means); 4) with right intention (not vengeance, but to establish peace.)”

Once the decision is made, force must be carried out “using moral means (ensuring non-combatant immunity)” and with “proportionality (the good to be achieved must be greater than the evil to be inflicted by war activities, or even from doing nothing; use of minimum force necessary to vindicate the just cause; hope of success for establishing true peace.)”

Only defensive wars are permitted, Father Huneger told his parishioners, explaining that “given a clear and present menace or threat, one may be conducting a ‘defensive’ war even if firing the first shot.”

The U.S. Catholic bishops, Father Huneger concluded, “judge Iraq guilty of internal repression, threats to neighbors, pursuing weapons of mass destruction, support for terrorism, and defying UN resolutions, but question overall whether taking us over the brink of war at this time is what is called for: sometimes one thing leads to another in a chain reaction. Pray for all our political leaders to proceed wisely!”

On Tuesday, Jan. 14, at St Philip Neri Parish in Southeast Portland, Catholics troubled by the prospect of war meet to consider forming a local chapter of Pax Christi, an international Catholic peace organization.

Founded during World War II by a French bishop outraged by Nazi atrocities, the movement has sent members to Iraq to try to thwart a U.S. strike.

“We implore you, our fellow citizens of the United States, to look into the eyes of the people in Iraq,” the Pax Christi delegation said Dec. 18 in an open letter sent from St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad. “See the Jesuit-trained doctor who can barely contain his despair and the Muslim mother who grieves for her dying son. Listen to the taxicab driver who fears for the safety of his family, the Catholic sister who cares for pregnant mothers, and the orphaned children who sleep fitfully at night waiting for the sound of bombs.”

A local parish-based chapter, says organizer Susan Francois, would foster prayer, study and action.

At a vigil held at St. Philip Neri Dec. 16, worshipers heard exhortations to peace from the Gospel, from the Koran and from a Native American.

Worshipers jotted their fears on paper and brought them to the altar where they were burned and offered along with incense.

For more information about just war principles, the website www.usccb.org/sdwp/
international/justwar.htm has excerpts from the U.S. bishops’ 1994 statement, “The Harvest of Justice is Sown in Peace.”

For information about the local chapter of Pax Christi, send email to susanfrancois@ cs.com or call (503) 234-1611.

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2006-05-27T21:26:00.000-07:00