18 October 2023
Dear friends of the Passionist Solidarity Network:
Greetings and peace to all of you.
As a Passionist Family, we believe that “a deepening awareness of the spirituality of Paul of the Cross leads us to a greater sense of compassion. This compassion begins with solidarity with a suffering world.” (The Passionist Way)
In these days when the fullness of the Paschal Mystery is so present, in our communities and sacred places around the world, it is important to express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially those experiencing the greatest vulnerability. The escalating war in Palestine and Israel gives all of us reason to pause, reflect, and pray deeply for a peace that the human family has yet to realize, but which we believe we all carry within.
Here, we share a reflection, written by Alex Neve, a Canadian human rights activist and director of Amnesty International Canada, shared recently on social media by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada.
“I am not Palestinian, nor Jewish. I have no family in Israel or Gaza, though I have many friends and colleagues who do. These last few days, in Israel and Gaza, are beyond those two worlds alone. It is about humanity. And humanity’s heart breaks. Mine certainly does.
My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones in the horrifying attacks unleashed by Hamas, for the [hundreds of] people massacred at the Nova music festival, the hundreds of other Israelis who have been killed, and all those taken hostage.
My heart breaks for the cruel, violent toll of the Gaza blockade, of Israeli apartheid, of imprisoned Palestinian children, illegal settlements, and thousands of Palestinians who have been killed in years of IDF military barrages, so many now that it is easy to lose count.
My human rights heart is outraged by the brutality of this Hamas attack, and the years of murder, war crimes, and crimes against humanity that have ripped apart so many Israeli lives and for which there must be accountability.
My human rights heart is outraged by [the news] of a destructive ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, an imprisoned home to 2 million, ½ of whom are children, who have nowhere to flee.
There are many truths in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank. One truth does not deny another. They are truths that stand alongside each other. They are truths that must be heard and understood equally. These truths are not to be followed by ‘but’, yet they always are.
It is true that the toll of Palestinian suffering over fifty-plus years has been immeasurably cruel and violent, the means of repression harsh and deliberate, and the insidious apartheid that now governs is an affront to international law.
It is true that Israel, faced with constant threats to the country’s existence and its people’s very survival, and surrounded by enemies, deserves true safety and lasting peace and security.
It is true that Palestinians live the cruel sting of dispossession and Islamophobia, and Jews the brunt of centuries of dispossession and vicious anti-Semitism. Truths that should unite, not divide.
It is true that a life is a life, a child is a child, a death is a death, and a people is a people. None matter more than others.
The response to horrifying and illegal Hamas attacks cannot lie in horrifying and illegal bombardment of Gaza, leading to more attacks and more bombardment. That is not where truth has its home.
What absolutely must be true is that this cannot continue. That has always been true, but perhaps never truer.
I am not Palestinian, nor Jewish. But [today] I am Palestinian and Jewish. I am every Palestinian who demands freedom and every Jew who demands safety...”
All of us in the Passionist Solidarity Network pray with and for all affected by the horrific and tragic events in Israel and Palestine. We pray and hope for true and lasting peace, one that will uphold the safety and dignity of all persons, especially the innocent. We stand in solidarity and compassion with all who are suffering, in the common humanity we all share.
May the Passion of Christ, the greatest and most overwhelming work of God's love, be always in our hearts.
Michael Nasello
On behalf of the Passionist Solidarity Network
Dear friends of the Passionist Solidarity Network:
Greetings and peace to all of you.
As a Passionist Family, we believe that “a deepening awareness of the spirituality of Paul of the Cross leads us to a greater sense of compassion. This compassion begins with solidarity with a suffering world.” (The Passionist Way)
In these days when the fullness of the Paschal Mystery is so present, in our communities and sacred places around the world, it is important to express our solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially those experiencing the greatest vulnerability. The escalating war in Palestine and Israel gives all of us reason to pause, reflect, and pray deeply for a peace that the human family has yet to realize, but which we believe we all carry within.
Here, we share a reflection, written by Alex Neve, a Canadian human rights activist and director of Amnesty International Canada, shared recently on social media by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada.
“I am not Palestinian, nor Jewish. I have no family in Israel or Gaza, though I have many friends and colleagues who do. These last few days, in Israel and Gaza, are beyond those two worlds alone. It is about humanity. And humanity’s heart breaks. Mine certainly does.
My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones in the horrifying attacks unleashed by Hamas, for the [hundreds of] people massacred at the Nova music festival, the hundreds of other Israelis who have been killed, and all those taken hostage.
My heart breaks for the cruel, violent toll of the Gaza blockade, of Israeli apartheid, of imprisoned Palestinian children, illegal settlements, and thousands of Palestinians who have been killed in years of IDF military barrages, so many now that it is easy to lose count.
My human rights heart is outraged by the brutality of this Hamas attack, and the years of murder, war crimes, and crimes against humanity that have ripped apart so many Israeli lives and for which there must be accountability.
My human rights heart is outraged by [the news] of a destructive ‘complete siege’ of Gaza, an imprisoned home to 2 million, ½ of whom are children, who have nowhere to flee.
There are many truths in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank. One truth does not deny another. They are truths that stand alongside each other. They are truths that must be heard and understood equally. These truths are not to be followed by ‘but’, yet they always are.
It is true that the toll of Palestinian suffering over fifty-plus years has been immeasurably cruel and violent, the means of repression harsh and deliberate, and the insidious apartheid that now governs is an affront to international law.
It is true that Israel, faced with constant threats to the country’s existence and its people’s very survival, and surrounded by enemies, deserves true safety and lasting peace and security.
It is true that Palestinians live the cruel sting of dispossession and Islamophobia, and Jews the brunt of centuries of dispossession and vicious anti-Semitism. Truths that should unite, not divide.
It is true that a life is a life, a child is a child, a death is a death, and a people is a people. None matter more than others.
The response to horrifying and illegal Hamas attacks cannot lie in horrifying and illegal bombardment of Gaza, leading to more attacks and more bombardment. That is not where truth has its home.
What absolutely must be true is that this cannot continue. That has always been true, but perhaps never truer.
I am not Palestinian, nor Jewish. But [today] I am Palestinian and Jewish. I am every Palestinian who demands freedom and every Jew who demands safety...”
All of us in the Passionist Solidarity Network pray with and for all affected by the horrific and tragic events in Israel and Palestine. We pray and hope for true and lasting peace, one that will uphold the safety and dignity of all persons, especially the innocent. We stand in solidarity and compassion with all who are suffering, in the common humanity we all share.
May the Passion of Christ, the greatest and most overwhelming work of God's love, be always in our hearts.
Michael Nasello
On behalf of the Passionist Solidarity Network
With the Crucified of Today
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Our mission is to engage the Passionist family — vowed and lay — in the social ministry of the Passionist Provinces of St. Paul of the Cross and Holy Cross, in the U.S.A, Canada, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Jamaica W.I.
We advocate on a variety of social and ecological issues that are of concern to our local and international community as well as to those with whom we minister.
We also provide education in Passionist Spirituality and create resources on issues of social and environmental suffering.
We advocate on a variety of social and ecological issues that are of concern to our local and international community as well as to those with whom we minister.
We also provide education in Passionist Spirituality and create resources on issues of social and environmental suffering.
LearnExplore issues that concern our wounded world and discover ways to address them with compassion and hope.
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ActJoin us in taking collective action on issues that affect our communities and those with whom we minister.
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ConnectLocate other Passionist communities and learn about how they’re building solidarity with the crucified of today.
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Solidarity is a bold and prophetic experience for all of us to seek. It draws us ever closer to the margins and into the places where people are hurting and oppressed. Solidarity awakens the compassion of Christ in us.
We invite you to join us.
We invite you to join us.
Engage Your Passion for CreationGo directly to the six part Passionist Program for Laudato Si', Passion of the Earth | Wisdom of the Cross
Image: Bro. Mickey McGrath
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Engage Your Passion for Justice The Thomas Berry Place in Jamaica, NY calls us to put his vision into practice. Read about Reconnect Brooklyn that is central to the project
Read about how The Thomas Berry Place in Jamaica, NY, calls us to put Fr. Berry’s vision into practice.
Image: Bro. Mickey McGrath
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Engage Your Passion for PeacemakingPray and Fast | Statement from Fr. Joachim Rego on Passionist presence and mission in Ukraine.
Read this statement from Maryknoll on the conflicts in Ukraine, calling for a de-escalation of tensions and the pursuit of peace.
Read Paul Wadell's Blog post, A spirituality of the cross: A Call to Nonviolence and Peace
Image: Julie Lonneman [IHO Fr. Joe Van Leeuwen CP]
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“In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters.”—Pope Francis, On Care for Our Common Home [Laudato Si'], no. 158
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