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Praying and working for peace Praying and working for peace is one of hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today. Living in Bethesda, Maryland, after four decades in Ghana, Sister Mary Zosso appreciates her close proximity to Washington, D.C., and the peace-making activities the city offers. She is involved in a number of justice and peace efforts through Africa Faith and Justice Network, Jubilee USA, and NETWORK (a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby). She often attends events with Sister Janet Gottschalk, who directs our Alliance for Justice Office. Sister Mary experienced a special weekend of peace activities on March 7-10, 2008. It began with a Christian Peace Interfaith Prayer Service and Vigil in Washington, D.C., for peace in Iraq. “Each of about eight or ten Christian Churches in downtown DC held services in their places of worship, followed by processions to the Capitol for an Interfaith Prayer Service and Vigil, which included members of Jewish and Moslem traditions,” she explains. Sisters Mary and Janet, along with our Associate Jane Blewett, represented our Community at a special Mass at St. Aloysius Church. Mr. Joshua Casteel, who converted to Catholicism after serving in Iraq as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib Prison, gave a talk after Mass. Sister Anne Curtis, RSM, shared her experiences visiting Iraqi refugees in Lebanon and Syria as a delegate of Catholic Relief Services.
Another important peace-making event that weekend was the sixth annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days Conference in Alexandria, Virginia. This year’s theme was “Claiming a Vision of True Security.” About 700 members of different denominations attended. Sister Mary focused on the Africa track, and also attended talks on immigration. Sister Janet and Mrs. Susan Starr Thompson, of our Alliance for Justice Office, participated, as well. Presenters came from Africa, Latin America, the U.S., the Middle East, and the Far East.
The conference concluded with meetings on Capitol Hill. Sister Mary shares that Senators and Representatives were asked, “To change spending priorities from over-emphasis on military spending, which has created a more dangerous world, and to emphasize diplomacy and sustainable human development.”
“These days were a wonderful opportunity to work with and meet old friends and to find new ones, some of whom live nearby,” Sister Mary adds. For more information, please visit:www.advocacydays.org
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