What is JustCommunity?

What is JustCommunity? A Pilgrimage

Our pilgrimage is inspired by our sense of Epiphany identity. In our vision statement, we proclaim:
"we heal, reconcile and work for justice and peace."

Perhaps you remember the song from the musical Godspell (a surprising and thought-provoking rendition of the Gospel of Matthew). “Where are you going? Can you take me with you?” sings a disciple, and Jesus answers: “Far beyond where the horizon lies...” The disciple sings again, “Oh please, take me with you. I’ll put a pebble in my shoe… I shall call the pebble ‘Dare’.”

Like the disciples of Jesus as they are portrayed in Godspell, we can stand dismayed at the extent of injustice and suffering on this beautiful planet. Like them, we may stand in a sense of helplessness in the face of unjust power. Dare we walk forward together, with both integrity and hope? Shall we carry the pebble of Jesus’ Dare, his insistence that love will transform everything?

Our Catholic Social Teaching is the dare of the Gospel for our times. It represents the ongoing discernment of ourselves, the Church, and how we must relate to the suffering world in which we walk. In our social teaching, we insist that the good news of Jesus has meaning and healing for our times.

A Brief Overview of our Pilgrimage

The path of Just Community will unfold over three years, beginning in September 2010.

Each year we will pass through five seasons that will be integrated with our liturgical year:

Autumn Ordinary Time
Advent
Winter Ordinary Time
Lent
Easter Season

During each season, we will explore some aspect of Catholic Social Teaching, and how it challenges us in our times. Our exploration will always include opportunities for study, contemplation, community conversation and action.

Just Community will be evident, all around us, during our “walking seasons”. There will be something for everyone. Let’s open our eyes, pack our traveling bags, and pick up the pebble of Jesus’ Dare!

But where are we going?

“.. the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of (all people).

Martin Luther from “Facing the Challenge of a New Age”

Ministry: Social Responsibility