The mission of the Justice & Peace Ministry is:
Energizing people to actively pursue the protection of all life, justice, and peace
Identifying and responding to areas of justice and peace in our community
Promoting programs that encourage prayer, education, pastoral care and advocacy in light of Catholic Social Teaching
February 22 to April 2, 2023 marks the 40 Days for Life: The Beginning of the End of Abortion. Make Lent more meaningful through prayer, fasting, constant vigil, and community outreach. Sign up for the daily in-person vigil 6 a.m.-6 p.m. at Planned Parenthood in Westminster. For details, contact parishioner Jerry Clarke at (714) 319-7956 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Weekend of April 30, 2023
On April 30, the Justice + Peace Ministry will host its annual “Mother and Child” drive to support the mothers and babies at three shelters for pregnant women in Orange County. In addition to basic needs, the shelters provide the women with many support services, including career planning, life skills development, health and nutrition education, instruction in childbirth and parenting, and counseling to help the women to regain stability and become self-reliant for themselves and their child. For a full list of items requested by the shelters, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The three recipient organizations will be Casa Teresa in Orange (www.casateresa.com), Mary’s Path (formerly Mary’s Shelter) in Santa Ana (www.maryspath.org) and Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos (www.preciouslifeshelter.org). Thank you for your donations to bless these women and children in their need!
Items needed include:
Casa Teresa |
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For Babies 0-3 month clothing sets and shoes, baby grooming kits, crib sheets, blankets and bath items |
For Mothers New pillows, Twin bedroom linens, towels, and bath items for showering. |
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Mary's Path |
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For Babies non-battery toys |
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Please note we are still under COVID restrictions and only new items in packaging can be accepted this time. |
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Precious Life Shelter |
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For Babies For babies who need neutral clothes especially, hand mitts, |
For Mothers A few items that are needed for moms are gift cards for bras and shoes. Seems we never have the size needed no matter when a client walks in the door. So we have discovered that Wal-Mart and Kohl’s have been the best avenue for women. The pampering items like lotion, gel, deodorant, conditioner, hair spray, and bristle brushes are all wonderful items to put in mom’s bag. |
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You don’t have to have construction skills to work on the site (the Habitat team provides training and supervision), but you do have to be willing to work 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM on the day we pick (with your input). Volunteers must sign a waiver and must be 18 to work unsupervised. Teens 16-18 can work if a guardian is on-site, who can supervise multiple teens. Younger kids can be part of a family “lunch bunch” crew bringing lunch for the workers, which is really helpful. Families can also sign up to build playhouses off-site.
If you would like to be involved with this effort in some way, please contact Deacon Joe Sullivan at 714-842-9707 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Let us know how you would like to participate, and thank you for caring!
TBD
Are you Interested in finding out more about what the Justice + Peace Ministry is all about? Here is your chance to talk to people face to face about what we do and what we support. Representatives will be in the Hall from 8:30am to 1:00pm. Hope to see you!
Catholic Social Teaching can be applied to many issues confronting us today. If you have an issue you are passionate about, call Deacon Joe Sullivan at 714-842-9707 and we will bring Catholic Social Teaching to bear on it. Issues we have discussed so far include:
Catholic Social Teaching emerges from the truth of what God has revealed to us about Himself. We believe in the triune God whose very nature is communal and social. Therefore, we who are made in God’s image share this communal, social nature. As social beings, we long for relationship, to know and love each other as God intends. We are called to reach out and to build relationships of love and justice. The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Based on the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, modern Catholic Social Teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents over the last 120 years. These teachings lay out what is necessary to live a dignified human life in today’s world, and our joint responsibility to each other to make that happen.
Through Catholic Social Teaching, the Church describes what a just society looks like, said Pope Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est, but it is up to the lay faithful – working within their political system – to create that society. Documents at the US Catholic Bishops’ website describe seven principal themes of Catholic Social Teaching:
There are also other important principles to be applied such as Subsidiarity, but we will primarily focus on these seven themes. To learn more about each of the themes listed above, simply click on the different links above. For more information, or if you have questions, please call Deacon Joe Sullivan at 714-842-9707.
For additional info, check out the California Catholic Bishops’ website at:
http://www.cacatholic.org/catholic-social-teaching
You should also check out the material on the US Bishops’ website at:
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/
For the full Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church on the Vatican website, go to:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html
Please contact Deacon Joe Sullivan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions or comments.