“International Day of Peace - Virtual Day of Prayer”
Thursday, September 21, 2023, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa and the Franciscan Peace Center are excited to invite you to participate in a special virtual program to commemorate the International Day of Peace on September 21. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace.
As people of faith, we understand the profound significance of fostering peace and justice in our world. In solidarity with the global community, we are organizing a day of prayer dedicated to various important topics that align with our Laudato Si’ values.
The program entails dedicating time to silent prayer to reflect on specific subjects. Each individual, community, or organization is invited to hold their own event, at a location and time which is most convenient to you. We have designed the program with a suggested schedule that will commence at 8:00 AM and conclude at 4:00 PM, allowing each of us to participate at a convenient time within this duration.
8:00 AM Immigration Reform
9:00 AM Care for the Earth
10:00 AM Abolition of the Death Penalty
11:00 AM Nuclear Disarmament/Ending War
12:00 PM Racism
1:00 PM An End to Human Trafficking
2:00 PM Reducing Gun Violence
3:00 PM Basic Human Rights
To aid you in your prayer, we have prepared an hourly guide to lead you through the day, including
a brief prayer for each hour's topic to serve as a starting point (However, we encourage you to spend additional time in personal contemplation, offering your own intentions, petitions, and reflections on the specific subject.),
a list of additional resources to learn more about the issues of each hour,
suggested actions you can take to help bring about the change needed in the world, and
a reflective video for each hour’s topic.
We believe that our collective prayers can ignite transformative change, manifesting God's love and compassion in our world. The power of prayer knows no bounds, and by participating, we join hands in creating a ripple effect of peace that extends beyond our immediate community.
https://clintonfranciscans.com/international-day-of-peace-2023
Just Living Festival
Sunday, October 1, 1-4pm
The Just Living Festival will be a fun multi-generational outdoor event to promote dignity, respect,
care for the environment, and social and economic equity for all neighbors. At this event,
community organizations will join together to celebrate diversity, foster unity, and inspire positive
social change and sustainability.
The Just Living Festival is organized by the Franciscan Peace Center, a ministry of the Sisters of St.
Francis, Clinton, Iowa. The Sisters of St. Francis are dedicated to a mission of active nonviolence
and peacemaking. In 2021, the Clinton Franciscans signed on to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, a
global initiative to enact the goals and vision expressed in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: Care for Our Common Home. The Clinton Franciscans’ Laudato Si’ Action Plan attends to seven areas of ecological and social concern: ecospirituality, care for creation, immigration, income inequality and basic human rights, human trafficking, nuclear disarmament, and the abolition of the death penalty. The Just Living Festival seeks to highlight social and ecological justice efforts in each of these areas.
https://clintonfranciscans.com/news--events/event-calendar/event/2023/10/01/just-living-festival