«They will be the advocates, the supporters and the defenders of the weak and the little ones against all who oppress them»
Ver. Fr. Libermann
(R. 1849; N.D.X, 517)
Sacred Scripture, the Social Teachings of the Church, the charism of our founders and over 300 years of lived missionary experience, inspire members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit under the protection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Spiritans) in advancing Justice, Peace and integrity of Creation (JPIC). Motivated by the life and examples of Claude Poullart Des Places (1679 -1709) and Venerable Francis Mary Paul Libermann (1802 -1852), Spiritans embrace our Lord’s call (Luke 4:18 -19) in taking on JPIC as a constitutive part of our religious missionary life (SRL 14). Our JPIC approach is anchored in our Spiritan spirituality. We willingly opt for the poor, those who have scarcely heard the Gospel message, the oppressed and the disadvantaged. (SRL 12). For us Mission is JPIC, for it is in ministering to those living on the margins of the society that we encounter and proclaim the Risen Christ who is the motivator and sustainer of our missionary work.
We are over 2600 professed and lay Spiritans, present in over 60 countries in six continents of the world. Our approach to JPIC is unique. We adopt a two-pronged model of JPIC namely, Charity and Justice. In Charity, we are present pastorally and assist in poverty alleviation, render humanitarian assistance, assist refugees and migrants, and advance an integral and holistic ecology. In Justice, we advocate, support and defend the weak. We engage intergovernmental bodies to create people centered policies, respect the rights of women and minorities, commit ourselves to poverty alleviation, education, and assist in peacebuilding and the reconstruction of post-conflict societies.
In this section of our website, we present resources that are helpful for JPIC animation in your communities. These resources will also assist you in setting up JPIC groups in your small Christian communities and parishes. Engaging in JPIC will help in realizing a just and peaceful world.
Cor unum et Anima Una
P. Kenneth Okoli, CSSp
Coordinator
Spiritan JPIC & IRD
VIVAT International is a Non-Governmental Organization which has a membership of 13 Catholic Religious Congregations, working in 120 countries for promotion of human rights through advocacy in international and local levels.
Chika Onyejiuwa works at AEFJN as Executive Secretary, in Brussels. He speaks on the side of the workshop that he animated, in October 2019, for the spiritan JPIC (Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation) meeting…
Spiritan Forum on Interreligious Diologue Zanzibar, 3-9 December 2018
Of note at this forum is the youthfulness of most of the participants with a good representation from sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom are recent arrivals at their places of mission. This highlights the importance…
The General Council in collaboration with the Spiritan Conference of circumscriptions of Africa and the Islands (SCCAI) are hosting a Spiritan Inter-religious forum (IRD) in Zanzibar, Tanzania – 3 to 9 December 2018.
Spiritan Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation and InterReligious Dialogue Newsletter
Spiritan Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation and InterReligious Dialogue Newsletter featuring: Spiritans: Advocates in Mission | Vivat: Nigeria Workshop 2017 | Workshop in the Dem. Rep. of Congo | Global Water Crisis: Duquesne | Testimony…
In December 2017, Jude Nnorom the coordinator of our Spiritan JPIC desk in Rome visited Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, home to over 140 thousand refugees, from Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries…
Spiritan Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation and InterReligious Dialogue Newsletter featuring: INTEGRATING PEACEBUILDING IN SPIRITAN MISSION ♦ PEACEBUILDING ECHOES FROM SOUTH SUDAN ♦ A SMALL PEACBUILDING PROJECT IN SIERRA LEONE ♦ PRESENCE AS A HUMANITARIAN…
Spiritan Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation and InterReligious Dialogue Newsletter featuring: GENDER CONTRIBUTIONS TO SPIRITAN JPIC ♦ ALONGSIDE THE OPPRESSED IN GERMANY ♦ LAY SPIRITAN MISSION IN BOLIVIA ♦ WOMEN AND MEN AS EQUAL PARTNERS…
Spiritan Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation and InterReligious Dialogue Newsletter featuring: REFLECTIONS ON THE “JUNGLE” BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ESPACE JARROT; SPIRITAN DIARY FROM NYARUGUSU CAMP; KEEP IT IN THE GROUND: SUMMARY OF THE CONFERENCE OF…
Spiritan Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation and InterReligious Dialogue Newsletter featuring: Nigeria : Bridging the gap between Christian narrative and social Justice Heatwaves in Australia Ireland : Recycling Spiritan response to a cry after typhoon…
