SPECIAL APPEAL: Please give! Pax Christi USA needs your help!

Dear Companions on the Journey,

Greetings of Peace! We just recently concluded an amazing weekend that brought together five groups of Pax Christi USA members to discern and develop strategies on how to build our movement stronger, as well as to celebrate together and honor this year’s Teacher of Peace, Mary Meg McCarthy. Our new office in Washington, D.C. was buzzing with the meetings of our Pax Christi Regional Leaders, our Anti-Racism Team (PCART), our National Council and the National Staff — the first time all these groups gathered for focused discussion in the same room, as well as doing their respective committee work. The Momentum event brought in many more Pax Christi USA members and collaborators. (Click here to see photos & more from the event.)

It feels as if we’ve “been to the mountaintop” — able to see the potential of all that we can be and do to make a difference in building a more just and peace-filled world. Yet we simply cannot realize this potential without your financial support.

Can you help us right now? Can you make a donation to deepen and grow our ability to create the change we all hunger for? Click here and give right now, securely, quickly through our website.

We all know that our Catholic movement for non-violence is urgently needed in this broken world, and we are uniquely poised to grow it stronger and broader. (Click here to see how our 2013 annual report demonstrates our readiness for the challenges ahead.) We also know that through the guidance of Pope Francis there are new openings to build the prophetic edge of the Church.

These statements below reflect how we’re on that prophetic edge, speaking truth to power on some of the issues our country is wrestling with right now:

1. Statement on the Crisis in Iraq
2. Statement on the U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act
3. Statement regarding the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut

At our meeting, we also became acutely aware of the need to shore up our financial resources in order to be able to secure our movement and address the stresses around being sustainable for the long run. The economy has taken a toll on all non-profits, and in addition, the grant we had applied for to cover the costs of our gathering did not come through. We went forward, because many who were able donated their own travel costs and more, and we knew we had to go forward to chart the work for this next period.

Our message to each of you reading this letter is: PCUSA needs YOU!

Help put this movement in position to raise the voice of Gospel non-violence everywhere where people are suffering. Click here and help us raise the funds we need to lift this movement up.

This is, thus, a special appeal to ask for your financial support and collaboration. Often donations drop in the summer, but NOT the expenses it takes to do the work. We are feeling the stress of seeing the “mountaintop” view, yet we are unable to put the “wind in the sails” fully unless we can raise more funds. Let’s keep the beacon of non-violence guiding the church and society as we face military conflicts, nuclear weapons, fleeing refugees, and violence against God’s creation.

If Pax Christi doesn’t speak out, who will? Again, Pax Christi USA needs YOU.

Please dig as deep as you can and make a significant contribution at this time. You can click here to donate right now and help build a foundation for today and for tomorrow.

Thanks for your donation to fuel the vision.

In peace,

Sr. Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN        Sr. Josie Chrosniak, HM
Executive Director                                             Chair, National Council