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Our Mission Statement

Inspired by the vision of the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, the members of the Justice and Peace Committee at Our Lady of the Lake Parish seek to foster ways which promote the dignity of all persons and all creation and bring about justice and peace. Challenged by the example of Christ, the group strives to follow and to teach, by example, this foundational dimension of our Faith.

Letter sent to Washington State's Senators

The following letter was sent to Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray after the weekend of June 19th and 20th, bearing the signatures of 175 people who attended that weekend's Masses:

Dear Senators Cantwell and Murray,

As a Catholic faith community, we feel impelled to urge you to create and support clean energy legislation this summer. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an unprecedented disaster that demands we break our destructive dependence on oil and other environmentally hazardous fuels once and for all.

As members of the Catholic Church and followers of Catholic Social Teaching, we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship and care for the earth. Our faith requires this. We are asked to protect people and the beings of the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God's creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions we cannot ignore. Our Catholic faith also asks us to choose the option for the poor and vulnerable first. We know that those who contribute the least to climate change suffer most from it. We are asked as Catholics by the Catholic Climate Covenant not only to examine our carbon footprint but also "Who's Under Our Carbon Footprint."

Passing comprehensive pro-climate legislation this summer can put our nation on the path to a sustainable and secure energy future. That legislation must scale up production of cleaner vehicles and fuels, promote energy efficiency, and place emphasis on renewable resources. Placing us in a forward thinking mode will allow us to break the cycle-of-need for petroleum. As we move forward with technology and use of greener fuels, we help to ensure that an oil spill catastrophe never happens again.

Strong legislation would transform our entire energy system, spur innovation, grow our economy, reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy and reduce the very real threat of the destruction of our land and oceans. Every day the Senate delays action, our economy weakens and the planet grows more polluted. We urge you to pass bipartisan climate and energy legislation this summer.

Thank you for all of the work you do, and for responding to so many voices at this critical time.

Sincerely,

Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church Parishioners and Visitors

Take Action Against Torture

The Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture is working with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture to observe June as Torture Awareness Month by encouraging church communities to take action against torture. NRCAT's mission statement includes: "Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved -- policy-makers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation's most cherished ideals. Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable."

Please contact your Members of Congress and ask them to support legislation to make permanent the policy of allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to all prisoners held by US forces everywhere in the world.

Go to the Web site of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and click on "Contact Congress".

For more information, contact the Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture via their Web site or call (206) 382-3785.

Take action on behalf of a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land

Let your members of Congress and President Obama know that you strongly support U.S. leadership to secure a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land. Send them a letter by visiting the Catholics Confront Global Poverty Action Center at http://actioncenter.crs.org There you can, with a few clicks of your mouse, take action on six other issues:
Immigration
Our Congolese brothers and sisters
A peaceful and stable Sudan
A refocusing of U.S. policy and assistance to Colombia
Funding for the FY10 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill

According to the National Priorities Project, on Sunday, May 30, the total U.S. cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq crossed the one trillion dollar mark, enough to create 20 million jobs at $50,000 per year.

Weekly Announcements

Go Green and Be Cool

Upcoming events and announcements

Exchanges with other individuals and organizations

Some of our favorite prayers and meditations on peace and justice

A list of books and articles we have studied

Links to other organizations and online resources

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