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Posted By Teresa Redder, on May 3rd, 2026 Results of Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Chapter of Elections – May 2, 2026
The Regional Fraternity Council met at Saint Francis Friary in Wilmington, DE, for our Chapter of Elections. There were 20 (of 22) local fraternity ministers or their delegates and 7 (of 8) Regional Executive Council members who participated in the voting (27 total voters). Due to medical restrictions, Cindy Louden, OFS (outgoing Regional Vice Minister) was not able to be present, but she was with us by Zoom for the whole day. The required majority for each ballot was 14 or more votes. There were seven (7) nominees for councilor-at-large.
Ecclesial Witness: Fr. Marek Stybor, OFM Conv. (President-in-Turn of the Conference of National Spiritual Assistants)
Presider: Corinne Lorenzet, OFS (National Councilor and Delegate of the OFS-USA Minister)
| Council Position |
Member |
Status |
| Minister |
Teresa Redder, OFS
Holy Assumption Fraternity
|
Reelected |
| Vice Minister |
Kathy Agosto, OFS
Divine Mercy Fraternity
|
Reelected (new position) |
| Secretary |
Terri Leone, OFS
St. Francis Fraternity (Phila)
|
Reelected (new position) |
| Treasurer |
Ed Schirra, OFS
St. Joseph Fraternity
|
Reelected |
| Formation Director |
Jen Drees, OFS
Christ the King Fraternity
|
Reelected |
| Councilors-at-Large (4) |
Tom McGurk, OFS
St. Francis Fraternity (Folsom)
|
Newly elected |
| Jeff Redder, OFS
Holy Assumption Fraternity
|
Reelected |
| Carolyn Murray, OFS
St. John the Evangelist Fraternity
|
Newly elected |
| James Wileczek, OFS
Christ the King Fraternity
|
Newly elected |
Left to right: Fr. Francis Sariego, OFM Cap (Spiritual Asst), Carolyn Murray, OFS (Coundilor), James Wileczek, OFS (Councilor); Ed Schirra, OFS (Treasurer): Kathy Agosto, OFS (Vice Minister); Teresa Redder, OFS (Minister); Jeff Redder, OFS (Councilor); Terri Leone, OFS (Secretary); Tom McGurk, OFS (Councilor); Jen Drees, OFS (Formation Director); and Br. John Neuffer, OFM (Spiritual Assistant)
Fr. Marek requested a group photo when we were in the chapel for installation of the Council. Corinne is in the left front row wearing green and Fr. Marek is in the back underneath the crucifix:
Please keep the newly elected Regional Executive Council in your prayers.
We are very grateful to our National Fraternity, especially our two visitors, who gave such joyful affirmation to our Regional Fraternity Council and challenged us to live our Gospel calling with fidelity and conviction.
Peace and all good,
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
+ + +
Posted By Teresa Redder, on April 26th, 2026 On Sunday, April 26, 2026, Saint John the Evangelist Fraternity held a Chapter of Elections at St. John the Evangelist Parish Center in Philadelphia, PA. The presider was Teresa Redder, OFS (Regional Minister) and the ecclesial witness (delegate) was Fr. John McCloskey, OFM Cap.
It is such a great joy to see the election of two newly professed members (Adriano and Victor) to the Fraternity Council with a great desire to serve the Lord with gladness.
We give thanks to God for all of these newly elected servant leaders of this local fraternity. May God continue to bless them with the fidelity to serve with great humility!
| COUNCIL POSITION |
MEMBER |
NOTES |
| Minister |
Carolyn Murray, OFS |
Reelected |
| Vice Minister |
Terry Guerra, OFS |
Newly elected |
| Secretary |
Adriano Duque, OFS |
Newly elected |
| Treasurer |
Bob McKee, OFS |
Newly elected |
| Formation Director |
Venus Murphy, OFS |
Reelected |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Víctor Sanchez, OFS |
Newly elected |
Left to right: Terry Guerra, OFS; Bob McKee, OFS; Adriano Duque, OFS; Carolyn Murray, OFS; Teresa Redder, OFS; Venus Murphy, OFS; Fr. John McCloskey, OFM Cap; and Victor Sanchez, OFS.
The fraternal gathering concluding with Franciscan joy…
and the inquirers who were present had a peek at what a Chapter of Elections looks like!
Posted By Teresa Redder, on April 26th, 2026 On Sunday, April 19, 2026, Saint Joseph Fraternity held a Chapter of Elections at St. Joseph Oblate Seminary in Pittston, PA. The presider was Teresa Redder, OFS (Regional Minister) and the ecclesial witness (delegate) was Deacon Gerard P. Pernot.
We give thanks to God for these newly elected servant leaders of their local fraternity. May God continue to bless them with the fidelity to serve with great humility!
| COUNCIL POSITION |
MEMBER |
| Minister |
Ed Schirra, OFS |
| Vice Minister |
James Gaffney, OFS (new) |
| Secretary |
Michele T. Sisak, OFS |
| Treasurer |
Theresa Lisiewski, OFS (new) |
| Formation Director |
Nancy Beccaloni, OFS (new) |
Back row (left to right): Jim Gaffney, OFS; Theresa Lisiewski, OFS; & Michele Sisak, OFS
Front row: Teresa Redder, OFS; Ed Schirra, OFS; Nancy Beccaloni, OFS, & Deacon Gerard Pernot
Posted By Teresa Redder, on April 26th, 2026 JOYFUL GOSPEL LIVING
April 5, 2026 – The Resurrection of the Lord
“This is the day the Lord has made…”
At the Easter Vigil, my parish welcomed four catechumens into the Church through baptism. During this long liturgy, all of the faithful experienced the awe and wonder of Christ’s Resurrection through powerful symbols (fire, light, water, and oil), the chanting of the glorious Exsultet, special Scripture readings, and the rite of Christian initiation with water, candles, and chrism, followed by the reception of the Eucharist. This ritual is observed all over the world with the same reverence and glory that our faith has preserved by tradition for centuries.
For the catechumens and all of us, the celebration of Easter helps us to appreciate what Christ has promised to all of us who believe in Him and to share with Him the eternal life that He offers. Over three weekends in March, the catechumens participated in the weekend scrutinies of their faith. The symbols of Easter are profoundly present in our communal celebration:
- First Scrutiny: “I am the Living Water.”
- Second Scrutiny: “I am the Light of the World.”
- Third Scrutiny: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”
Once a year, we renew our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday and then we are sprinkled with holy water to symbolize the new life that we share in Christ. As we are welcomed into God’s family as His sons and daughters at baptism, we also begin our journey of discipleship. For those of us who were baptized as infants, we relied on the examples of our parents, godparents, and other faith-filled people to shape our lives. When we are sprinkled with holy water, we should experience the incredible joy that Psalm 118 describes:
“This is the day the Lord has made.”
On the feast of Saint Joseph (March 19th), my husband Jeff and I were at Sacred Heart Church (Mount Holly, NJ) for the Confirmation service for our twin grandchildren (Zofia and Nathan), who were among the 50 students to receive the sacrament this year. For their 8th grade year, Jeff (a.k.a. Grandpa) was their catechist! On their own, they chose Clare and Francis as their Confirmation names. As their sponsors, we received a special gift from the parish catechetical team—a beautiful commemorative card with the title “The Role of the Sponsor.”
Before the service, I opened and read my card, which included an inscription of our granddaughter’s name and the date that she was sealed with the Holy Spirit—on the feast of Saint Joseph– the patron saint of my paternal grandfather, home parish, grammar and high schools, and university! It was a day that the Lord had made for us. Although the words inside the card highlighted the role of the sponsor, I thought that everyone who lives the faith with joy and conviction shares in this kind of witness for Christ:
“You have the honor of being chosen as witness to the confirmand’s initiation into full Christian life. Through this sacrament, the confirmand is strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, made a true witness of Christ in word and deed, and invited more deeply into the life of the Church. Your most significant role in relation to him/her is to be a role model of such witness and unifying love.
Some ways in which you can nurture this spiritual relationship all through life are:
- Celebrate the anniversary of this holy day of Confirmation with a visit, call, or card.
- Listen to and share in the confirmand’s maturing struggles and triumphs in living a Christian life and keep yourself informed on Christian doctrine and values to be able to answer questions when they arise.
- Encourage a maturing life of faith through special cards, letters, or gifts which celebrate holy events…Christmas, Easter…and personal growth events…graduations, first job, engagement. (Gift suggestions: a Bible, rosary, spiritual book, religious jewelry, retreat opportunity).
- Most importantly, become a model of Christian living for the person you have sponsored, through daily prayer, virtue, and active participation in parish life and liturgy.”
During the Confirmation service, I felt especially close to my own late sponsor (my Dad’s youngest sister), Cioci (Aunt) Irene, who passed away at age 95. Not only was she a great influence on my spiritual life, but she also played a large role in the lives of my four children even into their adult lives and with my twin grandchildren, who accompanied me on many visit to her assisted living facility.
When Cioci Irene passed away in July 2022, her son asked me to offer the words of remembrance at her Mass of Christian Burial. I had to smile inwardly when I spoke with the parish staff on the phone about the instructions: make sure that the words have spiritual content to them. Besides my grandparents and parents, my aunt was the greatest spiritual companion in my life for another 10 years after all of them had passed away.
I reread what I had written about Cioci Irene after I received that card at the Confirmation service. In my special memories of the “saint” that God had chosen to be my sponsor, I treasured how she: took away my fear of the bishop when I was confirmed; was the first to send me Polish wafer bread (opⱡatek) when I went away on active duty in the USAF; used her butter mold to make lambs for our family for the blessing of Easter food on Holy Saturday (and gave me her mold to continue the tradition); brought holy water to the parish cemetery for all of us to sprinkle as we bid farewell to her husband (my uncle); gave her treasured sodality rosary to my granddaughter with the instruction to pray it often; and always gave us a blessing on our foreheads when we left our visits with her, even if we were in the dining room and everyone could see it.
As we remember our Baptism during the Easter season, let us delight in the awe and wonder of God’s glory in new life that we experience in Christ. Let us remember those who have been witnesses of faith for us:
“…let us rejoice and be glad.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Terri Leone, on March 25th, 2026 March 23, 2026 update to a recent blog about
“Servant of God Adele Brice & Our Lady of Champion (WI, USA)”
From: https://championshrine.org/timeline/
 Adele and her companions form a community of Third Order Franciscans and begin to stabilize their missionary work in a farmhouse not far from the wood frame Chapel. Later in the year a school and convent are built of wood frame construction.
Update:
Based on a more complete biography of Adele Brice from the records at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, we have confirmation that Adele & her group of “Sisters” were not canonically established as a religious Order but were a group of lay/secular women living a Franciscan life. According to the terminology of that period in history, they were “Third Order” or Lay/Secular Franciscans.
Some Third Order/Secular Franciscan History:
In A Short History of the Third Order by Marion Habig, OFM & Mark Hegener, OFM (1963), Part 2 addresses the history of the Third Order of St. Francis in the USA from approximately the early 1900’s through the mid-1960’s.
In the Introduction to the book, the author cites two ancient philosophers concerning the importance of knowing one’s history: Cicero called history the “teacher of life” and Dryden rephrased this concept as “the most pleasant school of wisdom”.
- The authors frequently use the term Tertiary or tertiaries which is just a shortened form of “Third Order member(s)”. Tertiary is still used but only rarely.
- While it’s probable that some Third Order Franciscans came to America when Franciscan friars traveled with the early explorers, the Third Order had little organization, uniform practices or recorded history till the late 19th – early 20th What little they did have was predominantly in the hands of the friars & developed during a few national Congresses or Conventions under Franciscan friar leadership & then distributed to the Third Order fraternities.
- The General Constitutions of 1957 and new Ritual helped to facilitate this necessary unification. But along with this unification came a sense of being 2nd class Franciscan religious. Although they didn’t take vows, they were expected to practice the evangelical virtues of faith, hope and charity in a heroic way, have a regulated prayer life, take religious names (called each other Sister or Brother…..) & wear “habits” daily which, over the years, went from modified religious habits to a scapular and cord.
- The Second Vatican Council (early 1960’s) and Popes John XXIII and Paul VI (both of whom were Third Order Franciscans) encouraged all religious & lay Orders to “look to your roots” as a means to revitalize their Orders. These factors were the impetus for the Franciscan friars to encourage & support the lay Third Order leaders to honor the sacredness of their lay vocation; to assume responsibility for updating their governing documents to meet the needs of our times and to discern “what is ours to do” (which included changing the name of our Order to “The Secular Franciscan Order”).
- Frs. Habig & Hegener closed Part II with “the Third Order was founded to ‘satisfy a thirst for heroism’ in the hearts of people”.
Do you feel called to “satisfy a thirst for (spiritual) heroism”? Are you living in such a way that you inflame a thirst for spiritual heroism in others?
Terri Leone, OFS
Posted By Terri Leone, on March 19th, 2026 Are you aware that our Blessed Mother Mary appeared to a young woman in a Belgian settlement near Champion Wisconsin in 1859? She appeared to a young woman, Adele Brice, and gave her a special mission from Jesus.
In January 2026 the Holy See started their investigation for the cause of Adele’s possible canonization. Adele is currently titled a Servant of God.
Read the story at Servant of God Adele Brice & Our Lady of Champion – Secular Franciscan Order – USA
Posted By Teresa Redder, on February 28th, 2026 Joyful Gospel Living – March 1, 2026
“Lord, it is good that we are here.”
For three years now, my husband Jeff and I have participated in a treasured monthly spiritual series at Francis House of Prayer (Allentown, NJ) with Sr. Marcy Springer, SSJ, on St. Teresa of Ávila. This year, our group has been reading and discussing her book The Way of Perfection, written for her religious community of Carmelite sisters to instruct them in their prayer life. Last month, we read about St. Teresa’s thoughts on the prayer of quiet, something that all of us need in our daily lives, too.
As we celebrate the important Lenten meaning of the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor, I was reminded of a personal connection to this when I was reading our February assigned text from St. Teresa:
“Persons in this prayer [quiet] see that only one thing is necessary and everything else disturbs them. They don’t want the body to move because it seems they would thereby lose that peace; thus, they don’t dare stir…They are so close that they are seeing as though understanding through signs. They are within the palace, near the King, and they see that He is beginning to give them here His Kingdom.”
Even before St. Teresa ended that paragraph with a reference to St. Peter’s exclamation about building three places to remain with Jesus on the mountain, I already had an image of an intimate prayer experience where the heart speaks to God and says, “Lord, it is good to be here.” More than 1500 years after the Transfiguration, St. Teresa, like other saints before and after her, was able to teach her sisters how prayer can transfigure our lives. Her enduring text continues to inspire us 500 years later, just like this Gospel story.
On Ash Wednesday, the Gospel reminded us of the three Lenten disciplines: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. As we are now in the second week of our 40-day Lenten experience, how are we doing with prayer practices that transfigure our minds and hearts? What are some of the ways to do that?
- Read and pray over the daily Scripture readings.
- Use a Lenten daily devotional to go deeper into the conversion that is the goal of Lent.
- Explore internet resources that provide deeper insights into the Christian pilgrimage of hope.
- Make a Holy Hour in adoration and open the heart to hear Christ speaking,
- Practice Centering Prayer in which there is a deliberate detachment from worldly distractions and 20 minutes of contemplative prayer (prayer of quiet).
- Attend daily Mass more frequently and meditate on the Scripture readings. How will they shape the course of our day?
Recently, I received an e-mail from Sr. Mercedes Rojo, a Franciscan Sister of Philadelphia who is the spiritual assistant to St. Francis Fraternity-Milmont Park. A well-known retreat director, she is a person who incarnates the Scriptures with great joy and zeal.
For her Lenten fraternal reflection, she commented on a recent post on the Center for Action and Contemplation’s (CAC) thread on “Desert and Transformation” that described how people in the early Church (after 313 C.E.), in their desire to have a closer relationship with Christ, would go into the desert to seek the wisdom of the desert abbas (fathers) and ammas (mothers). Their hope was to receive a word to awaken their souls.
After quoting from the CAC post, Sr. Mercedes added her own commentary to her Secular Franciscans, with special emphasis for their Lenten journey:
“After reading this reflection today, it reminded me of [Sr.] Macrina Wiederkehr [a late Benedictine retreat director], and how she describes Lectio Divina: ‘Read under the eyes of God until your heart is touched. Then, give yourself over to Love.’ – For when we do so, we receive A WORD!
What a wonderful practice this could be as we walk the Lenten Journey!! Asking the Lord to give us ‘a WORD’ as we reflect on the daily readings. So I invite us to pay attention to a WORD or phrase that touches us from the daily reading… And STAY with it… LISTENING TO WHAT GOD MAY BE SAYING TO US… TO ME…”
Just imagine the possibilities if we were to experience the prayer of quiet that St. Teresa described. What would it take to have that intimate moment with God in prayer in which we know that we are in the Palace with Him, near the King, and we realize that He has revealed to us that his Kingdom is here? Like the three apostles on Mount Tabor, would we be reluctant to leave there? Consider, though, how it would transform our world if we took that profound experience back into our daily lives with greater love and service!
In our daily living, faith calls us to be both active and contemplative (Martha and Mary). Our prayer experiences offer us the sacred time and place to surrender our will to God’s will, where St. Teresa told her sisters that all of our faculties would be joined together to serve the Lord. This is a wonderful Lenten desire—so close to us if we find that daily word in which we can center our minds and hearts on God’s love for us, aware of how good it is to be there.
When we carry our prayer experience with us into the world, it will be a source of strength and hope for us and others, remembering the words from Psalm 33:
“As we place our trust in You.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
SKD Regional Minister
Photo: Consecrated Life: Transfigured into Christ (Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery)
https://www.passionistnuns.org/blog/2015/08/05/consecrated-life-transfigured-into-christ
Posted By Teresa Redder, on February 25th, 2026 This reflection is on the Scripture readings from the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 15, 2026)
Joyful Gospel Living
“If you choose, you can keep the commandments…”
Over the past several weeks, the 2nd and 8th grade students in our parish have been preparing for the sacraments of First Holy Eucharist and Confirmation by participating in the sacrament of reconciliation. It is a grace-filled time, not only for the students who are in formation, but also for their families. Even the bulletin board in our church vestibule celebrates this spiritual journey as we look upon the cut-out sheep who are in the gentle care of the Good Shepherd.
During the prayer services before the private confessions, Fr. John (our pastor) proclaimed different Gospel parables to the two groups: the Prodigal Son (8th grade) and the Good Shepherd (2nd grade). In his homilies, Fr. John impressed upon the students how great is the love of God for every person. Even when we choose to do wrong, God seeks our return with mercy, compassion, kindness, and joy.
For most Catholics, our sacramental preparation required us to learn the Ten Commandments and to understand how they provide us with the framework for our daily lives. When the Ten Commandments are portrayed as two stone tablets, there are three commandments that refer to the love of God on one stone; the other stone has the seven commandments that direct us to love our neighbor. In the first reading from the Book of Sirach, there is a wisdom that is shared across all generations: “If you choose, you can keep the commandments; they will save you.”
As human beings made in the Divine image, we are blessed with the gift of free will and intellect. Through humility, we learn to use these gifts with great love for God and one another. The word “choose” is significant for us. The Ten Commandments provide us with a moral framework to build genuine relationships with God and our neighbors. During the reconciliation services, I always enjoy hearing the communal recitation of the Act of Contrition in which we publicly acknowledge that sometimes our choices are not always loving or the best for our spiritual lives. God is always waiting for us to come back. ♥
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Church provides us with clear teaching about the basics of our faith. It has four main parts:
- One: The Profession of Faith (the Creed)
- Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery
- Three: Life in Christ
- Four: Christian Prayer
https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM
Sometimes, it is worth it to spend some time exploring what the Church teaches. In Part Three of the Catechism (Life in Christ), there are two sections:
- Man’s Vocation in the Spirit;
- The Ten Commandments.
Both of these are related to the Scripture readings we have heard in these weeks of Ordinary Time. Our vocation in the Spirit is to embrace the charity described by the Beatitudes. They form our actions and our attitudes. Keeping the commandments then becomes our choice to love God and one another.
Through parish music ministry, I have participated in many reconciliation and sacramental events for our students over the years. For the second graders, their preparation time includes learning the song “Open My Eyes.” It is such a simple song, but it is full of a prayerful longing to know God better.
This year, our twin grandchildren (age 14) are receiving the sacrament of Confirmation on March 19th at Sacred Heart. The confirmandi had to prepare activity packets to reflect on their formation journey. Part of the packet required the logging of service hours, with a mapping to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. When we are obedient to God by choosing to do good, we are led by the Holy Spirit to a life of service for others. It was fun to review the list of service hours with them and to see how they might be fruits of the works of mercy. Those choices are important to making God’s Kingdom visible now..
Another reflection activity was to think about their favorite story about Jesus and why it made an impression on them. This was a very personal encounter with Christ. When all of the responses are submitted, we can only imagine the beauty of the encounters that the confirmandi have had with Jesus as they have prepared to receive the sacrament. Which of the stories is important to our own lives at this time?
In our parish hymnal (Oregon Catholic Press), there is a song called “Eye Has Not Seen.” It is based on the epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians that we heard this weekend: Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, what God has ready for those who love Him. The words to this song express the wonder and mystery of our God at work in our lives. It beseeches the Holy Spirit to give us the mind of Jesus so that we may learn to love the way that Christ loves. How that love transforms our world!
Over the next two months, the children in our parish will experience God’s love in the reception of the sacraments of initiation: Confirmation and Eucharist. Let us share their joy and learn about wonder from them:
“You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on February 25th, 2026 On February 8th, there was a Chapter of Elections at St. Francis Fraternity-Folsom, PA. The presider was Teresa Redder, OFS, and the ecclesial witness (delegate) was Sr. Mercedes, Rojo, OSF. Let us give thanks for the commitment of these elected servant leaders to sustain the fraternal spirit in their fraternity with great humility! It is indeed a blessing that this fraternity chose to elect a Councilor-at-Large to deepen their commitment to growing in their shared vocation.
| SAINT FRANCIS FRATERNITY (FOLSOM) CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS RESULTS |
| Minister |
Marie Gilligan, OFS |
Reelected |
| Vice Minister |
Suzanne McElvenney, OFS |
Reelected |
| Secretary |
Theresa Cavicchio, OFS |
Reelected |
| Treasurer |
Theresa McHugh, OFS |
Newly elected |
| Formation Director |
Tom McGurk, OFS |
Reelected |
| Councilor-at-large |
Rita Dourdoufis, OFS |
Newly elected |
Left to right: Marie Gilligan, OFS; Theresa Cavicchio, OFS; Rita Dourdoufis, OFS; Sr. Mercedes Rojo, OSF; Sue McElvenney, OFS; Tom McGurk, OFS; Teresa & Jeff Redder, OFS
Posted By Teresa Redder, on February 1st, 2026 Joyful Gospel Living
“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth…Seek justice, seek humility.”
During the years that I served in the Air Force Reserves and participated in monthly weekend training assemblies, I had the opportunity occasionally to attend Mass at the base chapel. Just as our parish has worship aids that inspire our liturgical celebrations, the chapel also had liturgical art that enhanced the assembly’s prayer experiences. There was a large banner that hung near the altar that said, “Seek peace and pursue it.” This partial quote came from Psalm 34:14, which began with the instruction “Turn from evil, and do good.”
While reading the text from the Prophet Zephaniah this weekend, we hear him speaking to the people of God to “seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth…seek justice, seek humility.” Those words reminded me of those many weekends in the base chapel when I looked at the banner and prayed over the pursuit of peace in our world. In the face of evil in the world, we are called to do good. The good that we seek is justice, always remembering that every person is made in the Divine image and has equal dignity.
There was an important Synod of Bishops that met and subsequently issued a document on November 30, 1971, called “Justice in the World.” During their time together, the bishops addressed many global issues, such as technology; the right to development; migrants; the arms race;’ nationalism; racial and class divisions; and the concentration of the world’s wealth. Fifty-five years later, many of these same issues remain a challenge in our world for all those who seek justice. New ones have been added.
In his Message for the World Day of Peace in 1972, Pope St. Paul VI chose the title “If You Want Peace, Work for Justice.” In opening this document on the Vatican website, I felt a distinct affection for the Holy Father while reading his respectful salutation in the message: “Men of thought! Men of action! All mankind living in 1972!” The Holy Father wanted to reiterate what the bishops had recently summarized after their synod, giving hope to the world:
“It is an invitation which does not ignore the difficulties in practicing Justice, in defining it, first of all, and then in actuating it, for it always demands some sacrifice of prestige and self-interest: Perhaps more greatness of soul is needed for yielding to the ways of Justice and Peace than for fighting for and imposing on an adversary one’s rights, whether true or alleged. We have such trust in the power of the associated ideals of Justice and Peace to generate in modern man the moral energy to actuate them, that we are confident of their gradual victory. Indeed, we are even more confident that on his own modern man has an understanding of the ways of peace, sufficient to enable him to become a promoter of that Justice which opens those ways and sets people travelling them with courageous and prophetic hope.”
In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus instructed His disciples with a blueprint for what makes God’s Kingdom a reality here and now, by citing the blessings of those who act as God desires. Whenever I read them, I like to hear the “If…then” implications of what Jesus is saying. For example, if you want mercy to be shown to you, then you must first be merciful as God teaches us. My favorite “If…then” is this Beatitude: If you want to be called God’s children, then you must be a peacemaker. From our baptism, we have been chosen to be God’s children by name. It is our baptismal call to be peacemakers. In our daily living, how are we working for justice as St. Paul VI urged us to do?
Recently, my husband Jeff and I had the opportunity to visit both Viet Nam and Cambodia. In both countries, there was evidence of great recovery by the people from the terrible atrocities of long warfare. The people that we met during our visit were kind, friendly, curious, and very proud of their long heritage.
On one of our excursions in Cambodia, we visited a “Killing Fields” site where the Khmer Rouge executed innocent civilians as part of a terrible genocide that saw the annihilation of almost one-third (3 million) of the Cambodian population. As we toured the infamous S21 prison where people were tortured to obtain confessions, our tour guide explained to us that, when the leaders of the Khmer Rouge were finally brought to trial, the Cambodian people did not seek or value revenge as a form of justice. There were no executions of Khmer Rouge after the trials.
For five decades, the Cambodian people have found healing through the four sublime states of Buddhism, the predominant religion of Cambodians: loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. These same values are also integral to our Christian way of life. What are the possibilities in the world when people of goodwill work together to promote a more fraternal world? What resolve is necessary to turn from the subtle seductions of evil to do good?
When the Synod of Bishops met in 1971, there were wars in Southeast Asia, civil wars in Central and South America, and tensions in Africa as countries emerged from colonialism. While those are now part of history, different challenges in our world now urge us to seek justice so that there will be peace. The Beatitudes inspire us to live life with the same passion as Jesus, who showed us the way:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
At the entrance to the War Remembrance Museum in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Viet Nam
(Photos taken by Teresa Redder, OFS, in January 2026)
“In love, peace remains.”
  
 
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