Peace Pilgrims Receive Special Recognition
Tom Garlitz, Jim and Sue Morris, and Bishop George J. Lucas
Springfield, IL May 6, 2009
In a special luncheon and prayer service hosted by the Most Rev. George J. Lucas, Bishop of the the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, Tom Garlitz, Director of the Peace and Social Justice Ministry of the Joliet Diocese, presented Sue and Jim Morris with the Pax Joliet Award for their years of work in the pursuit of justice and peace in the Holy Land. Following is the text of Garlitz' presentation speech.
"Let me begin with a preface. Sue and Jim met all the qualifications for this award, except one. They are not from the Joliet Diocese. Therefore, we have secured from Bishop Sartain a special blessing for Sue and Jim granting them honorary membership in the Joliet Diocese. Sue and Jim, you now have dual citizenship.
And with that I can now say:
The Pax JolietAward is given to an individual(s) of or from (or within the geographic region of) the Joliet Catholic Diocese who:
- seeks peace and justice through non-violent means
- demonstrates a long term commitment or extraordinary efforts in promoting the Gospel of peace and justice
- exhibits a lifestyle of righteousness and integrity – seeking to live in peace and justice in all relationships
- maintains a deep concern for people in opposition, even in the midst of the conflict that often accompanies the struggle for justice.
While today we focus on Sue and Jim’s work for justice and peace in the Holy Land, they have established a long, and deep, and broad ministry in the pursuit of peace.
I first came to know Sue almost seventeen years ago now when she worked for the Springfield Office of Social Concerns and I was first appointed to the Joliet Peace and Social Justice Office. We work together on the Catholic Conference of Illinois - Community Affairs Department.
From the beginning she offered encouragement to me - the newbie and was generous in the sharing of ideas and her willingness to collaborate.
Her commitment to the Springfield Diocese and the Catholic Conference in this challenging work of social justice was an inspiration and served as a model for me.
Jim and Sue minister peace in song and prayer. Their social justice ministry is rooted in a deep spirituality. Everyone knows of their creation of Koinonia ministry, of their retreat ministry, and work as spiritual directors. Their concept of peace, while engaged in the political, is not simply political, while active, is not merely social, but it is that of Shalom, seeking reconciliation - oneness with God, wholeness of self, and healing and unity with others. They seek the flourishing of the entire human community.
As well theirs is a teaching ministry. Jim as DRE at Little Flower. Sue with social justice workshops. For years Sue has supported the Joliet Diocese’s Peace and Justice Institute by teaching The Spirituality of Social Justice seminar, thus helping to raise up a cadre of prayerful prophets.
I could go on, but today we give special focus to Sue and Jim’s work for peace in the Holy Land.
Sue and Jim first traveled with the US Catholic Conference of Bishops in 1995 and came back committed to duplicating this for the Springfield and Joliet Dioceses.
They had a vision to promote peace and justice in the Holy Land through Living Stones Pilgrimages: These pilgrimages are a sign of solidarity, a witness to peace, and an opportunity for economic support of the beleaguered Palestinian Christian community. They are visits to the Holy Places, the “ancient Stones,” important to the People of God. But also visits to God’s Holy People, the “Living Stones,” the Palestinian Christians who live in Israel. They are an opportunity to hear from the oppressed of the land, to witness efforts to bring justice and peace through development and empowerment, to learn from peacemakers (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) and Middle-east issue experts. They are pilgrimages of prayer, solidarity, and the quest for peace.
The first trip was organized in 1997. They would travel on eight over the coming years. A couple were organized but canceled due to violence.
They took to themselves the most difficult work for peace and justice. A work filled with many challenges:
The political challenge.
Certainly we all know that the conflict in the Holy Land, the quest for peace in the Middle East, is central to so many of our nation’s and indeed the world's challenges today.
The challenge of the popular or common wisdom presented by a news media that most often slants the coverage: i.e. The challenge of articulating the need for justice for Palestinians in an anti-Muslim, pro-Israeli atmosphere.
The church challenge: largely the right wing evangelical movement.
The fundamentalist influence whose view of the Apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ is so tied to a particular understanding of Israel as a Jewish Nation.
Sue and Jim had to discover how to discuss the justice issues with the honesty they require, without being labeled anti-Semitic. The church has made such progress in healing with Jews – and this could easily be threatened. This demanded sensitivity and wisdom.
Still, always mindful of the persecution of the Jews and remembering this history of persecution and holocaust – Jim and Sue could not turn away from the faces of the oppressed, from the cries of the poor they saw and heard on that first pilgrimage. They could not deny their Palestinian brothers and sisters.
And so they have faced these challenges and because of it have been a source of encouragement and strength for a beleaguered church (the Palestinian Christians), they have been a witness to Muslim and Jewish friends. And they have gathered and awakened many, many pilgrims to this cause of justice and peace in the Holy Land.
For this, and so much more, we are happy to present to you, Sue and Jim,
The Pax Joliet Award for 2009."
