Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation

Integral to the Carmelite charism is a commitment to building peace, upholding justice, and maintaining the integrity of God's Creation (sometimes abbreviated to JPIC). The Carmelite Family in Britain and across the world seeks to preach Christ's Good News and build up God's kingdom on earth by living in solidarity with the planet and its people.

JPIC in Carmelite Spirituality
Catholic social teaching is reflected in the spirituality of the Carmelite Order. The 1995 Constitutions of the Order speak of justice and peace as foundational to Carmel: "The Rule of Saint Albert speaks of a community whose members are open to the indwelling of the Spirit and formed by the Spirit’s values: chastity, holy thoughts, justice, love, faith, the expectation of salvation, work accomplished in peace, silence which, as the Prophet tells us, is the cult of justice and brings wisdom to word and action; and discernment, 'the guide and moderator of all virtues'." (§16) The first Carmelites on Mount Carmel learned to respect their environment, tending the land and seeking to live in peace with others.

Today Carmelite friars, apostolic sisters and laity live "in the midst of the people", sharing the joys and sorrows of those around us. As the 1995 Constitutions state: "This way of being in the midst of the people is a sign and a prophetic witness of new relationships, of fraternity and friendship among men and women everywhere. It is a prophetic message of justice and peace in society and among peoples. As an integral part of the Good News, this prophecy must be fulfilled through active commitment to the transformation of sinful systems and structures into grace-filled systems and structures. It is also an expression of the choice to share in the lives of “the little ones” (minores) of history, so that we may speak a word of hope and of salvation from their midst - more by our life than by our words. This option flows naturally from our profession of poverty in a mendicant fraternity, and is in keeping with our allegiance to Christ Jesus, lived out also through allegiance to the poor and to those in whom the face of our Lord is reflected in a preferential way." (§24)

In recent years a number of reflections on JPIC issues have been produced by the Carmelite Family, notably two letters from the Prior General: The God of Our Contemplation (2004) on the connection between contemplation and the work for justice; and The Lord Hears the Cry of the Poor (2006) on the meaning of poverty for Carmelite life.

Individual Carmelites (including Johan Bergström-Allen, Wilfrid McGreal and Míceál O’Neill) have written on issues of justice, peace and the integrity of Creation, and some of these reflections can be found in the Contemporary Authors page of the Carmelite Spirituality section of this website.

JPIC activities in the British Province of Carmelites
Carmelite individuals and communities in Britain, both religious and lay, live out their commitment to justice, peace and the integrity of Creation in a variety of ways, including:

• supporting aid and development charities such as CAFOD and SCIAF
• purchasing Fairtrade products for our churches, homes and workplaces, and consuming ethically - the British Province is working towards achieving status as a Fairtrade Province
  
• praying in solidarity with the poor and marginalised
  
• supporting the work of peace movements such as Pax Christi, Friends of the Holy Land and the Network of Christian Peace Organisations
  
• co-sponsoring the Ebor Lectures in Theology and Public Life, which deal with ethical and social issues
  
• recycling household and office waste
• outreach ministry among the unchurched, and those who feel excluded from the Church
  
• reducing energy consumption
• developing a Peace Garden and wooded areas at Aylesford Priory
• beekeeping which promotes biodiversity
  
• caring for the sick and elderly, accompanying some on the annual Carmelite Pilgrimage to Lourdes
  
• seeking to Live Simply, in the light of Catholic Social Teaching
  
• raising awareness of social justice issues, collaborating with groups such as Progressio, the Catholic Association for Racial Justice, diocesan Justice & Peace Groups, the National Justice & Peace Network, and the Conference of Religious
  
• off-setting carbon emissions generated by travel for meetings of the Order
  
• collecting stamps that are sold to raise funds for a project in Timor Leste that provides people with life-long skills and trades
  
• providing clinics, maternity units, electricity generators and houses  of formation in projects run by our brothers and sisters in Africa and Asia, including the mission of the Corpus Christi Carmelite Sisters in Liberia (to read the latest Liberia Bulletin please click here)
  
• collecting money in response to natural disasters
• prison chaplaincy and rehabilitation work
• working among the homeless
  
• promoting the witness of Christian martyrs who spoke out in favour of justice, including Titus Brandsma and Oscar Romero (for example through the Archbishop Romero Trust, and by printing reflections on Romero in Assumpta magazine)
  
• building peace through better understanding of our neighbours, particularly through ecumenical and interfaith encounter and dialogue
• political lobbying and peaceful demonstrating, for example during the Climate Wave event in December 2009
• speaking out in defence of human rights, including religious freedom
  
• campaigning on issues of Climate Justice, in collaboration with groups such as Operation Noah and Christian Ecology Link (for an article on Carmelite spirituality and climate justice click here)
  
• promoting the place of women within the Church and Society, in conjunction with partners such as the National Board of Catholic Women
• raising awareness of JPIC issues through the Carmelite Forum and Carmelite Institute of Britain & Ireland
  
• supporting the work of the Carmelite NGO at the United Nations
  

How can you contribute to the Order's JPIC work?

• Inform yourself about JPIC issues through resources produced by the groups listed above; subscribe to the Carmelite NGO newsletter.
  
• Pray and reflect upon issues of justice, peace and the integrity of God's Creation; our apostolates and attitudes must be grounded in a living relationship with God in prayer.
  
• Support some of the activities listed above, and seek to live simply that others may simply live.
  
• Consider donating time or money to the work of the Province and its partners.