The Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word extend our deepest sympathies to all those impacted by the most recent school shooting in our country, this time in Santa Fe, TX. As a Congregation that seeks to incarnate the healing and saving love of God in the world, we stand strong in our commitment to Gospel nonviolence and lament the rampant and senseless violence plaguing our society today.

Our CCVI ministries include educational institutions in both the US and Mexico. We are aware of and share in the fear and uncertainty felt by students, parents, and staff of educational institutions, and are inspired by their powerful determination to prevent future school shootings and gun violence.

We continue to stand in solidarity with the students of impacted schools and others around the United States who are rising up to demand action on gun control legislation so that no other school and community have to face this tragedy. While we keep all those impacted by gun violence in prayers, we follow the lead of Pope Francis who reminds us that we have to take action to answer those prayers as the Body of Christ in the world today: “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.”

We pray for the victims and those mourning, and we seek to prevent future tragedies and end senseless gun violence by calling upon the U.S. elected officials to find the courage to reject the influence of the corporate gun lobby and immediately pass legislation that:

1) Bans semi-automatic assault weapons with high-capacity magazines

2) Requires universal background checks for all gun purchases

3) Makes gun trafficking a federal crime.

Please join us not only in thought and prayer, but in action by contacting your current elected representatives (both state and national) and demand the legislative points above. Also educate yourself about the candidates up for election in the mid-term this year and make gun reform a top priority. Future mass shootings are not inevitable if we come together to take concrete action.

We draw our hope and strength through Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, who inspires us to co-create a culture of peace and we stand in solidarity with the church movement for gospel nonviolence. Let us be his healing hands in the world today.