Social Justice

The End the Dath Penalty Priority Group advocates for life. There is no evidence that the death penalty uniquely deters crime or improves public safety.
Our call to action: Commute the sentences of the 135 on death row in NC to life in prison and have alternative punishments. Pray for those on death row, their families and the victims’ families/friends.

Death Penalty First Friday Prayer Vigil - first Friday each month from 2:00-3:00 pm ET.
On the First Friday of every month, through prayerful petition, Scripture reflection, and contemplative silence, we pray for an end to the death penalty and for all those affected by capital punishment: victims, accused, their families, and those carrying out the execution.


 

The Food Security Priority Group works to provide a broad view of food security from the standpoint of its availability, access, nutrition, sustainability, stability and agency and its correlation with poverty and the environment.

Our core objectives:
1. Educate ourselves about the systemic causes of food insecurity in the world, in the US and in our state, and its effects on the poor and the excluded in the society.
2. Disseminate information about food security to the broader church community for better understanding, sharing and participation.
3. Participate in ministries that provide food and support to the homeless and the excluded.
4. Grow in awareness about the interdependence between food sustainability and the environment, and work on reachable solutions, such as reducing food waste.

Food Security fits into the Universal Apostolic Preferences, particularly in its focus on showing how food security is related to poverty and the excluded and also by showing the connections between food and the environment and how this is affecting our common home.

The Racial Justice Priority Group responds to God’s call to unity by educating Catholics at St. Peter and the community about the sin of racism and its devastating harm, thereby inspiring conversion of hearts and meaningful cultural change.

We bring Open Wide Our Hearts: An Enduring Call to Love and other Church teachings against racism to light as we pray, listen, study, reflect and respond to actively combat racism and promote equity among all people.

“Racism is a sin that divides the human family, blots the image of God among specific members of the family and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father.” (Brothers and Sisters to US, USCCB 1979).

Pope Francis reminds us that God is in everyone’s life, even in those whose actions we find hard to forgive. We believe that all people are entitled to the opportunity for rehabilitation and reconciliation. We advocate for criminal justice reform, including abolishing capital punishment, eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing, and strengthening support structures for re-entry.