"Preach
     the Gospel
       always, and
    when necessary
    use words"
-St Francis of Assisi-
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Peace and Justice

 
St. Josephine Bakhita 
was born
to wealthy
Sudanese parents but was kidnapped by slave traders and given the name Bakhita by them.
   She was bought and sold a number
of times but her final owner took her
to his home in Italy and later freed
Bakhita. She was baptized, took the name Josephine as a
symbol of her new life and later became Canossian sister.
Josephine was canonized in 2000, and is thought to be the
only saint originally from Sudan. “I can truly say that it
was a miracle I did not die, because the Lord has destined
me for greater things…”
  A Displaced Sudan: The Cost of Silence
  See photos by Ryan Spencer Reed
  Malletts Creek Ann Arbor Library 5/2-6/14
  Free exhibit, library hours, 327-4200 
  By St. Francis & Cosponsors
           stfrancisa2.com/darfur
Hands of a Displaced Sudan: The Cost of Silence
Photo Exhibit by Ryan Spencer Reed
Wednesday, May 2 – Thursday, June 14, 2007
at: Ann Arbor District Library - Malletts Creek Branch  (734-327-4200),
3090 East Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor, MI . 
CoSponsored by: We presently have paid cosponsorships from these listed congregations
and we expect several more communities to join us in cosponsoring.
Ann Arbor District Library - Malletts Creek Branch  (734-327-4200)
3090 East Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor, MI . 
       Monday   10 am – 9 pm
       Tuesday – Friday    9 am – 9 pm
       Saturday    9 am – 6 pm
       Sunday  12 noon – 6 pm
       Closed   Memorial Day, May 28, 2007
The Peace and Justice Committee of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church has made the arrangements for this event, and has taken the lead in sponsoring the photo exhibit, Hands of a Displaced Sudan, chronicled by Ryan Spencer Reed, a photojournalist from Michigan. The photo exhibit brings to life the agonies of Sudan in a way that words cannot.  It can be viewed at www.ryanspencerreed.com. We had a grand opening of the exhibit with feature presentation by Mr. Reed May 4. 
        In early January 2007, we approached other congregations to cosponsor this event so that more people will be reached.  We mailed a letter to more than 130 congregation leaders in Washtenaw County asking them to encouarge their congregation to consider cosponsoring the photo exhibit. 
(See the list of Cosponsors at the beginning of this web page.)
We each are becoming part of a collective effort to end the genocide in the Darfur Region of Sudan and elsewhere.
Make donation and/or cosponsorship checks payable to:
           "St. Francis of Assisi Church" and note for: "Photos Exibit" 
mail to: St. Francis of Assisi Church, C/O Scott Wright, 
                  2150 Frieze Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Questions contact:
Kelly Gauthier (544-2915) ,
Jim Varani (995-2597)  , 
or, contact our St. Francis Social Ministry Office (821-2121) &
visit:  stfrancisa2.com/darfur
groupM35
A photographic agency representing documentary photographers from around the world, groupM35, Features Exhibitions by Ryan Spencer Reed, a Michigan resident.   Visit: groupm35.com/ to veiw the Full Project, Exhibition Gallery, Book & Quick Time Panoramic & Quicktime Movie.

 Hands of a Displaced Sudan: The Cost of Silence
“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing.”      18th century parliamentarian, Edmund Burke

In the wake of nearly twenty-three years of brutal civil war, the population of Southern Sudan lies shattered and strewn across the Central and East African landscape. More than two and half million people have been killed and another five million have been internally and externally displaced by the conflict. Since January of 2003, a new exodus has flooded the western border region of Darfur in Sudan with displaced persons fleeing the same regime responsible for the Southern tragedy. Despite the fact that the United States has formally labeled this Diaspora genocide, the killing continues unchecked, threatening to shed blood on every grain of sand. In the words of former U.S. President Clinton, “If the horrors of the Holocaust taught us anything, it is the high cost of remaining silent and paralyzed in the face of Genocide."    groupm35.com/
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Catholic Relief Services
The CRS is providing emergency aid in the form of shelter, water and sanitation, education, and food to thousands of Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in the midst of civil unrest following upon climate change. 

The situation in Darfur, Sudan has gone unresolved for the last two years.  The Darfur crisis has displaced more than 2.4 million people. 

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is one of the largest non-governmental organizations operating in Sudan. In Darfur, Sudan CRS is providing desperately needed food and non-food items. In southern Sudan CRS manages the Southern Sudan Agricultural Revitalization Project, the largest agricultural development program in Sudan. In partnership with local and international organizations, CRS also supports initiatives focused on peace-building, health and education.

Visit: http://www.crs.org/darfur/

Support powerless and impoverished people through relief, recovery, and resettlement services for victims of war and persecution.   Please give to the Catholic Relief Services:  Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090 .

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Please join our community as we pray for, learn about, reflect upon, and speak out in support of our Sudanese sisters and brothers in the Darfur region.  This crisis is a major concern of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholics throughout the United States. 

Gain a vivid picture of what life is like in Sudan, and what we can all do about it. 
View, "Sudan: Remembering, Responding and Rebuilding" the DVD/CD-ROM produced by  Catholic Relief Services (1-800-235-2772 ext. 7264) http://sudan.crs.org/           We already have ordered (4/6/2007) and will soon have a copy of this in the St. Francis Parish Social Ministry Office.

Contact our St. Francis Social Ministry Office. 
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Parish Social Ministry Office, 
2150 Frieze Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104

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