Author Archive

Children’s Reflection for World Water Day (March 22)

March 18, 2020

This World Water Day (March 22) share the story of late Grandmother Josephine Mandamin and her powerful message to protect water with the children in your community.  Just in time for World Water Day, KAIROS has released a Children’s Reflection…

Post filed in: Ecological Justice

A peace process undermined: Land defense and the non-repetition of violence in Colombia

March 13, 2020

The non-repetition of violence is a cornerstone of Colombia’s Peace Agreement between the government and the FARC—the former guerilla group (now political party). Recently published reports by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in Colombia…

Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Latin America

Spirited Reflection: Lent, Human Identity and our Environment

March 3, 2020

In pondering Eve’s conversation with the serpent (as in Genesis) and Jesus’ conversation with Satan when he fasted for forty days in the desert (as in Matthew 4:1-11), we see these conversations as saying something about our human identity.  In…

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

‘Walk with me’ – a lesson plan towards reconciliation

March 2, 2020

Education is key to reconciliation and the key to good education is a lesson plan that sticks. The Blanket Exercise is one such lesson plan. Developed by KAIROS, the Blanket Exercise is based on a method that uses participatory education to weave storytelling and land-based learning…

Post filed in: Indigenous Rights

Supporting women’s organizations & movements – a strategic approach to climate action

February 28, 2020

“Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. They have to be part of the solution.” A strategic approach to climate actionDownload This report was created by the Nobel Women’s Initiative (NWI) and Equality Fund. .

Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice/Women of Courage

The Alternative Mining Indaba: A cautionary tale of constructive engagement

February 28, 2020

While in Africa for partnership visits, I took the opportunity to travel to South Africa to participate in the Alternative Mining Indaba in Cape Town and meet with WoMin African Alliance in early February. “Indaba” is a Zulu and Xhosa…

Post filed in: Africa, Gender Justice/Women of Courage

Ecumenical Network South Sudan and the value of persistent, patient advocacy

February 28, 2020

Concerned about a lack of global interest in the welfare of South Sudan, which for years has been mired in a brutal civil war, the Ecumenical Network South Sudan (ENSS)’s annual gathering focused on enhancing international advocacy and the role…

Post filed in: Africa, Gender Justice/Women of Courage

Spirited Reflection: One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see

February 26, 2020

Two readings for this Lenten season coming to mind, about seeing and vision:  Psalm 121, I lift up my eyes to the hills; and the story of the man born blind that is in the ninth chapter of the Gospel…

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

Wet’suwet’en: des leaders chrétiens réclament un règlement pacifique

February 21, 2020

Le conflit qui oppose les chefs héréditaires de la Première Nation des Wet’suwet’en au projet de gazoduc Coastal GasLink peut et doit se régler de manière pacifique, estime Erik Oland, le supérieur provincial des Jésuites du Canada. Dans une lettre…

Post filed in: En français, Indigenous Rights

Letter to the Editor: Trump’s peace plan for the Middle East should be rejected, says NGO

February 12, 2020

Re: “Trudeau should leave the fake diplomacy to Donald Trump,” (The Hill Times, Feb. 3, p. 4). KAIROS Canada urges the prime minister to publicly reject the U.S. president’s “Peace to Prosperity Plan” for Israel and Palestine, which contravenes international…

Post filed in: Middle East, Op Eds

KAIROS, member churches and partners call on Canada to publicly reject the U.S. administration’s “Peace to Prosperity Plan”

February 6, 2020

KAIROS joins member churches and ecumenical partners around the world in denouncing President Trump’s “Deal of the Century” or “Peace to Prosperity Plan” as a flagrant violation of international law that will entrench occupation and lead to greater suffering of…

Post filed in: Middle East

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines has issued a statement condemning the attack against the Lumad Indigenous people

February 5, 2020

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), a KAIROS partner,  has issued a statement condemning the attack, harassment and intimidation against the Lumad Indigenous people seeking refuge in the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) –…

Post filed in: Asia-Pacific, Indigenous Rights

Spirited Reflection: Become like children

February 5, 2020

Continuing with the KAIROS Epiphany resource, Listen to the Children: A Worship Resource for Justice Seekers (digital) (print) and Écoutez les enfants, this week we note the importance of the community in overseeing and advocating for children’s development and well-being….

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

Canadian ecumenical response to attacks on the Lumad evacuees in Mindanao

February 3, 2020

KAIROS joins churches in Canada in signing the following ecumenical statement condemning the attacks against Indigenous Lumad evacuees at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines-Haran (UCCP-Haran) evacuation centre in Davao, Mindanao.   In September 2019 KAIROS staff visited the…

Post filed in: Asia-Pacific, Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights

Recognizing International Women’s Day in prayer

January 31, 2020

Just as we remember Sarah and Hagar, Tamar and Esther, and the stories of their ancient struggles for gender justice, now we remember Gloria Chicaiza, Berta Cáceres, Tina Fountaine and so many more in the ongoing struggles for justice and…

Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage

Learning history through participation – The KAIROS Blanket Exercise

January 31, 2020

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise program was held in Weyburn on Wednesday, January 29th, brought here by South East District in partnership with Weyburn Arts Council, Southeast Regional Library, PLURA Churches, and Canadian Mental Health Association, Weyburn Branch. While I’ve read and heard…

Post filed in: Indigenous Rights

Solidarity with members of the Chinese community who are experiencing a deepening of racism

January 29, 2020

As the news is filled with regular updates on the Coronavirus, we want to express our solidarity with those who are directly impacted by the illness and their families. We share our grief for those who have died, and our…

Post filed in: Uncategorized

Spirited Reflection: Jesus heals and blesses children

January 28, 2020

Continuing with the Epiphany resource, Listen to the Children: A Worship Resource for Justice Seekers (digital) (print) and Écoutez les enfants , this week we see how Jesus included children in his teachings. Throughout his ministry, Jesus speaks about a…

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

Sharing an Indigenous point of view at KAIROS Blanket Exercise

January 28, 2020

Seeing, hearing for yourself, and experiencing the relationship between Indigenous and non-indigenous people in Canada is something that a group of people in Strathmore practiced last night at the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. The free public education session was held at…

Post filed in: Indigenous Rights

Spirited Reflection: Children as prophets, servants and leaders

January 24, 2020

Today, as with Scripture, we find news and stories of children and youth as prophet, servant or leader. From Isaiah 49:1-7: the servant’s role is to turn God’s people back to God, to make them a “light to the nations,”…

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

Spiritual Reflection: Grief and a season to find connection

January 24, 2020

When I reflect on community, it is often with a sense of grieving for the connections once found at this time of year. Certainly, traditional communities were communal and intergenerational in their caregiving, with many navigating the harshest stretch of…

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

Wet’suwet’en land defenders are not criminals

January 22, 2020

On January 13, the RCMP set up an Access Control Checkpoint on Wet’suwet’en territory, exactly one month after the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called on Canada “to guarantee that no force will be used against Secwepemc…

Post filed in: Indigenous Rights

Strong medicine for toxic resource extraction

January 15, 2020

The final report of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry released on June 3 outlines 231 recommendations for addressing the ongoing discrimination and violence targeted against Indigenous women in Canada. The detailed report diagnoses patriarchy and…

Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Indigenous Rights

New understanding of Indigenous history inspires MHCC staff

January 15, 2020

As twenty Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) staff members seated themselves in a circle in a small, windowless room, a sense of trepidation was in the air. While some had experience working with Indigenous communities, others were only faintly…

Post filed in: Indigenous Rights

WCC leaders reiterate need for United States and Iran to step back from escalating conflict

January 9, 2020

KAIROS joins the World Council of Churches and member churches around the world in prayers for peace, praying that the leaders of US and Iran will be guided into and follow the way of peace. World Council of Churches January…

Post filed in: Uncategorized

Spirited Reflection: The vulnerability of children and communities

January 3, 2020

“We, youth, come together to create, construct, resist, and dream.” —Paola Andrea Muñoz January 6 is the beginning of Epiphany and KAIROS spirited reflections are focusing on children, based on the new Epiphany Resource Listen to the Children: A Worship…

Post filed in: Spirited Reflections

Lost Harvest, Seeds of Hope

December 20, 2019

By Lana Robinson Today included a visit to the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv, a kibbutz, to meet with an Israeli peace activist, and a meeting with The Coalition of Women for Peace. Today marks the International Day for the…

Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Middle East

A terrible beauty

December 20, 2019

By Paul Hansen After a week of profound experiences of occupation of a people, check points, human degradation, a formal liturgical moment was needed. I had come to name my experience of the first week in Palestine: A Terrible Beauty….

Post filed in: Gender Justice/Women of Courage, Middle East, Spirited Reflections