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Peace and Justice Committee

The Peace & Justice Committee/Episcopal Peace Fellowship Chicago Chapter is a network of individuals from across the spectrum of our diocesan life. The Committee welcomes all who seek to work on the root causes of oppression and violence. In 2012, we are focusing on four areas: Peace in the Middle East, Sensible Gun Legislation, Eradication of Domestic Poverty and Opposition to Reinstatement of the Death Penalty in Illinois (and support of its abolition in the remaining states where capital punishment is still practiced).

At the same time, we seek not only to be a resource for information on our target areas, but also to form a network of parish liaisons that will allow the committee to be a center of awareness of issues and actions that are key to each community in the parish. Anyone wishing to be a parish liaison – feeding vital information on education and advocacy between the committee and the parish and vice versa – is welcome to join the network.

The Committee will hold its first meeting of 2013 at 7 pm on Tuesday, January 22. Committee objectives and the complete meeting schedule for 2013 will be agreed at that meeting. Please contact incoming Chairperson, Matthew Zaradich via email for further details.

FRIENDS AND RESOURCES

Michael S. Yasutake Award

The 2012 Michael S. Yasutake Peace and Justice Award was presented to The Rev. Jackie Lynn.

Mike Yasutake was a priest in the Chicago Diocese for 51 years. He received his Master of Divinity degree in 1950 at Seabury Western Theological Seminary. He served in a number of capacities in both the Diocese of Chicago and the Episcopal Church. For fifty years he was a "voice of conscience" for the Episcopal Church as well as many national and international communities. Mike's life work of justice ministries was greatly influenced by his family's interment during World War II. Learn more about Rev. Yasutake’s life.

After his "retirement" from full-time employment, Mike assisted at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Evanston and was priest-in-charge of a Japanese Episcopal Congregation at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Chicago. From 1980 until his death in 2001, Mike was the Executive Director of Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project (IPOC), which he founded in 1980 with the purpose of mobilizing support in church and society for the release of political prisoners in the United States and of monitoring prisons on human rights concerns.

The Peace and Justice Committee seek nominees (individuals as well as organizations) whose lives/mission represent the values to which Michael Yasutake adhered:

  • A commitment to the gospel message of nonviolence and peacemaking;
  • A willingness to engage the 'other';
  • A shown ability to take risks in order to live out (or to witness to) the Gospel.

A review committee of two members of the Peace and Justice Committee and a member from the diocesan staff will make the final selection. Award recipient(s) will receive a cash award of $250.00.

Nominations for the 2013 award will be accepted from August 15 – September 30, 2013. Please email Matthew Zaradich, Peace and Justice Committee Chair, with any questions.