Missionaries of the Sacred

Participating in community outreach is a way we can each work for peace. Some outreach programs are designed to prevent violence, assist victims of violence and/or help perpetrators recognize the harm they are doing and change their ways. For instance, helping people form healthy romantic relationships makes it less likely that they will be abusive towards or abused by their spouse. Supporting former gang members by helping them find employment and housing can reduce the likelihood that they will return to gang activity. Providing counseling to a victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence may help mitigate some of the long term negative consequences of the violence they experienced. (For instance, teenage girls who are abused by a dating partner are 4-6 times more likely to get pregnant and 8-9 times more likely to have tried to commit suicide.)

Community outreach is also a labor for peace because it helps overcome extreme disparity between members of a community. Catholic teaching tells us that when there is extreme disparity between individuals, there is scandal against social justice and human dignity,¹ and such an imbalance and scandal threaten lasting peace.²