Good News!

by Polly Mann, WAMM

Let There Be Courage

Some researchers claim that the person who knowingly incurs community disapproval acts with bravery exceeding even that exhibited in armed conflict. This is what happened on a Sunday following September 11 at which the feast of St. Francis was celebrated at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Montevideo, Minnesota. There at the end of the mass, the church organist began to play "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," the North's theme song for the Civil War, despised to this day in the South: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord . . . He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword." A local parishioner stood up and announced that the song was inappropriate for present conditions and suggested an acceptable substitute, at which the organist ceased playing, leafed through her music and began to play the substitute: "Let There Be Peace on Earth." The congregation joined in, singing the words.

College Organizations Active for Peace

Innumerable teach-ins have been and still are occurring at the major post-secondary educational institutions of Minnesota, including some vocational and technical schools. WAMM has furnished speakers at many of these events.

Religious Groups Challenge Policies of World Trade Organization

The Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment released its "Inter-faith Statement on International Trade and Investment" on November 1 in Washington, D.C., at a conference of religious leaders and journalists. The conference preceded the World Trade Organization conference held November 9-13 in Doha, Qatar. More than 40 representative groups stated that international trade and investment systems, policies, and activities should advance the common good, respect the human person, protect the most vulnerable, and uphold the right of local communities to sustainably develop their natural resources.