HOLY INNOCENTS FAITH & RESISTANCE RETREAT
DECEMBER 28 - 30, 2008

Let the children come to me!
" The horror of the last few years... the lives lost... Who were they? Who are those who are being killed today? Who will be blown up, shot and tortured tomorrow? Which family will lose its child nest?"
Lily Hamourtziadou - The Week in Iraq - Legacies of Pain . Sept. 7,2008

ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION CHURCH
16TH & NEWTON STREETS, NW., WASHINGTON, D.C.

In this retreat we will reflect on the questions:
- Why did Herod deem the Christ child such a threat that he ordered the slaughter of the innocent?
- How do we respond to the fact that children are deemed so expendable under today's Herods?
- How do empire and war affect children?

We'll consider the major threats facing children today:
- nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that imperil all life and creation itself.
- war - perpetual and unending - driven by an imperial claim to control the earth's resources;
- utter and dehumanizing poverty - consequence of a greed-driven global economy that is now collapsing and causing untold suffering and death;
- global climate crisis and ecological destruction - consequence of our addiction to consumer life-styles.

In contrast to our war-making empire and culture of violence, which deems children expendable, we ask: "What kind of world do we want to build for our children and their children?" We hear the words of Jesus: "Let the children come to me!" (Mk 10:14)

Despite the heartbreaking realities of our war-torn world, we walk in hope:
- that God is with (and within) us
- that with God all things are possible,
- that nonviolent resistance to imperial death-dealing can be transformative.

During this retreat we'll hear stories of encounters between people from our communities and victims of our empire. We'll hear from families seeking to model a way of life that embodies Gospel peacemaking, nonviolence and social justice. And we will pray and act together - to be a voice for the voiceless.

PLEASE JOIN US! -
We begin with supper on the 28th at St. Stephen's and the Incarnation.
We end early afternoon on the 30th.

We'll have simple meals and sleeping bag space at the Church.
If you need other accommodations, please make arrangements with us beforehand.
There will be a special program for children who will design a witness led by children.

For more information, check the Jonah House web site - www.jonahhouse.org -
or call Dorothy Day C.W. 202-882-9649
or Jonah House 410-233-6238.