Chaplaincy Services

National Chaplains' Conference,
June 2001

Conference Declaration

Introduction

We gathered in Quebec City to explore the meaning and implications of our call, a call that propels us forward along the same road that has led us to where we are. And so we remember and celebrate the previous National Chaplains Conferences and the insights captured in their declarations:

• Our conference in Aylmer, Quebec in 1989 focussed on the need for Chaplaincy to shape a vision of where we felt called to go and what we felt called to accomplish.
• Our 1991 conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba brought us to a deeper understanding and commitment to Restorative Justice.
• Our conference in Toronto, Ontario in 1994 challenged us to take a new look at our role as chaplains, at the prisoners and ex-prisoners we are trying to serve and at the communities to which they return.
• Our 1997 conference in Moncton, New Brunswick identified the need to build bridges of understanding in a spirit of interdependence with others involved in correctional and reintegration efforts.
• In Quebec City, there was a definite sense that Chaplaincy has begun to walk on the bridges it has built within institutions and within communities.

Conference 2001

The conference was held at Laval University with the majority of time spent in plenary sessions. During their free time, participants enjoyed tours organized in the city and surrounding area. An historic ecumenical gathering took place in a local church to celebrate the work of chaplaincy in this region. We enjoyed a meal at the Musée de Québec located beside the first prison built in Quebec, next to the Plains of Abraham. In addition to being able to tour the prison, participants benefited from the presence of an inspiring speaker.

Over and over again in the course of the conference, participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to get together. One of the most important aspects of the conference was the fellowship enjoyed with colleagues and friends, which allowed people to catch up on what had happened since they last met and what new initiatives had been launched.

Our conference theme, Artisans of Justice, is depicted in the logo by two hands shaping a pot. We found inspiration in the scriptural image of the potter working and re-working the clay. This evokes many levels of meaning, including that of the hands of The Artisan, who shapes all people from the same clay, and that of the hands of the many artisans who continue to work with the 'raw material' that God has given, despite its flaws. We desire to see the justice of God become reality and claim the truth that we share the responsibility to contribute to the fashioning of God's handiwork. Therefore, the hands that touch God's handiwork must not damage or destroy it, but must allow God to work through them to create a work of art called justice.

Artisans are drawn by inspiration - crazy ideas, gentle tugs, impossible dreams - to see the possibilities contained in their material, to combine their senses and skills with the respect and patience necessary to let what is possible emerge. Artisans of Justice have themselves been strengthened by their inner life of faith and by the same tools with which they seek to do their creative work. These tools of mercy, compassion, and a spirit of non-violence equip us to fulfill the prophetic task to which we are called.

Prophets are artists who enter into relationship with the materials before them.

As artisans of justice, we were challenged by speakers to:

• be passionate
• discern the forces of destruction
• nourish relationships, build community and seek creative ways to resolve conflict
• listen to everyone, then make our own decisions, not worrying what others think
• swim upstream; be prepared to change course midstream
• take risks; go the extra mile
• express gratitude and celebrate success, maintain hope even in the face of failure

We identified some of the issues which complicate and obstruct the work of being artisans of justice:

• human brokenness
• the fear of the consequences of speaking prophetically in the face of injustice
• the struggle to envision the ministry needed in varying settings and circumstances
• resistance to love
• building community with the weakest in our midst
• the need for community engagement
• the need for a sensitive touch when dealing with fragile lives
• forces and attitudes that mitigate against inclusiveness
• difficulties encountered when many hands attempt to cooperate in the same work

We now make the following declaration to all Canadians, and especially faith communities and theological colleges, governments and leaders, CSC and justice officials, victims and offenders, volunteers and chaplains.

We joyfully proclaim the responsibility we share with all those who are drawn to fashion a just society and peaceful world.

We challenge a mass production approach to justice and cheap imitations of justice when addressing pain in human lives and relationships.

We proclaim the truth that every life has the potential of being reshaped into a work of art.

We stand in non-violent solidarity with all who struggle against those whose hands have molded injustice.

We are determined to fashion justice with tools of mercy and compassion.

We commit ourselves to the intentional shaping of inclusive and respectful relationships and communities.

We call others to join us in upholding the uniqueness and dignity of all, and especially those who feel marginalized.

We join our hands and voices as together we discern the truth, stand firm against all forces of destruction and speak prophetically as artisans of justice.

We are all art in process, clay in the hands of the skilled Artisan. The transforming love of the Eternal will not rest until justice is a reality for all.