VICIOUS CRIMES MUST BE STOPPED: WFWP CHICAGO PRAYS WITH RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Archbishop Cupich, Fannie Smith, Father Plegher

Recently, several religious leaders gathered at the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago to address the crimes that are plaguing our families and communities. Bruce Sutchar, a member of the Chicago Family Church and a city councilman, invited Patricia Fliginger and I to represent Women’s Federation for World Peace in prayer and solidarity with them. This gathering was an opportunity for people of different faiths and different ethnic and racial backgrounds to pray for our city, Chicago, in the pursuit of mercy and justice.

Patricia and I were quite honored to represent WFWP and be a part of any action that could ultimately bring peace for so many families impacted by crime or the loss of a loved one or acquaintance. As is so evident in the news these days, no neighborhood or economic statuses exempt from what can only be called a “demonic energy,” of hate and intolerance.

That evening, we had the opportunity to share the mission of WFWP and the cry for PEACE and LOVE from our founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon,with many of the attendees. There was a common ground of hope from each speaker from across the city’s churches, mosques, temples, and other places of worship. Rev. Herbert B. Martin, Vice President of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, was the keynote speaker. I was excited to join Chicago Catholic Archbishop Blasé Cupich and the infamous Father Michael Pfleger, the pastor of St. Sabina’s Parish and an outspoken activist against guns, street crimes, and fallen families. Many leaders presented ideas from their perspective to alleviate the awful actions taken toward each other that ultimately take down, and erode our families and neighborhoods.

During the meeting I was reminded that regardless of who you are, the earth doesn’t belong to anyone and is to be shared by everyone. As individuals we have the responsibility to establish a culture of heart in the family, community, and world in order to achieve genuine and sustainable peace under God. It became quite obvious that there is more work for WFWP to do as it pertains to becoming more visible.

My hope and prayer is that the Chicago WFWP women will create a method to assist the victims of the vicious crimes we see in our neighborhoods in a substantial way. Something as simple as bringing a fruit basket, some flowers, a hug, or baked goods from WFWP is sure to be meaningful to those who have unnecessarily lost loved ones to random acts of violence. These gestures of community outreach are simple and require little time, budget expense, planning, overhead, or expertise. This tragic area of our present reality is another challenge for us to express our culture of heart as we live for the sake of others by the logic of love.

Fannie and Patricia