Job description of the JPIC Coordinator

From the SVD Handbook of Superiors (2002)


A13 JUSTICE, PEACE AND INTEGRITY OF CREATION COORDINATOR

1.0 Part of missionary calling. Action on behalf of justice, peace and the integrity of creation (JPIC) in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized is a demand of our common religious missionary calling. Therefore, as the 12th General Chapter reaffirmed, all of us should manifest a definite commitment to promote justice and peace in whatever kind of apostolate we may find ourselves engaged (Nuntius XI, p. 583, 1).
2.0 Provincial coordinator for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.
2.1 Coordinator. All provinces should appoint a provincial JPIC coordinator to animate the confreres to a more determined commitment to the promotion of justice, peace and the integrity of creation in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, and to coordinate action in this field (Nuntius XI, p. 584, 2).
2.2 Commission. To reach out more effectively to all the confreres in the province and to deal more comprehensively with the complex issues of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation, provinces are encouraged to establish a commission to assist the coordinator.
3.0 Appointment and term of office. The provincial coordinator is appointed by the provincial superior with the consent of his council, and where applicable, also the members of the commission. He usually serves for a term of three years and may be reappointed (see c 615). However, in the interests of cultivating awareness of issues and fostering skills of coordination in a greater number of confreres, it is recommended that JPIC personnel be changed at reasonable intervals while ensuring adequate continuity.
4.0 Duties of coordinator. These include the following:
4.1 Awareness building:
4.1.1 to assist the members of the province in the process of conscientization about contemporary JPIC issues, particularly in those areas that impinge on our apostolates, and to promote an effective solidarity with the poor and the marginalized;
4.1.2 to contribute to a more critical awareness of cultural religious values and attitudes, of ideologies, of women’s issues and of socio economic and political realities; to encourage study of their effects on local and global justice, peace, integral human development, and on the ecology;
4.1.3 to engage in ongoing social analysis and research on JPIC issues in the context of local realities and to make the results known to the confreres for discussion, reflection and appropriate action;
4.2 Theology and spirituality:
4.2.1 to promote a faith awareness and spirituality in which a commitment to justice and peace is integral, and a theology of mission which incorporates justice, peace and the integrity of creation as a characteristic dimension;
4.2.2 to promote the realization that authentic living and preaching of the gospel as a community and as individuals involves a critical examination of our modes of acting in our various apostolates, of our possessions and investments, of our enterprises, and of our life style;
4.2.3 to foster an adequate appreciation of the scriptural and theological foundation for the promotion of justice and basic human rights as constitutive of the preaching of the gospel and as an authentic expression of the Society’s charism;
4.3 Support and solidarity:
4.3.1 to keep in touch with the apostolates in the province so as to be able to fulfill a consultative role in these apostolates, to help confreres in seeking funding when necessary, and to gain the understanding of the province;
4.3.2 to help and support members of the Society in difficulty because of their engagement in matters of justice, peace and the integrity of creation;
4.3.3 to seek to establish relations with confreres isolated from the province because of their involvement in JPIC activities, aiming to increase understanding and improve relationships within the province;
4.4 Dissemination of information: to prepare and make available materials related to JPIC issues, both at the national and international levels and, where possible, to suggest a theological and pastoral approach;
4.5 Coordination and collaboration:
4.5.1 to coordinate and support justice-oriented initiatives and promote collaboration with the confreres in the various apostolates within the province: mission animation, mission research, biblical apostolate, communications, education, formation, youth, indigenous peoples, etc.;
4.5.2 to serve as consultant to the provincial superior and the provincial council; to recommend specific programs of action for the province for their approval or active support; to accept from them JPIC related tasks;
4.5.3 to represent the province in responding to social issues and in networking with other organizations, especially the local church, e.g., through diocesan commissions;
4.5.4 to prepare a triennial report to be sent in to the generalate through the provincial council (D22);
4.5.5 to maintain communication and cooperation with the JPIC area secretary of the zone and the coordinator at the generalate; to participate in the activities of the area team of the zone and cooperate with other provinces;
4.5.6 to cooperate with the SSpS and lay associates, and with Church related or other organizations, whether local or international, such as Pax Christi, Amnesty International and so on;
4.5.7 to coordinate the provinces’ collaboration in international campaigns such as campaigns to restrict the arms trade, to alleviate debt, to establish a UN convention on food security, etc.
4.5.8 to maintain contact with VIVAT International and to collaborate with them on their various JPIC initiatives.
5.0 Coordinator’s relationship with the provincial and the provincial council.
5.1 The provincial should consult with the coordinator before he makes important decisions concerning JPIC matters. Although the role of the coordinator is informative and consultative, the provincial should give special regard to his recommendations.
5.2 The coordinator should be invited to provincial council meetings, or at least consulted beforehand if this is deemed preferable, when JPIC matters are at issue.
5.3 The provincial should encourage the districts and communities to establish links with the JPIC coordinator for the sake of consultation and ongoing formation. He should also ensure that venues for collaboration and dialogue between the coordinators of the different areas of concern are established, especially with those working in formation.
6.0 Interprovincial JPIC board. In countries with two or more provinces, an interprovincial JPIC board could be beneficial. Setting up such a board, approval of its statutes, and appointment of the members are within the competence of the provincial superiors.