Weaving Our Tapestry: Strengthening the Dominican Family’s Mission for Justice, Peace, and Care of Creation

With gratitude I reflect on Annual Meeting of International Dominican Commission for Justice and Peace (IDCJP), held online from September 14 to 17, 2026.  Our theme, “Strengthening the Dominican Family’s Mission for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation,” invited us to reflect on how we can deepen JPIC as an integral part of our preaching and mission. 

As DSIC International JPIC Promoter, I was grateful to participate and co- coordinate the meeting, share the DSIC perspective, and listen to the experiences and challenges of our Dominican family across the continents. Once again, we were reminded that JPIC is not the task of a few, but a shared mission of friars, sisters, laity and youth. Like threads in a tapestry, our different gifts and experiences become meaningful when woven together.

From Theory to Praxis: Faith in Action:  A central theme of our meeting was the need to move from reflection to praxis—from what we know and believe to concrete action. The Dominican family possesses rich theological resources and a strong tradition of Catholic Social Teaching. The challenge is to translate this heritage into daily life, community engagement and practical responses to the suffering of people and the Earth. The realities shared from different continents—including poverty, migration, environmental destruction, violence and the situation of disappeared persons in Mexico—reminded us that JPIC is always about real people and real lives. 

Formation, therefore, must lead to transformation. It should help us recognize Cry of the poor and  Cry of the Earth, accompany vulnerable communities, defend human dignity and promote integral ecology. JPIC spirituality calls us to move from contemplation into action, making the Gospel visible in our everyday lives.

Learning from Francisco de Vitoria: Justice, Rights and the Common Good:This reflection was deepened by the Letter of the Master of the Order, Fr. Gerard Francisco OP, “Beyond Rights: Francisco de Vitoria and the Recovery of Justice,” marking 500th anniversary of Vitoria’s teaching at Salamanca. The letter invites the Dominican family not simply to speak about rights, but to ask the deeper question: What is justice, what is owed to another, and what does the common good require? Vitoria reminds us that rights cannot be separated from duties, human dignity and responsibility towards others.The question is not only, “What are my rights?” but also, “What is due to the other, and what am I therefore obliged to do?”This perspective has particular significance for JPIC. Our advocacy cannot remain at the level of declarations. It must lead us towards solidarity, accompaniment and concrete responsibility for those whose dignity and rights are threatened. Vitoria’s conviction that different peoples belong to a wider human community also challenges us to look beyond borders and recognize our responsibilities towards one another. Fr. Gerard reminded us that this Dominican tradition with our presence at the United Nations. Like Vitoria, who engaged the great justice questions of his time through faith and reason, the Dominican presence at the UN seeks to bring human dignity, justice, truth, peace and the common good into places where important decisions are made. For us, this offers a meaningful pathway:  Local presence → Continental collaboration → International advocacy → Concrete solidarity.

Collaborative projects involving friars, sisters, laity and youth can help connect faith with life. Our younger members are not simply the future of the Dominican family. They are part of its mission today. We are called to listen to them, accompany them and create meaningful spaces for their participation.                                                                                                             

From Global Reflection to Continental Action: The meeting brought together experiences from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. We recognized the importance of connecting international coordination with local ownership.  Each continent is encouraged to discern its own priorities and identify concrete actions responding to its particular realities. Strengthening continental networks, ensuring continuity among JPIC promoters, sharing good practices and developing collaborative initiatives can help transform our common vision into action.

Communication: Sharing Stories of Hope:  Another important reflection was the need to strengthen communication within the Dominican family. Behind every project are people, relationships, struggles and stories of hope. Sharing these stories helps us recognize the value of the mission taking place, including in remote and challenging contexts.

We reflected on making better use of existing communication channels—OP-Curia, DSIC platforms, regional networks, WhatsApp, email and other appropriate means. A communication workshop with Fr. Patrick, the Curia’s media director, was proposed, together with a simple reporting format for sharing projects, outcomes, challenges and lessons learned. Periodic continental Zoom gatherings could also provide opportunities to share experiences through stories and photographs.

Advocacy and Networking: Through our UN representatives, Dominican partners and local networks, we are invited to connect grassroots realities with wider advocacy concerning human dignity, human rights, sustainable development, peace and the protection of vulnerable communities.

Dominican Month of Peace 2026, with the theme “Mexico: A Country Thirsting for Peace,” gives us a concrete opportunity to deepen this solidarity. The situation of disappeared persons in Mexico and the suffering of families seeking truth, recognition and justice, calls us to prayer, listening, awareness and appropriate action.

Walking Together: Priorities for 2026–2027:  The meeting identified several interconnected priorities:

• Formation: Begin formation of JPIC promoters and integrate JPIC into initial and ongoing formation.
• Youth engagement: Create concrete opportunities for young people to participate in JPIC initiatives.
• Continental collaboration: Strengthen networks, continuity and shared projects.
• Communication: Share stories of hope and develop simple tools for reporting and learning.
• Advocacy and networking: Connect grassroots experiences with continental and international advocacy.
• Follow-up: Accompany decisions with responsible persons, realistic timelines and evaluation.

Channels of Living Water: As we continue our Season of Creation journey (1 September–4 October 2026), the image of living water invites us to become people who bring life, healing, hope and solidarity. Pope Leo XIV relates the Care of Creation to our time of conflict, ecological degradation and unequal sharing of its gifts. The Season of Creation urges us to think, reflect and act on these things.  Read the Pope’s message here.

The IDCJP meeting reminded me that our JPIC mission becomes credible when it is woven into our daily choices, relationships, ministries and presence among people who suffer. The letter of the Master of the Order reminds us that the Dominican vocation has always been willing to enter the difficult questions of justice and bring faith, reason and truth into dialogue with the realities of our time.  May we continue to weave our tapestry with humility and trust, recognizing that every thread matters. May we become a more inclusive, participatory and compassionate Dominican family—one that listens to the cries of the Earth and the poor, accompanies those on the margins and proclaims the Gospel through JPIC.                                                    

Together, as one body, one Order, and one family, may we continue to preach the Word—not only with our lips, but with our lives.

In solidarity,                                                                                                                                                        
Sr. Jacintha Gracy Miranda, OP
DSIC International JPIC Promoter