Family Pledge
Before God and all humankind, we pledge the love and loyalty of our hearts, the wisdom and courage of our minds, and the strength and rigor of our bodies to the service of one
another. We promise to work for justice, love, and peace, and to think creatively and positively. We commit ourselves to developing ourselves to our fullest potential; so we can
contribute to the growth of the whole human family.
We give thanks even for the personal and communal daily struggles of life through which we have been challenged to greater efforts. As we meet the daily contradictions
of life, we know we walk together with one another and with God. We are not alone.
We pledge to develop an appreciation for our history, to build its glorious gifts to us, and to learn from its patience and long-suffering. Our traditions teach us to care for one another, especially when any among us care for one another, especially when any among us is in want. We ask one another’s forgiveness for any time we have forgotten
our heritage and forgotten our brothers and sisters in need.
We pledge our self-determination to speak for and name ourselves; so we can leave the world family better than we found it. Give us the courage to deepen our faith, a gift
from you through our ancestors. Strengthen our unity; do not let us succumb to division and divisiveness. Help us to appreciate our differences as well as cherish our common
values and traditions.
Finally, to paraphrase the words of St. Francis we pray:
Lord, make us instruments of your peace;
Where there is hate, let us bring love;
Where malice, healing;
Where division, reconciliation;
Where un-redemption, redemption in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
Amen.
Father Martin J. Carter, S.A.
On the Plane of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions when at the dawn of
victory sat down to wait and waiting died.
Alfred Lord Tennyson