April 20, 2011
To the Editor:
As a member of the Grail, and one of the resident managers at the Grail center in Cornwall, I would like to offer some clarification on the “spirituality” of the Grail, which has been mentioned various times in the comments sent in response to our letter “Creating a Sustainable Forest” published on March 29.
The Grail is an international women’s organization, present in 18 different countries around the world. We are a non-governmental organization with consultative status at the United Nations.
In the USA, Grail members represent many different spiritual paths: we are Christian - Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans – Jewish, Buddhists, Taoists, followers of Earth religions, Native American inspired spiritual practices, secular humanists, agnostics. We are white, black, brown, and yellow. We are single, divorced, married or in domestic partnership. We are rich and poor. We speak many different languages. We are vegetarians, vegan, and meat eaters. We are college professors, authors, secretaries, scholars, nurses, union organizers, psychologists, educators, pastors, teachers, house-keepers, social workers, nuns, janitors, and artists.
As women living in the world, what we have in common is a strong commitment to work for social justice, environmental sustainability, peace and non-violence, interfaith dialogue and understanding.
Making decisions in such a diverse environment, and with so many different personal and social perspectives, is not easy, but we are committed to the idea that everybody has some truth to give voice to, beyond the religious, cultural, ethnical and all the other diversities that separate us, and therefore we must authentically and respectfully listen to each other.
We strive for communal decisions that are – at their best – the one decision we can all live with, even if with pain. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed. We are human beings after all, not holders of the ultimate truth on the mystery of life and death. Still we are constantly looking for better answers to the on-going challenges that our commitments make us face every day, because a transformed world of justice and peace is the “Grail” we are all seeking and working for.
Peace, Shalom, Namaste, Blessings.
Simonetta Romano
Cornwall-on-Hudson.
Comments:
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Very well said.
posted by Rita Ponessa on 04/20/11 at 6:53 PM
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beautiful words-wonderful ideals and goals!
posted by Bernadette Montana on 04/21/11 at 1:35 PM
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