Fr. Michael Lapsley redefines the MDGS

EGR Board member and Bishop of California Marc Andrus blogs about the breakfast he and his wife had with Michael Lapsley of the Institute for the Healing of Memories. You can read Bishop Marc's regular reflections on his own blog.

Today, Sheila and I had breakfast with Fr. Michael Lapsley, Themba Lonzi, and Edwin Waite at Ella's, in San Francisco. Fr. Michael is an Anglican priest, religious,and one of the great spiritual leaders of our world.

Fr. Lapsley founded and heads the Institute for the Healing of Memories, in Cape Town, South Africa. The Institute came into being to continue the transformative work begun by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, following the end of apartheid.

The Institute's work has extended into new and exciting areas of healing and reconcilation. Themba heads the youth involvement program; there is work in Minneappolis with veterans hospitals. "It doesn't matter whether you come home from war as a hero or a villain," Fr. Michael said, "no one wants to hear your nightmares."

Work by the institute has also begun with refugees from political oppression, war, and famine. Themba and Fr. Michael were open and energized about beginning some work with both our Pilgrimage for Peace, and with our ministry to immigrants from Mexico and Central America.

The most revelatory thing Fr. Michael said was this: "Healing and Reconcilation should be a Millennium Development Goal for the faith community. Jesus said, 'Humans do not live by bread alone', meaning we don't offer spiritual nurture INSTEAD of material development work, but WITH it."

Millennium Development Goal # 9: Healing and Reconciliation