JUSTICE JOTTINGS
February 2023
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Be on the lookout for our special 25th Anniversary Press Release which will be coming out in late February or early March! We are so excited to loop everyone in on our plans to celebrate this year. We wanted to first share our special logo for all the things we have planned for the 25th anniversary.
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH FEATURES |
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WOMEN & JUSTICE
America’s Real Sister Act: The Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States
Dr. Shannen Dee Williams is Associate Professor of History at the University of Dayton. She is the author of Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Struggle (2022).
For most people, Whoopi Goldberg’s performance as Sister Mary Clarence in Sister Act is the dominant interpretation of an African American nun and the desegregation of white Catholic sisterhood in the United States. In this book, Dr. Williams explores the story of America’s real sister act: the story of how generations of Black women and girls called to the sacred vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience fought against racism, sexism, and exclusion to become and minister as consecrated women of God in the Roman Catholic Church. In so doing, she will turn attention to women’s religious life as an important battleground in the long African American struggle for freedom, justice, and human dignity.
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DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION & RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Accountability, Restorative Practices, and Racial Equity
The Restorative Justice Committee at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington DC hosted a February 11 online event featuring Dr. Desirée Anderson, Associate Dean for Diversity and Student Affairs at the University of New Orleans. Dr. Anderson’s interactive presentation addressed the topic of accountability as a keystone of racial equity work. She began with a story about the value of alternative approaches to address harms and discipline and the school-to-prison pipeline. She noted that, due to tremendous educational system changes after Hurricane Katrina, there are no public schools in Orleans Parish; all are charter, parochial, or private. As one result of this, there is room for restorative justice practices in the schools. She told the story of one day seeing two high school girls on the verge of a physical fight in a school hallway, when one of them took a deep breath and said, “We need a circle!” And the other student said, “That’s right. I’ll go get Mr. Evans.”
Dr. Anderson quoted Mia Mingus: “What if accountability wasn’t rooted in punishment, revenge, or superficiality, but rooted in our values, growth, transformation, healing, freedom, and liberation?” Her presentation went on to explore topics related to trust, identity, acknowledgement of hurt and harm, and the intent and impact of behaviors.
Watch this event at the link below!
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MSJC REFLECTIONS & RESOURCES |
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ADELE SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECT |
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At the end of January, Adele Social Justice Project (ASJP) team members met in Dayton for an in-person weekend. They hosted a meet and greet with 35 participants at Troll Pub! During this time, they talked in small groups answering a few open ended questions:
- What do young people bring to the Marianist Family and/or the Church?
- What social justice issues do you care most about?
- When was a time you felt empowered/supported by the Marianist Family/the Church?
- When was a time you felt disconnected from the Marianist Family/the Church?
- What are your hopes for young people of faith?
The team developed the following values together that they hope embody in all team meetings and in the events they organize:
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- Authenticity
- Gentleness
- Fun/Joy
- Open Communication
- Unconditional Acceptance
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- Avoiding Judgement
- Humor
- Respect
- Deep Listening
- Time
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LGBTQ+ INITIATIVE
Update from Pope Francis
What follows is a commentary by New Ways Ministry about a recent press conference in which Pope Francis, along with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Anglican Communion, and Reverend Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the Church of Scotland, made clear that he condemned the criminalization of homosexuality. He reiterated that 'persons with homosexual tendencies' are children of God. Hopefully this statement will end the violence toward LGBTQ+ persons that exists in nations that outlaw their identity.
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Laudato si Conference Event - March 4th
All are welcome to the following event: Free Caring for God’s Creation - Laudato si Action Platform Conference co-sponsored by the University of Dayton, Archdiocese of Cincinnati & Xavier University. It will be held at UD. Presentations, Panels, Networking on the Laudato si Goals & Sectors involving many in our Marianist Family. Flyer here and register (by February 22) below! Please share this opportunity with anyone who might be interested.
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Other Resources and Opportunities:
Lenten Resources to Guide the Ecological Conversion Journey shared by partner organization:
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Longtime Immigrant Justice Issue Team Members Rich and Arlene Sroczynski staffed a recent retreat for refugee families in Cape May, along with former MSJC Assistant Director Mary Vanderhoof. They wanted to share the reflection below, which was written by Jessica Sherwen, Program Director of the Marianist Family Retreat Center.
"On the weekend of January 27-29th, the Marianist Family Retreat Center offered an interfaith retreat for refugee families, individuals and couples in collaboration with Interfaith Rise, a ministry that serves refugees in Central New Jersey. The retreatants were from Afghanistan and the Ukraine with the majority being Muslim and non-English speakers. What a blessing to witness the Holy Spirit weaving these differences together (even the translation hiccups were cause for laughter rather than anxiety). The retreatants were truly able to relax, reflect and rejuvenate through sessions, prayer experiences and activities. For some, this was their first chance to just "be" and enjoy life since coming to this country. We also had a lot of fun experiencing the ocean, the zoo, the nearby town of Cape May and even stargazing on the beach. Our incredible volunteer staff ministered to the retreatants with openness and compassion and we were all enriched as the retreatants shared their culture, prayers and unique perspective with us. It truly was a retreat like no other, filled with God's graces."
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BEYOND MSJC
OPPORTUNITIES & UPDATES
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Want to support MSJC's work towards justice? |
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