Catholic Charities In the News
Ministry focuses on social justice
January 5, 2009 - NOLA.com & The Times-Picayune
By Karen Baker, St. Tammany Bureau
If one of your new year's resolutions was to make the world a better place, JustFaith might be just for you.
JustFaith aims to shed some light on what Nick Albares calls "the best-kept secret in the Catholic Church," meaning issues of social justice. "Social justice," he said, "encompasses a full gamut of issues from eliminating poverty to systemic problems related to human development in communities" as well as issues of fair wages, discrimination and migration. Albares works for the Office of Justice and Peace for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New Orleans; he helped kick off the JustFaith ministry in the archdiocese last year.
On the north shore, JustFaith will begin its second year with an informational meeting Monday at 7 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, on the U.S. 190 service road near Lakeview Hospital.
The official 30-week program begins Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. at the church.
Clare Restrepo, who will facilitate the program with Dee Laux, said that last year's session drew 15 people, and each one completed the course. "The purpose of the JustFaith program is to help participants see the world with eyes wide open and recognize God's call for their lives in fresh and critical ways," she said. Participants first take part in a retreat and then move into the weekly sessions, which involve scripture reflections, discussions on assigned readings, speakers and DVD presentations on social justice issues.
"Participants are assisted in hearing the cries of the poor and vulnerable in their local community and in the world so they can personally determine a committed response to at least one of those cries," she said.
Discussions involve issues such as human dignity, consumerism, the causes of domestic and international poverty, the relationship between violence and poverty, racism, and the causes and effects of migration. "The program explores sacred listening to the voices of the poor, solidarity with those struggling out of poverty, care for the environment, changing to a simpler lifestyle, community organizing, nonviolence and effective strategies for change," Restrepo said.
Alan Endermann of Mandeville is one of the 15 graduates of the first JustFaith group from the north shore. "It takes a big commitment," he said of JustFaith, which includes two retreats and three immersion experiences, including a discussion with the working poor, a trip to the Lower Ninth Ward and an outreach to Latino residents on the north shore. "You go out in the real world and visit some of these things that are portrayed in the things you watch and read."
"It was a tremendous eye-opening experience," Endermann said. "It was a very touching and spiritual experience. It deepened my faith and brought things to my attention many things I have ignored in my life because of doing day-to-day activities. ... We sometimes fail to see that there are other people out there, hurting and in need, and we can do something for those folks."
Endermann is eager to put his newfound passion for social justice into practice, and he will lead a 12-week program on the theology of migration starting Tuesday at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mandeville.
"Crossing Borders: Migration, Theology and the Human Journey" is part of JustMatters, one ministry under the JustFaith program. The small group study will begin Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at Mary, Queen of Peace in the Parish Center and will run for eight sessions. It will cover topics such as contemporary debate and public policy; the history of migration; the Bible and migration; foundations of migration; migration and Catholic social teaching; slavery in America; the human face of the migrant; Eucharist and a theology of migration.
"One of the things that Just Faith asks is that once you complete the course and you see the need for so many things, you think about what you can be involved with," Endermann said. "In my case, I felt as though the talents that I possess would be to go into this 'JustMatters' program."
Although JustFaith and its related ministries are based on Catholic teachings, "it's not just for Catholics," Endermann said. "The problems are everywhere."
Albares agreed that people of many faiths may find something in JustFaith. If they are open, he said, "I think they would have an enlightening experience." Albares said that of the 50 graduates in the archdiocese last year, there were many positive experiences. "There are a number of stories of transformation and community-building and people seeing faith in a new way."
There are many stories, he said, of how people can make the world a better place. It just takes a little patience. "Transformation takes time; there is need for dialogue, study and experience."
For information on JustFaith at Most Holy Trinity, contact Dee Laux after 7 p.m. at 892.8877 or send e-mail to deelaux47@yahoo.com; or contact Clare Restrepo at 893.1984 or send an e-mail to clare195@bellsouth.net.
For information on the "Crossing Borders" course at Mary, Queen of Peace, contact Alan Endermann at alane@cbtec.com or 778.1903.
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Karen Baker can be reached at kbaker@timespicayune.com or 985.898.4826.
Published on NOLA.com
Published in The Times-Picayune Thursday, January 7, 2010
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