Justice Jottings
April 2005
An Email Update from the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative (MSJC)


New on our website!!

Click here to read the inspiring witness of communities and individuals in the Marianist Family as they work to undo racism. People are doing many positive things to live out our Pledge to Eliminate Racism

Call to Action - Save Darfur. April 6

Opening dialogue with Wal-Mart about sweatshops.  Click here to read about it.

Visit us at:  www.msjc.net

Scroll down to read over the following items:

• Issue Team Updates 
• New MSJC leaders
• Position Available
• Resources
• A Thought to Ponder
  

Issue Teams Update - see the website for more details

• Ecology & Environment
           The team will be meeting May 12-15 in Dayton.  They will be examining further strategies to promote sustainable consumption within Marianist world. Anyone interested in attending should email Don Geiger at donald.geiger@notes.udayton.edu. 

• Anti-Racism
           Click here to read the newspaper coverage of the recent diversity dinner at Cape May Family Retreat Center.

• War and Peace
           Call to Action - Save Darfur.  On April 6 (the 11th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide), the War and Peace team is asking all communities in the Marianist Family to observe a Minute of Silence at 3PM EST to remember both the Rwandan genocide and the current crisis in Darfur. Also contact your senators about the Darfur Accountability Act.  Click here for details.
  

• Death Penalty
  • The 12th annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty will be held in front of the Supreme Court from June 29-July 2.  The Issue Team's  website has a link to the Fast and Vigil website.  Remember -- PRAYER is a powerful way to support the Vigil from afar.
  • The US Catholic Bishops have launched the "Catholic Campaign to End the Death Penalty."  Among Catholics, support for the death penalty has dropped to 48% from as high as 68% just four years ago.  The polling data (in both PowerPoint and Word), the Bishops' Campaign brochure, a link to the Campaign's website and more information about the Campaign are all on the Issue Team's site.
    
  • Parishes and other faith groups have differing levels of experience in taking action against the death penalty.  An event that your group may want to consider -- whether you are just starting or have been at this for a while -- is the National Weekend for Faith in Action, this year scheduled for Oct. 21-23.  A link to resources is available on the Issue Team's website.

• Sweatshop Labor
  • U. of Dayton students/faculty plan to raise the sweatshop issue with Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart when he is on campus.  Click here to read about it. 
  • The team is sponsoring an internship in Bangladesh this summer.  The intern will help put together the final strategy for the alternative worker-owned factory and hopefully visit factories there that produce garments for Wal-Mart.

New MSJC Steering Committee members 

          Welcome to Jeff Campbell, new rep from the Marianist Lay Network replacing Cristina Dominguez, and Grace Walle FMI, new chair (as of June 1) of the Death Penalty Issue Team replacing Brian Halderman SM.  Many thanks to both Cristina and Brian for their contributions to the growth of MSJC.

Position Available 

         Christian Service position available at St. Joseph's Catholic Community, a Marianist-staffed parish in Eldersburg MD.  Click here to read the job posting.

Resources - know any good ones?  Share them with us

A Thought to Ponder

      "We read the Gospels as if we had no money, but we spend our money as if we'd never read the Gospels."
                                                                                                                                                       -John Haughey SJ.