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JUSTICE JOTTINGS
February 2011 |
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Death Penalty
Death Penalty Team Meets in St. Louis
The Death Penalty Team held their annual meeting in January to evaluate the past year's activities and make plans for the coming year. As part of the meeting, the team hosted a joint luncheon with Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (MADP). 35 people attended and explored ways to work together more effectively in Missouri to end the death penalty. If you live in Missouri and want to get connected to this effort, join the I Support Repeal Campaign.
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Death Penalty Team & Missouri death penalty abolition leaders: Standing: Fr. John Manahan SM, Sr. Joanne Reuter C.PP.S., Sr. Grace Walle FMI, TC Parsons (MADP), Lauren Olson, Bob Stoughton, Jim Vogt, Bro. Brian Halderman SM; Seated: Sr. Margaret Phillips (Partners Against State Violence and Racism), Sr. Rene Rita Huelsmann (MADP), Derrick Redhead (Amnesty Intl.), Bro. Jerry Sullivan SM.
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Ohio Bishops and Others Speak Out Against the Death Penalty Momentum for abolition is building in Ohio - one of the states targeted by the Issue Team. On February 4 the Catholic bishops in Ohio released a joint statement urging an end to the death penalty. One of the SM novices, Andrew Caruso, wrote a very thoughtful and challenging letter to Governor Kasich. The bishops joined a growing number of public officials in Ohio who have called for abolition. Read who some of these people are and what they are saying on the Team's page. Baltimore Sun to Gov. O'Malley: Now is the Time to Work for RepealAccording to a Jan. 30, 2011 editorial in the Baltimore Sun, "the General Assembly may be more receptive than it has been in years past to ending executions in Maryland, not just limiting their application." The paper urged Governor Martin O'Malley to take advantage of the opportunity and work for repeal in Maryland, another state targeted by the Team. Read more about the situation in Maryland, and the paper's comments, on the Team's page.
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Global Economic Justice
Global Economic Justice - A Reason for HopeThe team continues our monthly conference calls, keeping us up to date on each other's activities, especially plans for addressing an unjust situation in the Congo. We are moving ahead on plans for a video-conference meeting in March. Global Economic Justice is an incredibly huge goal and there are massive obstacles to achieving it. But there is hope because many small uncoordinated things are happening. Watch this video and read " Blessed Unrest" by Paul Hawken and your hope will be strengthened! Action Alert about Salvadoran Factory - Sign the Petition Women at the Ocean Sky factory in El Salvador are paid just eight cents for each $25 NFL T-shirt they sew and are often working in deplorable conditions. Sign the petition to bring together the worker organization and the owners to ensure that legal rights of workers will be respected and working conditions will be improved. 
Don't Slash International Affairs Budget Click here to send an email to Congress supporting smart deficit reduction, but not deep and harmful cuts, to foreign assistance.
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Ecology & the Environment
LENT 4.5: Formation Program on Christian Simplicity 
The Earth & Spirit Center offers Lent 4.5, a seven-week faith formation program. It inspires and informs Christian communities on how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to help us care for God's creation and take steps toward using only our fair share of its resources. It offers practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Gospel simplicity to their everyday lives. The program includes bulletin inserts, online resources, small group discussion course books, and an optional component for Catholic schools grades K-8.
Tip for Reducing Your Carbon Footprint - Get in the BYOB Habit!
Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) wherever you go. Keep enough reusable bags in your car for all your grocery shopping. Then remember to put them back in your car when you put away the groceries.
Awakening the Dreamer: Marianists for Justice & Integrity of Creation
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From left: Jim Facette SM, Susan Vogt, Tony Fitzgerald, Ann Hirt, Leanne Jablonski FMI, Tara Poling, Tony Garascia. Not pictured: Jim Vogt
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A planning team met in Dayton last weekend to develop a 3 year plan for utilizing the Awakening the Dreamer (ATD) Symposium. The goal - to call the Marianist Family to help build a world that is environmentally sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling. The means - offer 40 ATD programs to various groups within the Marianist Family by 2014. The project is being coordinated by the Marianist Environmental Education Center with the support of MSJC.
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Racial & Immigrant Justice
A Faith Perspective on Immigration
Two excellent resources address the faith perspective on the issue of immigration. "The Catholic Church and Immigration", a talk by Fr. John Stowe, gives an overview of Catholic teaching on immigration. Fr. Daniel Groody, reflects on "A God on the Move" in a 15 minute podcast. Fr. Groody writes about the same theme in the Feb. 7 issue of America magazine, but the web version is available only to subscribers.
 Parish Bulletin Inserts on Immigration - Many Faces in God's House
Parish Bulletin Inserts on the immigration issue are now available for February and March. Using Scripture or statements of the US Bishops, the inserts are produced by Fr. Ken Hallahan and generously shared by the Racial Justice Commission of the Diocese of Camden NJ.
Prayer for Immigrants
"Do not mistreat the foreigners who reside in your land. The foreigner who lives among you must be treated like one of your own. Love them as you love yourself, for you too were a stranger in the land of Egypt." (Leviticus 19: 33-34) Click here to read the whole prayer.
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| GLBT Initiative
Personalizing Abstractions and Stereotypes
From Nancy Mascotte, member of the GLBT Initiative Team: The following is a reflection by Letha Dawson Scanzoni included in a 1994 edition of The Other Side magazine. It never fails to touch me and I hope it will you as well.
Meeting a homosexual Christian - or discovering that a highly admired Christian friend or relative considers himself or herself to be homosexually oriented - can be disturbing. It's especially disturbing if we have been taught to think of homosexual persons as a group of sleazy, evil, anti-God people. Click here to read Letha Dawson Scanzoni's full reflection.
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Events
 Young Adults & the Church
Reasons We Love It or Leave It
Join other young adults for a day of sharing, searching and learning at the Marianist Center in Philadelphia on Sat. April 30. Click here to get the details.
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Action for Advocates
Cincinnati Area Marianists - Advocates for Justice Congress
The 2011 Advocates for Justice Congress will take place on Thurs. Feb. 24, 6:30-9:00pm at St. Joseph Church, 745 Ezzard Charles Dr., Cincinnati. RSVP to (513) 421-3131, ext. 2660. For more info, contact Bro. Mike Murphy - mikemurphy@rediffmail.com.
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Resources
Online Social Justice Course Starts March 13 The N. American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS) is offering a 5 week online course on Social Justice (as well as courses on Prayer and the Three Offices) starting March 13, with registration closing on March 9. Click here for more information or to register.
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A Thought to Ponder
The danger is that people may mistake what is basically a change in vocabulary for a change in behavior, practices, and attitudes. While practically all Americans have learned to talk inoffensively, not enough have learned to think differently, nor act positively. Whitney Young
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Questions, comments, or feedback for Justice Jottings can be sent to Jim Vogt.
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