Justice Jottings #4
August 2004
An Email Update from the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative (MSJC)

All new MSJC website is up and running!!

Plus the site is now interactive.  All you have to do is get a password and you can enter into discussions with other MSJC members about social justice issues.

Visit our website – www.msjc.net

Scroll down to read over the following items:

• Darfur update - need to keep working on this critical situation
• Issue Team Updates
• MSJC Steering Committee Update
• A Possible New Project?? - join a book discussion on curing poverty
• Resources - especially some good ones for the upcoming elections
• A Thought to Ponder

Darfur Update

Thanks to all of you who responded to our recent Action Alert on the Darfur, Sudan crisis.  Both the US Senate and House passed resolutions designating Darfur a "genocide" and calling on the US government to stop the killing, including - if necessary - through intervention.  Read the full texts of the House and Senate Resolutions here.  To stay abreast of developments, visit http://www.darfurgenocide.org/success.htm.  The Holocaust Memorial’s Committee on Conscience has issued its first-ever genocide warning and emergency alert, (http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/sudan/pdf/darfur.pdf).  Catholic Relief Services has a prayer service on Darfur available at http://www.catholicrelief.org/get_involved/advocacy/grass_roots/Dafur_Sudan_Prayer_Service.pdf  Human Rights Watch has an excellent list of suggestions of how you can respond to this crisis at http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/06/24/darfur8954.htm.

Issue Teams Update - For more info or to get involved, click on the contact listed

• Ecology & Environment  

  • Team member Sr. Leanne Jablonski FMI, Ph.D. was one of 38 scientists and faith leaders who signed Earth's Climate Embraces Us All: A Plea From Religion and Science for Action on Global Climate Change.  To read the letter, visit www.msjc.net/EcologyEnvironment.

  • On July 6, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to the US Senate urging senators to take up climate change legislation contained in the Climate Stewardship Act (CSA).  To read the letter and get more information about the CSA, visit www.msjc.net/EcologyEnvironment.

  • Team members Jack Somerville SM, Marilyn Schwieterman, Bill Hirt & Don Geiger SM visited the Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin University in June in their exploration of ideas to make Marianist facilities more sustainable.  The center is a model of environmentally sustainable design practices.  For an online tour, click here.

• Anti-Racism  

  • Team members Fr. Rudy Vela SM helped lead and Fr. Ted Cassidy SM and Bro. Franklin Pao SM attended a Cultural Audit Workshop on June 10-13. A number of religious orders sent representatives and plan to use the Audit to help their membership learn skills for living and ministering in diverse cultures.

  • 32 people attended the recent Racial Sobriety Workshop sponsored by the Cape May Family Retreat Center and the Racism Justice Committee of the Diocese of Camden and led by Fr. Clarence Williams.  The workshop trains participants on methods for overcoming racism.
• Sweatshop Labor

             We need your help!!  The team, in conjunction with the National Labor Committee, is organizing a tour of garment workers from Bangladesh from September 23rd to October 15th.  We would like to include cities where we can visit a number of Marianist groups (universities, parishes, high schools, communities). 

               We need volunteers to help coordinate the tour in each city we visit.  Contact alprendergast@sbcglobal.net if you can help. 

               We also need to raise about $10,000 to cover our expenses.  Send donations for the tour to Jim Vogt, MSJC Director, 523 East Southern Avenue, Covington Ky. 41015. 

               The tour will kick off an action campaign this fall to improve wages as well as working conditions for the people who make your clothes.
• Death Penalty 
  • Team chair Brian Halderman SM participated in Starvin' for Justice 04, the 11th Annual Vigil and Fast to Abolish the Death Penalty in front of the US Supreme Court June 29 - July 2.  MSJC was a co-sponsor of this event which drew participants from all over the US.  Brian's participation drew media coverage from Cox News Service, which aired an interview on a local Dayton TV station, and by Catholic News Service.  For more info visit www.abolition.org.

MSJC Steering Committee

• The Steering Committee welcomed 4 new members recently - issue team chairs Al Prendergast, Don Geiger SM, Brian Halderman SM, and Myles McCabe, new SM Peace & Justice Director.

• 28 participants - mostly lay and professed Marianists - attended the "How Do We Connect" Conference on July 22-25.  They participated in a very rich and stimulating exploration of societal and religious trends and their implications for our ministry choices, particularly in the area of social justice.  Watch for more information in the next few days on the website. 

A Possible New Project???

• Bruce Segall, an MSJC member, writes: "I've just ordered Curing World Poverty from the Center for Economic and Social Justice and had an idea for the Collaborative.  What about a Study Group centered on the social analysis of this book with a focus on recommendations for curriculum changes in SM schools?" 
  Interested?  Contact Bruce - basegall@yahoo.com - or Jim Vogt jimvogt2@yahoo.com

Resources - know any good ones?  Share them with us

• Visit the great new website developed by Steve O'Neil SM about the Marianist presence and activities at the UN - http://www.marianistngo.org.

• "The Hidden Face of Globalization" is a powerful new video available from the National Labor Committee. Contact them at http://nlc@nlcnet.org or 212-242-3002.

• Election Resources

             1. "2004 Elections - Impact on Peace, Social Justice, and the Integrity of Creation" available from the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns (http://ogc@maryknoll.org or 202-382-1780). 

             2. "A Social Justice Message from Catholic Voters" available from the Quixote Center                  

             3. "Faithful Citizenship - A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility" available from the USCCB - www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/index.htm.

             4.  Two excellent short statements - "Called to Embrace All of Life" and "Choosing a Presidential Candidate" - are available from Pax Christi at www.paxchristiusa.org