Here are some photos of the Adele Social Justice Project Washington, DC Immersion October 6-8, 2006.  Click on picture to view larger.

                                                    

The Adele Social Justice Project Participants                                                Jennifer Taylor, Ray Harter, Joey McMonagle,    

                                                                                                                       Dave Bentzley, and Katie Fitzgerald prepare to

                                                                                                                       volunteer at So Others Might Eat. 

                              

Ray and Dave working at So Others Might Eat.                       Beth Jamieson works on preparing dinner for the participants.

    

So Others Might Eat volunteers cleaning up.                              Greg Bauman, Jennifer Taylor, Cara Capizzi, Beth Bauman,

                                                                                                    Leanne Jablonski, FMI, Mike Bronson, and Joey McMonagle

                                                                                                    prepare dinner for the participants.

                        

                                                                              Themes for the weekend

   

Mass for the participants.                                                           DC Planning Team: (standing) Clare Savage, Lynette Bernot,

                                                                                                    Katie Fitzgerald, Laura Libertore (kneeling) Leanne

                                                                                                    Jablonski, FMI, Jim Vogt, and Greg Bauman

                                                    

Beth Bauman reflecting on her experience.                                                       Dave Bentzley reflecting on his experience.

A Summary of a Weekend on Social Justice – with a Marianist Flavor 

After meeting everyone and settling in at the William Penn House in Washington D.C., the Adele Social Justice Project Urban Immersion commenced with night prayer, and dove right into learning about the wonderful Marianist characteristic of living simply.  Our group of 23 people (mainly young adults), then strolled out into the night to view the beautiful, brightly-lit buildings of our nation's capitol while getting to know each other better.  The air might have been crisp, but the conversation was warm. 

We ate a relatively simple breakfast the next day before morning prayer, after which divided ourselves into two groups for our outreach experiences.  One group went to serve food at S.O.M.E. (So Others May Eat); the other went to Network to learn about lobbying as a way of promoting Catholic social justice principles.  We shared our thoughts on our afternoon experiences upon our return, and learned about how we can join our "voices with the voiceless".  We also learned about Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon and how her life was a great example of just this.  Our day ended with everyone preparing some aspect of the tasty dinner we had, celebrating Mass together (with much singing!), and kicking back and relaxing during free time later in the evening.

Sunday brought more prayer, more meals, and some great talks on things like passion, building community, "saying yes"; even testimonials from other members of the Marianist Family.  We wrote letters, shared what the weekend had taught us, and ended the weekend with many a hug.  It was a wonderful experience, and a good wake-up call to be aware of the ways we can work to create justice.

Reflection by ASJP participant Addi Velasquez