Reclaiming Social Justice: Recent Episodes
Catholic Social Teaching Podcast
Reclaiming Social Justice is a monthly podcast that seeks to read the signs of the times through the lens of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. With help of our special guests, you will walk away with the knowledge, understanding, and inspiration needed to help build a civilization of love, life, justice, and peace. The opinions and/or views expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and not meant to express the views of the host, any parish, archdiocese, or the Church in general. New episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month!
Juan Miguel Alvarez was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the director of Haciendo Caminos, an initiative at the University of Notre Dame that seeks to identify and empower the next generation of Catholic Latino ecclesial leaders in the United States. He earned his B.A in theology and his M.Div. degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Juan Miguel previously ministered in the Archdiocese of Chicago for six years; his positions included director of faith formation at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and theology teacher at St. Rita of Cascia High School and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.
In this episode, we talk about the models of faith in his family, being the only Catholic at a protestant school, his education in theology and experience ministering in a church where everyone, regardless of their job title, was responsible for worship and justice work. He shares a powerful story of the parish’s response to gun violence and gang activity. We also get into the growth of the hispanic community in the united states and how the haciendo caminos initiative is trying to respond.
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In this episode, I speak with Ana Chavarin. Ana Chavarin is a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Tucson, Ariz., and formerly an organizer for Pima County Interfaith. During her over 10 year tenure as an oganizer, she was awarded the 2019 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award from the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development. In 2018 she won a US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) award for Hispanic Catholic Leaders and was also recognized by the Arizona Daily Star for her community achievements. Ana has helped the immigrant community address issues of community safety, drug abuse, rights of the undocumented, and how to become a citizen. Most recently she helped launch the first printing of parish identification cards in Tucson. In our conversation we talk about her religious upbringing and the influential roles her grandparents paid in her youth. Additionally, she shares the story of how she originally came to the United States. Other themes our conversation touch on includes the importance of getting involved in your community, speaking up when you see injustice, and not just that, taking concrete steps to change those conditions.
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In this episode, I speak with Isaac Cuevas. Isaac is the director of the Office of Immigration Affairs for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Office of Immigration Affairs was created as part of Archbishop Gomez’ vision for helping parishes and people in the LA community with immigration issues. Hiis office has developed a network of community leaders that implement workshops, develop programs, and provide resources for the largest immigrant community in the country. In addition to community outreach, Mr. Cuevas works as an immigration advocate, serving as the voice for the Archdiocese among policy leaders and civil rights groups. Prior to this, he worked in the Entertainment industry making movies and television shows. In our conversation, we talked about walking away from his successful career in holywood. By listening to this episode you will hear the first person account of someone who works directly with migrant bus arrivals. We will talk about how the immigrant experience has changed over the decades and what Catholics should consider when thinking about this issue during the coming general election.
- Learn more about Catholic Social Teaching on immigration here, here, here, and here.
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In this episode, you will meet William Becerra, the Bilingual Advisor for national Hispanic engagement with Catholic Relief Services. We talk about his upbringing in Colombia, his experience as a religious missionary, and more!
- Word of the day: Discernment
- Catholic Social Teaching Theme: Solidarity
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Today’s episode features a special guest, Jack Jezreel. If you a passionate social-justice-oriented Catholic, then you have probably heard of JustFaith. JustFaith Ministries creates transformative programs that inspire action to address the root causes of injustice while serving with love. Jack is the founder of JustFaith Ministries and was the first Executive Director of the organization. Jack is a popular speaker and author of the book, A New Way to Be Church: Parish Renewal from the Outside In. His work now focuses on presentations, workshops and training to introduce JustFaith programs and local leadership & networking.
Word of the day: Love
Catholic Social Teaching Theme: Option for the poor
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Ever wonder, what, if anything, do Catholic seminarians learn about social justice? Tune in to this episode to find out. You might be surprised at the answer!
Themes from the interview that connect to the themes of Catholic Social Teaching:
- The universal destination of goods
- Right to private property
- Subsidiarity
Word of the day: Distributism
Source: Does the Church Teach Distributism? By Dr. Jared Staudt
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In this episode, you will meet Amanda Montez. Amanda Montez Cobian is the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Jesuit High School in Portland, OR. She recently finished her graduate degree at the University of San Francisco in international and multicultural education. Her research centers alumni of Nativity schools and how they transition to predominantly white high schools. As a bi-racial educator, she aims to create the classroom environment she wished she could have had as a student and works to create systems of racial equity at work, in research, and as a co-author of Jesuit West's Community Organizing for Racial Equity (CORE).
Snippet from the interview:
"When I look at the seven principles of [Catholic Social Teaching], I think being able to name all humans have inherent dignity. To me, it's like that is the black lives matter movement; when I think about like preferential option for the poor and vulnerable that is saying by BIPOC right? It's not just saying people of color right. It's centering black and Indigenous and then people of color. I think that there's a lot of overlap actually."
Themes from the interview that connect to the themes of Catholic Social Teaching:
- Family, Community, and Participation: She trains staff, parents, and students on the many different ways to practice advocacy and participate in shaping a more just society.
- Preferential option for the poor and vulnerable: Amanda's work centers on black, indigenous, and people of color. She constantly finds herself at the margins of society. She has personal experience, for example accompanying and building relationships with migrant indigenous women, gang members, people at the border, and BIPOC middle school students transitioning to predominately white high schools.
- Solidarity: She's been on an immersion experience to El Salvador, where she went not on a service trip to fix problems but rather simply to listen and learn.
- Care for God's creation: The social justice she helps coordinate at her school focused on the climate and she brought in a climate organizer as a guest speaker
Resource mentioned in the interview
Are Critical Race Theory and Catholicism compatible? | Think Like a Jesuit, Episode 3
Word of the day: Encounter conversations/One-on-one relational meetings
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In this episode, I speak with Melissa Lowery. Melissa was the first Black woman to work as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Jesuit High School, and is currently the Director of Equity and Community Engagement at Central Catholic High School in Portland. Her career in DEI at Catholic institutions was sparked by the creation of a documentary about her life growing up as Black girl in West Linn, Oregon. Listen to this episode to hear what inspired her to create this documentary about her life and how that led to the social justice work she now does with students.
Snippet from the interview
"So what if his skin turned the same color as yours? What's the big deal?"
Learn more and watch Melissa's documentary
Word of the day: Advocacy
Catholic Social Teaching Themes:
- Human dignity
- Family, Community, and participation
- Solidarity
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In this episode, I speak with Annie Fox, the daughter of a Baptist mother and a Jewish father who has dedicated her life to interfaith relationship building and justice work. She currently works as the Provincial Assistant for Social Ministry Organizing for Jesuits West. Fox has run grassroots campaigns focused on housing, homelessness, education, immigration, and mass incarceration. Here's our conversation at a glance:
- Favorite line from the prayer of Teilhard de Chardin
- Her upbringing in an interfaith family
- The multiple crises she experienced at the age of 7 and how her local school responded
- The impact her mother's identity crisis had on her and how that eventually led her to organize
- Seeing the story of Exodus as the first labor strike in history
- Words of wisdom for people new in organizing
Snippet from the interview
"I remember my mother saying to me, “Annie I don’t know who I am if I don’t have a suit to put on in the morning.” […] I did not want my life or my mother’s life to be defined by whether or not we got to put a suit on in the morning. […]Any version of my life where my dignity is defined by whether or not I get to put on a suit in the morning is a fake dignity. My dignity comes from because I am a child of God.”
Word of the day: Activism
Catholic Social Teaching Themes:
- Human Dignity
- Family, Community, and Participation
- The dignity of work and rights of workers
- Solidarity
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Ana Ruiz is a young immigrant from Mexico who has spent most of her life directly or indirectly serving in ministry. Her earliest memory is at a retreat center where her parents served as marriage encounter leaders. Fast forward to today, she has recently graduated from Georgetown University where she majored in culture and politics and minored in theology and german and was the vice president of Catholic Women at Georgetown, a campus court of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. She has interned at multiple well-known Catholic organizations such as the Catholic Labor Network and the USCCB, has helped organize the annual catholic social ministry gathering, and participated in a virtual synodal session with Pope Francis last February 2022.
In our discussion, we talked about all these personal and professional experiences, but we also talk about why she stays Catholic and works for justice despite coming into adulthood during one of the most difficult periods of history for everyone, but in particular Catholics, She has a very powerful, yet simple answer: It’s all about Jesus.
Excerpt:
"Jesus' mission was not only to transform our hearts and minds but transform the world and transform those who are kind of stuck under these structures of sin that we are all responsible for. [...] It’s something Jesus did. The call to our faith is to model Jesus and so we have to model him in that way."
Word of the day: two feet of love in action
Related Episode:
- What immigrants give up in order to fit in, the importance of names, and anti-racism with Alex Quezada | S3E2
- A Theology of the Good Samaritan with Yohan Garcia from the USCCB | S2 E5
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In today’s interview, you will meet Cecilia Flores. Cecilia is the daughter of Filipino immigrants and has spent 15 years working with communities of faith to address issues of poverty and injustice in the US and in Central America. In our conversation, we speak about her missionary experience in Honduras, what we really mean by the phrase “meet people whey they are at”, the importance of remembering her motherland, culture and how that intersects with social justice, her experience as a first-generation American, raising intercultural kids, unity, and much more!
Building a common language segment: Community Organizing
Source:
- https://www.usccb.org/about/catholic-campaign-for-human-development/Who-We-Are/upload/Community%20Organizing.pdf
Catholic Social Teaching Segment
Source: Dialogue between generations, education and work: tools for building lasting peace
Related Episodes:
- What immigrants give up in order to fit in, the importance of names, and anti-racism with Alex Quezada | S3E2
- How are you living out your authentic self? with Dr. Ansel Augustine
- How This Catholic Banking Model Helps Strengthen Relationships with Simone Weil Catholic Worker | S2E4
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In this month's episode, you will meet Alex Quezada. Alex serves as Hispanic Ministry Coordinator at St. John Paul II Catholic Parish in Kankakee Illinois. Alex has also been working as Relief & Development Coordinator at the office for Human Dignity in the Diocese of Joliet since 20019. As an immigrant from Mexico, Alex works to promote social justice for all following the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. Given our shared cultural identities, we talked a lot about the immigrant experience but also touch on racial justice in the black community as well. We talked about the importance of names and the different ways immigrants like him have to put aside core parts of their identity just to be able to fit in to this country. We also talk about a really tough question his daughter once asked him while in High School and how she’s developed into an anti-racist advocate.
Key Points
- Immigrants often have to renounce parts of their core identity just to fit in.
- Examples range from changing the pronunciation of your name or using a different name entirely to attire.
- If immigrants showed up in every space, but in particular professional settings, as their authentic selves they would be countercultural.
- This raises the question that Alex's own daughter once asked: why are immigrants always the ones who have to make such accommodations?
- The Hispanic immigrant community espouses many positive values that could contribute to the broader society. These values link to the catholic social teaching principles of family, community, and participation.
Building a common language: Anti-Racism
Source:
- https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/06/ibram-x-kendi-definition-of-antiracist
- https://thejesuitpost.org/2020/07/catholic-101-should-a-catholic-be-an-antiracist/
Related Episodes:
- Looking at the immigrant issue through two different lens (S2E10)
- How immigrants can identify with the crucified and resurrected Jesus (S2E8)
- How Latino families are getting through COVID-19 (S1E2)
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In today’s episode, I speak with Tom Ulrich. Tom Ulrich has over 40 years of professional experience in assisting faith communities and national organizations develop their social justice ministry efforts. Tom is the author of two books: Parish Social Ministry: Strategies for Action. (2001) and recently released ‘On Earth As It Is In Heaven’ - Organizing Social Justice Ministry in Faith Communities: A model that works. (2021). We cover the main themes and topics of his most recent book, of course, but we also touch on his own upbringing as a Catholic and how he was introduced to Catholic Social teaching. One of my takeaways from this conversation was the way he constantly links his work on social justice back to his family and vocation.
Learn more about Tom Ulrich HERE
Purchase 'On Earth As It Is In Heaven' HERE
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It's the end of season 2! Check out this special episode featuring two clergies who share their different but complimentary perspectives on the immigration issue. Included in this episode is an apology/explanation for being MIA the past two months!
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In this episode, I speak with Molly Sheahan. Molly is the Associate Director for Life and Family Advocacy at the California Catholic Conference. She has an extensive lobbying portfolio, including legislative and grassroots advocacy on pro-life policy, foster care, human trafficking, domestic violence, bioethics, disability rights, end-of-life care, and the death penalty. Molly speaks nationally on human dignity concerns, and her writings have appeared in The Public Discourse, Angelus News, Grotto Network, Rehumanize International, and other publications. She is also the founder of We Are Pro-life Women, a new media movement highlighting the stories of underrepresented pro-life women.
In our conversation, we cover topics like what it was like growing up pro-life, How the unborn and elderly have been impacted by the pandemic, Underrepresented women of color behind the pro-life movement, A pro-life saint you might have not heard about before, and The lessons mary teaches us about what it means to be pro-life.
This interview is particularly timely and relevant given the recent leak of a draft opinion on Roe vs Wade. I hope that this episode helps us recognize that no matter what happens, we still have work to do to ensure that we live in a world where everyone is allowed to survive and flourish.
Snippet from the show
"Everyone deserves to live free of aggressive violence. But it doesn’t stop there. We’re supposed to be looking for a world that celebrates human dignity and human goodness and allows us to flourish. That’s the catholic vision: is to see people as good and worthy and deserving all that meets the reality of their human goodness."
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In this episode, I speak with Jaqueline Romo, a Chicago-based Latina young adult catholic who combines her artistic skills with her faith and developed the artwork of “The Passion of the Monarca Migrante”, which is a contemporary interpretation of the stations of the cross that uses the monarch butterfly, a symbol of the resilience and resistance of the migrant communities, to depict Jesus on the stations of the Cross in his Passion. Jacqueline has inspired many young adults and members of Academia with her artistic and theological work. The original artwork is permanently displayed outside the chapel at Dominica University, the school she attended and created this artwork, and the second set of prints resides outside a chapel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition to talking about her art, we also spend time reflecting on the role language plays in our faith and struggle for justice. This is also a perfect episode for Easter season that we’re in because one of the themes you hear from Jaqueline is that suffering is never the end. We have the hope of the resurrection to look forward to. I left the interview inspired and my experiences affirmed so I am excited to share this episode with you.
Snippet from the show
"As Latinos we identify with [Jesus] in the struggle. But we also know and sometimes forget that the resurrection comes in the end."
Learn more about Jaqueline and "The Passion of the Monarca Migrante": https://romojaqueline.myportfolio.com/work
Reference from Teaching Segment: https://chalicepress.com/products/the-wolf-shall-dwell-with-the-lamb
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This episode was recorded and is being released during women’s history month so we talk about influential women from her life, the blessings and challenges she has experienced as a woman in the church, and more broadly the role of women in the church. In the month of March we also solemnly remember and celebrate the lives of Blessed Rutilio Grande and Saint Oscar Romero, both martyrs from El Salvador, so we talk a bit about them and the impact their stories have on Salvadorans today.
Snippet from the show
"If you don't see women sitting at the table...invite them in. Look around you."
"They weren't casualties of war. These were men that the government found to be threatening because they were raising their voices for the atrocities that were being committed against the Salvadoran people. [...] They serve to be images of hope that we can aspire to be the voice for those that don't have a voice"
Quotes used in the teaching segment: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pPG255bTOg9VlM8N9MkmSQP9cyx63DsXQKrspsvH1eg/edit?usp=sharing
Read or listen to all of Romero's homilies at: http://www.romerotrust.org.uk/homilies-and-writings/homilies
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Learn about the Good News People, a small-group process of prayer, reflection, and action coming to St Anthony this Easter. Not a member of St Anthony? This episode might still be interesting to you because it deals with questions of our time like: Where are all the families? Why aren't they coming back? What can we do to attract them back to the church?
Registration form to sign up for Good News People at St Anthony Catholic Church in Tigard: https://forms.gle/zbyqyJHPcQfjsn3ZA
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Hear the not so unusual story of a black man in the church. Auxiliary bishop of New Orleans, the most reverend Fernand Cheri, joins the podcast to share his lived experiences of racism in the seminary as well as the parish. He describes specific moments of crisis he has gone through in his ministry. Such as when he was refused ordination and the time he was ousted from a parish for bringing “strangers” to the church. He also talks about the difficulties of obedience and the power of trusting in God’s providence.
Snippet from the show
"I'm a priest today not because of the seminary. I think I'm a priest today because my story as a black man in the church is not an unusual story. Many of the Black priests that were ordained before me had the same story."
Quotes from Brothers and Sisters to Us used in the teaching segment:
- "Today the sense of urgency has yielded to an apparent acceptance of the status quo. The climate of crisis engendered by demonstrations, protest, and confrontation has given way to a mood of indifference; and other issues occupy our attention.”
- “At times, protestations claiming that all persons should be treated equally reflect the desire to maintain a status quo that favors one race and social group at the expense of the poor and the nonwhite.”
- “Members of both groups give unwitting approval by accepting things as they are. Perhaps no single individual is to blame. The sinfulness is often anonymous but nonetheless real. The sin is social in nature in that each of us, in varying degrees, is responsible. All of us in some measure are accomplices. As our recent pastoral letter on moral values states: "The absence of personal fault for an evil does not absolve one of all responsibility. We must seek to resist and undo injustices we have not ceased, least we become bystanders who tacitly endorse evil and so share in guilt in it.”
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In this episode, you will meet Yohan Garcia from the USCCB. He talks about his experience growing up, who and what inspired him to live a faith that does justice, and the theology of Samaritan he has developed.
Snippet from the show
"Our ticket to heaven is not going to depend on how many masses, how many rosaries, how many liturgies I went to but rather whether you were able to see the needs of those living on the road, the needy, with so many necessities. So for me, our faith has to be a mature faith that is able to take action. And that is done through the works of mercy and actions of social justice."
Excerpts from the teaching segment:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oKLNnWsnYPKZnbwkc72mqqy0GUTjGm1RmRWSs6gGfCs/edit?usp=sharing
Sign up for the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering:
https://web.cvent.com/event/cf67da4e-97ce-46ab-945e-8e38fcb03447/summary
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In this episode, I speak with Bert and Emma from the Simone Weil Catholic Worker House in Portland, Oregon. We talk about their community cooperative banking project and how this model is a tangible way to live Catholic social teaching, and most importantly, strengthen community bonds.
Snippet from the show
"this lending system actually becomes a way of deepening and strengthening community bonds. We don't usually think about taking out a loan as deepening and strengthening community Bonds in some profound way but this actually creates a way... to strengthen real relationships through...vulnerability and offering. [...] Our community here is trying to emphasize mutuality. This is not you know a handout to someone this is rather we're trying to create the kind of container that allows this to be a really mutual relationship."
How to Donate to Simone Weil Catholic Worker
- Go to https://www.simoneweilhouse.org/
- Make an electronic donations via Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/InMyBackyard
- Check donations can be written out to “In My Backyard” and mailed to: In My Backyard, 5311 NE 15th Ave, Portland, OR 97211
Other ways to connect with Simone Weil Catholic Worker
- Wednesday Open Dinners, 6:30pm at the Simone Weil House (we ask all guests to be fully vaccinated)
- Thursday Agronomic University seminars, 5-6:15pm Pacific via Zoom (email us for the readings and links)
- First Monday Mutual Economy Gatherings, 5-6:15pm Pacific via Zoom, first Monday of every month
- Email them at simoneweilhouse@gmail.com
Excerpts from the teaching segment: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LT12YTM0_foe7t9jm-ZWlAD9uJnZepw9O2msk9PJ8E/edit?usp=sharing
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In this episode I interview Dr Ansel Augustine, author of the forthcoming book "Leveling the Praying Field: Can the Church We Love, Love Us Back? Dr Ansel also produced a 17-minute Emmy Nominated Documentary called "Black Faith Matters", which sheds light on "one story" of the Black Catholic experience. By listening to this episode you will not only get a sneek-peek of the new book but also hear his powerful testimony of faith and justice. This episode also includes a reflection on what it means to be your most authentic self.
Show Notes
- Pre-order Dr. Ansel's new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Leveling-Praying-Field-Church-Love/dp/1626984506
- Support Dr. Ansel's work for Vagabond New Orleans: https://www.vagabondmissions.com/nola-volunteer
- Watch Dr. Ansel's 17-minute Emmy Nominated Documentary called "Black Faith Matters":www.blackfaithmatters.com
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In this episode, I speak with Eva Muntean. Eva is one of the founders and co-chairs of Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco, which has been the second-largest pro-life movement for the past 18 years!
I reached out to Eva for an interview because I have been trying to encourage our community to go with a group to the next walk and I thought, “what better way to encourage participation than by meeting and hearing from one of the foundational voices of the walk?"
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In this episode, we speak with Maura white, executive director of Mother and Child Education Center. Following the interview we unpack what the church teaches about what it means to live a life well lived.
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In this episode, I speak with artist Brother Mickey McGrath who finds Christ and beauty in the margins. Listen and learn how art can be an instrument for healing the brokeness in today's world.
Learn more about Brother Mickey
- http://www.bromickeymcgrath.com/
- "I can't breathe" image
- Facebook: @bromickeymcgrath
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Listen to my conversation with Kelly Latimore, an artist and iconographer who depicts the 'crucified peoples of history' in present-day realities.
Links to images referenced in the conversation
- https://kellylatimoreicons.com/blogs/news/mama
- https://kellylatimoreicons.com/blogs/news/la-sagrada-familia
Learn more about Kelly
- https://kellylatimoreicons.com/
- Instagram: @kellylatimoreicons
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In this episode, I speak with Chloe Marie Becker, a young artist passionate about facilitating discussions about racism in the Catholic church through art.
Learn more about Chloe at
- Artist statement for Chloe's Agape Mural: https://f921a4de-89d2-4f86-8b25-5b2e88f6f2d7.filesusr.com/ugd/d72451_1e1a63e9e16f4d959b4fc809e7a0219d.pdf
- Check out some of Chloe's other art at: https://www.chloemariebecker.com/catholic-art-for-justice
To learn more about racial justice check out
- Fr. Bryan Massingale, Racial Justice and the Catholic Church: https://www.orbisbooks.com/racial-justice-and-the-catholic-church.html
- Dr. Shannen Dee Williams: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/shannen-dee-williams
- Fr. Cyprian Davis, The History of Black Catholics in the United States: https://www.amazon.com/History-Black-Catholics-United-States/dp/0824514955
To learn more about Sanaa Dukes, who Chloe referenced, go to:
- Sanaa Dukes Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SanaaMariShop?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=918536576
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanaa_mari/
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In this episode, we talk about…
- Myths and misinformation about human trafficking;
- Advocacy campaigns being led to eliminate trafficking;
- How and why immigrants are targeted;
- Our responsibility as our brother and sisters’ keeper;
- How parishes can get involved
Learn more
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https://sistersagainsttrafficking.org/
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Register for “Keeping Kids Safe Online” by the NCMEC
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Meet Samantha Yanity, Justice Educator for Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, who talks to us about how they 'think globally but act locally' to fight against human trafficking. Specifically, we talk about...
- How Trafficking is a modern form of slavery;
- Catholic Social Teaching on Human Trafficking;
- How trafficking intersects with other social justice issues; and
- Actions we can all take to combat trafficking.
Learn more
- https://www.ipjc.org/human-trafficking-resources/
- Contact Samantha directly at syanity@ipjc.org
- Register for "Hidden in Plain Sight" on REALM, or email drauda@satigard.org if you are not a St Anthony community member.
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In this episode, we speak with Gabi Logal from Family Promise on how homelessness is a life issue.
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Listen to this episode to learn more about what the church teaches about the death penalty and ways you can take action. To learn more about on this topic, check out the link belows which are mentioned in this episode.
Orlando Hall letter: https://catholicsmobilizing.salsalabs.org/orlandohalltrumpbarraction/index.html
Respect Life Month Toolkit: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/respect-life (helpful even though it's the end of the month, good resources that can be used year-round!)
Just Mercy Study Guide: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/just-mercy-catholic-study-guide
National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/action/pledge
Summary of new study about race and the death penalty: https://catholicsmobilizing.org/posts/report-explores-death-penaltys-roots-slavery-and-lynching-cases-racial-bias-persist (full report from Death Penalty Information Center can be found here: https://files.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/reports/Enduring-Injustice-Race-and-the-Death-Penalty-2020.pdf)
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In this episode, Jasmine Bush, 2nd grade teacher at St. Anthony Catholic School, joins Father John and I to reflect, pray, and fast for an end to racism.
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October is Respect Life Month, a time for Catholics to reflect more deeply on the sacred dignity of human life. We begin this series on respecting all life by reflecting on abortion as a direct threat to life.
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Listen to my conversation with Fr. John about St. Francis and what we can learn from his care for creation.
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In this episode, I speak with Nichlas Shaal about music and creation. To learn more about the songs performed in this podcast, and to purchase recordings please visit www.ocp.org.
Permission to reproduce/perform this music is obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #A-700000. All Rights Reserved.
Tend the Ground
Curtis Stephan
Text inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’. Text and music © 2016, Curtis Stephan. Published by Spirit & Song®, a division of OCP. All rights reserved.
Litany for the Earth
Barbara Bridge
Text based on “A Prayer for the Earth” by Pope Francis, from Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Text and music © 2016, Barbara Bridge. Published by OCP. All rights reserved.
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In this episode, I speak with Fr. Scott Baier about creation references in the liturgy.
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In this episode, I speak with Matt Cato about CST on creation.
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In this episode, you will meet Cherice Bock, creation justice advocate for the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. From our conversation, you will learn the biblical basis of creation as well as what St. Agustine of Hippo taught on the subject. To learn more about Cherice and EMO, see the links below.
EMO's Creation Justice page on the EMO website: https://emoregon.org/creation-justice/
The specific link to the Season of Creation event mentioned in the episode: https://emoregon.org/event/season-of-creation-webinar/
The direct link for registering via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsc-6vqzMpH9coJEmPORaZeQ38WWPhPA2z
Facebook page for creation justice: https://www.facebook.com/emocreationjustice
Facebook page for Oregon Interfaith Power & Light: https://www.facebook.com/OregonInterfaithPowerandLight
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Celebrate with us the Season of Creation (Sept. 1 - Oct. 4) by learning about: biblical basis of creation, the teaching on creation by the early Church Fathers, catholic social teaching on creation, liturgical references, Franciscan spirituality and much more!
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When the majority of us are now working from home and self-isolating, it is easy to forget that there are still people living on the streets. People in unstable housing situations are some of the most vulnerable to the virus. In this episode, I speak with residents of the new Catholic Worker house to shed light on how the houseless and formerly houseless are experiencing this pandemic.
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This episode describes what we need to know about the experiences of people with disabilities during this pandemic and how Catholics and people of faith might respond.
Did you like this episode and want to future ones like it? Don't forget to subscribe to Reclaiming Social Justice.
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Latino and other families of color are being hit the hardest by this pandemic because for many staying at home is not an option. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled by the Economic Policy Institute, only 16.2% of Hispanic workers and 19.7% of black Americans are able to work from home, while about 30% of whites and 37% of Asian-Americans can. Staying at home and practicing physical distancing, therefore, is a privilege because, as writer Charles Blow says, "The people who can’t must make terrible choices: Stay home and risk starvation or go to work and risk contagion." Despite the fact that Latinos are being disproportionately affected by this issue, there is much we can all learn about this community that can help us survive and thrive during this virus. In this episode, I speak with Deacon Felix Garcia, coordinator of Hispanic ministry in the Archdiocese of Portland, about COVID-19, lent, Latino Families, and what's bringing him hope in these challening times.
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Even though Melinda Gates is not totally aligned with church teachings, she pointed out a very important truth: "The (COVID-19) pandemic feels like a universal experience, but we have to recognize that not all of us will experience it equally." In this season, I speak with faith leaders about how the coronavirus is disproportionately impacting communities that are already historically marginalized: people of color, people at risk of deportations, people with disabilities, people who work essential, low-wage jobs, people experiencing homelessness, people who are incarcerated, and many more. I'll be posting a new episode every month. Stay connected to learn how you can make a difference and bring hope during these challenging times.
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This episode introduces Catholic Social Teaching (CST). You might be asking, What in the world is CST? It's a set of millennia-old principles for achieving a just society that many Catholics and non-Catholics alike have never heard of. In fact, many consider it the Catholic Church's "best-kept secret." So I invited Matt Catto, from the Archdiocese of Portland, to educate us on this hidden treasure of wisdom. In this episode, you will learn about...
Matt's first encounter with CST; The seven principles of CST; Why Catholics aren't more aware of CST; Engaging youth through social justice; This episode lays the foundation for the first season of this podcast, which will focus on how catholic social teaching can guide religious allies' response to the current pandemic.
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New to Reclaiming Social Justice? Listen to this trailer to learn what it's all about.
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