JUSTICE JOTTINGS
June 2021
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Summer Events
and Opportunities
LGBT Retreat – July 30-August 1
LGBT Initiative annual retreat Bread for the Journey: Made* Blessed* Broken* Shared. Our presenter will be Dr. Craig Ford, a moral theologian at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. This retreat is for LGBTQ+ persons, their families, and allies. Registration ends July 14.
WHERE: Daylesford Abbey Spirituality Center in Paoli, PA. There are also spots to attend the retreat virtually if you cannot be there in person!
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Seeking Justice/Inclusion
for Women in the Church
Join the Women and Justice Team on July 22, the feast of Mary of Magdalene, for a dialogue on this topic. See the article below – The Holy Spirit is a Master at Workarounds - for background and how to connect.
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Integral Ecology Team Meets June 30
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Join the newly forming MEEC/MSJC Integral Ecology Focus Team via Zoom on the last Wed. of each month at 8 pm EDT.
Each month, we’ll delve into one of the 7 goals of the new Laudato Si’ Action Platform, focusing on how the Marianist charism can enhance “our common home,” integrate social, economic, and environmental aspects, and how each of us can take action.
Laudato Si’ Conference – July 13-15
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Trans 101 Workshop – July 22 and Aug. 8
The LGBT Initiative Team invites you to participate in our new Trans 101 Workshop. This workshop will explore questions about the inclusion of our trans family and community members. Many of us wonder about some of these issues:
- Are there more than two genders?
- Is gender fixed or fluid?
- What is gender identity?
- What does it mean when your gender identity doesn’t match the sex listed on your birth certificate?
- Is trans identity at odds with our faith?
We invite everyone, but especially educators, spiritual directors, and other interested adults, to participate in this workshop, which is led by a well-informed teacher. It is a way to better understand but also come to celebrate our transgender siblings. Workshops will be Thursday, July 22, 7:30-9:00 pm EDT or Sunday, August 8, 7:00-8:30 pm EDT.
REGISTER: here for the July workshop or here for August.
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WOMEN & JUSTICE
The Holy Spirit is a Master of Workarounds!
Barb Belle, a member of the Women and Justice Team, gives some background for their dialogue session on July 22.
___The recent feast of Pentecost was a reminder that the ___Holy Spirit is the master of surprises, not blocked by our ___fears or locked doors. Change can and does happen in ___the Church, even when it sometimes seems impossible. Trying to be ___attentive to the Spirit, the Women and Justice Issue Team has created a ___Resource and Discussion Guide, “Seeking Justice and Inclusion for Women ___in the Church”, for use by Marianist communities (lay or religious) and ___parish groups.
___We invite you to join us in a prayerful dialogue to explore a deeper ___understanding of this issue in the context of Catholic Social Teaching and ___the Marianist charism. The event will be held on July 22 - the feast of ___Mary of Magdalene - at 7:30 pm EDT. Please consider joining this ___discussion (and invite members of your community) to explore how both ___men and women might respond to this issue. (Read more...)
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LGBT INITIATIVE
Proud to Be Marianist and Gay
Brian Halderman, co-chair of the LGBT Initiative, describes why, during Pride Month, being Marianist and gay are interconnected realities for him.
___In August of 1995, I walked into Stuart Hall on the ___campus of the University of Dayton and was greeted at ___the door by Bro. Tom Pieper, SM. It was a warm welcome ___to the university and my first taste of Marianist _hospitality. Bro. Tom ___invited me to participate in the campus ministry program at Stuart Hall, ___which I responded to with much enthusiasm.
___As I reflect back on my time at the university and all the personal and ___professional growth that occurred, I marvel and give thanks. It was during ___these four years that I came to terms with my sexual orientation and ___found a loving and supportive community in campus ministry and beyond. ___The simple welcome and invitation of Bro. Tom was more than an effort to ___engage me in campus programs during my first year at UD. It was an ___invitation to something much deeper, to a charism and community that ___has shaped and molded me over the past 26 years. (Read more…)
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DEATH PENALTY &
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Stories of Restorative Justice
Martha Hurley, a member of the Death Penalty Abolition/Restorative Justice Team, offers some quick and easy ways to better understand how restorative justice works.
__Recently, I've been thinking about ways that people can connect with __restorative justice that are informative but take 15 minutes or less. Here are __three articles that take no more than 5-10 minutes each to read or review.
__After reading, I hope that you will spend a few minutes thinking about faith, __restorative justice, intersectionality, and purpose. If you would like to have __a conversation about any of the topics introduced in the readings, please __contact team chair, Mary Beaudoin. We hope to offer a virtual conversation __for those who are interested in exploring these topics.
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MSJC Joins “No Death Penalty Ohio”
The work of repealing Ohio's death penalty has entered a new phase following the recent introduction of legislation with strong bipartisan support. MSJC has joined about two dozen other organizations as partners in the official campaign to end Ohio’s death penalty. A wealth of information and resources can be found at the campaign website, #NoDeathPenaltyOH. Ohio residents are urged to contact their legislators and to share that link among their networks.
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RACIAL JUSTICE
Marianist Juneteenth Program
– It’s Still Available Online
Last night, over 60 people came together for our second annual Marianist Juneteenth program. It was an evening of education, inspiration, and challenge. If you missed it, you can still connect. Go to https://msjc.net/racial-justice-issue-team where you will find _ _
__ -two of the PowerPoint presentations,
___-the resource list,
___-a link to the video recording of the program.
It’s worth taking a look.
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OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Letters to Guantanamo Prisoners
Richard Sroczynski, a member of the Immigrant Justice Team, has also been involved with the efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He regularly corresponds with the prisoners there.
___“I continue to write a different one of the men almost daily and to keep up ___with news, groups, and potential actions to move this issue to justice, until ___each of the 40 men there has been fairly tried or released. June is Torture ___Awareness Month, and June 26 is the UN Day for Support of Victims of ___Torture. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture provides ways to ___get involved and is sponsoring various events, including use if the film, ___"The Mauritanian," as well as fasting to promote awareness of US torture ___and Guantanamo in particular.”
If you are interested in writing to the prisoners at Guantanamo, click here for instructions about how to do so.
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Seed Grants -
Do You Have a Project that Needs Additional Funds?
The Marianist Visitation State Community is a community of vowed lay Marianists who have a long history of serving the Marianist Family. As an expression of our commitment to "do whatever he tells you" in support of Mary's mission to respond to the needs of the world, we have put some of the resources with which we have been blessed at the service of others through Seed Grants.
In previous years, we have provided financial assistance for an Intergenerational retreat on social justice, Changemakers program speakers and a challenge grant for the Marianist Lay Community of North America (MLC-NA). The application process is now open for 2021. We want to enable small communities and fledgling service projects to thrive, grow and respond to the needs of the young and the poor, and to engage in the struggle for peace and justice.
Applications are due by Tuesday August 31, 2021 and will be evaluated by a subcommittee from the community. Grant recipients will be notified by the end of October. Grants of $1000 - $5000 will be awarded by year end. See the Application form for more information.
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I hope that you come to find that which gives life a deep meaning for you. Something worth living for – maybe even worth dying for, something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead.
I can’t tell you what it might be – that’s for you to find, to choose, to love. I can just encourage you to start looking and support you in the search.
________________________________________ Sr. Ita Ford
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Questions, comments, or feedback for Justice Jottings can be sent to Jim Vogt
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