|
JUSTICE JOTTINGS
JUNE 2026
| | |
MSJC's 2026 Volunteer Awards
It’s hard to believe another year has passed and we are again taking the time to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of our amazing volunteers. Every year this nomination and selection process is incredibly difficult, as the wealth and scope of talent runs so deep within the individuals who dedicate their time and energy volunteering with our organization. These awards honor longtime volunteers whose shoulders we all stand on, and new volunteers who are already leaving an indelible mark on our organization with their innovation. Below you’ll read about MSJC volunteers whose passion moves mountains. Their willingness to say “yes” never fails. And their belief that our world can and will be a more loving and just place never falters. I hope you are as inspired by them as I have been. I invite you to join us in celebrating their hard work and the profound impact they make on MSJC, the Church, and our world.
It is with great pride that I announce this year’s MSJC Volunteer Awards:
| | |
MSJC Legacy Award - Brian Halderman
Community Impact Award - A Pollicino
Heart in Action Award - Tony Mercogliano
Social Justice Champion Award - Miranda Melone
Rising Star Award - Dick Ullrich
Dedication Award - Bro. Steve O’Neil, SM
With Gratitude,
| | |
June Virtual Watch Party
Join MSJC's LGBTQ+ Initiative this Pride Month for a virtual watch party celebrating community, identity, and belonging! We’ll be revisiting our 2020 video, 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺: 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗚𝗕𝗧𝗤+ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 — a meaningful conversation about faith and inclusivity that continues to resonate. We will also hear from Marianists featured in the video.
When: Monday, June 29, 2026
4PM PST | 5 PM MST | 6 PM CST | 7 PM EST
We'd love to see you at this event!
| |
Immigrant Justice Faith Community Conversations
Is your lay community, parish, school, or local group interested in learning more about today’s immigration realities and how to take meaningful action? Our team can offer a personalized guided conversation designed to help communities better understand these timely issues and explore practical ways to respond.
Every day brings new headlines about immigration and the growing challenges facing immigrant communities. It can feel overwhelming, but there are meaningful ways we can respond together. The Immigrant Justice Team wants to help Marianists and local communities support immigrant families affected by detention, deportation threats, and anti-immigrant policies. Possible actions we can help you explore include organizing support networks for families, visiting detention centers, distributing “Know Your Rights” materials, coordinating legislative advocacy, and building local response efforts. Reach out to us below to explore planning a conversation that fits your needs.
| |
MSJC's 2026-2031 Strategic Priorities
In case you missed it, MSJC recently announced our 2026-2031 Strategic Priorities! These emerged from a year-long process grounded in the lived experiences, wisdom, and hopes of the MSJC community and broader Marianist Family. They reflect where MSJC finds itself at this moment and how we hope to strengthen and expand our work in the coming years. Here they are:
- Priority 1: Financial Sustainability and Resource Diversification
- Priority 2: Integrate Communication and Collaboration
- Priority 3: Volunteer Development
- Priority 4: Formation, Spirituality, and Transformative Experience
Read the full details at the link below. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, and if you see something you'd like to help advance. An important note: MSJC’s Race Equity Plan is integrated throughout.
| | |
MSJC REFLECTIONS, RESOURCES,
AND CALLS TO ACTION
| | DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE | | |
Take Action to End the Death Penalty in Ohio!
On June 16, Ohio Governor DeWine called for abolition of the death penalty! Please thank the governor for his call for abolition, and kindly urge him to use his executive powers to commute all death sentences in Ohio before leaving office. A letter in the postal mail is best; briefly identify who you are, why you’re writing, what you want him to do (use executive clemency powers to commute death sentences before leaving office), and what values are most important to you. Send your letter to:
Governor Mike DeWine
30th Floor, Riffe Center
77 S High St.
Columbus, OH 43215-6117
IF you live in Ohio, here is a letter you can sign onto, which will be sent to your Ohio legislators:
| | |
Starvin' for Justice: Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty
This annual event continues for its 33rd consecutive year this summer outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC. From June 29 to July 2, death penalty abolitionists from around the country gather to call for an end to capital punishment in the U.S. MSJC has supported the Fast & Vigil in various ways over the years, including by participation of members of the Death Penalty Abolition and Restorative Justice (DP-RJ) team.
The week includes elements of grassroots training, advocacy, action, community, and education. An ‘Abolition Teach-In’ starting at 6pm ET each evening will feature murder victim families, death row families, exonerees, state-level advocates, national organizers, faith leaders, and more; this will be live-streamed for remote participation via the Death Penalty Action YouTube channel. More information about the event history and schedule is available on this website: http://abolition.org/about/.
This year is a monumental one marking 50 years since the July 2, 1976, decision in Gregg v. Georgia, in which new death penalty laws were upheld and state-sponsored prisoner killings were allowed to resume. Even if you cannot attend in person, the DP-RJ Team hopes you will be able to join through prayer, some form of fasting, and/or remote participation. Spread the word.
| | |
An Invitation to Hope-Filled Summer Pondering with Pope Leo's Magnifica Humanitas
Leo XIV first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas - on Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, calls the Church, and all people of faith and good will to place human dignity at the center of the AI age and to guide technology with ethics and justice. Released on May 15th, the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, (Leo XIII's great encyclical on the conditions of workers at the height of industrialization), the document rereads the history of Catholic social teaching, highlights the role of the family and shows the interconnection of AI with contemporary justice concerns including poverty, environment, war and peace, economic systems, human trafficking, unemployment and potentials for new forms of slavery.
He ends with a section on the Hope of the Magnificat. As a Marianist Family, may we join our prayer and pondering to how we may incarnate this message…I entrust our desire to the Mother of Christ, to the Woman of the Magnificat, that she may guide our steps through this time of change and preserve in each of us true faith in the Gospel, so that we may bear witness to the grandeur of humanity, in which God has made his dwelling. - Leo XIV, #245 Magnifica Humanitas
| |
Resources to Go Deeper:
A Marianist event unpacking the encyclical and what it means for us is in the works. Please let us know if that would interest you, and keep your eyes peeled for an update in our July Justice Jottings.
| On June 12, 2016, ten years ago, 49 persons were gunned down at the popular LGBTQ nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando. In this article from Outreach by John Consolie, the writer urges us to attend a Pride celebration, host a prayer service and gathering at our parish, write a letter to our pastor or bishop, or light a candle and pray for Mary’s intercession in our lives to live fully as God created us to be in honor of those who were mercilessly killed. | | |
"To Be One with God": A Review of the Film Mary Magdalene
by Team Member Philip Charles Crawford
Check out the thoughtful review of the film Mary Magdalene (2018) below. Exploring themes of discipleship, spiritual longing, women's roles in the early Christian community, and Mary Magdalene's place in this history, Philip recounts how the film presents this foundational figure in a fresh and compelling light. Through its artistic storytelling and nuanced portrayal of Mary, the film invites viewers to consider her enduring significance in the Gospel story.
| | | | |
