Fred Kammer, S.J., to share social justice message with young adults

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2012
www.www.ignatiansolidarity.net

Contact: Christopher Kerr, Executive Director
O – 216-397-2088
C – 216-410-7351
[email protected]

“REV. FRED KAMMER, S.J., TO SHARE SOCIAL JUSTICE MESSAGE WITH YOUNG ADULTS AT IGNATIAN FAMILY TEACH-IN FOR JUSTICE”

WASHINGTON, DC – Rev. Fred Kammer, S.J., executive director of Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans and former president of Catholic Charities USA will address a crowd of nearly 1,000, the majority high school and college students, at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ).  IFTJ is a national conference for those passionate about social justice grounded in the Catholic Social Teaching and the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  The 15^th annual Teach-In will take place in Washington, DC, from November 16-18, 2012.  The program is sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network.

The Teach-In is an opportunity for members of the Ignatian family (those connected with Jesuit institutions and the larger church) to come together in the context of social justice to learn, network, reflect, and act for justice.  Teach-In attendees represent twenty-eight Jesuit universities, over twenty-five Jesuit high schools, Jesuit parishes, Jesuit volunteer communities, and many other Catholic institutions and organizations.

Started in 1997, in Columbus, Georgia, the IFTJ takes place in mid-November to commemorate the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests and two companions were murdered on November 16, 1989, in El Salvador for their work advocating on behalf of the economically poor in that country.  The IFTJ moved from Georgia to Washington, DC, in 2010, to respond to the growing interest in integrating educational opportunities and legislative advocacy into the Teach-in experience.

Fred Kammer is a priest, an attorney, and a member of the Southern Province of the Jesuits. Since March 1, 2009, he has been the director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute [JSRI] at Loyola University New Orleans. JSRI is a collaborative project of Loyola University and the Jesuit New Orleans Province offering research, social analysis, theological reflection, and practical strategies for improving the social and economic conditions of the Gulf South, with particular focus on issues of poverty, race, and migration in the light of Catholic social teaching.

From 2002 to 2008, he was the Provincial Superior of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus, guiding their post-Katrina recovery and service to the devastated region’s poor and needy. From 1992 to 2001, he was the President/CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the nation’s largest voluntary human service network.

Other keynote speakers at the IFTJ include:

Sr. Simone Campbell, S.S.S., executive director of NETWORK Catholic Social Justice Lobby;
Merlys Mosquera Chamat, regional director of Jesuit Refugee Services-Latin America and Caribbean;
Gabriel Bol Deng, founding director of Hope for Ariang, and former Lost Boy of Sudan;

The Teach-In also offers 50+ breakout sessions presented by national and international speakers including Most Rev. Bernard Unabali, Bishop of the Diocese of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

On Saturday evening, attendees will gather at Lower Senate Park (adjacent to Capitol Hill) for a public vigil to call attention to the importance of legislative advocacy in working for social justice and build momentum for ISN’s Ignatian Family Advocacy Month in February 2013.  Speakers include Rev. Richard Ryscavage, S.J., director of the Center for Faith and Public Life at Fairfield University.

The celebrant for the Teach-In Liturgy on Sunday, November 18, is Rev. Drew Kirchman, S.J., a teacher at Arrupe High School in Denver, Colorado.

The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice is sponsored by the University of San Francisco, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkley, America Magazine, Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and Loyola Press.

MEDIA NOTE: Teach-In, Liturgy, and Public Vigil include photo, video, and interview opportunities

Click HERE to view the Teach-In schedule.

The Ignatian Solidarity Network promotes leadership and advocacy among students, alumni, and other emerging leaders from Jesuit schools, parishes, and ministries by educating its members on social justice issues; by mobilizing a national network to address those issues; and by encouraging a life-long commitment to the “service of faith and the promotion of justice.”  ISN is an independent lay-led 501(c)(3) organization.  More information can be found at: www.www.ignatiansolidarity.net

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