Watch a video about produced by Manhattan College about their recognition ceremony on February 16, 2012:

Comment below and to let the Ignatian know family know what your parish, high school, or university are doing to promote solidarity through the idea of fair trade.

The day occurring on the General Assembly’s opening of each new yearly session,  recognizes that social development and social justice are indispensable for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security within and among nations and that, in turn, social development and social justice cannot be attained in the absence of peace and security or in the absence of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Learn more about UN Observances of this day at: http://www.un.org/en/events/observances/

Share comments on how your community is recognizing the World Day of Social Justice below.

Colombian refugees in Panama who are not lucky enough to find their way to the ghettos of Panama City, and instead cross by land into the Darien Jungle, are confined to the border towns of Jaque, Yape, Puerto Piña, and Boca de Cupe, which have been described as "prison villages" by international observers. (Source: Jesuit Refugee Service USA)

When my educational journey took me to law school nearly a decade ago, I knew I wanted to contribute to the field of human rights law, broadly speaking.  I imagined I would work at the International Criminal Court or one of the War Crimes Tribunals.  But in my second year of law school I was accepted to the asylum law clinic, and met my first refugee client.  He was a bubbly 19-year-old who had been a brilliant engineering student and an activist in an opposition party in his home country.   He was alone and scared, confused by the system, and haunted by months of torture he had experienced at the hands of government authorities before he escaped the home of his birth. I was startled by his vulnerability and his naivety, and touched by his loneliness and sense of loss.  I trembled with indignation at the treatment he had received at the hands of his government; This child, this young man, barely older than my little sister, tortured for his beliefs and jailed for his refusal to stop speaking out against injustice, who had somehow preserved a silly sense of humor despite his trials – I admired him. For a year and a half, and through five different court appearances, I lived and breathed his case.    I cried after our first appearance in court while my client awkwardly patted my arm.  I was certain that I had failed him, that the judge would not grant him asylum and that he would be deported to his death.  At our fifth court appearance, when we won his case, it was my client who cried, “Tears of relief,” he assured me, “But also sadness. I may never see my country again.”

Working with refugees fully captured both my heart and intellect and after law school I took a job as an advocate at Jesuit Refugee Service/USA.    My job is to bring the needs and voices of refugees and the internally displaced to the halls of power in Washington. Refugee stories, stories of people forced to move, to leave behind all that they have known and find a new home, are ubiquitous in human history.  They are both biblical and contemporary. They form some of the most basic fundamental fabric of the story of the founding of our own nation, and they are a vivid representation of the human ability to survive and rebuild even after experiencing the worst brutality our world has to offer.

There is something both inspiring and heart-rending in the struggles of refugees.  Several years ago I interviewed a Colombian refugee in Ecuador, a beautiful young woman who had suffered unspeakable crimes at the hands of a paramilitaries and human traffickers.  She spoke of how her experiences had reinvigorated her spiritual life.  “I was tortured by images of my attackers.  Tortured by the question of why I had lived, when my father, brother, and son had all died. For a year I fell into drinking and crying.  I did not want to live.  I felt dirty.  I felt used, I felt unworthy of love.  It was on a visit to JRS that I met a woman who invited me to attend mass with her.  And I went to the mass, and I felt loved again.  I who had not been to mass since I was a child.  I listened with new ears to the story of the holy family.  And I saw with new eyes that my life may yet have a purpose.”

I was reminded listening to this young woman of a quote from John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath, a quote that I have seen rings true for many refugees,  “People in flight from terror—strange things happen to them, some bitterly cruel and some so beautiful that the faith is re-fired forever.” It is in the stories and struggles of refugees – in their ability to renew and reshape their lives after horrendous losses, in their will to survive and forge ahead that I have recognized the presence of the Divine.… An unknowable strength, an indefinable resilience, and an indescribable forgiveness.

Editor’s Note:

Jesuit Refugee Service USA’s work will be featured in two upcoming ISN webinars:

2/23/12 – Imago Dei: Journeys of Courage, Hope & Home

Join JRS/USA to learn more about Imago Dei: Journeys of Courage, Hope & Home, a company-produced piece of documentary theater written and produced by the students of Jesuit High School of Sacramento for JRS/USA. Find out how to bring the full theatrical production and/or dramatic readings of the play to your campus or parish!

3/7/12 – How to Stand with the Displaced of Colombia

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume, including requisition number, to Gail Bryant, HR Recruitment Specialist at gail.bryant@crs.org

Background: Catholic Relief Services was founded in 1943 by American Catholics to assist the poor and disadvantaged overseas. CRS works with the local church and partners, both in the United States and abroad, to help create a spirit of solidarity that will transform the world. Solidarity calls U.S. Catholics to become aware of their connection to people overseas and to engage in action in the U.S. to create a more just and peaceful world. The CRS Northeast/ Mid-Atlantic (NE/MA) Regional Office works to foster change in hearts, minds and lives, so that, on the basis of faith, Catholics in the region actively work to transform the world. The fundamental motivating force in all CRS activities is the gospel of Jesus Christ as it pertains to the alleviation of suffering, the development of people and the fostering of justice, peace and mercy in the world. The CRS NE/MA Regional Office works for greater engagement of Catholics in this region in solidarity programs which include global advocacy issues. CRS offers a variety of resources and programming which help Catholics become better informed about global issues and better able to take action, including: Catholics Confront Global Poverty, Catholic Campaign for Peace in the Holy Land, Fair Trade, Food Fast, Global Solidarity Schools Initiative, Operation Rice Bowl, Going Global with Youth and College website resources, among others. Constituents include CRS Diocesan Directors, Directors of Diocesan Ministry Offices (Social Ministry, Schools, Youth/ Young Adult, Religious Education/ Faith Formation, Diversity, Clergy), Catholic colleges and universities, Catholic high schools, religious orders, and other staff whose ministry touches on CRS education, media and fundraising. The NE/MA Regional Office covers the states of entire NE and MA regions. The Program Officer for the Mid Atlantic area of the NE/MA Region will conduct outreach to diocesan institutions, religious communities and universities within: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C. and includes the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Archdiocese of Military Services.

Primary Functions:
1. Develop objectives and strategies designed to involve institutional partners with issues of global solidarity and international social justice and to connect them with the people CRS serves.
2. Develop relationships and build a constituency among Catholics in the Mid-Atlantic area of the NE/MA Region to further CRS mission.
3. Engage constituents in awareness, education and advocacy efforts.
4. Mobilize people for change through participation in CRS programs and advocacy activities.
Job Responsibilities:

Relationship Building
1. Represent CRS to partners, diocesan staff, pastors, parishes, schools/ educators, universities and extended Catholic community in the Mid-Atlantic area.
2. Deepen existing key CRS relationships within the Catholic Diocesan structures, State Catholic Conferences, Catholic universities and other Catholic institutions. Support, encourage and mobilize CRS “alumni” and “replicators” in the Mid-Atlantic area. As needed, cultivate new relationships with other groups, including religious institute chapters and other partners.
4. Listen to the concerns of our constituents and partners, and contribute to the development of new networks, programs and ideas.

Training and Leadership Development
1. Serve as an active resource to CRS Diocesan Directors, key University/ College faculty and others providing information on current CRS programs.
2. Facilitate training opportunities (including at diocesan and university conferences and workshops) to build capacity to be engagement in global issues related to CRS’ mission.
3. Facilitate representation of CRS materials, resources and domestic programs at Diocesan conferences and other events on Catholic Social Teaching and CRS programs to build awareness, educate and promote the engaged of US Catholics in advocacy and other actions that promote global solidarity.
Engagement
1. Promote engagement in existing CRS programs and advocacy initiatives.
2. Assist in the development and implementation of new initiatives in the region.
3. Act as liaison between institutional partners in the Mid-Atlantic area of the NE/MA Region and other departments of Catholic Relief Services.
4. By request, make presentations and represent CRS overseas programming and advocacy initiatives to engage US Catholics and grow a constituency for global solidarity in parishes, schools and universities.
Reporting Relationships: The Program Officer will report to the NE/MA Regional Director and will work in coordination with the Regional staff and other US Operations departments, Charitable Giving and Awareness, Overseas Operations, and etcetera.
Supervisory Responsibilities: None.

Personal Skills:
1. Superior interpersonal and project management/coordination skills.
2. Writing, communication and good decision-making skills.
3. Exceptional networking and relationship-building skills.
4. Self-motivated, able to work independently, and as part of a team.
5. Creativity and innovation are critical.
6. Strong planning and organizational ability required.
7. Strong public speaking experience and skills required.

Qualifications:
1. Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
2. Significant experience working, living or studying in the Mid-Atlantic area.
3. 5-10 years relevant experience; community organizing experience a plus.
4. An understanding of and track record in working for long-term social change.
5. Experience working with diverse groups of people; experience working as part of a team and facilitating team work.
6. Understanding of contemporary Catholic Church issues; knowledge of the structure of the U.S. Catholic Church and ability to work within its culture.
7. Broad knowledge of international issues, particularly as it relates to the developing world.
8. In-depth knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching and its practical application.
9. Willingness to travel, primarily within the Mid-Atlantic area. Occasional international travel may also be required.
Foreign Language Required: None, Spanish desirable.

Note: All interested applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application!

Molly Murray '13, Canisius College, with Dalit schoolgirls in Tamil Nadu, India.

Technically speaking, the word “solidarity” means “the feeling or expression of union in a group formed by a common interest”. While preparing for my two week service-immersion trip to Southeastern India, that term was thrown around in discussion quite a lot.  The leaders proclaimed it as a “cornerstone” upon which we were to base our trip. Going into the experience, I had such a basic dictionary definition of the word and essentially nothing else. Yes, I knew that I was going to form bonds with the people with whom I worked and interacted; however, after actually going through this magnificent experience, I now fully comprehend the meaning of this term.

It sounds cliché, I know, but it is this word “solidarity” that has forever given new insights on my life and how I view the world. Truly interacting with the Indian people, who are seemingly so different from our Western lifestyles with their different language, religions, customs, foods, etc., seemed to be a challenging mission to me at first. How could someone who is outwardly so different possibly share a “common interest” with me? Given the strong language barrier, the task was indeed difficult at times. Nevertheless, it was once I entered into the first village where I fully grasped the meaning of “solidarity”. These beautiful people, the Dalits, who literally have nothing and are treated as sub-human by the rest of their society just on the basis of their birth, welcomed me and the rest of my group with open arms into their village and homes. During the welcoming ceremony, the male elder of the village, who spoke absolutely no English, took my hands in his, kissed them, placed them to his head, and held them there while he teared up. This was possibly the most beautiful and humbling experience I have ever had. It was then that I knew that we were not all so different. We were, and still are, human. To that man, his village, and now me, that was and forever will be enough on which to form a bond with another. It is the common thread of humanity that eternally connects us all.

February 15, 2012
www.ignatiansolidarity.net

Contact:
Christopher Kerr, Executive Director
O – 216-397-2088
C – 216-410-7351
ckerr@ignatiansolidarity.net

“HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT LEADERS & FACULTY MENTORS CONVERGE at ISN LEADERSHIP SUMMIT”

OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA – More than sixty student leaders and faculty mentors from Jesuit high schools across the country are converging on Oceanside, California, for the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s 1^st annual High School Leadership Summit from February 17-19, 2012 at the Old Mission San Luis Rey Retreat Center in Oceanside, California.  The ISN High School Leadership Summit invites emerging student leaders for social justice to spend a weekend strengthening their capacity to effect positive social change while deepening their understanding of the relationship between faith and justice emphasized in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  In addition, the program includes opportunities for school faculty mentors to discuss student leadership for social justice and the Ignatian education pedagogical model.

Students and faculty attending the Summit represent the following U.S. high schools: Bellarmine Preparatory School (Tacoma), Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Creighton Preparatory School, Jesuit High School (Sacramento), Loyola High School (Los Angeles), St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco), Verbum Dei High School, Xavier College Preparatory (Palm Desert), and Xavier High School (New York)

Throughout the weekend, students will explore pillars of leadership described in The Student Leadership Challenge, from an Ignatian and social-justice based perspectives. They will be given the unique opportunity to interact with peers from high schools across the country, actively develop their leadership abilities, address contemporary social justice issues, and examine their calling to be “men and women for others. The weekend will also feature a capstone speech from Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J., founder and executive director of Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries.  Upon returning to their campuses, students will work with faculty mentors to develop social justice activities and programs that engage their campus community.  Each campus group will share their efforts via video conference calls to further the networking element of the summit.

ISN executive director, Christopher Kerr, reflected on the program’s intentions by saying, “ISN is committed to developing emerging leaders for solidarity and justice.  The high school students who attend the Summit will bring sparks of passion for justice and desire to be leaders that can be kindled through their time together.   The program also offers faculty mentors a unique opportunity to accompany their students through the experience and support their engagement in social justice activities when they return.”

The Summit is led by a diverse team of facilitators that began planning in the fall.  The leadership team is comprised of: Adam Baber, a former faculty member at Canisius High School and doctoral candidate at Stanford University; Victor Cancino, S.J., a California Province Jesuit in formation currently teaching at Verbum Dei High School; James Menkhaus, an instructor of religious studies and theology at John Carroll University and doctoral candidate at Duquesne University; and Natalie Terry, a graduate of John Carroll University currently studying at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University.  Faculty sessions will be led by Bill Hobbs, Vice President at the Jesuit Secondary Education Association.

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The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) 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 501c3 non-profit organization.  Additional information can be found at: www.ignatiansolidarity.net

12-02

Date:

Description: For students, staff, and parishioners interested in learning about the Jesuits’ work with displaced people in Colombia, the recent threats to the Colombian Jesuit Provincial, and how to stand in solidarity with the people of Colombia in your school and parish communities!

Presenter: Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Register Now!

Share the Refugee’s Story: Learn how to bring Imago Dei to your campus!

Date: Thursday, February 23rd at 3pm EST

Description: For students and staff interested in learning more about the plight of refugees and how raise awareness on refugee issues by bringing Imago Dei to your school/community – others are welcome.

Presenter: Jesuit Refugee Service/USA

Join JRS/USA to learn more about Imago Dei: Journeys of Courage, Hope & Home, a company-produced piece of documentary theater written and produced by the students of Jesuit High School of Sacramento for JRS/USA. Find out how to bring the full theatrical production and/or dramatic readings of the play to your campus or parish!

The purpose of these events is to raise awareness of the refugee experience and refugee issues, as well as to invite communities to take action to accompany, serve, and advocate for the rights of refugees around the world.

To learn more about JRS/USA and the story behind Imago Dei, please visit http://jrsusa.org/imagodei.

Register Today!

Imago Dei — Detention in the USA from Jesuit Refugee Service | USA on Vimeo.

by Jacqueline Wyman

While you were watching the Super Bowl last night, Roman Catholic nuns were making sure no one became a victim to sex trafficking.

A group of nuns collaborated with Indianapolis city officials by training local workers such as cab drivers and security guards to recognize warning signs of potential trafficking during Super Bowl weekend.

Anti- human trafficking organizations promote such grassroots trainings like the nun’s because human trafficking tends to occur most during large events that bring together people of all demographics.  Statistics from the 2011 Super Bowl show that on Super Bowl night alone “there were 133 underage arrests for prostitution” (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).

Catholic Social Teaching calls for every person to assume the responsibility to protect the human dignity and rights of every person.  The nuns took it upon themselves to assume this responsibility.  Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Ann Oestreich told local Indianapolis news stations that, “No one wants human trafficking in their town. These activities happen in the dark. What we are attempting to do is to shine a light on sex trafficking and reduce opportunities for it to happen.”

The nuns indeed shined a light into the darkness this Super Bowl by training 100’s of people.  Let these nuns be an example for all of us to be men and women for others and continue to live out a faith that does justice—even during the Super Bowl.

Jacqueline Wyman is a senior at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio and works as a student intern at the Ignatian Solidarity Network as well.

In an effort to hear some tangible results of Fr. Arrupe’s influence, I asked a few students and alumni of John Carroll University who have been part of the university’s social justice scholarship program named after Fr. Arrupe, to reflect on the influence his life story has made on them. Here are a few responses:

“For me personally, Arrupe is an inspiration and a spiritual director. His life story, his passionate writing, his spirituality, his mission have laid the ground on which I now walk. Arrupe is one of those people who truly lived. He was a visionary, a person who stood up for what he believed in and a person who faithfully discerned God’s call in his life. And in a world plagued by mass media, poverty, warfare, technology and injustice Arrupe is a beacon of light. Arrupe has called me to live in that same light of optimism, vision and faith. It is in that light where I know walk.” -Natalie Terry, Class of 2010

“Fr. Arrupe represents an ideal that we as students at a Jesuit University, and more importantly, as human beings, strive for: to live for and with one another in an attempt to create a lasting change on the world.” -Jeff Hatgas, Class of 2012

“My desire to live a life for others has been greatly enhanced through my education and experiences of faith and social justice inspired by Fr. Arrupe. I have been “ruined” for life.” -Sadie Curtin, Class of 2013

“Fr. Arrupe was an advocate for social justice and solidarity and is an example of what I aspire to be.” -Esther D’Mello, Class of 2013

“He has been an example of how to live my life. He challenged the Jesuits to look at education in a new way and allowed them to create an experience for students that was a fuller realization of our faith. For me, he represents a call to action.” -Jon Hatgas, Class of 2012

How has Fr. Arrupe influenced you?