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Ellie Hidalgo & Jack Raslowsky to Receive the 2023 Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award

BY ISN STAFF | February 2, 2023

The Ignatian Solidarity Network is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice AwardEllie Hidalgo and Jack Raslowsky. Both awardees will be honored at ISN’s annual award event, Ignite: A Celebration of Justice, to be held this year at Xavier High School in New York City. 

The Holstein Award honors individuals nationally each year who have demonstrated a significant commitment to leadership for social justice grounded in the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The award’s namesake, the late Robert (Bob) M. Holstein, was a former California Province Jesuit, labor lawyer, fierce advocate for social justice, and one of the founders of the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ)—the precursor to the Ignatian Solidarity Network. 

Ellie Hidalgo

Ellie Hidalgo

Ellie Hidalgo is co-director of Discerning Deacons, a project that engages Catholics in the active discernment of our Church about women and the diaconate. Discerning Deacons is deeply engaged in the global synod process, helping to animate over 350 sessions that reached 9,000 people in the listening phase, and Ellie is committed to serving this bold, prophetic vision of a synodal Church that walks together as the people of God, in our faith-filled struggles for justice, dignity, and peace.

She brings 12 years of parish ministry experience at Dolores Mission, a Jesuit parish in the Mexican/Central American immigrant community of East Los Angeles, California where she served as a pastoral associate. This small church with a giant heart is known for its advocacy of immigrants, restorative justice ministries and faith-based community organizing, and for being the home parish of Homeboy Industries. 

Ellie was commissioned as a pastoral associate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2013; she preached for Catholic Women Preach in 2020 and in 2018 and helped to facilitate national prayer services in 2020 and 2021 to commemorate St. Phoebe, one of the early Church’s female deacons. Previously, Ellie served as a staff writer for The Tidings Catholic Newspaper writing news and feature stories about Hispanic ministry, restorative justice, youth ministry, and immigration reform. Her articles frequently appeared in Catholic News Service. She graduated with a masters in pastoral theology from Loyola Marymount University and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Ellie is the first of five children born to Cuban parents and a proud aunt to eight nieces and nephews and numerous godchildren, and lives in Miami, FL. 

Jack Raslowsky

Jack Raslowsky

John R. (Jack) Raslowsky II is a committed Catholic educator and administrator with thirty-five-years of experience, who embodies a deep commitment to Jesuit secondary education. Jack has served in a variety of teaching and administrative roles at Catholic and public institutions. He began his career  as a teacher at St. Anthony High School, and then served as a teacher, coach, and principal at Saint Peter’s Preparatory In 2009, Jack began his tenure as the 33rd president of Xavier High School in Manhattan, New York. He also supported the work of other Jesuit educators and administrators throughout New York and New Jersey as a provincial assistant for secondary education for several years.

In every role Jack has served, he has found ways to integrate the critical concept of Jesuit Catholic education, a lived “faith that does justice”—from the fabric of his classrooms and curriculum early in his career to the experiences of students and colleagues as an administrator. Today, this takes on the form of the institutional culture of Xavier High School, known locally and nationally for its robust faith and justice formation opportunities for students, families, and alumni. Under Jack’s leadership, Xavier provides a safe space for a diverse community of students and faculty to feel valued as unique and critical members of their Catholic school community.

Jack also brings this passion for Catholic faith and the work of justice to the many boards on which he has served, including Nativity Mission Center, St. Ignatius School, Cristo Rey School New York, Brooklyn Jesuit Preparatory, and the Ignatian Solidarity Network.

Interested in honoring Ellie Hidalgo or Jack Raslowsky as an Ignite event sponsor, with a program advertisement, or by attending the May 10 event in NYC? Visit the Ignite: A Celebration of Justice page, or contact Kelly Swan, director of advancement, at [email protected] or 216-200-4259.  

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