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VIDEO: El Salvador Immersion | Esperanza “Hope”

BY ISN STAFF | April 30, 2012 Thomas Ireton, a sophomore studying Film and Television Production at Loyola Marymount University, recently shared this documentary he made about his immersion trip to El Salvador through LMU's Campus Ministry…
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Solidarity Education: Engaging Worker Rights at St. Peter’s Prep Arrupe Week

March 26-30 was Arrupe Week at Saint Peter’s Prep. Each year the program brings a specific issue of injustice to the forefront and encourages our community to engage it and take action. This year's theme, “Rights of the Worker,” was relevant in today’s world and directly related to Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s famous 1973 address "Men and Women for Others" where he stated, Catholics must have a firm determination to draw no profit whatever from clearly unjust sources. Not only that, but going further, to diminish progressively our share in the benefits of an economic and social system in which the rewards of production accrue to those already rich while the cost of production lies heavily on the poor.
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Bringing a Louisville Immersion Trip Back To Campus

BY MCKENZAE BARTELS | April 20, 2012 John Carroll University students McKenzae Bartels and Ty McTigue share reflections from their spring break immersion trip to Louisville, Kentucky as well as their efforts to bring their experiences back…
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“The importance of recognizing different cultures as being in solidarity with us rather than separate”

Written by: Leah Rosenweig, Loyola University of Maryland '13 I began to become drawn to indigenous cultures when I entered college.  I felt a calling to South Asia by many different events that arose at the start of this academic year.  My…
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Labre 281

When I arrived at Walsh Jesuit High School on the day of Labre number 281, I had few expectations of what I would be doing. I thought we would simply be preparing food, packing it into a van, and delivering it to all who needed it. My personal goal was to try my hardest to get to know some of the people who are experiencing homelessness in the Akron community and show them someone cared. What I was not prepared for was how these people would affect me.
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Stand In Solidarity with the People of Colombia

This month we have the opportunity to join thousands of people of faith and hundreds of faith communities from across the United States and Colombia to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and reflect, pray and work together to bring an end to the Colombian conflict. Please join us in the Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia 2012 movement!
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Peruvian Jesuit Archbishop Threatened for Environmental Advocacy

Jesuit Archbishop Pedro Baretto (Archdiocese of Huancayo) has received death threats for his recent statement calling for responsible environmental regulation for a multi-metallic smelter in La Oroya, Peru. The smelter has been operated by Doe Run Peru a subsidiary of Renco Group (US privately held company) and was forced to shut down in 2009 after pressure from Church leaders.
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To Work With Them As Allies | A Practical Reflection

I attended a training for social action trainers led by George Lakey, a Quaker, visiting professor at Swarthmore College, and director emeritus of Training for Change. It was a completely empowering weekend that has given me many effective tools that I continue to use today. One such tool was the Spectrum of Allies, which provided a solution to my dissonance about wanting peace, but being angry at and accusatory of everyone else. I have since introduced this tool to several student groups involved in various campaigns at Santa Clara.
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“El ejemplo” | Remembering Oscar Romero

During our time together in Mariona, my new friends Oti and Aida have filled many hours sharing their memories of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The strong hug he provided in a time of struggle. His homilies echoing from every radio in town. Even the horrors that they encountered at his funeral. But, as we shared a cup of coffee in a small room of Oti’s house, I asked them for a few words to describe this man and they both had to pause for a moment. “… love… solidarity… a voice for the voiceless… the fight… the defender of the poor…” As I listened to these two women speak, one word resounded in my mind “ejemplo.”
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Did You Know? | A Reflection from Ecuador

I was on the bus a few days ago coming back from another day at Manos and sitting next to Josue, one of our ayudantes (helpers) at Manos. In the silence of bus ride, he all of sudden turns to me and says: “Did you know that 80% of the people in my country are poor? And most of them are so poor, I wouldn’t even know where to begin to help them.” As he turned back forward, my jaw was naturally at my feet. I did in fact know this fact; it is well known that since the 1970’s, Ecuador’s drastic economic situation has spared few. But I was so shocked and humbled by this teenager’s insight. How terrible it must be to know this fact – that 4 out of 5 people in your own nation can barely afford to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head (and many of them cannot.) It’s such a small fact, but it has big implications. How is Ecuador, a nation that spends 50% of its budget servicing debt, supposed to help its own citizens? The gravity of the situation is even more weighing; where does one start to address such evasive poverty?
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George Clooney | Arrested Development

Just hours ago American actor George Clooney was arrested in Washington D.C. outside of the Sudan embassy during heated protesting against the violence against the Sudanese people by the Sudan government and also calling for the Sudanese government to allow more humanitarian aid into the country. Clooney was given three warnings to leave the property but was eventually booked while fighting for justice. The arrest occurs just two days after Clooney testified before the Senate Foreign Relations committee after arriving back into the United States from a trip to Sudan.
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Kony 2012: Research, Reflect & Act

If you haven't watched the Kony 2012 video that went viral in recent weeks, you are likely becoming part of a minority group. As of March 14th the video has received more than 93 million views on sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Video director Jason Russell (co-founder of Invisible Children) utilizes engaging video techniques and imagery to share Invisible Children’s campaign to stop Joseph Kony from continuing to use violence against people in Central Africa.
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Rutilio Grande, S.J. | 1928 – 1977

BY CHRIS KERR | March 12, 2012 Today we remember the life of Fr. Rutilio Grande, S.J., who was murdered in El Salvador in 1977 at the hands of Salvadoran paramilitary soldiers.  Grande is most often referenced for his friendship with the…
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“Solidarity is mutual respect and understanding”

Looking back on my immersion experience now, I see now that the concept of 'solidarity' is a complex one. For me, the foundation of 'solidarity' with another community is made up of a mutual respect and understanding between the two communities, along with an overarching unified theme of wanting to learn about the other.
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Oscars – Got Solidarity?

As households across the country prepare to watch stars strut down the red carpet at the Oscars tonight, we thought it was appropriate to remember a few films that have inspired new understandings of solidarity with our brothers and sisters throughout the world.

“Solidarity is a combination of both empathy and understanding”

I recently returned from an immersion trip to New Orleans, my second immersion experience but my first domestic trip. As the student leader for the trip, I spent a great deal of time preparing our group for what to expect, but the actual word ‘solidarity’ was never brought up in our pre-trip meetings. I think that many of the general concepts of solidarity were touched upon, but the word itself is hard to define and therefore hard to teach. I am a firm believer that ‘solidarity’ is one of those rare words that can take a unique shape depending on the individual experience.
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“They wound up teaching me more than I could ever possibly teach them”

This past January, I was blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime; I embarked on my first-ever international service-immersion experience, which was organized by the campus ministry office of my primary undergraduate institution (Canisius College in Buffalo, New York). This experience enabled twelve Canisius College students and two Canisius College professors to live alongside the Dalit (also referred to as the “Untouchables”) for two weeks in the province of Tamil Nadu in southern India.
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Number of “Fair Trade” Catholic Universities Growing

Earlier this week Manhattan College announced that they have achieved "Fair Trade University" status as defined by Fair Trade USA, making them the second Catholic university in the U.S. to earn this status.
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2.20.12 | World Day of Social Justice

February 20, 2012, marks the fifth anniversary of the World Day of Social Justice, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. 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.
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“I have recognized the presence of the Divine”

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.
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“It is the common thread of humanity that eternally connects us all”

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.