The Man Behind the Award
The late Robert (Bob) M. Holstein, a former Jesuit of the California province, a labor lawyer, and a fierce advocate for social justice, was one of the founders of the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ). From the late 1990s through 2009, the IFTJ was held in conjunction with the annual gathering in Columbus, Georgia, to protest the former U.S. Army School of the Americas (now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation-WHINSEC) at Ft. Benning. Nineteen of the twenty-six Salvadoran soldiers who committed the murders of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador and their companions received training at the former School of the Americas during the 1980s. The Ignatian Family Teach-In and protest/vigil in Georgia began to remember the Jesuit martyrs and call for the close of the school/institute. In organizing the Teach-in, Holstein laid the foundation for what would become the Ignatian Solidarity Network, which began in 2004.
On January 5, 2003, Holstein passed away. In a homily remembering Bob at his funeral mass Rev. John Baumann, S.J., described Holstein as a man who “was passionate about justice and fairness for all peoples, particularly the poor and disenfranchised.” The Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award honors this commitment to justice by recognizing individuals each year who are connected with the Ignatian Family and have demonstrated a significant commitment to leadership for social justice.

Fr. Bryan Massingale
2022 Recipient

Marie Dennis
2022 recipient

Simone Campbell, S.S.S.
2020 recipient

John Baumann, S.J.
2020 recipient

James Martin, S.J.
2019 recipient

Norma Pimentel, M.J.
2019 recipient

Greg Boyle, S.J.
2018 recipient

Patricia McGuire
2017 recipient

Michael Garanzini, S.J.
2016 recipient

Carol Keehan, D.C.
2015 recipient

James L. Connor, S.J.
2014 recipient

Helen Prejean, C.S.J.
2013 recipient

Donald MacMillan, S.J.
2012 recipient

Stephen Privett, S.J.
2010 Recipient

Charlie Currie, S.J.
2009 Recipient