TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 | NEW YORK CITY | 6:30-8:30 P.M.
James Martin, S.J.
ROBERT M. HOLSTEIN FAITH DOING JUSTICE AWARD
Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, and Editor at Large at America, the national Catholic magazine. His most recent book is titled Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity (HarperOne). He is a frequent commentator in the media about issues of religion and spirituality and is known for his appearances on The Colbert Report and his robust social media presence.
Fr. Martin has established himself as a powerful voice for justice. He is a sought-after speaker at parishes and institutions across the U.S. on LGBT inclusion in the Catholic Church. He utilizes his significant online reach as an advocate on behalf of those who migrate, contributing to the Catholic Church’s work to build a culture of care and compassion that upholds the dignity of all immigrants and refugees.
About the Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award
The Holstein Award is given by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) each year to individuals 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 (the Jesuits).
About Robert M. Holstein
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 1990’s 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 1980’s. 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.
Previous Recipients
Norma Pimentel, M.J.
ROBERT M. HOLSTEIN FAITH DOING JUSTICE AWARD
Sister Norma Pimentel is the Executive Director for Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas. In this role, she oversees the charitable arm of the Diocese of Brownsville, providing oversight of the different ministries & programs in the areas of emergency assistance, housing assistance, military family relief, clinical counseling, and pregnancy care to all four counties in the Rio Grande Valley.
In recent years, she has been instrumental in quickly organizing community resources to respond to surges of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States and setting up Humanitarian Respite Centers in McAllen, Texas. These efforts have captured the world’s attention, drawing news media from around the globe to cover the plight of these desperate Central American refugee families, and compelling thousands of individuals from this country and others, to contribute their time, talents, and treasures to serve and support them.
About the Robert M. Holstein Faith Doing Justice Award
The Holstein Award is given by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) each year to individuals 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 (the Jesuits).
About Robert M. Holstein
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 1990’s 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 1980’s. 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.
Previous Recipients
The Center for Undocumented Students
LEGACY OF THE MARTYRS AWARD
Since 2014, The Center for Undocumented Students (TCUS) at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ has worked to support the academic work of undocumented students at the University, to shed intellectual light on the political and economic realities of immigration in our world today and to create a community where undocumented students feel welcome.
Under the leadership of Jennifer Ayala, Ph.D., TCUS offers access to legal support, a resource library, academic advising, career mentoring, and financial aid guidance, and provides a safe space for undocumented students. Ongoing collaboration with other University departments and outside organizations provide opportunities for faculty and staff workshops, pro-bono legal and counseling services, and connection to other community services.
The work of TCUS sustains the legacy of the martyrs— the six Jesuits and two laywomen—who were killed for their commitment to upholding the dignity of the oppressed.
About the Legacy of the Martyrs Award
November 16, 2019, marks thirty years since Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J., Segundo Montes, S.J., Juan Ramón Moreno, S.J., Joaquín López y López, S.J., Amando López, S.J., and their housekeeper Elba Ramos and her 15-year-old daughter Celina Ramos were murdered at the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador.
The legacy of the Jesuit martyrs significantly influenced the Church and the Jesuit community around the world. Across the Ignatian network of Jesuits and lay collaborators, new ways of working for justice, grounded in Christian faith, have developed over the course of these thirty years.
The Ignatian Solidarity Network is a direct product of the martyrs’ legacy. The deaths of 70,000 innocent individuals over the course of El Salvador’s 12-year civil war, many killed by Salvadoran soldiers who received U.S. military training at the former U.S. Army School of the Americas, gave ISN founders like Robert Holstein and Fr. Charlie Currie, S.J., the impetus to invite the Jesuit network to be part of working to bring attention to U.S. involvement in Central America. From 1996 to 2009, the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice took place in conjunction with SOAWatch’s vigil at the gates of Ft. Benning, the location of the former School of the Americas before it was renamed in 2001. While the Teach-In moved to Washington, D.C., in 2010, the legacy of the martyrs remains at the core of ISN’s social justice education and advocacy efforts.
The Legacy of the Martyrs award is bestowed on individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to sustaining the witness and legacy of the Jesuit martyrs and their companions.
Previous Award Recipients
Meaghan Fanning / Eric Clayton
MOIRA O’DONNELL EMERGING LEADERS AWARD
Meaghan Fanning is a proud graduate of Rockhurst University (‘12), where she majored in nonprofit leadership studies and theology. She also holds a master’s degree in social work.
She has worked with Jewish Vocational Service since 2012 and founded the agency’s Refugee Youth Program, which provides holistic, community-based, adolescent-centered case management and mental health services. Fanning has also worked for the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund since 2013, founding the organization’s summer Girls’ Group for teenagers from farmworking communities.
Eric Clayton is a graduate of Fairfield University where he studied international studies and English/creative writing. He joined Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in June 2013 and is currently a senior program officer in the new Mission and Mobilization division. He provides strategic direction and narrative framing for the agency’s largest U.S.-based program, CRS Rice Bowl, as well as manages a small content team.
Eric holds a master’s degrees from American University. Prior to his time at CRS, Eric served in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with the Sisters of Mary Help of Christians. He currently lives with his wife, daughter, and hedgehog in Baltimore, Maryland.
About the Moira O’Donnell Emerging Leaders Award
The O’Donnell Award, given yearly, will honor one to three individuals ages 23-33 who have 1) received an undergraduate degree from a U.S. Jesuit university, and 2) demonstrated significant social justice leadership in their communities.
About Moira O’Donnell
Moira Erin O’Donnell, the late daughter of Bob and Jackie O’Donnell, and sister of Aimee and Matt, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on October 9, 2005. Moira was truly a loving and gifted young woman who lived her life with brilliance, generosity, compassion, and a commitment to social justice.
She graduated magna cum laude from Santa Clara University in 1994 with a B.A. in English and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Sigma Nu societies. While at Santa Clara she earned a full scholarship to study at Oxford University for a year. Following Oxford she continued her studies at Boston College (M.A., English, 1996), and the University of London (M.A., Intellectual and Cultural History, 2002).
Moira spent a year following her college graduation as a member of the Vincentian Service Corps working as a teacher at St. Aloysius School in New York City. She then went to work for Catholic Charities of San Francisco at St. Joseph’s Village, a shelter for homeless families. From 1998 to 2004, Moira worked for Hamilton Family Center, another family shelter in San Francisco. In 2005, Moira accepted an offer to become the executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network and quickly began establishing ISN’s roots as a national social justice network inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Previous Recipients
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The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is a national social justice network inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)3 organization working in partnership with Jesuit universities, high schools, and parishes, along with many other Catholic institutions and social justice partners.
