Social Issues Training
St. Bartholomew offers education on the Christian response to social justice issues through JustFaith Ministries when sufficient interest exists. They develop workshops and training courses to help participants expand their commitment to social ministry within their faith communities. Members of non-Catholic churches are welcome to attend, too.
For more information, call or email Steve Audretch at 342-0002, or any Peace and Justice ministry member.
Beginning in Fall of 2011, we started offering video/discussion programs on Sundays between the masses on a wide variety of Peace and Justice Issues. You do not need to sign up--simply come and get a donut and a cup of coffee in the church basement and join us in one of the conference rooms. We usually get started about 9:15 and end with plenty of time for mass.
St. Bartholomew JustFaith history:
Through these and other sources, St. Bartholomew has gathered a growing library of videos on social justice issues. Anyone with an interest is welcome to borrow them at the parish office.
In 2008-9, St. Bartholomew held the original 30-week JustFaith program.
In fall of 2009, we held the Crossing Borders: Migration, Theology, and The Human Journey, an 8-week program on immigration topics.
In the spring of 2011, we held the 6-week Prison Reform: Church of the Second Chance program.
In the fall of 2011, St. Bartholomew held the Living Solidarity program about justice in the US Budget for 8 weeks. Putting this program on was very timely during the congressional budget crisis, though the program had been outdated by a few years. It has since been revised.
Future Programs:
The Peace And Justice Committee has a mission to enlighten parishioners on the Christian perpective of Peace and Justice topics. We have periodically offered a 6-12 week program (one eve., 2½ hrs per week) when sufficient interest exists from JustFaith Ministries as shown above. This year we are also considering several topics from other sources such as "Sojouners" magazine who offer 4 week discussion guides in over 20 topics of peace and justice issues from a Christian perspective. These include: Christians and the Middle East, Christians and the Environment, Christians and the Role of Government, Christians and Trade Justice, Christians and Islam, and many more."
Following are the programs offerred by JustFaith Ministries in their 6-10 week "Just Matters" series:
v NEW! In the Spirit of St. Francis and the Sultan: Muslims and Christians Working Together for the Common Good
v UPDATED December 2011 Living Solidarity
v NEW! Just Peacemaking Initiative: The Challenge and Promise of Nonviolence for Our Time
v Faith Encounters the Ecological Crisis
v In the Footsteps of the Crucified
v God’s Creation Cries for Justice
v New Wineskins
v Engaging Our Conflicts
For more information, click on any of the descriptions.
Costs for the program and participant books will be covered by the Peace and Justice Committee. Often a commercially published book is a part of the materials and we will ask students to give an offering for this, but scholarships are available for a hardship.
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