Moving towards the “more”

“Bridging the gap between gospel values and society.” The Sisters of St. Joseph.

In June 2020, the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph put out a statement on racism and a commitment to direct action. As part of this commitment, the U.S. Federation is hosting a four-part series on restorative justice, its relationship to the Charism of their order, and how they, and all of us, can more fully incorporate restorative justice into our daily lives and ministries.

Workshops begain September 2020, and will run monthly until December 2020. The first workshop was an overview of restorative justice and its relationship to the CSSJ Charism. Future workshops will focus on racism, practitioners of restorative justice, and more. They plan to also offer resources for communities to engage in questions about restorative justice in-between the workshops. Catholic Mobilizing Network and St. Catherine University are among the co-sponsors of this outreach.

The team from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis saw this Charism put into practice first-hand last February when we visited Wheeling, WV. Another Sister of St. Joseph, Sister Rose Ann Hefer, CSJ, has done amazing work in a range of ministries, including important focus on the area of human trafficking, and she and the other religious women in her order extended wonderful hospitality to our team. These women have collaborated with other groups in their local area to explore Restorative Justice and the ways that practice might begin to move people in the Diocese of Wheeling – Charleston towards healing and accountability.