JustFAITH

A seminar in Biblical Justice

 

"Happy are you who hunger and thirst for justice, for you will be filled."

Matthew 5:6

 

Sponsored by the

InterParish Social Concerns Committee

Greater Northampton Area

Thursdays 7 to 9:30 PM

September - May

Location: St. Mary's Rectory Meeting Room

3 Elm Street, Northampton, MA

What is JustFaith?

JustFaith is an intensive yearlong seminar in the peace and justice tradition of the Catholic Church. Its goal is a conversion of faith in community. It is a program in which participants read, study and discuss with one another on a weekly basis topics from a prepared syllabus. These topics include:

We consider individually and together what our response to these issues should be as a Catholic Christian community.

Samples of Books Read for JustFaith: What JustFaith participants have said:
   
  • Doing Faith Justice: An Introduction to Catholic Social Thought, Fred Kammer, S.J.
  • "JustFaith has led me to re-assess my lifestyle and reform my faith."
  • The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggeman
  • "This transformational experience has moved me from cynicism and powerlessness to compassionate response."
  • Unexpected News, Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes, Robert McAfee Brown
  • "I have become much more aware of the great disparities between our way of life and those who struggle with poverty, and what our Catholic faith calls us to do about it."
  • Cloud of Witnesses, Editor, Jim Wallis
  • "Learning along with the others in this program helped me to understand some difficult issues of justice and how we are called to respond to them. It provided an experience of a faith community that I had been seeking for a long time."
  • Economic Justice for All, Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, U.S. Bishops
  
  • Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, Ronald J. Sider
  
  • On the Development of Peoples, Pope Paul VI
  
  • Selected Readings in Liberation Theology, Gustavo Gutierrez and others
  
  • The Powers that Be, Walter Wink
  
   
Samples of Videos Viewed for JustFaith:  
   
  • The Business of Hunger
  
  • The Healing River
  
  • Roses in December
  
  • Mano con Mano: Stories of Solidarity
  
  • A Crisis of Faith
  
  • The Reign of God
  
  • Arms for the Poor
  
   
   

If I am interested in participating in JustFaith, what am I committing to?

The seminar consists of thirty weeks from September to May. Each semester, participants read three to four book-length texts, approximately 60 to 100 pages per week. It is an extended justice education process that meets weekly employing books, videos, lecture, discussion, prayer, retreats and hands-on experiences. The intent is to provide a tapestry of learning opportunities that emphasize and enliven the remarkable justice tradition of the Church. Participants are exposed not only to a substantive and demanding course of study but are also afforded the privilege of becoming community with other participants and sharing a journey of faith and compassion that is both life-giving and challenging.

The weekly meetings are on Thursday evenings. They begin at 7:00 PM and end at 9:30 PM and consist of prayer, discussing the reading material assigned for the week and viewing and discussing short videos on the topic being discussed. Most participants find that the weekly preparation time is from 2 to 3 hours.

There are two weekend retreats scheduled in October and May beginning Friday night and ending on Saturday for discussion, reflection and prayer. In addition, at least once each semester participants engage as a group in a ministry that serves the poor. Finally, there is also a Journey to Justice Day sponsored by the Campaign for Human Development.

To apply or for more information contact:

The cost for the JustFaith Program and the materials is $125 per person. There are scholarships available. Application period is through September 5th. Interviews will follow applications. Membership is limited to 15.

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