Social Justice

Social Justice Groups

• Care for Our Common Home

  Care for Our Common Home Team

  Giving Witness. Taking action.

  

  Mission Statement

  Ecological sustainability is an issue of global social justice, disproportionately affecting the poor and marginalized. It requires an approach to “questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (Laudato Si, #49).

   

  To live out this approach,

  • We will learn and embrace a Christian spirituality of environmental justice and stewardship. We will assist other ministries of the Paulist Center to incorporate this spirituality into the community’s consciousness and works.
  • We will take actions that demonstrate our collective commitment to environmental sustainability and justice. In partnership with the Paulist Center staff and members of the community, we will seek and implement ways to manage our personal and communal use of energy and materials to achieve sustainable patterns of consumption.
  • We will collaborate with other communities of faith and people of good will in advocacy and action to establish environmentally responsible policies in corporate and civic institutions.
  • Online resources resources about Laudato Si’, music, spirituality and the Catholic Climate Movement can be found here.
  • For more information, please contact a member of our team.
• Food Pantry

  Paulist Center Emergency Food Pantry
  

  “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.” — Matthew 25:35

  As you have probably noticed, the appeal for food is a weekly affair. The reason: the demand is constant. In earlier years, the pantry could be stocked by an occasional bulletin notice, but no longer. Even when the food donated on Sunday has been augmented by collections taken up by schools, universities, and other groups, the supply usually does not meet the demand. As a result, The Paulist Center has teamed up with the Greater Boston Food Bank to collect additional food for a nominal fee. Three volunteer shoppers make weekly visits.

  The food pantry is located on the first floor, two doors down from the reception area. There, four volunteers spend one and one-half hours on Tuesday afternoons (1:30-3:00 pm) distributing food that three different volunteers have previously shelved. One visit for one grocery bag a month is the operating guideline. We are now giving out bags of groceries that feed over 400 people a month.

  The people who need the pantry come for a variety of reasons. They work for minimum wages or live on some governmental assistance that may have been reduced. Some on minimum wages feed children as well as themselves. Money runs out before the month runs out. They are formerly homeless persons getting back on their feet. Some are unemployed. Others are elderly or disabled with fixed and limited resources such as Social Security. Some just don’t make enough to pay rent and buy food.

  Many people learn of the pantry from friends.  Some are referred by neighboring churches and social service agencies; we are one of the few food pantries around that is open to anyone. The Wednesday Night Supper volunteers tell our guests about it.

  We have a pretty good idea of what people can use.  It is almost impossible to have too much:

  • rice
  • tuna and mayonnaise
  • canned fruit and vegetables
  • peanut butter and jelly/jam
  • dry milk, and juice boxes
  • beef stew, ravioli, chili
  • spaghetti sauce
  • boxed cereal
  • canned beans and baked beans
  • soup and packaged macaroni and cheese (in winter especially)

  Pasta products move rather slowly.  Surprisingly, there is almost no demand for baby food, dried beans, clear broths and “cooking soups” such as mushroom soup. Cranberry sauce, pumpkin and similar seasonal products, and uncommon foods sit on the shelf for a very long time as well.

  One basic rule: the less cooking required, the better   Another: the more familiar, the better.  We are restricted to using non-perishable and pre-packaged food because of health concerns.

  The Pantry is important as we work to live out the Biblical call to feed the hungry and reach out to our neighbors.

  Sincere thanks to all who keep the food pantry supplied.  Without you, there would be empty shelves and more hungry people seeking food.

  Opened every non-holiday Tuesday afternoon for those with an immediate, critical need for food. Donations of non-perishable items are always needed and can be left by the Mary Altar after the weekend liturgies.

  For more information or to get involved, contact Susan Rutkowski.

• Immigration Advocacy Group

  The Paulist Center Immigrant Advocacy Group (IAG), heeding the profound calling of Jesus Christ, seeks protection, social justice and personal fulfillment for Greater Boston immigrants and refugees through spreading awareness of difficulties and injustices facing them, providing services to them, and advocating for policies and programs that support them.  We carry out our mission in partnership with immigrants, social agencies and faith communities in Greater Boston.

  We carry out our mission through a large number of volunteers drawn from Paulist Center members who:

  • Provide direct assistance to refugees and other immigrants including
    • “resettling” them in their new Greater Boston neighborhoods
      • helping them find and furnish housing
      • learning English
      • applying for public benefits
      • accessing health care
      • registering children for school
      • shopping for food and other necessary items
    • participate in advocacy efforts focused on local, state and federal policies affecting immigrants
    • provide information and educational programs regarding immigrants to the Paulist Center community

  For more information and/or to volunteer contact Ed Marakovitz, 617-306-9726; edmarakovitz@yahoo.com

   

• Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice

  Given annually to an individual or group in recognition of the outstanding commitment of a North American Catholic to building a more just and peaceful world.
  Past recipients include Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, Archbishop Hunthausen, and Rev. Thomas Doyle.  See the guidelines to nominate your favorite Catholic whose work for justice you admire.

  

  • 2022   Pending
  • 2021   Pending
  • 2020   Fr. Bryan Massingale, recognized voice and face of the call for racial and LGBTQ+ justice and inclusion
  • 2019   Joan Chittister, OSB: Author, Theologian, International Lecturer
  • 2018  Colleen Kelly: Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
  • 2017   Jane O’Connor: Educator
  • 2016   William B. Evans: Boston Police Commissioner
  • 2015   Suzanne & Brayton Shanley: Agape Community
  • full list  See this page or the second page of the award guidelines

  For more information or to get involved, contact Susan Rutkowski.

• Pax Christi Boston
  

  Who we are:

  Grounded in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching, Pax Christi USA is a membership organization , a section of Pax Christi International, that rejects war, preparation for war, every form of violence and domination, and personal and systemic racism.  We are a Catholic peace and justice movement that seeks to model the Peace of Christ in our witness to the mandate of the nonviolence of the Cross.

   

  What we do:

  Guided by the spirituality of nonviolence, we advocate and provide leadership for disarmament, demilitarization and reconciliation with justice, inclusiveness, economic and interracial justice, human rights and care of creation.

  •  We strive through prayer, study and action to be attentive to the interrelatedness of the key issues stated above and, in our response, to be conscious of their impact on the world community.
  • We work to align our organizational structures, policies, and practices with our intent to be an anti-racist, multicultural Catholic movement for peace and justice.

  Our Vision:

  A more peaceful, just and sustainable world through the efforts of our members and in collaboration with other groups.

  We dream of a world that respects the universal human rights of all people, and we do this by being in solidarity with oppressed and marginalized people struggling  for dignity.  We reject every form of political and economic domination over others.  We continue to knock on the door of the Empire demanding entrance and a voice:a

  voice that proclaims that every human being is worthy of respect regardless of race, class, socio-economic status, and on which side of what border one comes from.

  Toward these ends PCUSA is joined with many justice seeking organizations around the world.

  We dream of restoring our globe to a place of balance where the earth is recognized as our home and its care our future.  We believe with Teilhard de Chardin when he said, “creation, nature is the first Body of Christ.”

  We realize that the extremes in weather, the susceptibility of fire and drought in so many parts of the globe, the displacement and migrations of peoples, the dramatic loss of plant and animal life are not coincidences.  The thread that runs through them all is the misuse of the earth’s resources along with the greed and miss-use of power in polluting the atmosphere and thus rendering the earth seriously off balance.

  Contact Information:

  Christina Abbey, Convener, Pax Christi Boston

  474 Revere Beach Boulevard 904

  Revere,MA 02151

  Lncabbey20042@yahoo.com
• Racial Justice Advocacy Group

  Out of the Just Faith Community series, starting in November 2020, the Racial Justice Advocacy Group was formed.  We are planning a range of educational and community action(s).  We are looking for people who are concerned about the many facets of racism and seek concrete ways to deconstruct racist systems.  We welcome new members who can meet once a month and support the Ministry’s work.

  You can see our Mission Statement below.  are interested in hearing more, please contact either Tom Sharkey (sharkey.te@verizon.net) or Susan Buta (sue@buta.org)

  Contact Susan Buta for information about upcoming meetings on zoom.  RJAG meetings take place the second Tuesday of the month at 7 PM via zoom.

  Mission Statement

  The Paulist Center’s Racial Justice Advocacy Group, holds racial justice as the systematic fair treatment of people of all races that results in equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone.

  Racial justice—or racial equity—goes beyond “anti-racism.” It is not just the absence of discrimination and inequities, but also the presence of deliberate systems and supports to achieve and sustain racial equity.

  The Racial Justice Advocacy Group seeks to promote racial justice by supporting Paulist Center members in:

  1. Understanding the history of racism and the system of white supremacy (education).
  2. Engaging in personal and collective introspection to reimagine and co-create within the Paulist Center Community deliberate systems and supports that achieve and sustain racial equity.
  3. Envisioning and identifying opportunities in our local community and beyond to help progress on the ground level, through existing Paulist Center ministries or external initiatives.
  4. Joining with other faith communities in order to walk alongside people on the margins; and
  5. Exerting power and influence – grounded in love and relationships – at the town, state and national levels, to disrupt and resist the status quo and to hold our elected leaders accountable for enacting policies and laws that promote racial and social justice.

   

• St. Dismas Committee

  St. Dismas Committee: Educating, Informing and Advocating for Criminal Justice Reform

  Do you feel the Gospel call to visit the prisoner? Did the Trayvon Martin case motivate you to act for change? Do you want to fight for fairness in our criminal justice system? Join the St. Dismas Committee at the Paulist Center. We organize educational events for the community, perform direct service, and work for legislative change.

  For more information or to get added to the group email list, contact Susan Rutkowski.

  

• St. Joseph Society

  St Joseph Society works on  renovation projects at the Crossroads Shelter in East Boston, volunteering labor to perform carpentry, plumbing, and other renovation activities.

  For more information or to get involved, contact Vincent Rocchio.

• Sister Community Group

  Since 1986 the Sister Community group has had a sister relationship with Hacienda Vieja, a farming community in rural El Salvador near the Honduran border. HV is a well-organized community located far from the violence in the cities with a population of 423 residents. Over the years, we have raised money to improve the town water supply and to purchase farm land. The land is used for grazing, planting corn and millet and most recently cacao. Center members have visited the town in 2001 and 2012 in conjunction with a Romero Anniversary celebration. We raise money by selling fair trade crafts and coffee and would welcome you to join us in our spiritual and material support.

  For more information or to get involved, contact Judy Stover or Roberto Jimenez.

• Voice of the Faithful

  The Paulist Center chapter of VOTF was formed on June 30th, 2002 to support VOTF’s three goals: support those who have been abused, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change in the church.

  Mission Statement – To provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Our three goals are: to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Catholic Church.

  Description – Voice of the Faithful®, a movement of faithful Roman Catholics, began in 2002 in response to shocking revelations in the life of the Catholic Church: widespread clerical abuse of children; silence of clergy in the face of known or suspected abuse; and the moral, governance and pastoral failures of Catholic bishops in response to abusers and survivors alike. In the face of such breaches of trust, VOTF emerged from the determination of Catholic laity to find our voice and to claim our proper role in the governance of the Church. VOTF will continue to seek structural reforms that will correct the problems that led to the abuse scandal, and that, if unchanged, could enable other scandals to occur. Joining VOTF is a commitment to work to strengthen and renew the Church, and to assume shared responsibility for its governance.

  Contact Information – Donna B. Doucette, Executive Director, dbdoucette@votf.org; Nick Ingala, Communications Director, nickingala@votf.org.

  Address – Voice of the Faithful, P.O. Box 423, Needham, MA 02464

  Website – www.votf.org

  Facebook – www.facebook.com/voiceofthefaithful/

  Twitter – www.twitter.com/VOTFNational

  Blog – www.voicefaithful.wordpress.com

• Walk for Hunger

  Founded by and at the Paulist Center, this annual 20-mile walk takes place the first Sunday of May. Volunteers help plan, coordinate, and walk to raise funds for Project Bread and the many meal programs and food pantries throughout Massachusetts. The Walk is now sponsored by Project Bread.

  The Paulist Center continues to participate in this project.

  For more information or to get involved, contact Susan Rutkowski.

• Wednesday Night Supper Club

  Volunteers host a meal for our neighbors who are hungry. The meal is offered weekly in the Paulist Center Auditorium at 6pm and is funded by Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger as well as donations from groups and individuals.

  For more information or to get involved, contact Jeff Buckley.

  To arrange for a group to volunteer, contact The Supper Club Team.

  If you are interested being a cook, contact Emily Hankle.

   

  Individuals with questions about volunteering are welcome to send an email to the email address above, but also know that it is fine for an individual to just come to help any week without prearranging your visit. Suffolk University students interested in volunteering in order to complete their Local and Global Engagement hours are asked to sign up via SU Connect available HERE.  You can follow us on Facebook HERE.