Weavers of Justice

Doing Together What We Can’t Do Alone

Over the next year, the Outreach and Care Commission of Ascension, in conjunction with our cluster parishioners at Immaculate Conception and St. Helen’s, is going to participate in a new series of activities aimed at making a dent in the deeply entrenched issues of poverty and racism.

These issues are huge. We care deeply about those who lack the most basic of resources. The evidence of continuing bias and discrimination in our world is very troubling. But, what can one person or a small group of persons do? How can we get past feeling paralyzed by the enormity of the problems?

Well, there is an exciting initiative to help us help others. The Catholic Social Action Office, in partnership with other diocesan offices, the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community, and several parishes–including Ascension–have formed a collaborative to link and integrate efforts to address critical social justice issues. They have taken the name, Weavers of Justice.

With its focus on poverty and racism, the Weavers of Justice has presented its partners with a comprehensive line-up of activities for the current year. Three steps are involved: experiential learning, reflection and social analysis, and acting for change. Within each step, a great variety of options are available for families, youth, and adults.

As we did last year around the issue of capital punishment, we will direct our joint energies on a select number of activities, probably including a program to raise awareness to the issues, a book read, and support for the Distinguished Speaker Series in the fall. More details will come through announcements in the Sunday Bulletin, so please watch for these. Watch the Current Opportunities page for upcoming events.

The Commission, by taking on this theme for the year, is hopeful that by joining in this effort we will be able to assist Ascensionites “do together what we cannot do alone.”