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JustFaith Ministries offers extended programs that provide opportunities for individuals to study and be formed by the justice tradition articulated by the Scriptures, the Church's historical witness, theological inquiry and Church social teaching. JustFaith Ministries programs help individuals experience conversion, integrating their personal spirituality with social commitment. Participants are empowered to develop a passion for justice and to express this passion in concrete acts of social ministry in their parish or church and in the community at large.
JustFaith Ministries offers a family of programs:
Over 20,000 people from 1,000 parishes have been part of JustFaith, including 300 from the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
If your parish is considering JustFaith, here are a few helpful documents.
Here are two articles that might intrest you:
“Do your parish justice” - US Catholic publishes an interview with Jack Jezreel
“How to turn a lukewarm parish into a hotbed of social justice” – US Catholic publishes an article by Jack Jezreel
How Big Is Your Heart?
 “This was a life changer. I don’t read the paper the same way. I don’t watch the news the same way. I don’t shop the same way. I don’t pray the same way.”
The above quote is from Ellen, one of our recent JustFaith graduates. She attended our workshop featuring Jack Jezreel and was relating the deep way that JustFaith has impacted her life.
Jesus calls us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself”, saying how the whole law and the prophets are based on these two commandments. (see Mt 22: 37-40).
If we want to follow Jesus, we’re called to be people of love. The fundamental question of Christianity is “How big is your heart?” If we follow Jesus and are attuned to Him each day, we grow in our capacity to love. The Gospels use several Greek words to describe “love”. One of them, agape, refers to unconditional love, our ability to be a person whose love has great depth and great breadth. Our love has depth when it is a sacrificial love, the same type of deep love a mother has when she would be willing to die for her child. Our love has breadth when it is a universal love, a love which has no exclusions. Jesus contrasts this breadth of love when he says “if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?” (See Mt 5:46). Our love is called to embrace everyone, not just those who share our background, values, and interests.
In our complex world, growing in our capacity for love can be challenging. Often it requires we develop our sense of compassion and our ability to see things through the eyes of those who are suffering. One way to do this is a program called “JustFaith” an adult formation program which combines prayer, reflection, and community.
JustFaith was originally developed in 1988 to be used by one parish in Louisville, KY. Jack Jezreel, the designer of the program, based it on the RCIA and incorporated the elements which make the RCIA so effective: prayer, reflection, retreats, guest speakers, inspiring reading, community building, and .a significant duration to allow for growth and conversion. By 2000, JustFaith was so successful that Catholic Charities USA was a leader in making it a national program. Today it has six national partnering agencies.
JustFaith Ministries now offers a variety of programs. The Flagship program, JustFaith, is a 30 week adult formation program which provides a lively and challenging format for adults to read, pray, discuss, experience, and be formed by our Catholic Social Teachings, Scripture, and our faith tradition. JustFaith has over 22,000 graduates in 1,200 parishes in 125 dioceses.
JustSkills is a 20 session program designed for parishes that want to develop their Parish Social Ministry Commission. It focuses on leadership development and practical skills and tools for parish social ministry.
JustMatters is a 6-8 week adult education program which focuses on one of eight relevant topics: Faith Encounters the Ecological Crisis, In the Footsteps of the Crucified, Living Solidarity, Crossing Borders, God’s Creation Cries for Justice, Prison Reform, New Wineskins, and Engaging Our Conflicts.
Engaging Spirituality focuses on developing one’s spiritual life so there can be a balance of contemplation and action. Over 21 sessions, it offers practices for living deeply (a contemplative life) and loving broadly (a compassionate life).
J Walking has two formats, one for high school (12 sessions) and one for college students (7 sessions). Each program forms small communities as participants reflect on the Gospel message and the social implications of our Catholic faith.
A national survey indicates that 92% of all JustFaith alumni add new activities or increase their involvement in social action. On average, participants will engage in 2.8 new activities. Our archdiocese has about 300 people who have completed JustFaith and many of them are becoming involved with the different agencies in our Catholic Charities Federation. One example is our two City Greens Farmers Markets. JustFaith alumni have been instrumental in providing publicity, staffing, other volunteer needs. Two alumni even had a 30 minute radio interview promoting City Greens.
Our JustFaith alumni are taking the initiative to get involved, all because their heart is now bigger and they have been changed in a dramatic way. Are you open to the possibility that your life might change? Are you open to having a bigger heart? Are you open to hearing how Christ calls you to love people with both breadth and depth? If you answered “yes” and you think you might be interested in JustFaith, JustMatters, JustSkills, Engaging Spirituality or J Walking, please see www.ccstl.org and look under “Parish Social Ministry” or contact Greg Rohde, our Director of Parish Social Ministry, at rohde@ccstl.org or 314-367-5500 x155. It may just change how read the paper, how you watch the news, how you shop, and how you pray. |
