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INTRODUCTION to the 2000-2001 publication of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society Unified in pursuit of these tasks, the essays in this volume treat "restorative justice" from a range of professional perspectives and in a variety of academic venues. They have emerged from reflections and presentations on the Vincentian Center's 2000 theme of "Jubilee Justice" as well as the "Genesis to Genome: Human Work" theme of 2001, the anniversary year of the serial papal encyclicals dating from Rerum Novarum in 1891. Vincentian Chair of Social Justice Lectures The Vincentian Chair of Social Justice Annual Lecturers, The Rev. Bryan Massingale and Dr. Dolores Leckey, reflect on the theological foundations of justice and their expression in a spirituality of Christian service characterized by the Vincentian preferential option for the poor. They exhort us to regenerate our spirit through forgiveness, solidarity, and regular, prayerful periods of jubilee "lying fallow." They also caution against that all too frequent tendency to stress differences which allows "tribalism" to triumph over "solidarity." Both champion humor and imagination as tools for justice. Interdisciplinary Faculty Colloquia: "Debt-Forgiveness" and "Catholic Social Teaching" Recognizing the complexity of restorative justice as a concept and appreciating the rigor and creativity of interdisciplinary scholarship, St. John's faculty pursue opportunities to bring their specialized research into contact with that of colleagues from other disciplines. In the second section of this collection, an interdisciplinary panel (theology, law, economics and finance) unpacks the richness of the theory and the complexity of the practice of debt-forgiveness at both the global and personal levels. Another interdisciplinary faculty group (theology, economics and law) presents ways a Catholic university can operationalize the Social Teaching of the Church. A major focus of the Vincentian Center scholars is to allow the voice of religious values to be heard in the academy, in the public arenas, and very specifically in legislative halls. Poverty Conference Ð Living Justice: Pathways from Poverty and Commitment to the Common Good The final section of this collection offers a sampling and reprise of the second biennial poverty conference "Living Justice: Pathways from Poverty and Commitment to the Common Good." The Rev. Thomas Massaro analyzes the fundamental theological concept of the "common good" and proposes "discrete measures" by which it can be assessed fairly and longitudinally. Msgr. John Linder chronicles the very successful New Community Project in Newark which has eradicated poverty for some and ameliorated it for others through an amazingly successful education and economic development program in a marginalized city sector. In the final essay, Peggy Steinfels presents a distillation of the major themes of the conference before offering her own provocative reflection on an earlier day when "we were poor" and cautions against narrow, easily dismissed categories of the poor and poverty as "the other." To focus the reader's passage through these writings, the editors have provided an introduction to each lecturer as well as a brief thematic awareness of each section, its context and content. The Vincentian Center is grateful for the distinctive individual presentation of each author as well as the collective contribution to meeting the challenge and assuming the responsibility of Restoring Justice in the 21st Century. The Center, its Fellows and staff, invite your comments on these works and your suggestions for future issues and programs. For further information or communication, contact:
Margaret John Kelly, DC, Ph.D., Executive Director (718) 990-6470
The Vincentian Center for Church and Society E-mail:VCCS@stjohns.edu
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While
some debated whether 2000 or 2001 should be celebrated as the true jubilee
and millennial year, the Vincentian Center for Church and Society and
the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice used the transitional years to
explore the central message of the jubilee, described by Pope John Paul
II as the time "to restore social justice." Lectures, seminars,
colloquia and conferences focused not only on developing a deeper understanding
of and active appreciation of the full spectrum of human rights, but on
the study of proactive, constructive solutions to poverty and the eradication
of other evidence of injustice. This "restorative" concept which
is traced to ancient biblical times and to an agricultural economy continues
to hold great relevance for our own post-industrial, global economy. Thus,
redressing of societal inequities and advancing of the common good still
remain central tasks for not just the jubilee-millennial marking but for
this new millennium.
