Who is JustFaith for?
The JustFaith (JF) ministry at Newman is for people of all ages who are looking for a deep spiritual experience, who want to increase their faith through community, and want to grow their compassion and expression of love for their neighbor. JustFaith is a series of programs providing a living experience of one of the best kept secrets in our Catholic tradition—our Catholic Social Teaching.
When does JustFaith meet? What does JustFaith do?
There are several programs available for the JustFaith ministry at Newman, including the 30-week faith formation intensive; and shorter focused modules (6 to 8 weeks in length). The 30-week JF program at Newman was first offered in 2007 and has continued consecutively every year. This program focuses on discipleship and the call to be about God’s dream of justice and compassion in a world scarred by domestic and global poverty. The next 30-week program will begin in Fall 2012 and will be offered every other year, alternating with short modular programs in the interim years. Graduates of earlier JustFaith groups who are interested in facilitating the next 30-week program should contact LaVera Crawley via email: lcrawleyjustfaith@gmail.com
This past fall we completed one of the short Just Faith program modules titled: “Prison Reform: Church of the Second Chance.” Facilitated by Amy LaGoy and Pat Rougeau, participants learned what people of faith have to say about punishment and justice, identified common myths and perceptions, explored the concepts of rehabilitation and restoration, and discussed the systematic denial of the humanity of prison inmates. As a follow-up event on February 9, JustFaith members sponsored a panel on Restorative Justice (see link here).
All JustFaith programs combine prayer, readings, videos, speakers, immersion experiences, community building, and dialogue to provide tools that have proven to be effective strategies for training and forming individuals as agents of social transformation in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching.
Contact
LaVera Crawley at lcrawleyjustfaith@gmail.com
Testimonials
“We gained an awareness of the needs of the world and of our brothers and sisters through our JustFaith experience. This awareness has affected us in many ways including our desire to meet the needs of the Newman community.”
-Joy and Gary Addiego (founders of the His Hands & Feet ministry, participated in the first Newman JF group)
“After finishing the 30-week JustFaith program, our group was looking for a project to work on together and we chose the Family to Family Partnership, a program of Catholic Charities East Bay that pairs interested parishioners, who form a team, with a family in need. We met a Bhutanese family recently immigrated from Nepal. I developed lasting relationships with members of the family as our team helped them toward self-sufficiency. I certainly received as much as I gave!”
-Linda Safarik-Tong (from the first Newman JF group)
“A Just Faith immersion visit led me to volunteer in the library at St Martin de Porres School in West Oakland. The children can expand their imaginations, dream a life for themselves and travel the world through books. Taking a book home is a new experience for most of them, and I am pleased to be involved in expanding their horizons, thanks to Just Faith.”
-Frances Reid (participated in the second Newman JF group)