Select Page

The USA East Province of the Society of Jesus will host a five-day webinar series, beginning in September, titled “Prophets of a Future Not Our Own.”

The series will allow Jesuit justice leaders the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of lay women and men and Jesuits across every level of the Society about a variety of justice issues.  Our conversation topics will include: the Season of Creation and Laudato Si’ year; our contributions to the Universal Apostolic Preferences; the virtual IFTJ and other ways to build community online; migration in the time of Covid; and using discernment tools to guide our civic engagement.  Registration for each webinar is required and available here.  The schedule of the series and a description of each session is below:

Wednesday, September 2 at 11-11:45 a.m.: Living Laudato Si’ with Nancy Lorence and Cecilia Calvo
Nancy Lorence, chair of the environment ministry at St. Francis Xavier parish and leader of the Metro-NY Catholic climate movement will join Cecilia Calvo, senior policy advisor on environmental justice at the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology.  They’ll help us engage more deeply in the Season of Creation, Querida Amazonia and the Laudato Si’ year, while keeping sight of intersectional issues of racial justice and the inequality laid bare by the Covid-19 virus.

Wednesday, September 9 at 11-11:45 a.m.: Vibrant Virtual Networking with Chris Kerr
Chris Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, will share his thoughts on how to effectively build community through virtual programming.  ISN has been a leader in offering online prayer, education and awareness raising and advocacy programs during the pandemic, including their response to racial injustice.  We’ll talk with Chris about how communities can get the most out of the virtual Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice from October 19-26, 2020.

Wednesday, September 16 at 11-11:45 a.m.: Migration in a Time of Covid-19 with Caitlin-Marie Ward
Caitlin-Marie Ward, senior advisor on migration for the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, will join us to examine ways policies and regulations of the Trump administration have dismantled the asylum system and in conjunction with Covid-19 have put at further risk the lives of migrants fleeing violence in their home countries.  We will focus on stories that Caitlin-Marie has collected through the Solidarity Across Borders campaign.

Wednesday, September 30 at 11-11:45 a.m.: A Global Perspective from a Global Society with Xavier Jeyaraj, SJ
Xavier Jeyaraj, SJ, secretary for Social Justice and Ecology for the Society of Jesus, will talk with us about ways the social apostolate is animating the Universal Apostolic Preferences around the globe.  He’ll give us insights into how the Jesuits are responding to Covid-19.

Wednesday, October 7 at 11-11:45 a.m.: How Civic Engagement Flows from our Faith with Ted Penton, SJ
Ted Penton, SJ, secretary of the Office of Justice and Ecology for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the U.S., will help us put into context a new resource on civic engagement that is soon to be released.  The document invites readers into an experience of prayer and discernment to integrate elements of Ignatian spirituality and Catholic Social Teaching into our civic life.  We’ll talk about how the document can lead to conversation with groups, institutions and the broader community.

Submitted by: Sarah Signorino, director, Mission & Identity