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History

Certainly one of the most common obstacles and complaints of any parish-based social ministry effort is the relative lack of interest and participation. To be fair, the working vocabulary of what it means to be a parishioner over the last 100 years and longer has not typically included the terms of social justice. Most people in most parishes are not prepared—spiritually, practically, or even catechetically—to do parish social ministry. We are still uncovering the meanings of applied Catholic social teaching in the parish.

In 1988, I was hired as Parish Social Minister at a 1200 household parish in Louisville, Kentucky. For the first year of my work there, it seemed we spent an inordinate amount of time just trying to recruit a minimum number of people to come to social ministry meetings or events. I found myself dissatisfied not only because our numbers were small and the needs great but also because of what such a situation revealed about the formation of the community. As harsh as this may sound, it seemed to me that as a Church we had not been called, challenged, nurtured or empowered to be a people who cared significantly about the poor and vulnerable. I think the general observation that most adult Catholics feel ill-prepared and uneasy about engaging in the discussion and/or effort to address social need is an accurate one. My experience is that even the most socially active parishes can claim at best 10% participation among its members.

It seemed to me that the problem had something to do with conversion. Essentially it’s at the core of Gospel teaching: what is it that opens people’s hearts to recognize their kindredness and to respond to each other’s needs with heartfelt compassion, generosity and care? A fundamental part of Jesus’ ministry is devoted to coaxing the hearts of his listeners to take an interest in their marginalized, landless, and impoverished sister and brother Jews. Metanoia, or conversion, includes the recognition of our shared responsibility for one another. Compassion is the one of the names we give to such lived responsibility.

I had spent six years working as the facilitator of the RCIA at various parishes and one of the things I used to love about that work is that the participants really did change! Many had rather remarkable conversions. As I thought of the RCIA and my current work with social ministry, I decided to create a process that would duplicate some of the following features of RCIA:

• Long term process (at least 30 weekly meetings),
• Access to substantive education,
• Opportunities to discuss the material thoughtfully,
• Invitations to good speakers,
• Strong emphasis on community building, and opportunities to explore traditional and new prayer forms, retreat experiences

I took these characteristics and combined them with some hands-on experiences of the poor. Instead of preparing participants for initiation into the Catholic Church, I wanted to prepare participants to become prophets and dedicated servants of God’s compassion. I devoted the curriculum to the Church’s tradition of care for the vulnerable including the Scriptural evidence, historical witness and Catholic social teaching. I bundled these together, called the program JustFaith and offered the program for the first time in 1989, not knowing if anyone would be interested. To my delight, twelve people signed up that year. To my disbelief and endless gratitude, the results were staggering.

• These were the people who became the movers and shakers of social ministry not only in the parish but also in the greater Louisville area.
• These were the people who became chairpersons of the Hunger and Poverty Committee, who got on the Board of Habitat for Humanity, who initiated a relationship with a parish in the Third World, who started a women’s issues committee and a Pax Christi group.
• These were the people who became experts on a variety of subjects, from deforestation to the causes of revolution in Latin America.
• These were the people who changed jobs in order to do work that they saw as more socially redeeming.
• These were the people who sold large homes and bought modest homes just to express a commitment to simplified living.
• These were the people who gave away a lot of wealth in the name of justice, charity and compassion.
• These were changed people.

And, amazingly, the same thing happened year after year, as JustFaith was experienced by other groups of parishioners. The impact on the parish was profound. There is nothing quite so remarkable as to witness people changing and becoming enthused about their capacity to do good in the world. Not only were participants changed, so too were their families and, in many cases, their friends. And as important as the individual changes were in the parish, what was just as heartening was the great work being done by the parish out in the world.

It was a great time to be Church. And as the word got out and other parishes became interested, it struck me that we had stumbled upon something that the Catholic parish was hungry for. We had not only come upon a strategy for increasing the ranks of those committed to social ministry, but we had also unwittingly discovered at least one way to make parish life more vital, to make liturgy more compelling, and to make Christian community more life-giving. To live as Jesus lived was indeed new life!

From California to Virginia, from Minnesota to Texas, parishes have found JustFaith programs to be effective tools of empowerment. Yes, they involve a substantial commitment. And, no, they’re not for everyone. Nevertheless, JustFaith broadens the options available to the church or parish interested in expanding its social ministry efforts.

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