FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 25, 2017
NATIONAL CONTACT:
Kelly Swan | Director of Communications, Ignatian Solidarity Network
216-397-6248 |
CENTER OF CONCERN TO SPONSOR
20TH ANNUAL IGNATIAN FAMILY TEACH-IN FOR JUSTICE
For Two Decades, Gathering Has Explored Current Realities to Form Leaders for Justice
WASHINGTON, D.C.—From November 4-6, 2017, nearly 2,000 individuals will gather for the 20th annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., sponsored in part by Center of Concern. The yearly gathering addresses timely social justice issues in the context of Catholic faith tradition—this year with a primary focus on racism and immigration.
Known as the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the Teach-In attracts many young people ages 16-22, representing over 120 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools, and parishes in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, and El Salvador.
The 2017 theme, Rowing Into the Deep: Magis Meets Justice, calls attendees to explore a more deeply authentic, courageous, generous, and compassionate response to the changing realities of our world.
Initiated in 1997 in Columbus, Georgia, the Teach-In commences yearly in mid-November to commemorate the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests and their two companions were murdered on November 16, 1989 for speaking out against the country’s tumultuous civil war. The Teach-In relocated from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 2010 in response to the growing interest in legislative advocacy and accompanying educational opportunities.
On the morning of Monday, November 6, attendees will gather at Columbus Circle for a public witness, gathering with signs, banners, and voices to pray, listen to active advocates, and recommit to work for justice. The Teach-In then culminates with what is estimated to be the largest Catholic advocacy day of the year. Nearly 1,400 individuals will proceed to legislative advocacy meetings with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to enact immigration and criminal justice reform.
Keynote speakers include Rev. Bryan Massingale, racial justice scholar and theology faculty at Fordham University; Sr. Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN, executive director of Pax Christi USA; and Maria Stephan, senior policy advisor for the U.S. Institute of Peace.
The Teach-In also offers more than 50 breakout sessions, presented by national and international speakers, including Fr. James Martin, S.J., bestselling author and editor-at-large at America Magazine; and Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Joanna Williams, director of education and advocacy for Kino Border Initiative, and Maureen O’Connell, Ph.D., racial justice scholar, theology faculty at La Salle University, along with prominent student activists for immigration reform and racial justice.
The celebrant for the Teach-In liturgy on Sunday, November 5 is Rev. Mark Ravizza, S.J., a delegate from the California Province of the Society of Jesus’ General Congregation 36 and director of Jesuit Mission and Ministry at Casa Bayanihan at Ateneo de Manila in the Phillipines.
“For twenty years, the Teach-In has invited the Jesuit network and broader Catholic Church to reflect on the realities of injustice facing our country and global community,” says Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network. “This year’s Teach-In theme invites us to ‘row deeper’ into the realities of racial injustice, inhumane migration policies, and other challenges of our times.”
Livestream coverage of the Teach-In is available at: http://igsol.net/livestream
The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), is a lay-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that networks, educates, and forms advocates for social justice animated by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the witness of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador and their companions.