JustFaith Ministries
JustFaith Ministries is series of programs created to help bring awareness of Catholic Social teaching, our faith’s call to justice, and prepare individuals and parishes for the work of social ministry. Founded by Executive Director Jack Jezreel, M.Div. in 1989, JustFaith works in partnership with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services and Bread for the World. The Catholic Social Teaching Ministry has hosted several programs at St. Monica over the last four years with the express purpose of acquainting our parishioners with our rich heritage of Catholic Social Teaching.
JustFaith is used in over 1,000 parishes and churches involving 20,000 people, is a 30-week process where participants learn about the justice tradition of our faith, our faith’s call to justice and prepares them for the work of social ministry. Meeting weekly, small groups of 10–15 people employ books, videos, discussion, prayer, retreats and hands-on experiences. The intent is to provide a tapestry of learning opportunities that emphasize and enliven the healing work of God’s compassion found in scripture, church history and teaching, and faithful witnesses. The typical program at St. Monica runs from late August to late May.
Participants attend weekly sessions, two retreats, and four immersion experiences. In addition, participants have one to two hours of reading each week. The fee for the program is $175 to cover books and materials. Payment arrangements are possible.
Registration is now closed for the 2011 to 2012 course. It isn't too early to find out about next year.
Contact Rebecca Mendoza 310-338-9321 / email or Dennis Hardwick 818-535-8099 / email for more information.
Go to http://justfaith.org for more information.
Just Faith Graduates -
Our graduates host several activities of which most are open to all parishioners.
January is “Poverty in America Awareness Month”
In 2010 the Census found that 46.2 million Americans—and 1 in 6 children—were struggling in poverty, making hard choices between food, health care, heat and rent. To bring attention to this national crisis, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has designated January as “Poverty in America Awareness Month.”
Established in 1970 by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is one of the largest private funders of self-help programs initiated and led by poor people in the United States. Committed to the permanent elimination of poverty and injustice in the U.S., CCHD supports programs nationwide that know no racial or religious boundaries - projects that help create jobs, improve neighborhoods and allow people to find a way out of poverty not just for a day, but a lifetime.
During January at St. Monica we devote our efforts to heightening our understanding of the problems of poverty. Go to www.povetyusa.org for suggested ways to get involved. Here is a local effort…the 2012 Homeless Count.
Join the City of Santa Monica on the evening of January 25, 2012 (10:30PM to 2:30AM) when over 200 community volunteers take to the streets to visually count homeless individuals in our community as part of the City's annual Homeless Count. Homeless counts are mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for all communities that receive federal funds for homelessness programs.
Year-to-year comparisons of data allows us to more accurately track the changes in homelessness and evaluate the success of local efforts.
Go to http://www.smgov.net/Portals/Homelessness/content3Column.aspx?id=25157 to learn more about the importance of this annual event. Sign up to count at http://www.smgov.net/homelesscountvolunteer.aspx
Staff Contact
Delis Alejandro - (310) 566-1531 | email