SASI sessions

Track I: Foundations of Catholic Social Teaching & Biblical Justice

Tricia Hoyt, MA and Jon Gromek
- Biblical Justice
- Theological Foundations of Catholic Social Teaching
- Organizing Anti-Poverty Legislative Advocacy in your Community

First-time attendees and others looking to enhance their knowledge of the fundamentals of Catholic Social Teaching will spend time in three sessions examining the biblical and theological foundations of the Church's social doctrine. Using a model that blends storytelling with scholarly analysis, Ms. Hoyt will guide participants to look deeply into biblical texts, which point us not only to core themes, who the God is whom we adore. In the theological foundations session, she will explore the history of the church's social mission with special attention to contemporary ways in which the church lives out her social mission and help participants reflect upon the theological commitments and concepts that ground Catholic social teaching principles and themes. Mr. Gromek's session will educate about specific opportunities to advocate for anti-poverty legislation and how to organize advocacy opportunities in your community.

Track II: Addressing Poverty Today

Staff from Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services, and USCCB-Justice, Peace and Human Development

Amplifying Local Voices to Influence Public Policy
Featuring: Ron Jackson, Senior Director, Government Affairs and Julie Zorb, Manager, Policy and Research of Catholic Charities USA
Drawing on the example of CCUSA's signature legislation, the National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act (NOCRA), representatives of Catholic Charities USA will discuss the importance of local knowledge and experience in the formulation of national policy positions. The session will also emphasize the importance of evidence-based advocacy, offering practical examples of how to effectively employ data-driven resources reflecting the state of poverty at local levels. Participants will be invited to share examples of what is working in their community to reduce poverty and brainstorm ways to leverage those examples into public policy changes.

- More information about others sessions coming soon!

Poverty USA Tours

Bus #1 to Arriba Ninos and Centro Latino in Shelbyville
Centro Latino and Arriba Ninos' programs are based out of Annunciation Catholic Church in Shelbyville (45 minutes east of Louisville). Arriba Ninos is a tutoring outreach program which began in families' homes. Centro Latino is a distribution center which also offers computer & ESL classes, and advocates on behalf of victims of wage theft.

Bus #2 to Jobs with Justice and CLOUT in Louisville
KY Jobs with Justice is a coalition of community groups, faith-based organizations and labor unions united to promote, protect and improve the quality of life of all workers. KY JwJ was founded in 1992 when community and church activists joined to support UNITE! for fair contracts for workers of Louisville Manufacturing. KY JwJ has grown to a coalition of more than 50 organizational members and 1800 individual activists who have pledged to "be there five times for someone else's fight as well as my own."

CLOUT (part of the DART Network) is an organization of 19 diverse religious congregations and groups, with over 16,000 members, working together to solve critical community problems in the Louisville Metro area. They are a grassroots, direct action, multi-issue organization, which has come together to be a powerful force for improving the quality of life in their communities.

Tours will leave Bellarmine at 1:30pm and return at 5:30pm. Participants will then be dropped off on Restaurant Row (Bardstown Road in the Highlands neighborhood) for a free evening out to enjoy Louisville attractions.

Wednesday: Visioning for Social Ministry

JustFaith Ministry grads, diocesan directors and parishioners will meet separately and collectively for social ministry visioning. The focus of the day will be on formation and on creating momentum for HOPE, which necessitates an internal transformation or sense that things can be different.

Elements of the day include:
- an inspirational presentation from Fr. John Rausch,
- testimonies and short presentations from JFM grads, diocesan and parish staff, and young adults, and
- a wrap up session on how to continue the transformational process and maintain hope, given by Joe Grant.

Descriptions will be updated as information is received.