 |
May 10, 2007
|
 |
|
|
Students, residents gather to discuss
justice-oriented readings |
|
|
|
 |
| Shirley Henika of Cudahy, left, Deb Schneider, a member of Catholics for Peace and Justice, and Gerry Fischer, associate director of university ministry at Marquette and a member of CPJ, gather at Fischer’s home in Wauwatosa April 20. The monthly Just Books meetings are an opportunity for Marquette University students and area residents to discuss books with a Catholic social justice theme. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero) |
MILWAUKEE — Students at Marquette University and middle-aged adults in the Milwaukee-area are opening a new chapter in their ministries for social justice.
Members of Catholics for Peace and Justice (CPJ) formed Just Books as an opportunity to discuss books with social justice themes and to be able to gain insight into the students’ views on peace and justice. CPJ also wants to promote interest in its mission, “to nurture faith in action for peace and justice for all people through prayer, education, and social action.”
Jean Baumgardner, a sophomore studying biomedical sciences and Spanish, said she joined the group for knowledge and motivation.
“I wanted to learn and gain insights from others so that I could better open my heart and my ears to the needs of others,” she said.
Debra Schneider, an adult participant in the book club and member of CPJ, said the group is a way to open a line of communication among social activists.
“You need to hear what others are saying, what they’re doing, and build a dialogue,” she said.
Gerry Fischer, associate director of university ministry at Marquette and a member of CPJ, holds meetings at his home in Wauwatosa. He described himself as an advocate for social justice and compassion for the oppressed. While teaching a confirmation class, he instructed his students to pay attention to murder victims in the media and find out as much as they could about them. He wanted them to be aware that the victims were real people with lives and loved ones. In humanizing the victims, Fischer hoped the injustice would seem more real to the students and compel them to take interest in the issue.
The group hopes to emphasize the need to bring about change to help the oppressed.
Schneider said, “We dwell a lot on charity, which is good,” but the trouble is that it becomes a ministry of niceness instead of justice. She said nonviolence should be a part of the catechism in church teaching, but it’s not.
CPJ defines justice as, “the love of God given to each and every person through our love of neighbor as all humanity is united in the dignity and image of the Creator. Peace is not defined as the absence of war, but as justice for the common good of all people.”
“About 2,000 people are homeless on any given night in Milwaukee. A lot of them are children,” said Fischer, who runs a food distribution program for the homeless at Marquette.
He said it was important to expose people to those needs.
“What we really want is to help the students get out of their shell and see people as people, to hear their stories, build a relationship with them so that they care enough about the issue to be activists and advocates in those issues,” he said.
The group discussed the importance of a nonviolent method to make societal change. Fischer said the natural reaction to personal wronging is anger and violence, so we must be trained to ignore instinctive impulses to disgraces and wrongs.
Schneider said the hardest part of the nonviolent approach is that it takes time to convert the hearts of oppressors, but less loss of life and more long-lasting effects make the wait worthwhile.
Fischer said the generations are alike in their idealism, but unique in each group’s desired course of action. Students, he said, are focused on what they as individuals can do to aid the oppressed, whereas those in other generations have tried to organize larger groups for a cause.
Fischer said today’s college students are highly engaged in social action, and he’s impressed by the number who dedicate a year after college to do service work at home or abroad.
Baumgardner said the generation gap was more situational than ideological.
“I think the biggest difference between the age groups was more the ways that the older members were living out their faith and lives, as most of them had families and jobs, whereas college students have a lot more freedom and our lives are naturally still focused on where we are going,” she said.
Garret Gundlach, a sophomore studying theology and Spanish, said, “I hope to continue to learn and study these themes, especially nonviolence as a tool for social change, because I hope to work with some of these in my ministry after Marquette.”
“The conversations have been very rich. It is just what we were hoping it would be – a great blending of young ideas and older folks’ experiences,” Fischer said. |
|
|
|
