Jack Jezreel, president and founder of JustFaith Ministries, will be the keynote speaker for the 13th annual Romero Lecture, “Justice or Just Us?” to be held on Friday, March 22, 7 p.m., at Rutgers University-Camden Campus Center.
More than 20 years ago, while working at a parish in Louisville, Ky., Jezreel created a social justice formation program for adults called JustFaith, which would provide introductory workshops, curriculum, resources and support services to parishes to help them fulfill Christ’s call to care for the poor and vulnerable.
Today, more than 30,000 people from over 1,500 churches across the United States have participated in JustFaith programs.
Jezreel’s said his work “invites people to follow Jesus’ path of healing, and the proclamation of justice,” and gives parishes tools so their ministers can be “agents of evangelization.”
Sometimes described as the “Johnny Appleseed” of the church’s social mission, Jezreel spent six years in a Catholic Worker community, providing basic and emergency services to homeless men and women in Colorado, before directing his attention to education, mostly focused on how to encourage Catholic parishioners to be engaged in outreach and social change.
Through JustFaith, people will “see how our faith, and the needs of our brothers and sisters, intersects” and “experience the remarkable and profound tradition articulated in Catholic social teaching,” he said.
The Romero Lecture series provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the poor and vulnerable, see the world through the perspective of Catholic social teaching, and support Romero Center Ministries, a Camden-based initiative that provides Catholic education and retreat experiences, and seeks personal, communal, and societal transformation.
Past speakers have included peace activist Bishop Thomas Gumbleton; theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, who coined the term “liberation theology”; death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean; and immigration advocate Father Daniel Groody.
The lecture series and Romero Center Ministries are named for Archbishop Oscar Romero, an outspoken critic of human rights abuses in El Salvador who was gunned down while celebrating Mass in 1980.
Beginning at 3 p.m., the Romero Lecture includes workshop presentations, as well as the 7 p.m. keynote presentation with Jack Jezreel.
Each of the workshops focuses on the topic “Living Justice in Your Life.” Participants include Michael Jordan Laskey, director of Life & Justice Ministries, Diocese of Camden; members of Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP); Jill Marie Gerschutz, senior legislative specialist for Catholic Relief Services; parish pastoral associates and others.
There will be a reception with Jack Jezreel, 5:15-6:30 p.m. Tickets to the workshops, lecture and a reception are $25. Tickets for the workshops alone are $15. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.romero-center.org or by calling 856-964-9777.
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