"Why Justice?" Series Kick-off Event:
Sister Charmaine Krohe, SSND and Father Timothy Brown, SJ

                        Thursday, September 21, 2006

Sr. Missy Gugerty, Director of the Center for Community Service and Justice, opened the event by explaining the inspiration for the Why Justice? series. The Center for Community Service and Justice recently changed its name in order to more accurately describe its work and mission, yet the definition of the term ‘justice’ is still unclear for many people. The speaker series will provide a venue for conversation on campus about the meanings and implications of justice for our Jesuit institution.

Sister Charmaine, who founded and then directed the St. Ambrose Outreach Center in Baltimore, spoke passionately and personally about the lessons she has learned about poverty and specifically, about justice. These lessons were learned—not from a textbook, or a professor, or a class—but from living with and working among residents of the Park Heights neighborhood for 33 years. She pointed out that most citizens are unaware of the levels of poverty in our city and in our nation, and challenged the audience to develop an awareness of the struggles faced by people who are poor, and then a passion to cry out for justice. She stressed that people can volunteer only so long before asking the question “Why? Why is this tutoring/meal/employment program necessary?” From her experience, she believes that justice is more about caring for the innocent than seeking punishment for the guilty. Justice is a call for repentance—a change of attitude, a call for mercy and solidarity.

Father Brown concluded by quoting a definition of justice as “fidelity to the demands of a relationship.” He challenged the audience to consider how to remain faithful to our relationships, and at the same time, to evaluate to what and to whom we are connected. He left us with the question “How can we develop a culture of justice at Loyola?”