Signs of the Times: A Catholic Social Tradition Blog

Giving Birth in a Pandemic Michael Hebbeler, M.A., Director, Discernment and Advocacy Education When I asked my pregnant wife what she thought our twin babies were teaching us as we passed the due date with no signs of imminent delivery, Carolina replied, Kairos. “They move with the time of the harvest,” she explained, “not the clock.” That seemed…

Reflecting on Dr. King and Prophetic Resilience Submitted by brittanydavis on April 20, 2020 – 5:00pm Adam Gustine, D.Min., assistant director, social concerns seminars “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.” These words of Dr. King are some of his most often quoted and elicit…

The Pope and the bomb conference: Some emerging insights Submitted by brittanydavis on February 10, 2020 – 9:58am Margaret R. Pfeil, professor of theology, joint appointment at the Center for Social Concerns, faculty fellow at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies February 2020 Responding to: The Pope and the Bomb At the conclusion of…

Confronting inequalities in health care Submitted by Cindy Voll on May 10, 2019 – 11:48am Grace Munene, Assistant Director, International Summer Service Learning Program for Africa, Center for Social Concerns, May 2019 The recently concluded Global Health and Innovation Conference convened a wide range of stakeholders in the field of global health from former ministers of health, leaders of…

The Common Good and the Challenge of Populism Submitted by Cindy Voll on March 7, 2019 – 11:05am Anna Blackman, Research Fellow, Center for Social Concerns, March 2019 Over the last several years, populism has become a political buzzword, being used to refer to numerous left and right interpretations, but all approaches share in common…

Moving Margins through Postgraduate Service Submitted by Cindy Voll on February 6, 2019 – 1:21pm Karen Manier, Lead Coordinator, Postgraduate Service, Center for Social Concerns, February 2019. The Center’s theme this ​year—a lens for focusing our work, given the vast number of social issues confronting our world—is “Moving Margins: Living the Option for the Poor,” an…

Fleeing West: finding God among the poor and most vulnerable Submitted by Katie Warner on December 19, 2018 – 3:32pm [Image: “Refugees: La Sagrada Familia” icon by Kelly Latimore, contemporary iconographer] Melissa Marley Bonnichsen, Director, Leadership Formation, Center for Social Concerns, December 2018. “In the poor [vulnerable], we find the presence of Jesus, who, though rich, became poor.. in…

Solidarity, Because Love Demands It Submitted by Cindy Voll on October 31, 2018 – 2:44pm Felicia Johnson O’Brien, Assistant Director, Summer Service Learning Program, Center for Social Concerns, October 31, 2018. I have a love-hate relationship with the word solidarity. It’s a beautiful, inspiring principle. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ statement on solidarity boldly declares,…

Building a global Catholic social tradition network Submitted by Cindy Voll on September 24, 2018 – 10:04am Bill Purcell, Senior Associate Director for Catholic Social Tradition, Center for Social Concerns, September 24, 2018. The Catholic social tradition remains a true gift from the Church to the world. The Center for Social Concerns is attempting to…

A Greater Readiness: Attuning our Lives to Racial Justice Submitted by Cindy Voll on April 13, 2018 – 8:58am Kyle Lantz, Social Concerns Seminars Assistant Director, April 13, 2018. “Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days…