Educational Resources
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Restorative Justice Peace Circles
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Read more
To read more about peacemaking circles and the Archdiocese’s involvement in the Seattle-based pilot initiative on restorative justice, learn more at:
https://archseattle.org/ministries/outreach-ministries/criminal-justice-ministry/
and view this current article from the National Catholic Register:
https://www.ncregister.com/news/how-restorative-justice-helped-make-the-justice-system-work-better-in-seattle
Additionally, here is an article from Catholic Mobilizing Network:
https://catholicsmobilizing.org/posts/restorative-justice-peacemaking-circles-washington-state
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Revisting Restorative Justice in Seattle
What is restorative justice and what does it aim to do?
According to Howard Zehr, an American criminologist considered to be a pioneer in the modern study and application of restorative justice,
“Restorative justice is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.”
Zehr (2002). Little Book of Restorative Justice. Good Books, Inc.
To put that in the context of our Catholic faith, the Criminal Justice Ministry of the Archdiocese of Seattle describes restorative justice as a “better model for justice.”
“Years of harsh and increasingly retributive responses to crime have resulted in the U.S. maintaining the highest prison population on earth. Our hope is to cultivate a restorative model of criminal justice that will transform suffering by identifying and addressing the deeper needs and traumas underlying any occurrence of harm. Restorative justice is a model that seeks healing for all rather than punishment of one. Ultimately, we recognize the broken body of Jesus in everyone impacted by crime and we are therefore committed to accompanying all affected people on their journey toward transformation and wholeness. We believe this approach honors the Gospel imperative to resist all that diminishes personal dignity and crushes the human spirit. Instead, we seek to manifest resurrection and the kingdom of heaven on earth.”
Between 2016 and 2018, our archdiocese participated in a groundbreaking restorative justice movement that unfolded within the King County Juvenile Court system. We learned the art of peacemaking circles and applied it to juvenile felony cases in lieu of traditional court and incarceration.
While the local movement has pivoted away from addressing felony crime in this way, the Church stands ready to be activated again as justice systems explore new ways to implement restorative practices in alignment with the Gospel.
In the meantime, Criminal Justice Ministry is available to facilitate restorative peace circles for Catholic schools, parishes and families that are experiencing harm or difficulty and desire a more healing approach to conflict resolution. Criminal Justice Ministry Archseattle.org
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Thanksgiving
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we also recognize the complex history of this holiday, and honor in a special way those who, through generations of hardship, have struggled to keep their culture alive. We give thanks for their endurance and their reverence for all Creation.
As Catholics we are familiar with Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’ (Care for Our Common Home) and St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Sun.” Both speak to the interconnectedness of all people, all creatures, all life, all creation. This month, it is especially fitting that we share with you a Native American prayer expressing the same themes.“
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The Thanksgiving Address is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations—Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). It reflects their relationship of giving thanks for life and the world around them. The Haudenosaunee open and close every social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address. It is also said as a daily sunrise prayer and is an ancient message of peace and appreciation of Mother Earth and her inhabitants. The children learn that, according to Native American tradition, people everywhere are embraced as family. Our diversity, like all wonder of Nature, is truly a gift for which we are thankful.”
–Dance for All People
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November is Black Catholic History Month
On July 24, 1990, the National Black Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as National Black Catholic History Month to celebrate the long history and proud heritage of Black Catholics. This month, as we honor the faith-filled Black Catholics who lived and spread the Gospel despite slavery, segregation, and discrimination, we are pleased to share a calendar prepared by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Each day provides an opportunity to reflect on ideas, milestones, and several of the men and women who have been instrumental in the life of our Church.
Click on the image to learn more.
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January 2021 Article: Dear White Catholics
Just as the Gospel should be disturbing to all Christians, so should Catholic anti-racist activism. It unsettles white Catholics out of their “colorblindness” and restores the historical memory that has been lost. Feelings of guilt, shame and bewilderment may be appropriate and need not be avoided. These feelings are important steps away from denial, a distancing from untruth that is necessary to awaken white people from generations of moral slumber and cultural delusion.
Click on the image to read this article.
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'Not Racist' Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist
To effectively defeat systemic racism — racism embedded as normal practice in institutions like education and law enforcement — you’ve got to be continually working towards equality for all races, striving to undo racism in your mind, your personal environment and the wider world. In other words, you’ve got to be anti-racist.
Click on the image to read this article.
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October 2020 Articles
- Responding to the Sin of Racism
- Ecumenical and Interreligious Reflections and Loving the Neighbor
- Stories of Parishes Confronting Racism and Promoting Peace
- Five Ways You Can Cultivate Peace and Work for Racial Justice
- What Role Can a Good Education Play in Combating Racism?
- Fighting Our Inner Demon
(all taken from the USSCB website document Responding to the Sin of Racism)
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November 2020 Articles
- In the Beginning, There Were Black Catholics (US Catholic magazine published 10/12/20)
- Built of Living Stones: 5 Black Catholics to Remember (US Catholic magazine published 2/8/12)
- Timeline of Black Catholic History (US Catholic magazine published 7/24/08)
- Racism Is a Pro Life Issue from USSCB website document Responding to the Sin of Racism.
- Protecting Our Children from USSCB website document Responding to the Sin of Racism.
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December 2020
Articles
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