Justice Education

Catholic colleges and universities, like non-religious academic institutions, are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and truth. However because Catholic colleges and universities take their inspiration from the Gospel, that pursuit has a different orientation. Its specific point of reference, direction and purpose is perhaps best captured by the phrase "a preferential option for the poor." This phrase, coined by the Latin American bishops at their 1979 conference in Puebla, Mexico and since then central to the vocabulary of the Catholic Social Tradition, simply means that we as individuals, collectives and institutions are called by the Gospel to identify with the poor and marginalized of society, stand in solidarity with them, and accompany them in the struggle for justice and peace. Thus, for Catholic colleges and universities the end purpose of teaching, research and service is the creation of a more compassionate, just and peaceful social order. If truth be told, this "preferential option for the poor" is not very well integrated into the structure and fabric of our institutions. After more than twenty years reflecting, writing and teaching in the areas of social ethics and justice education, I have come to the conclusion that a radically different approach to furthering justice and peace through Catholic colleges and universities is called for, one that moves beyond promoting the idea of justice to participating in its creation.