"Helping People Help Themselves" was a poignant theme for the 18th annual Recognition Dinner sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace and Justice and Peace Commission.
During the Nov. 17 dinner at St. Patrick Church, Los Angeles, grants were awarded to groups, parishes and individuals who have sought to educate, empower and improve the lives of others. Additionally, the 2007 Empowerment Award --- which embodies the values and principles of the U.S. Bishops' Catholic Campaign for Human Development --- was presented to St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Suzanne Jabro, a visionary leader in restorative justice for more than 30 years.
Over that time, Sister Jabro has seen the devastating effects of incarceration on the children of the imprisoned. In response, her "Get On The Bus" program allows young children to visit their parents near Mother's Day and Father's Day.
In presenting the Empowerment Award, Cardinal Roger Mahony told of the ways in which the Church has attempted to meet the changing needs of those in prison. Sister Jabro, he said, "was already way ahead of the curve on this issue."
"In 1973, this young Sister of St. Joseph was asked to coordinate 'Reach Out' Retreats for youth and be a consultant for Prison Ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She spent her first month traveling to each of the 33 youth facilities in four counties and found that there were no chaplains, no prison ministry, and no one who would consult her. There was also no way things were going to stay like that."
As her work in prison ministry expanded, Cardinal Mahony said, "she began to build the ministry." In 1983 she was appointed by Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen as director of Detention Ministry in the Seattle Archdiocese. In 1995, she took a similar post in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, "not only coming full circle, but now expanding the circle," said Cardinal Mahony.
In addressing Sister Jabro's "great concern for the children of those in prison and the impact on their lives," Cardinal Mahony noted that prison ministry is no longer concerned with only those in prison but also with their victims and the most vulnerable, the children.
"We need to continue to move deeper into the vision of restorative justice," said the cardinal. "Thanks to Sister Suzanne, we have a leader in the field, a visionary in our midst, a prophet in our community of faith. We have with us a woman who empowers people, impacts systems, and leads our Church. If Pope John Paul II were here with us tonight, he, too, would acknowledge that, through the work of Sister Suzanne, a 'great step forward in creating a more serene and peaceful society' has begun."
In receiving her award, Sister Jabro simply said, "Everything I have learned, I learned in prison. When we accompany the marginalized poor for any length of time, we awake one day and realize that we have crossed over and become one with them. When we become marginalized by association, our view of world, social and ecclesial institutions changes. We find ourselves uninvited to the tables of power.
"Children teach us what is important, though," she added. "I want to invite you to 'Get On The Bus' with children of prisoners and see the world of prison from the margins, through their eyes and experience." |