National Conference
Every other year we convene the National Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice to advance justice and healing nationwide.
Catholic Mobilizing Network hosts the biennial National Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice to bring together Catholic ministry leaders, academic and legal professionals, restorative justice practitioners, and people directly impacted by harm, crime, and incarceration to build capacity within communities and the Church to advance healing approaches to harm, crime, and injustice.
Personal Testimony:
“This conference demonstrated that so many people are committed in a variety of ways to advance the aims and practice of repair and restoration at ground level.” — 2025 Conference Attendee
Explore Previous Conferences
Drawing inspiration from the special Jubilee Year, 2025 National Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice illuminated concrete examples of where and how Catholics can contribute to restorative justice efforts that transform the U.S. systems of capital punishment and incarceration.
Hosted in Atlanta, GA, the conference highlighted practical and innovative ways that people of faith collaborate with local communities and system actors to build hope-filled justice solutions. By working together in these turbulent times, we can create conditions for healing, reconciliation, and liberation — for all who are impacted by crime and violence.
In 2023, CMN hosted the first ever in-person National Conference on Restorative Justice in collaboration with the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. The 2023 conference took on the theme “Journeying Toward Restoration.” Ever aware of past and ongoing violations of dignity and relationships, this theme signified a renewed promise for restorative justice as an instrument for human flourishing both within and beyond the institutional Church. This conference focused on four key focal areas: criminal legal system transformation, clergy sexual abuse and healing, racial injustice and healing, harms against native peoples.
In 2020, CMN convened the first National Conference on Restorative Justice hosted entirely virtually at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The conference took on the theme “Harm, Healing, and Human Dignity.” It invited a renewed exploration of the vital intersections between Catholic Social Teaching and restorative justice practices, and created opportunities for life-giving responses to harm and injustice to flourish.
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