In the Fall of 2021, Pope Francis announced the historic Synod on Synodality — a journey for the global Church which is rooted in listening and dialogue. Immediately, it was clear that this model was integrally connected to the practices and principles of restorative justice.
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Scroll through highlights from the 2023 National Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice in Minneapolis, MN.
There's no better time than Respect Life Month (October) to lift up the Catholic Church's anti-death penalty teachings. Get started with these resources from CMN!
Take a look at some of the many successes and achievements CMN accomplished with your help in this past year.
This photo series takes a look into the 4-day training in restorative circles.
Registration is now open! Join us October 5-7, 2023 in Minneapolis, MN.
Catholic Mobilizing Network was honored to receive the “Legacy of the Martyrs Award” from Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) at their annual award event, Ignite: A Celebration of Justice, in New York City on May 10, 2023.
What is “justice” when one human life has been irreversibly taken by another?
On World Day Against the Death Penalty, more than 200 people joined CMN to celebrate three anti-death penalty champions at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, DC.
On Friday, September 16, Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN) kicked-off the brand new Restorative Justice (RJ) Ministry Community of Practice.
The Catholic Church administered 80 boarding schools that forcibly removed Native children from their families and stripped them of their tribal affiliations and identities.
CMN is grateful to all those who stand at the foot of the cross, bearing witness to Christ's execution and the state-sanctioned killings in our time.
February 23, 2022 | With Lent just around the corner, we put together a few opportunities for you to help end the death penalty and promote restorative justice.
A new podcast from Catholic Mobilizing Network called Encounters With Dignity is helping grow Catholics’ understanding of restorative justice and encouraging listeners to engage with restorative practices.
Restorative practices have much to offer the Synod on Synodality’s two-year process of listening and dialogue.
Join CMN this November and December for a free webinar series unpacking practical components of restorative justice approaches in ministry.
Many Catholic educators are eager to discuss the Church's teachings on the death penalty and restorative justice in their classrooms, but aren't sure where or how to begin.
On the annual feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, patron saint of prisoners, families, and the pro-life movement, Catholic Mobilizing Network announces its new Saint Maximilian Kolbe Giving Society which recognizes those committed supporters who have invested in CMN's ministry for three or more consecutive years.
Take a look back at how CMN mobilized Catholics to oppose a executions and advance restorative approaches to justice.
CMN's free toolkit — available in digital, hard copy, and printable PDF formats — offers practical guidance on how to implement restorative justice within the unique context of Catholic ministry.
"True justice requires more than accountability alone. True justice seeks to center the needs of victims, make amends, and transform broken systems. And from this perspective, there is still much work to be done."
From April 18-24, 2021 CMN joins in recognizing National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and urging victim-centered responses to harm, crime, and violence.
On October 27, 29, and 31, more than 700 impacted persons, restorative justice advocates, and Catholic ministry leaders from across the country gathered online for CMN's all-virtual Catholic conference on restorative justice.
Take a look at what CMN accomplished during its 10th anniversary year.
Hear how Pope Francis and U.S. Bishops responded to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, and learn how we, as people of faith, are called to do the same.
As Catholics, we are called to respect the dignity of all human life—regardless of the harm one has suffered or caused. That means we cannot simply stand by when experiencing COVID-19 behind bars could mean a de facto death sentence.
Take a brief glimpse into our favorite moments of #IFTJ2019:
"On a chilly morning in Chicago, a dynamic group of Catholic leaders gathered at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) for a deeply enriching four-day Circlekeeper Training..."
Scroll through this collection of photos from CMN's 10th Anniversary Celebration held on October 10th, 2019 at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, DC.
Through a mentorship program and Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), the Archdiocese of Dubuque is tackling issues of recidivism and addiction, and fostering strong community ties in the process.
Jesus is alive! The Word became flesh, dwelt among us, was executed, and rose on the third day. Let’s Gather. Let’s Build. Let’s Rise.
On this first day of the Triduum, we recognize God’s unfailing gift of undeserved, unconditional, and unifying love for us. This love has the power to embolden every human heart and calls us to do the same. Let us ask for the grace to respond to God’s call to love one another accordingly.
"Jesus was very clear, God wants life. Jesus rode into Jerusalem to give us life here and now!"
Drawing Inspiration from the "Hidden Life" of St. Joseph
2019 got off to a rapid start at CMN. Within a month of the new year, we had pulled together an incredibly successful film screening, our first-ever Restorative Justice Circles Intensive, two dynamic workshops at the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, DC.
Here's a closer look at everything CMN's been up to this winter.
For many people, the first moment they hear about restorative justice is a formative one. So formative, that Kate and Deacon Andy Grosmaire recall exactly when and how it occurred.
On this special evening, at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington DC, Kate and Deacon Andy shared how their Catholic faith led them to restorative justice.
Restorative justice invites us to cultivate moral imagination, to watch vigilantly for creative ways to heal pain caused by violence and build spaces for transformative encounter to take place. Fr. Paul Morrissey shares how he did this in an unlikely corner of Philadelphia. His reflection on events of the past reminds us of our nation's ongoing struggles for racial justice today.
Imagine the criminal justice system as a mountain with restorative justice as the vision at the top. Much is need to move toward that summit, but we cannot get there without abolishing the death penalty.
Knowledgeable about foundational restorative practices, DePaul University in Chicago and Georgetown University in Washington, DC developed programs that create transformational encounter amongst incarcerated individuals, traditional students and faculty.
Restorative justice is so drastically different from America's adversarial and retributive approach to justice that it can be difficult to envision another way. It was this dilemma that inspired CMN to develop our small group educational modules. Hear about the impact it had in three pilot groups.
A Catholic movement for restorative justice is underway.
Joe Cotton, the Director of Pastoral Care and Outreach for the Archdiocese of Seattle, explains how restorative practices are being used throughout the King County juvenile justice system to transform the healing process for all who have been impacted by crime.
CMN's Director of Restorative Justice reflects on her call to issues of criminal justice and how Catholic Mobilizing Network is seeking to enliven Catholics to become a part of this national conversation on restorative justice. We believe that responses to harm and crime must honor each person’s God-given dignity and offer opportunities for restoration, whenever possible.
Catholic Mobilizing Network is pleased to have been invited to be the creative voice for Education for Justice's 2018 Lenten Reflections.
Yes, we are all pilgrims on the journey. Any good that we can do for another comes back to us a hundredfold. Jesus is in prison as well as outside the barbed wire fence. Can we answer Jesus’s invitation to visit him inside?
Restorative justice calls us to not only consider how we are personally connected with crime and criminal justice but also with one another. Through encounter, transformation, and amends we may be transformed and honor the human dignity inherent in each one of us.
Louisiana currently has the highest imprisonment rate in the country. A series of upcoming legislation seeks to reduce sentencing lengths, support re-entry and re-invest funds to reduce recidivism.
"How does God call me to be in relationship with my family, my community, and society?" This is the question that we must continually ask ourselves. The life of Jesus and our Catholic faith offer beautiful examples and deep wisdom about justice, mercy, and reconciliation.
“Instruments of reconciliation” is a new national campaign to amplify active nonviolence in the U.S. Catholic Church.
For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2017
Contact: Alexandra Carroll
alexandra@catholicsmobilizing.org
"We call on you and all members of the incoming administration to prioritize human life and to promote policies that will enable life to flourish."
Although the effort to seek clemency for non-violent offenders is gaining traction in our country, the very notion of clemency is not new. In fact, the origins date back thousands of years, to both ancient Greek and Judeo law.
