Caritas in Veritate

A 12-page Resource Guide on Caritas in Veritate, written by Jim Hug, SJ and provided by Education for Justice, is available on the Social Justice page of the SCC East web site, available by clicking here and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

EFJ Summer Reading List

In its continuing quest to provide suggestions for summer reading that contains Catholic Social Teaching (CST) themes, Education for Justice (EFJ) suggests The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The sanctity of human life and nonviolent resistance play a role in this work of literary fiction.

Book Description by EFJ: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a novel of cruelty, poverty, and hope. Liesel Meminger is a young girl who has been placed in foster care by her mother. Liesel's brother dies en route to their new home and this leaves Liesel traumatized, causing her to have terrible nightmares in the middle of the night. Liesel's foster father begins teaching her to read on these nights to distract her from her pain. Liesel learns to turn to books for comfort. When the war begins, comfort becomes a rare state of mind, so Liesel finds ways to seek it out. Liesel begins to steal books in her efforts to deal with the cruelty of the world around her. The Book Thief is a complicated story of survival that will encourage its readers to think.

EFJ Summer Reading List

The third recommendation from Education for Justice (EFJ) is one that is quite familiar to our blog readers, but one that bears mentioning again and again -- Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. The themes of solidarity and commitment, peace-building, the rights of the girl, and education are prominent in this work of non-fiction.

Book description from EFJ: The war-torn mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan appear in the news as the breeding grounds of terrorist training camps, Al Qaeda hide-outs, and fierce religious extremism. In Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson and Relin take readers behind the headlines to reveal the true heart and soul of this explosive region and to show how one man's promise might be enough to change the world.

The Stoning of Soraya M.

Recommended by Immaculee Ilibagiza; her message to us: The Stoning of Soraya M. is a powerful and riveting true story about a deadly conspiracy . . . and one woman’s refusal to be silent. With disturbing reports of current events in Iran and the film’s focus on human rights abuses under Sharia law, it couldn’t be more timely. The Huffington Post said it best, “Women must see it, and keep in mind that by Iran's constitution the life of a female is worth half that of a male. . . . Indeed, for anyone who claims to care about the most basic of human rights, this film is a must.” The movie opens on Friday, June 26. Those behind this production need your support and the support of your friends to fill theatres on opening weekend, in order to send a message to those regimes that condone this form of punishment.

Vietnamese Workers in the Czech Republic

Those who read the SCC JPIC blog from Rome may have noticed a story about Vietnamese workers in the Czech Republic. As I searched for an English version of the story, here's what I found the June 5 NY Times article, "Crisis Strands Vietnamese Workers in a Czech Limbo," by Dan Bilefsky. Click here to link to the article.

A Blessing to One Another

Alvernia University, Reading, PA -- an alma mater of your blog author -- is showing the exhibit, "A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People," through July 30. While I had already seen it at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, I was in Reading and thought it was worth another look. And . . . it was worth another look! Unfortunately, since its opening at Alvernia on April 21, fewer than 2,ooo people have viewed this moving and informative exhibit. So, if you live within driving distance of Alvernia, get there before July 30. You won't regret it. Click here for more information on the Alvernia website. Additionally, here's a video to whet your appetite (e-mail subscribers, click here to view the video).

EFJ Summer Reading

You'll recall that two weeks ago, this blog recommended a summer reading list from Education for Justice (EFJ). Today, we give you the second book (now a major motion picture) from the EFJ list, The Soloist, by Steve Lopez, covering the themes of dignity of the human person, homelessness, and mental illness.

Description from EFJ: When Steve Lopez saw Nathaniel Ayers playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles' skid row, he found it impossible to walk away. More than thirty years earlier, Ayers had been a promising classical bass student at Juilliard -- ambitious, charming, and also one of the few African-Americans -- until he gradually lost his ability to function, overcome by schizophrenia. When Lopez finds him, Ayers is homeless, paranoid, and deeply troubled, but glimmers of that brilliance are still there.

In the process of trying to save Ayers, Lopez finds that his own life is changing, and his sense of what one man can accomplish in the lives of others begins to expand him in new ways.