Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ), St. John’s University is producing a series of social justice lectures with the Brooklyn, NY-based social services organization. The webinar series, "A Time for Renewal," is presented in collaboration with the Vincentian Center for Church and Society. The lectures address issues relevant to Catholic Social Teaching, which guides both organizations.

Prior lecturers from St. John’s include Meghan J. Clark, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Assistant Chair, Department of Theology and Religious Studies; Charles M. Clark, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Economics and Finance; and John M. Conry, Pharm.D., Clinical Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice. A fourth lecture by C. Mario Russell, Executive Director of The Center for Migration Studies of New York, is planned for September. These lectures lead into the University’s biennial poverty conference scheduled for November.

"We have a good relationship with Catholic Charities; they’re always doing work around service of the poor," said Rev. Patrick J. Griffin, C.M., Executive Director of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society. "So they fit in easily with the ministry of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society and their orientation toward social justice is an important value for us."

Dr. Meghan Clark began the lecture series on April 5 with a discussion titled “Vision of Catholic Social Teaching,” detailing the Church’s commitment to human dignity regardless of social or economic conditions. Dr. Charles Clark followed on May 3 with an economics-based lecture titled “Building Community: Envisioning an Inclusive Economy through Catholic Social Teaching.” Most recently, Dr. Conry discussed “Changing Lives: Mercy and Dignity in Care of the Sick, Isolated, and Aging” on June 7.

Mr. Russell’s upcoming lecture on September 6 is titled “Changing Lives: Welcoming the Stranger and the Common Good” and will address immigration policy from a Catholic perspective.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been serving people in need since 1899 through more than 160 social programs, making it one of the largest faith-based providers of affordable housing in the United States.

"Nobody is as widely committed to the service of the poor in Brooklyn and Queens as Catholic Charities is," Fr. Griffin said.

The Vincentian Center’s 13th biennial Poverty Conference will take place on Saturday, November 16, featuring a keynote address by Sabina Alkire, Ph.D., Director at Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at Oxford University.

"We wanted to do something around the broad question of poverty's extent," Fr. Griffin stated regarding Dr. Alkire's participation.