“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value." That's the working motto of the Catholic Social Teaching and Financial Decision-Making Research Project, a grant-funded research initiative between the University of Salzburg’s Center for Ethics and Poverty Research and the Center for Social Concerns. The goal of the project is to understand the current budgeting and financial decision-making processes and procedures in representative Catholic institutions and to translate Catholic Social Teaching into budget-relevant points of reference. Center research associate Kelli Hickey joins us today to talk more about what motivated the research, how it was conducted, and what her team is learning.

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value." That's the working motto of the Catholic Social Teaching and Financial Decision-Making Research Project, a grant-funded research initiative between the University of Salzburg’s Center for Ethics and Poverty Research and the Center for Social Concerns. The goal of the project is to understand the current budgeting and financial decision-making processes and procedures in representative Catholic institutions and to translate Catholic Social Teaching into budget-relevant points of reference. Center research associate Kelli Hickey joins us today to talk more about what motivated the research, how it was conducted, and what her team is learning.

Catholic Social Teaching and Financial Decision Making

"A meaningful life begins with meaningful work. There’s something truly transformative about the dignity found in meaningful work. Having a job can give an individual the means and the motivation to overcome past adversities, provide for loved ones, and achieve their dreams," Cincinnati Works. Luke Meyer, a sophomore accounting major at Notre Dame, joins us to talk about his Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) in his hometown of Cincinnati, OH working for a non-profit called Cincinnati Works. Cincinnati Works assists with unemployment, but unlike a typical employment agency they form lifelong partnerships to not only prepare people for the workforce but to help them succeed and advance in the workforce. Luke shares his experience working with them and how the SSLP prepared him to truly encounter others and get the most out of his experience.

"A meaningful life begins with meaningful work. There’s something truly transformative about the dignity found in meaningful work. Having a job can give an individual the means and the motivation to overcome past adversities, provide for loved ones, and achieve their dreams," Cincinnati Works. Luke Meyer, a sophomore accounting major at Notre Dame, joins us to talk about his Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) in his hometown of Cincinnati, OH working for a non-profit called Cincinnati Works. Cincinnati Works assists with unemployment, but unlike a typical employment agency they form lifelong partnerships to not only prepare people for the workforce but to help them succeed and advance in the workforce. Luke shares his experience working with them and how the SSLP prepared him to truly encounter others and get the most out of his experience.

A Meaningful Life Begins With Meaningful Work

For more than ten years now the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures has partnered with the Center for Social Concerns to develop one of the most robust community-based learning (CBL) programs in language in the country. Today we’re joined by Elena Mangione-Lora, teaching professor in Spanish, and Clare Roach, immersion coordinator at Holy Cross School. Together they created a translation class at Holy Cross in South Bend that brought Notre Dame and Holy Cross students together around numerous translation projects that are now being picked up by dual language schools in Chicago and Los Angeles. Community-based learning has a way of developing expansive educational networks, and Elena describes how her CBL work led her to work with a school for men with special needs in Chile recently.

For more than ten years now the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures has partnered with the Center for Social Concerns to develop one of the most robust community-based learning (CBL) programs in language in the country. Today we’re joined by Elena Mangione-Lora, teaching professor in Spanish, and Clare Roach, immersion coordinator at Holy Cross School. Together they created a translation class at Holy Cross in South Bend that brought Notre Dame and Holy Cross students together around numerous translation projects that are now being picked up by dual language schools in Chicago and Los Angeles. Community-based learning has a way of developing expansive educational networks, and Elena describes how her CBL work led her to work with a school for men with special needs in Chile recently.

Building Communities of Language, Culture, and Dignity through Spanish Community-Based Learning

David Silberklang, Ph.D., is a senior historian at the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem and the speaker at the center's annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C., Lecture. In this episode, Silberklang shares stories from the Holocaust, looking at the importance of Jews' efforts to maintain human dignity and human life in the face of the overwhelming forces and impossible odds arrayed against them. 

David Silberklang, Ph.D., is a senior historian at the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem and the speaker at the center's annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C., Lecture. In this episode, Silberklang shares stories from the Holocaust, looking at the importance of Jews' efforts to maintain human dignity and human life in the face of the overwhelming forces and impossible odds arrayed against them.

Mutual Assistance and Maintaining Human Dignity in the Holocaust

Clayton Sinyai

What do labor unions and the Church have in common? For Clayton Sinyai, the answer to that question is a countercultural emphasis on solidarity. Sinyai is the executive director of the Catholic Labor Network, an association of Catholic union activists and clergy committed to Catholic Social Teaching on labor and work. In this episode, he discusses his experiences in a non-unionized workplace and the movement to connect churches with unions to promote the cause of workers.

What do labor unions and the Church have in common? For Clayton Sinyai, the answer to that question is a countercultural emphasis on solidarity. Sinyai is the executive director of the Catholic Labor Network, an association of Catholic union activists and clergy committed to Catholic Social Teaching on labor and work. In this episode, he discusses his experiences in a non-unionized workplace and the movement to connect churches with unions to promote the cause of workers.

The Catholic Labor Network: A Conversation with Clayton Sinyai

Quinn McKenna is a Notre Dame junior who participated in the center's Global Living Learning Community (GLLC) during the summer of 2021. Following the cancellation of summer travel in 2021, the International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP) offered GLLC for students who needed to complete their global service-learning virtually. This program allowed ISSLP participants an opportunity to live in an intentional community in South Bend/Notre Dame, conduct virtual global service-learning projects, and engage in learning about global issues localized in South Bend and the region. In this episode Quinn shares her GLLC experience, which she found to be one of the most surprising and rewarding experiences she's had at Notre Dame

Quinn McKenna is a Notre Dame junior who participated in the center's Global Living Learning Community (GLLC) during the summer of 2021. Following the cancellation of summer travel in 2021, the International Summer Service Learning Program (ISSLP) offered GLLC for students who needed to complete their global service-learning virtually. This program allowed ISSLP participants an opportunity to live in an intentional community in South Bend/Notre Dame, conduct virtual global service-learning projects, and engage in learning about global issues localized in South Bend and the region. In this episode Quinn shares her GLLC experience, which she found to be one of the most surprising and rewarding experiences she's had at Notre Dame

Discovering Global Solidarity in the Local Community

Kevin Cassidy is the director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Office for the United States and Canada. The ILO brings the government, workers, and employers to the table to discuss the issues that surround the world of work and was founded with social justice at the core of its mission. That core of social justice manifests itself in decent work, or the security of one's job, being treated fairly, and having a voice in the workplace. We discuss the importance of a human centered approach to work which looks after the individual, the institutions, and how we push forward on making decent work available to all women and men around the world. Kevin shares how COVID-19 has impacted international employment and what recovery must entail if it's to be successful.

Kevin Cassidy is the director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Office for the United States and Canada. The ILO brings the government, workers, and employers to the table to discuss the issues that surround the world of work and was founded with social justice at the core of its mission. That core of social justice manifests itself in decent work, or the security of one's job, being treated fairly, and having a voice in the workplace. We discuss the importance of a human centered approach to work which looks after the individual, the institutions, and how we push forward on making decent work available to all women and men around the world. Kevin shares how COVID-19 has impacted international employment and what recovery must entail if it's to be successful.

Justice in the World of Work

Madeline Owen is the newly selected Valedictorian of the University of Notre Dame's class of 2021 and is graduating with a neuroscience and behavior major and a poverty studies interdisciplinary minor. Madeline reflects on her experiences at the Center for Social Concerns over the past four years and how they've shaped her. During her undergraduate career she participated in an Urban Plunge in Washington D.C., the Spirituality of Justice Seminar at the Texas-Mexico border, and took numerous courses through the poverty studies interdisciplinary minor. Upon graduating Madeline plans to attend medical school and shares, "The opportunity to not just learn within the walls of the classroom but  beyond the walls of a classroom; to physically travel to places, talk to people, look them in the eyes, hear their stories was something that I was incredibly surprised by and an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. I couldn't see my academic journey being without that human element."

Madeline Owen is the newly selected Valedictorian of the University of Notre Dame's class of 2021 and is graduating with a neuroscience and behavior major and a poverty studies interdisciplinary minor. Madeline reflects on her experiences at the Center for Social Concerns over the past four years and how they've shaped her. During her undergraduate career she participated in an Urban Plunge in Washington D.C., the Spirituality of Justice Seminar at the Texas-Mexico border, and took numerous courses through the poverty studies interdisciplinary minor. Upon graduating Madeline plans to attend medical school and shares, "The opportunity to not just learn within the walls of the classroom but  beyond the walls of a classroom; to physically travel to places, talk to people, look them in the eyes, hear their stories was something that I was incredibly surprised by and an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. I couldn't see my academic journey being without that human element."

Taking Education Beyond the Walls of the Classroom

 Kevin Hayes is the President of Catholics for Change in our Church and the founding principle of an architecture firm, the Hayes Design Group. In 2018 when the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing sex abuse in the Catholic Church was released, as a Pittsburgh native and lifelong Catholic, he was shaken. In reaction to that report a group of laity came together for a listening session and from that initial gathering came the framework for Catholics for Change in our Church. They coalesced around focus groups: support for abuse survivors and their families, financial transparency, addressing clericalism, strengthening and diversifying the clergy, pathways to lay leadership, and engaging and empowering youth. Their mission has now spread to 40+ groups around the United States and Canada who follow this model. In our conversation Kevin addresses the issue of clericalism in the Church and stresses the importance of listening to the marginalized voices in our community.

Kevin Hayes is the President of Catholics for Change in our Church and the founding principle of an architecture firm, the Hayes Design Group. In 2018 when the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing sex abuse in the Catholic Church was released, as a Pittsburgh native and lifelong Catholic, he was shaken. In reaction to that report a group of laity came together for a listening session and from that initial gathering came the framework for Catholics for Change in our Church. They coalesced around focus groups: support for abuse survivors and their families, financial transparency, addressing clericalism, strengthening and diversifying the clergy, pathways to lay leadership, and engaging and empowering youth. Their mission has now spread to 40+ groups around the United States and Canada who follow this model. In our conversation Kevin addresses the issue of clericalism in the Church and stresses the importance of listening to the marginalized voices in our community.

Starting Justice at Home

 Rabbi Yonatan Neril is the Founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD). The ICSD reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act. They believe the ecological crisis is about how we live as spiritual beings in a physical reality and that the world's religions need to be fully on board in order to curb the impact of climate change. The scale of the ecological crisis becomes more severe each year, and with over 6 billion people in the world identifying with a religion there's a huge under-leveraged ability for humanity to turn the collective shift. Rabbi Yonatan shares that we can't just think about ourselves, we need to raise our spiritual level of awareness so that we care for other people and for other species.

Rabbi Yonatan Neril is the Founder and Executive Director of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD). The ICSD reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act. They believe the ecological crisis is about how we live as spiritual beings in a physical reality and that the world's religions need to be fully on board in order to curb the impact of climate change. The scale of the ecological crisis becomes more severe each year, and with over 6 billion people in the world identifying with a religion there's a huge under-leveraged ability for humanity to turn the collective shift. Rabbi Yonatan shares that we can't just think about ourselves, we need to raise our spiritual level of awareness so that we care for other people and for other species.

The Connection Between Religion and Ecology

Welcome to The Signs of the Times Podcast, brought to you by the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, where we discuss principles of human dignity, solidarity with the marginalized, and the common good as they relate to current events. Hosted by JP Shortall, Director of Communications and produced by Katie McCauley, Assistant Director of Communications at the Center for Social Concerns.

Thank you so much for the most recent episode on resilience. I really appreciate the reflections on living well in the current moments.

Thanks

The Signs of the Times Podcast

Charles Maung Bo

 Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B. is the Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and joined us at the recent Catholic Social Tradition Conference hosted by the Center for Social Concerns here at Notre Dame. He sat down with us to expand on his keynote talk. We discussed what it was like for him to grow up under a military regime in a poor village in Myanmar and how this has influenced his special regard for the poor. He shared how he has been outspoken about a controversial China-funded dam project in Myanmar stating that superpowers like China are exploiting the poor for their own profit. We discussed the growth of the Catholic population in Myanmar and how the nation was influenced by the visit of Pope Francis in 2017. He strongly emphasizes the idea that justice is at the heart of the gospel, stating that justice is not an option for believers, it's a mandate.

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B. is the Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and joined us at the recent Catholic Social Tradition Conference hosted by the Center for Social Concerns here at Notre Dame. He sat down with us to expand on his keynote talk. We discussed what it was like for him to grow up under a military regime in a poor village in Myanmar and how this has influenced his special regard for the poor. He shared how he has been outspoken about a controversial China-funded dam project in Myanmar stating that superpowers like China are exploiting the poor for their own profit. We discussed the growth of the Catholic population in Myanmar and how the nation was influenced by the visit of Pope Francis in 2017. He strongly emphasizes the idea that justice is at the heart of the gospel, stating that justice is not an option for believers, it's a mandate.

Bridge Across Continents in Fellowship with the Poor ft. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, S.D.B.

Dan Graff

 Dan Graff, Ph.D., the Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center, joins us today to discuss the question, on what grounds can a wage be just or unjust? It's a question he's been exploring through his work with the Just Wage Working Group which brings together scholars and students to pursue the fundamental question of “the just wage” from a variety of disciplinary and practitioner perspectives. The working group is inspired by Catholic social tradition which they use as a framework to ask questions such as: is everyone in the economy participating? does everyone have minimum decent standards of living? and does everyone have economic opportunities to advance and participate in the decisions that affect their lives? They are currently working on developing an online Just Wage Tool to further these questions and foster dialogue in an extremely polarizing environment. At the start of the episode Dan also shares the work of the Higgins Labor Program as a whole and we discuss the recent nation wide teacher strikes.

Dan Graff, Ph.D., the Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center, joins us today to discuss the question, on what grounds can a wage be just or unjust? It's a question he's been exploring through his work with the Just Wage Working Group which brings together scholars and students to pursue the fundamental question of “the just wage” from a variety of disciplinary and practitioner perspectives. The working group is inspired by Catholic social tradition which they use as a framework to ask questions such as: is everyone in the economy participating? does everyone have minimum decent standards of living? and does everyone have economic opportunities to advance and participate in the decisions that affect their lives? They are currently working on developing an online Just Wage Tool to further these questions and foster dialogue in an extremely polarizing environment. At the start of the episode Dan also shares the work of the Higgins Labor Program as a whole and we discuss the recent nation wide teacher strikes.

On What Grounds Can a Wage Be Just or Unjust? ft. Dan Graff, Ph.D.

Nancy Michael

 What does neuroscience and behavior have to do with community-engaged work? According to our guest, Nancy Michael, everything. Neuroscience and the understanding of how the environment impacts brain development and behavior is a missing link that makes many of the social issues we see in our community make sense. Nancy is the Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Biology and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience and Behavior major at Notre Dame. In her courses she has partnered with the Robinson Community Learning Center, the Juvenile Justice Center, and the South Bend Center for the Homeless. Her recent work has been with Beacon Health System and creating trauma informed communities. Nancy shared that persistence in communication, the demonstration of trustworthiness, and being invested in community outcomes are crucial to this type of university-community partnership.

What does neuroscience and behavior have to do with community-engaged work? According to our guest, Nancy Michael, everything. Neuroscience and the understanding of how the environment impacts brain development and behavior is a missing link that makes many of the social issues we see in our community make sense. Nancy is the Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Biology and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience and Behavior major at Notre Dame. In her courses she has partnered with the Robinson Community Learning Center, the Juvenile Justice Center, and the South Bend Center for the Homeless. Her recent work has been with Beacon Health System and creating trauma informed communities. Nancy shared that persistence in communication, the demonstration of trustworthiness, and being invested in community outcomes are crucial to this type of university-community partnership.

Neuroscience and Behavior for the Common Good ft. Nancy Michael, Ph.D.

Pastah J

Where am I supposed to be and where will I be most transformed? Jonathan "Pastah J" Brooks  challenges us with this question in today's episode. Jonathan currently serves as Senior Pastor at Canaan Community Church in the West Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, IL and as an educator, speaker, writer, artist, and community activist. As a firm believer in investing in your local community, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on the students and young people in his congregation, classroom, and community. His ministry focuses on youth development, holistic health, college scholarships, art and music training as well as restorative justice practices and care for the incarcerated and their families. We discuss his recent book, "Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods," and he even shares a sample of his hip-hop with us.

Where am I supposed to be and where will I be most transformed? Jonathan "Pastah J" Brooks  challenges us with this question in today's episode. Jonathan currently serves as Senior Pastor at Canaan Community Church in the West Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, IL and as an educator, speaker, writer, artist, and community activist. As a firm believer in investing in your local community, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on the students and young people in his congregation, classroom, and community. His ministry focuses on youth development, holistic health, college scholarships, art and music training as well as restorative justice practices and care for the incarcerated and their families. We discuss his recent book, "Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods," and he even shares a sample of his hip-hop with us.

Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods ft. Jonathan "Pastah J" Brooks

James Gingerich

 Dr. James Gingerich is a family medicine doctor in Goshen, Indiana. James says he didn't go to medical school to become a doctor, he went because he is passionate about community development and wanted to open an affordable health care center in Goshen that would build bridges across cultures. The Maple City Health Care Center fulfills the triple aim in health care of being high quality, low cost, and having high patient satisfaction, they are leading the state and in some cases the nation on all of these measures. But James says they're not after the triple aim, he says the vision is to create a space where people engage with each other, come out of isolation and fragmentation and into shared space as a community and the result is they become healthier. The key ingredients to their success are eliminating a mentality of scarcity for patients and staff, fostering imagination, and bringing people together around story and food.

Dr. James Gingerich is a family medicine doctor in Goshen, Indiana. James says he didn't go to medical school to become a doctor, he went because he is passionate about community development and wanted to open an affordable health care center in Goshen that would build bridges across cultures. The Maple City Health Care Center fulfills the triple aim in health care of being high quality, low cost, and having high patient satisfaction, they are leading the state and in some cases the nation on all of these measures. But James says they're not after the triple aim, he says the vision is to create a space where people engage with each other, come out of isolation and fragmentation and into shared space as a community and the result is they become healthier. The key ingredients to their success are eliminating a mentality of scarcity for patients and staff, fostering imagination, and bringing people together around story and food.

Community Health Care in Pursuit of the Common Good ft. Dr. James Gingerich, MD

Clemens Sedmak

 Clemens Sedmak, Ph.D. joins us on the Signs of the Times podcast today to discuss a question he's been wrestling with, "what is the relationship between human dignity, Christianity, and the refugee crisis around the world?" Clemens shares his experience of returning to his home city of Salzburg, Austria in September, 2015 and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees and migrants. This prompted his exploration into the division within the Catholic Church over its response to the migrant and refugee crisis and led to his research with the Humanitarian Corridor Initiative, a project of the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity. He discusses a model of accompaniment as a means to integrate refugees into a new city as well as the pitfalls of the phenomenon they call over-accompaniment.

Clemens Sedmak, Ph.D. joins us on the Signs of the Times podcast today to discuss a question he's been wrestling with, "what is the relationship between human dignity, Christianity, and the refugee crisis around the world?" Clemens shares his experience of returning to his home city of Salzburg, Austria in September, 2015 and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of refugees and migrants. This prompted his exploration into the division within the Catholic Church over its response to the migrant and refugee crisis and led to his research with the Humanitarian Corridor Initiative, a project of the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity. He discusses a model of accompaniment as a means to integrate refugees into a new city as well as the pitfalls of the phenomenon they call over-accompaniment.

Human Dignity, Refugees, and People on the Move ft. Clemens Sedmak, Ph.D.

 Finding community in college can be difficult, but it can be especially difficult when you feel like you don't belong. Shelene shares the struggles she faced her first few years at Notre Dame finding a sense of belonging, especially in the Black community as a first generation American and the daughter of immigrant parents from St. Croix and Cameroon. Shelene shares how she unpacked these experiences in her McNeill Fellows capstone and how she has since been convicted to recognize the human dignity of every person and authentically care for others. She has done this throughout her college career participating in the SSLP, ISSLP, and McNeill Leadership Fellows Program.

Finding community in college can be difficult, but it can be especially difficult when you feel like you don't belong. Shelene shares the struggles she faced her first few years at Notre Dame finding a sense of belonging, especially in the Black community as a first generation American and the daughter of immigrant parents from St. Croix and Cameroon. Shelene shares how she unpacked these experiences in her McNeill Fellows capstone and how she has since been convicted to recognize the human dignity of every person and authentically care for others. She has done this throughout her college career participating in the SSLP, ISSLP, and McNeill Leadership Fellows Program.

Human Dignity, Belonging, and Caring for Others ft. Shelene Baiyee

Brandon Dennison

 Listening to those closest to both the challenges and the beauty of the Appalachian region is critical to the success of a more diversified and stable local economy. Brandon Dennison, CEO and Founder of Coalfield Development, understands this better than most. Born and raised in Southern West Virginia coal country he founded Coalfield Development to be a non-profit that incubates social enterprises like a sustainable construction company, a furniture shop that uses reclaimed wood, a solar installation company, a sustainable agriculture company, and a sustainable clothing company. Using these innovative businesses Coalfield Development is able to put unemployed people back to work. Coalfield Development is creating jobs for people that are more than just a job but rather a career, a vocation, an identity, and an opportunity to expand what work has perhaps meant to them.

Listening to those closest to both the challenges and the beauty of the Appalachian region is critical to the success of a more diversified and stable local economy. Brandon Dennison, CEO and Founder of Coalfield Development, understands this better than most. Born and raised in Southern West Virginia coal country he founded Coalfield Development to be a non-profit that incubates social enterprises like a sustainable construction company, a furniture shop that uses reclaimed wood, a solar installation company, a sustainable agriculture company, and a sustainable clothing company. Using these innovative businesses Coalfield Development is able to put unemployed people back to work. Coalfield Development is creating jobs for people that are more than just a job but rather a career, a vocation, an identity, and an opportunity to expand what work has perhaps meant to them.

Recognizing the Dignity of Work in the Appalachian Region ft. Brandon Dennison

Adam Gustine

Justice often gets characterized as a project, something we go out in the world to do and check a box--but justice needs to first be about the kind of people we are rather than the actions that we do in the world. Adam Gustine, Assistant Director of Social Concerns Seminars, joins us on the podcast to discuss his book, "Becoming a Just Church, Cultivating Communities of God's Shalom." Adam shares how he defines the Hebrew word of shalom as "wholeness, when nothing is missing and nothing is broken," and that the work of the Church is be an extension of wholeness to the world. As Adam says, Jesus didn't spend his time with the movers and the shakers of society, he spent his time with people vulnerable to the storms of life. If the Church is to be the Body of Christ, then it ought to reflect Jesus' priorities. Subscribe to the Signs of the Times Podcast in your podcast app and tune in to hear the whole story!

Justice often gets characterized as a project, something we go out in the world to do and check a box--but justice needs to first be about the kind of people we are rather than the actions that we do in the world. Adam Gustine, Assistant Director of Social Concerns Seminars, joins us on the podcast to discuss his book, "Becoming a Just Church, Cultivating Communities of God's Shalom." Adam shares how he defines the Hebrew word of shalom as "wholeness, when nothing is missing and nothing is broken," and that the work of the Church is be an extension of wholeness to the world. As Adam says, Jesus didn't spend his time with the movers and the shakers of society, he spent his time with people vulnerable to the storms of life. If the Church is to be the Body of Christ, then it ought to reflect Jesus' priorities. Subscribe to the Signs of the Times Podcast in your podcast app and tune in to hear the whole story!

Becoming a Just Church ft. Adam Gustine

In order to solve the most significant complex problems of the world it requires that universities recognize that the answers do not reside in institutions but rather in working in a community of experts and listening to the voices of the people in the community. Ira Harkavy, Ph.D., Associate Vice President at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, has helped to develop academic community-based courses and research projects that involve creating university and community partnerships as well as university assisted community schools in Penn's local community of West Philadelphia. The most effective kind of community and university relationship is one where there is a deep and genuine partnership, one built on mutual benefit, even mutual transformation, and it needs to be long-term.

In order to solve the most significant complex problems of the world it requires that universities recognize that the answers do not reside in institutions but rather in working in a community of experts and listening to the voices of the people in the community. Ira Harkavy, Ph.D., Associate Vice President at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, has helped to develop academic community-based courses and research projects that involve creating university and community partnerships as well as university assisted community schools in Penn's local community of West Philadelphia. The most effective kind of community and university relationship is one where there is a deep and genuine partnership, one built on mutual benefit, even mutual transformation, and it needs to be long-term.

Fostering Knowledge for Social Change ft. Ira Harkavy, Ph.D.

Liam Bryson

Kyra Sarazen

Marisa Lenga

What do medical clinics in Haiti, payday loans, and an after school dance program have in common? The Catholic social tradition (CST) Minor through the Center for Social Concerns. Each of our three guests today participated in the CST Minor during their time at Notre Dame and share with us the focus of their capstone project, how they integrated their work into their major, and the impact of viewing the world and their studies through a CST lens has had on them. This is the last episode of season 1, make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss our season 2 launch!

What do medical clinics in Haiti, payday loans, and an after school dance program have in common? The Catholic social tradition (CST) Minor through the Center for Social Concerns. Each of our three guests today participated in the CST Minor during their time at Notre Dame and share with us the focus of their capstone project, how they integrated their work into their major, and the impact of viewing the world and their studies through a CST lens has had on them. This is the last episode of season 1, make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss our season 2 launch!

Putting Faith Into Action with the CST Minor ft. Kyra Sarazen, Liam Bryson, and Marisa Lenga

Roslyn Joseph

 Roslyn Joseph is a senior at Notre Dame, a science-business major and poverty studies minor, and has taken many of the Center for Social Concerns courses throughout her undergraduate career. Roslyn shares her desire to take the things she was learning in an academic setting through her poverty studies minor and see how they applied in the real world. During an Urban Plunge she encountered a man who shared his experience of trying to get dental care and how his decaying teeth affected both his confidence and ability to speak to people. From there she started looking for community-based solutions to problems like these. She shares her experience working in a volunteer pop-up dental clinic in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia as well as with a local dental health exchange that offers services for free in exchange for community service performed by the patients.

Roslyn Joseph is a senior at Notre Dame, a science-business major and poverty studies minor, and has taken many of the Center for Social Concerns courses throughout her undergraduate career. Roslyn shares her desire to take the things she was learning in an academic setting through her poverty studies minor and see how they applied in the real world. During an Urban Plunge she encountered a man who shared his experience of trying to get dental care and how his decaying teeth affected both his confidence and ability to speak to people. From there she started looking for community-based solutions to problems like these. She shares her experience working in a volunteer pop-up dental clinic in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia as well as with a local dental health exchange that offers services for free in exchange for community service performed by the patients.

Improving Access to Dental Care with Community-based Solutions ft. Roslyn Joseph

Connie Snyder Mick

Connie is the Academic Director at the Center for Social Concerns and the co-director of the Poverty Studies Minor. She recently published a textbook, Good Writing: An Argument Rhetoric. Connie shares her experience as a writing professor and what it means to create a space where students come from different disciplines and backgrounds to think about social concerns and wrestle with them in a meaningful way through writing. She shares that, “Good writing is in fact writing for the common good, ethical writing that persuades others to think and act in ways that advance humanity.”   Connie also discusses what it’s like to question the preconceived conventions of writing in today’s climate where there is an erosion of legitimate discourse. The writing course is more important than ever to articulate values and teach students to have the confidence and skillset to enter public discourse in a valid and reliable way. Connie’s book is available on the Oxford University Press website and any major bookseller.

Connie is the Academic Director at the Center for Social Concerns and the co-director of the Poverty Studies Minor. She recently published a textbook, Good Writing: An Argument Rhetoric. Connie shares her experience as a writing professor and what it means to create a space where students come from different disciplines and backgrounds to think about social concerns and wrestle with them in a meaningful way through writing. She shares that, “Good writing is in fact writing for the common good, ethical writing that persuades others to think and act in ways that advance humanity.” Connie also discusses what it’s like to question the preconceived conventions of writing in today’s climate where there is an erosion of legitimate discourse. The writing course is more important than ever to articulate values and teach students to have the confidence and skillset to enter public discourse in a valid and reliable way. Connie’s book is available on the Oxford University Press website and any major bookseller.

Advancing the Common Good with Good Writing ft. Connie Snyder Mick Ph.D.

Dan Graff, Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center for Social Concerns, takes over the podcast today to sit down for a conversation with Tuck Hopkins, a retired labor and employment attorney. Tuck reflects on his experiences over the years bringing companies and unions together to find compromise. Dan and Tuck discuss the dignity of work and the rights of workers, trends with employment and collective bargaining, and Tuck speculates about the future of unionism in light of a particularly polarizing age.

Dan Graff, Director of the Higgins Labor Program at the Center for Social Concerns, takes over the podcast today to sit down for a conversation with Tuck Hopkins, a retired labor and employment attorney. Tuck reflects on his experiences over the years bringing companies and unions together to find compromise. Dan and Tuck discuss the dignity of work and the rights of workers, trends with employment and collective bargaining, and Tuck speculates about the future of unionism in light of a particularly polarizing age.

Negotiating the Future of Employment and Work ft. Tuck Hopkins

Sarah Morris

 Sarah is a liberal studies major at the University of Notre Dame and hails from nearby Mishawaka, IN. Throughout her four years at Notre Dame she took part in much of the Center's programming, including the SSLP, ISSLP, Appalachia Seminar, and ND Votes. Sarah shares the impactful experience she had working at the border in El Paso, Texas at Annunciation House, a house of hospitality for migrants and refugees. She shares both the challenging and transformative growth experience she had that summer, handling the day-to-day operations of Annunciation House which included the intake of around 500 migrants a day. She also discusses the hardship migrants face when in holding facilities and the lack of recourse in the face of glaring injustices. "It showed me that the systems that I take for granted that will work for me, just don't work for a lot of people."

Sarah is a liberal studies major at the University of Notre Dame and hails from nearby Mishawaka, IN. Throughout her four years at Notre Dame she took part in much of the Center's programming, including the SSLP, ISSLP, Appalachia Seminar, and ND Votes. Sarah shares the impactful experience she had working at the border in El Paso, Texas at Annunciation House, a house of hospitality for migrants and refugees. She shares both the challenging and transformative growth experience she had that summer, handling the day-to-day operations of Annunciation House which included the intake of around 500 migrants a day. She also discusses the hardship migrants face when in holding facilities and the lack of recourse in the face of glaring injustices. "It showed me that the systems that I take for granted that will work for me, just don't work for a lot of people."

Accompaniment at the Border ft. Sarah Morris

 Preserving hope in the face of racism has been both challenging and elusive for Native Americans due to historical trauma from government policies of genocide, annihilation, termination, and relocation -- yet this is precisely the message that Fr. Maurice Henry Sands brings to Native American communities across the country. Fr. Sands is the Executive Director of the Black and Indian Mission Office in Washington, D.C., a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, and a member of the Ojibway, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes, who are known together as Anishnaabe. He delivered this year's annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C. Lecture on Catholic Social Tradition, titled "Act Justly: Healing Racism through Faith." He joined us on the podcast to discuss racism against Native Americans from historical, personal, and theological perspectives.

Preserving hope in the face of racism has been both challenging and elusive for Native Americans due to historical trauma from government policies of genocide, annihilation, termination, and relocation -- yet this is precisely the message that Fr. Maurice Henry Sands brings to Native American communities across the country. Fr. Sands is the Executive Director of the Black and Indian Mission Office in Washington, D.C., a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, and a member of the Ojibway, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes, who are known together as Anishnaabe. He delivered this year's annual Rev. Bernie Clark, C.S.C. Lecture on Catholic Social Tradition, titled "Act Justly: Healing Racism through Faith." He joined us on the podcast to discuss racism against Native Americans from historical, personal, and theological perspectives.

Healing Racism Through Faith ft. Fr. Henry Sands

Lisa Sowle Cahill

Lisa Sowle Cahill is a theological ethicist from Boston College who joined us at the recent Catholic Social Tradition Conference hosted by the Center for Social Concerns here at Notre Dame. We sat down with her to discuss her wide-ranging work in the field of ethics covering sex and gender, war and peace, and most recently bioethics and the effects of climate change. She shared that the ethical and social problems related to climate change are important for testing the framework of Catholic social teaching and offered a critique of the Pope's use of feminine terms in Laudato Sí. We also discussed Flint, Michigan's water contamination, structural sin, and how themes of race and poverty played into that crisis.

Lisa Sowle Cahill is a theological ethicist from Boston College who joined us at the recent Catholic Social Tradition Conference hosted by the Center for Social Concerns here at Notre Dame. We sat down with her to discuss her wide-ranging work in the field of ethics covering sex and gender, war and peace, and most recently bioethics and the effects of climate change. She shared that the ethical and social problems related to climate change are important for testing the framework of Catholic social teaching and offered a critique of the Pope's use of feminine terms in Laudato Sí. We also discussed Flint, Michigan's water contamination, structural sin, and how themes of race and poverty played into that crisis.

From ‘Option for the Poor’ to Option by the Poor ft. Lisa Sowle Cahill Ph.D.

Chris Yura

Chris Yura, a 2003 graduate of Notre Dame, took a different path to social enterprise than most. He was scouted to be a fashion model after playing football for Notre Dame leading him to a career in male modeling in New York City. His stint in the fashion industry lead him to questioning how clothing was made, the exportation of labor, and the usage of conventional materials. He left his modeling career and developed a strategic plan to address social, economic, and environmental issues through his own company called SustainU. With a focus on job creation in the southern part of West Virginia and working with people recovering from addiction, SustianU Clothing is an apparel company that uses 100% recycled material and American labor.

Chris Yura, a 2003 graduate of Notre Dame, took a different path to social enterprise than most. He was scouted to be a fashion model after playing football for Notre Dame leading him to a career in male modeling in New York City. His stint in the fashion industry lead him to questioning how clothing was made, the exportation of labor, and the usage of conventional materials. He left his modeling career and developed a strategic plan to address social, economic, and environmental issues through his own company called SustainU. With a focus on job creation in the southern part of West Virginia and working with people recovering from addiction, SustianU Clothing is an apparel company that uses 100% recycled material and American labor.

From Male Modeling to Sustainable Social Enterprise ft. Chris Yura

Tim Beaty

Our guest on today’s episode is Tim Beaty, an ND grad and Director of Global Strategies for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Tim has spent the past 30 years organizing for social justice in the U.S. labor movement. He shares how this career path was ignited by his friendship with Fr. Don McNeill, C.S.C. and involvement in the early days of the Center for Social Concerns, as well as his time in Peru during his junior year working with Holy Cross Priests to experience poverty, theology, and economics from the perspective of the poor. Tim discusses his work with the Teamsters and their success over the years organizing low-income workers to raise wages, and have a sense of dignity and solidarity that comes from working together and using their voice. He shares how an experience organizing a committee to boycott Campbells soup on campus for their unfair treatment of migrant workers lead to a desire to work in the labor movement and a passion for helping working people build for a better society. He also shares what he sees as the “signs of the times” in the labor movement, his experience meeting the Pope, and discussing the rights of workers from the perspective of the Catholic Church.

Our guest on today’s episode is Tim Beaty, an ND grad and Director of Global Strategies for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Tim has spent the past 30 years organizing for social justice in the U.S. labor movement. He shares how this career path was ignited by his friendship with Fr. Don McNeill, C.S.C. and involvement in the early days of the Center for Social Concerns, as well as his time in Peru during his junior year working with Holy Cross Priests to experience poverty, theology, and economics from the perspective of the poor. Tim discusses his work with the Teamsters and their success over the years organizing low-income workers to raise wages, and have a sense of dignity and solidarity that comes from working together and using their voice. He shares how an experience organizing a committee to boycott Campbells soup on campus for their unfair treatment of migrant workers lead to a desire to work in the labor movement and a passion for helping working people build for a better society. He also shares what he sees as the “signs of the times” in the labor movement, his experience meeting the Pope, and discussing the rights of workers from the perspective of the Catholic Church.

Organizing for Social Justice ft. Tim Beaty

Natalie Behling

Natalie Behling, Junior at Notre Dame, discusses her experience working with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless through the Center’s Summer Service Learning Program. She shares how a visual communication design major ends up organizing bands for a punk rock festival in downtown Chicago, and gains a lasting experience meeting the homeless face-to-face on her daily commute. Natalie shares her definition of the word “kin," how that term has impacted her worldview, and opened her to a friendship with a man from Chicago named Myron. She also discusses what it means to think about the ways in which design can work for social good.

Natalie Behling, Junior at Notre Dame, discusses her experience working with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless through the Center’s Summer Service Learning Program. She shares how a visual communication design major ends up organizing bands for a punk rock festival in downtown Chicago, and gains a lasting experience meeting the homeless face-to-face on her daily commute. Natalie shares her definition of the word “kin," how that term has impacted her worldview, and opened her to a friendship with a man from Chicago named Myron. She also discusses what it means to think about the ways in which design can work for social good.

Sidewalk Insights from the Streets of Chicago ft. Natalie Behling 

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