Working for justice means working for changes in the systems, structures, institutions, and public policies that are at the root causes of poverty. The goal is to transform the existing structures to be more responsive to the poor and marginalized in our community. The Church of St. Luke is committed to action and education for justice.

Community organizing within the parish in conjuntion with the PICO National Network. www.piconetwork.org

The goal of the New Orleans chapter of Bread for the World is to organize people and collaborate with community organizations in developing solutions to poverty and hunger issues through prayer, education, advocacy and fundraising. BFW New Orleans seeks to accomplish this goal by:

• educating adults and children regarding the causes and solutions to poverty and hunger;
• networking with churches, schools and community organizations to develop community responses to issues of poverty and hunger;
• advocating for legislation at the local, state and national levels that will benefit poor and hungry people.

The Center for Service and Justice (CSJ) offers a variety of opportunities for students to learn from, engage in and reflect on service and social justice.

Volunteer Opportunities- CSJ works with community partners near the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses to place students in a variety of service environments:
Volunteer Opportunities -Rose Hill
Volunteer Opportunities - Lincoln Center

Service Learning- CSJ helps students connect academics to volunteers experiences in the community through the Service Learning Program.
Service Learning Program

Internship Opportunities- Students can obtain paid and unpaid internship opportunities through CSJ, working in a variety of social service environments.
Internship Opportunities

Post-Graduate Vocational Discernment- CSJ helps connect students to long-term volunteer opportunities after graduation, as well as nonprofit careers in the New York area.
Post Graduate Opportunities

Integrated Service-learning Community- CSJ has developed an Integrated Serivce-Learning Community located in the Belmont neighborhood in the Bronx where students committ to ongoing volunteering during the year and participate in weekly reflection and community building activities.
Integrated Service-Learning Community

Hollywood Interfaith Sponsoring Committee, a community organization in the PICO network (www.piconetwork.org) which facilitates empowerment activities, leadership training and community organizing in conjunction with Sacred Heart Parish.

IMPACTO (Imaginando Mañana Pico Aliso Community Team Outreach) is an after-school academic enrichment program serving at-risk youth ages 6-18 in the Boyle Heights community. In an area plagued with poverty, a suffering public education system, and the threat of gang violence, the youth served by the IMPACTO program are provided with more than merely an after school program; they are given hope, encouragement, alternatives and a safe haven. The goal of IMPACTO is to motivate and inspire youth of Boyle Heights to develop as leaders in pursuit of education. Additionally, recognizing the importance of parent support to ensure our students complete high school and go on to college, IMPACTO provides personalized assistance for parents so that they are better equipped to deal with the often daunting educational system.
 

MICAH organizes/advocates around issues such as neighborhood drug trafficking, urban schools, drug punishment and rehabilitation, affordable housing, and urban sprawl. This church-based organization is grounded in the principles of empowerment through the Gospel, education, advocacy and action. The Gesu MICAH Core Team leads parish actions in this interfaith, multi-racial organization to empower people to achieve structural change for justice and peace in the innercity.

Nativity Fellows are full-time members of the Nativity staff. They teach an average of 2-4 class periods per day while serving as advisors, tutors, proctors, coaches, nurses, janitors, drivers, monitors and all other responsibilities that promote the success of the students’ well-being.

Casa Maria is the community house where fellows serving in Worcester's Nativity School reside.  Life in Casa Maria is an opportunity to form community and to engage in the tough work of sharing responsibility with each other for the myriad details which make life together possible and worth the effort. It is also a unique opportunity to engage in “simple living. ”Simple living" offers Nativity Fellows a chance to “feel” what life on a tight budget means, particularly as the overwhelming majority of Nativity families struggle to make ends meet. The Casa Maria Community attempts to gain a deeper sense of the difficult conditions from which Nativity students come.

The social service agency provides a broad range of services to persons in need, including a soup kitchen, food pantry, case management, legal assistance, clothing and haircuts, and the Justice Center which educates and organizes the surrounding community.

Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission was founded in 1986 by community residents and the California Province of Jesuits. It has grown into a highly effective community - building organization. Proyecto Pastoral is committed to involving local community members in the planning, design and implementation of its programs. One third of the Proyecto Pastoral Board of Directors is comprised by local community residents responding to community identified needs enabling Proyecto Pastoral to make a significant impact in the lives of local families. Anticipating the needs of the community enables Proyecto Pastoral in being an ever evolving organization that whose success lies not only in being dynamic but understanding the real issues. Proyecto Pastoral serves over 2,500 children, youth and families annually through its five programs.

Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission is a community building organization whose mission is to provide training, education and social services with the Pico- Aliso/Boyle Heights district of East Los Angeles. Proyecto Pastoral coordinates five community based programs.

The St Lawrence O’Toole Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society is one of the oldest conferences in the United States.  Our conference has been active since it was formed in 1865.
We are a group of parishioners joined by the common goal of making life better for those among us in need.  We share a desire to ease the pain of poverty, loneliness, hunger, homelessness, and financial desperation.