Author Archive

Some of my colleagues groaned when they heard the “stomach and soul” title of my talk at the National Catholic Educators Association meeting today in Indianapolis. As regular blog readers know, I try to think of “catchy” titles to attract your attention, and the same principle holds true for workshops I give. Here [...]

Read the entry: Fair Trade for the Stomach and the Soul →

Although as a member of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, I don’t celebrate Palm Sunday as a holy day, I am definitely paying tribute to the ecumenical cooperation manifested through support of Eco-palms, an initiative of Lutheran World Relief. Media outlets, too, are reporting that congregations of several Christian faiths are utilizing these [...]

Read the entry: Putting our Heads Together →

Texas has been in the news a lot with yesterday’s presidential primary, but don’t think the story is over for the Lone Star State. The Fair Trade Federation is hosting a conference from April 4-6 in Austin, and CRS Fair Trade is proud to be a sponsor. The conference will bring together [...]

Read the entry: More reasons to talk about Texas: FTF conference →

Katy and I just finished up with the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, a time each February when about 500 folks from a variety of Catholic organizations arrive in Washington, D.C. to learn about each other’s work and strategize for policies and programs that “Put the Poor and Vulnerable First” and “Pursue Peace in a [...]

Read the entry: A Tsunami a Week →

Thanks to President Bush’s travels this week, many Americans are being exposed to some of the great humanitarian work happening on the continent, as well as some of the tragedies and ongoing civil concerns. The trip brings up for me memories of my time in Africa, most recently to Ghana. CRS has decades of [...]

Read the entry: Traveling in Africa →

Last year, Pope Benedict released an influential document entitled “God is Love” or, for those of you who actually made it through Latin class, “Deus Caritas Est.” With St. Valentine’s Day approaching, many of us turn our thoughts to romantic or friendly love, but with Fair Trade there are always ways to transform holidays [...]

Read the entry: How will you express Deus Caritas Est this St. Valentine’s Day? →

That question was the title of a sermon I heard at The United Church in Washington, DC this past weekend. The church, a combined ministry of the Methodist Church and United Church of Christ, hosted a United Students for Fair Trade regional convergence that Katy and I were honored to attend. I gave [...]

Read the entry: Students and Fair Trade: “Organizing for What?” →

A few years back I managed an AmeriCorps program and remember that the national service motto for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was “Make it a day ON not a day off.” The idea was to encourage folks to do volunteer work in honor of Dr. King’s legacy instead of just hanging out on [...]

Read the entry: Traveling South for the King Holiday →

Like many kids, I knew Easter was coming when Palm Sunday rolled around. It wasn’t just the desire for a basket full of bunnies and fluorescent colored chicks that built the anticipation. The story of Jesus entering Jerusalem in all his glory, with the crowds waving palm branches and shouting greetings, filled me [...]

Read the entry: Order Soon to Add Justice and Joy to Palm Sunday →

Our friends and allies at the Fair Trade Federation and the Fair Trade Resource Network have ended the year with valuable new resources to support your efforts to live a Fair Trade life in 2008! The new website from information hub, FTRN, is designed to help you participate in a marketplace that values the [...]

Read the entry: New Web Resources for the New Year →