Mass Incarceration impacts all of us as it perpetuates the root causes of crime. What can we do about it as a community of faith?
Many of us may feel a sense of powerless over all that is going on in the world with the pandemic, civil unrest, and now threat of new wars overseas. How might Saint Augustine help us understand how to respond to this sense of powerlessness and the circumstances we find ourselves in?
The U.S. incarcerates far more young people than any other developed country. What can we do about it?
by Jeremy Hiers, OSA In times of pain and suffering, one can often feel lonely and isolated. This is especially true when facing illness, grief over a loved one, or…
Prisons are often named “Correctional Facilities” yet have limited capacity to offer “correction” by way of restoration and healing. According to the American Psychological Association, a significant portion of those who…
by Jeremy Hiers, OSA Isaiah 41:13-20 is a reminder to God’s people that despite the sinful things they had done, God would not forsake or abandon them. The people had…
How do we advocate for peace and justice in a world that is not always open to honest "dialogue" on the solutions we are all hungry for? Solutions that call…
by Jeremy Hiers, OSA When most of us were kids, we likely played scenarios about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Some of us may have played…
One Sunday when I was still in seminary in Chicago, a classmate and I went to Mass. During communion time, we observed a mother approach to receive the Eucharist as she…
Dear Saint Rita, messenger of peace and herald of reconciliation, despite hardship and suffering you lived the Gospel message of compassion and forgiveness and showed the power of love to…
by Jeremy Hiers, OSA In Luke 17:1-6, Jesus is acknowledging our proclivity towards sin and its effects on the world. Perhaps he says to us today, "Greed, discrimination, materialism, inequality,…
The U.S. system of Mass Incarceration has historically been based on a model of retribution (punishment for crimes committed against the law) rather than a restorative model which takes a…
We live in a very divided world. The level of division we are experiencing here in the United States can at times appear so deep we may wonder if there…
by Jeremy Hiers, O.S.A. Roll away the stone. At Christmas we rejoiced that love has come. Now at Easter we rejoice that love has won. Love always wins. On…