This past February, theologians, community organizers, and other Catholics gathered in San Francisco for “Prophetic Communities,” a conference exploring the intersections of Catholic social teaching and community organizing. I, along with many of the writers found in this issue, was among the attendees. I have to admit that I attended my first so-called synodal conversation with a little bit of trepidation. We were asked to reflect on the “joys and obstacles of journeying with the church as an organizer,” and I felt a little like an imposter. Here I was, surrounded by people doing the real work of organizing, I felt, not like me. I’m in awe of the work organizers do to build the beloved kingdom, but I’m just a writer and editor. Put me behind a desk, in front of a computer, where I can lift the voices of organizers and highlight their work. That’s where I shine—not in the boots-on-the-ground, one-on-one meetings, building community. How was I supposed to answer this question in a meaningful way?
Synodality,” Austin Ivereigh outlines the connections between organizing and Pope Francis’ plan for the church. “Organizing in a synodal church becomes a way of serving the mission which God’s Spirit has revealed,” he writes. Cecilia Flores, meanwhile, provides an overview of organizing in “Community Organizing 101,” outlining how it relates to other kinds of work for social change and placing it within the context of her previous work as a campus minister. In “A Legacy To Be Proud Of,” Nicholas Hayes-Mota dives into the history of community organizing and it’s Catholic roots. He writes that “community organizing is one of the American church’s
I suspect some of AMOS’ readers might feel similarly. Organizing is something that happens elsewhere—in our state capitols, on agricultural land among farmworkers, and in union halls. It’s work we applaud and support, but it’s not work we do ourselves.
One of the things I realized throughout the course of the conference, however, is that organizing is not something that exists only in some niche of the Catholic Church or by people with a certain job title. It is an integral part of our faith: We’re all engaged in organizing in some way or another. When a community of religious or nonprofit makes decisions in collaboration with one another instead of relying on hierarchical power structures—that’s organizing. When a parish works together to solve an issue at stake in their community— that’s organizing. Pope Francis’ vision for a synodal church, one that asks the body of God about their experiences in the church—organizing.
The articles in this issue of AMOS are a celebration of community organizing and how closely intertwined it is with our faith. In “Catholic Social Teaching, Organizing, and
greatest contributions to American public life and global Catholicism.” And, finally, Bishop John Stowe reflects on his own experience as a community organizer and how it affected his vocation and understanding of Catholic social teaching. Sprinkled throughout these articles are also shorter reflections written by organizers on how their work has affected their faith and understanding of their place in the world.
“Each one of you has to be God’s microphone. Each one of you has to be a messenger, a prophet. The church will always exist as long as there is someone who has been baptized,” St. Óscar Romero said in a homily. “Where is your baptism? You are baptized in your professions, in the fields of workers, in the market. Wherever there is someone who has been baptized, that is where the church is. There is a prophet there.”
Perhaps this is what community organizing is—raising your voice and helping others raise theirs as God’s microphones in service of building the kingdom of God. May the articles in this issue help you figure out the best way to do so in your communities and in your work, whatever that may look like.
Emily Sanna, Editor
“The articles in this issue of AMOS are a celebration of community organizing and how closely intertwined it is with our faith.”