He had a heart that burned for charity and justice in the
world.
—Most Reverend Bishop of Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio, referring to
St. Vincent de Paul during the 2008 Vincentian Chair of
Social Justice Lecture
As an institution of higher learning, St. John’s is in a unique
position to lend its considerable academic resources in support of
promoting human dignity and the common good worldwide. Our
groundbreaking master’s level concentration in Global Development
and Social Justice — a key component of this undertaking — greeted
its first graduating class. This innovative Online Learning
degree program places the impressive information technology
resources of St. John’s University at the service of the Church’s
mission to advance sustainable global development and social
justice. It is a partnership among the University, the Idente
Foundation, Caritas of Rome, which is part of a worldwide network
of Roman Catholic relief, development and social service agencies,
the TATA Giovanni Foundation and the Institute Santa Maria en
Aquiro. The 40 graduates hailed from the United States, Canada,
Haiti, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Rwanda, and are now
prepared to identify and develop methods for coping with key
development priorities in their home countries. “They can implement
strategies for addressing these issues that embody key values of
Catholic social teaching, especially respect for the dignity of
every human being,” says Program Director Rev. ean-Pierre
Ruiz, S.T.D. “Their use of networking has shown us how effective
Online Learning can be in building a global community where
students can truly enjoy and learn from each other.”
Promoting open dialogue is a vital part of the program’s mission.
In partnership with Caritas, St. John’s sponsored an international
conference on global development in Rome that focused on global
food and agriculture challenges. Among the expert speakers were Dr.
Vandana Shiva, Director of the Research Foundation for
Technology, Science and Environment based in Navdanya, India, and
Dr. Richard Mollica, Director of the Harvard University Program on
Refugee Trauma.
It is only when ideas are exchanged freely that lasting solutions
can be found for difficult problems. At St. John’s we continue
unabated our efforts to develop socially aware adults with the
skills and values needed to bring about change and to use all of
our resources to heed the words of Pope Benedict XVI:
“Individuals who care for those in need must first be
professionally competent: they should be properly trained in what
to do and how to do it, and committed to continuing care.
Yet, while professional competence is a primary, fundamental
requirement, it is not of itself sufficient. We are dealing with
human beings, and human beings always need something more than
technically proper care. They need humanity. They need heartfelt
concern.”