Solidarity with Inner-City Populations

Social Ministry in Gesu Parish

In the midst of the current economic crisis, on the front lines of ministry and service, we find a range of Jesuit ministries serving the urban poor — from Jesuit parishes in the inner-cities, to Nativity and Cristo Rey schools for economically-disadvantaged youth, to direct service ministries, to urban centers offering the Spiritual Exercises to the marginalized. In the summer of 2009 and again in the summer of 2010, a working group from the Jesuit Conference’s national consultation on inner-city populations interviewed leaders of Jesuit inner-city ministries to find out how the economic recession has affected their ministries and the people they serve, as well as to get a sense of how the ministries and the communities have been responding. Their stories speak to the tenacity of ministries trying to increase services to the very needy at a time when their own budgets have been greatly reduced.

This web-page has been created to share findings from these interviews, to promote best practices and to highlight how Jesuit urban ministries bring the light of solidarity to those who find themselves in the darkened shadows of poverty. New “spotlight” articles will be added quarterly. This page will also provide a regularly updated inventory of resources and research relevant to issues facing Jesuit urban ministries in the midst of the “great recession.” This effort is intended to help the leadership and ministries of the Society of Jesus think strategically about how to be in greater solidarity with the urban poor and marginalized, and to help ministries learn from one another and to promote cross-ministerial collaboration.

Spotlight on Urban Ministries

Resources