SOCIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY
The Social Justice Ministry is made up of parishioners representing the parishes of St. Joseph and Holy Spirit. The purpose of this ministry is to provide experiences that enable our parishioners to learn about issues of injustice and to engage their faith. Inspired by Scripture and Tradition, all members of the Catholic Church are called to be a people of faith and action, people who strive to be the light of Christ in the world as advocates for peace and justice. Catholic Social Teaching, including Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si', emphasizing care and respect for our common home, is a central element of our faith. It is Jesus who calls us to this mission, not any political or ideological agenda.​
​The Social Justice Ministry has undertaken and is currently pursuing the following activities:
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Sending letters to and visiting government officials concerning important issues such as climate change and common-sense gun legislation
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Providing education for parishioners by hosting speakers on safe gardening practices, immigration and human trafficking
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Sponsoring electronics recycling drives and fair-trade shows
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Being further educated on human trafficking and currently delivering posters of missing children to local hotels
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Sponsoring church collections for local refugees, the incarcerated and those less fortunate​
Join us for a meeting!
2nd THURSDAY of the MONTH
6:30 p.m.
Parish Office Conference Room
If you have questions, contact Donna Dugan at 440-785-8051 or ddcorita@aol.com.
Upcoming Events
September 28, 2025
Our beloved late Pope Francis exhorts us in Laudato Si’, “all Christian communities have an important role to play in ecological education (#214),” and “believers themselves must constantly feel challenged to live in a way consonant with their faith and not to contradict it by their actions (#200)”.
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Featuring speaker Mrs. Susan Metzger (sister of St. Joseph parishioner Mary Ann Dzurec), an educator with agriculture degrees from The Ohio State University, we will discuss composting your household food waste to minimize your carbon footprint and keep your garden and flower beds healthy.
Susan Metzger is a former Pickaway Ross Career Center agriculture educator and Ohio University adjunct professor of Plant Biology. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture and Plant Production and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Education. She currently serves as a Coalition Administrator for the Pickaway Addiction Action Coalition, is a member of the Pickaway County Park District Board of Commissioners and an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Circleville, Ohio.
Join us and bring your reusable drinking container for coffee, tea or water, grab a muffin and enjoy an insightful program on how you can compost easily and economically.
October 4, 2025
St. Joseph & Holy Spirit’s Social Justice Ministry welcomes you to join us for a blessing of your pet(s) and a rosary pilgrimage for hope of creation on Saturday, October 4th at 1:00 p.m. Our pilgrimage is a celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ (see the Laudato Si’ link on page above) and the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures. By journeying through our very own Kopf Family Reservation, we witness God’s presence in our local nature with the animals we care for in our homes. As we pray the rosary, we will reflect on ways that we have harmed God’s gift of Creation and renew our commitment to protecting and preserving the beauty of His gift for future generations.
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Please meet at the Reservation entrance located on the south side of the Avon Lake Public Library (32649 Electric Blvd). Parking is available on the south side of the Library lot. Additional street parking is available or at Avon Lake High School.
Parishioners and other participants may bring leashed or crated pets for a blessing at the Reservation entrance. We will then walk approximately 1 mile while being led in praying the rosary for all of creation. We kindly ask that all pets be either on a leash, crated or otherwise contained, and if your pet does not tolerate other animals in close proximity well, you might want to consider participating in the blessing only. In the interest of "Leave No Trace" (Leave No Trace Seven Principles (U.S. National Park Service), please come prepared to clean up after your pet. If you don't have a pet, please come and join us anyway. Bring your rosaries, reusable water bottles, and dress appropriately for a gentle hike with your community and God.
Click on image above to learn more about MedWish International.
New!
St. Joseph "Seekers of Hope" Book Club
We are called to be salt and light. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, “you are the salt of the earth but if the salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Matthew 5:13-15.
As we journey together in hope for a safer, compassionate and just world, let’s learn where we can be salt and light to those around us. Come and learn about Catholic social justice issues by reading a book about them and participating in a group discussion. Social Justice Ministry will be hosting The Seekers of Hope Book Club throughout the year with both an in-person and virtual option at a time convenient to the participants. Books will be chosen by the participants and there is no commitment! Join us when and how you are able.
Copies of the selected book are available in the Parish Library (shelf marked in the hallway by the Adoration Chapel). They may also be available through the Libby app which can be installed on your iPad/Android or iPad. Hard copies of the books may also be available at your local library or, you can buy your own copy (link below).
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If you are reading a copy borrowed from the Parish Library, please return as quickly as possibly to the Social Justice Ministry bookshelf where you found it so others can read it also.
Book #3: Same Kind of Different asMe ~ November 6, 2025
WHEN: Thursday, November 6th @ 7:00 p.m.
BOOK: Same Kind of Different as Me
WHERE: St. Joseph Parish Office Conference Room
QUESTIONS: Mary Ann 216-513-2208 (call or text) or maryanndzurec@yahoo.com
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Hard copies of the book are available in the Parish Library Social Justice Ministry bookshelf located by the north entrance of the Gathering Area next to the Adoration Chapel. If you are reading a borrowed copy from St. Joseph, please return it as soon as you are finished in order that others can access the book. The book is also available at the Avon Lake Public Library as a hard copy and via the Libby app electronically or as an audio version using a mobile device. Come and engage in discussion about Catholic social justice issues and how you can be salt and light to those around you.
Past Events
May 8, 2025
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Diocesan Social Action Office
The Diocesan Social Action Office seeks to shape a more caring and peaceful world through justice education, advocacy, community development and organizing. Click below to be taken to their website for up-to-date news and actions that can be taken.
Below are resources for individuals, families and parishes to use in order to support the growth and knowledge of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
Week 1: Dignity of the Human Person
This teaching on the dignity of each person is the starting point and the foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching. It means that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that we are to make every effort to respect that dignity and help each person to flourish (Challenge and Spirituality of CST, Mich)
Week 2: Preferential Option for the Poor
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. (USCCB)
Week 3: Solidarity
Solidarity highlights the intrinsic social nature of the human person, the equality of all in dignity and rights and the common path of individuals and peoples toward an ever more committed unity. Never before has there been a widespread awareness of the bond between individuals and peoples, which is found at every level. (CSDC)
Week 4: Call to Family, Community & Participation
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society -- in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in the community. (USCCB)