About OSJ

Contact Information

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Office for Social Justice
328 West Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-4477
osj@archspm.org

Mission

The mission of the Office for Social Justice is to serve the Archdiocese as its primary resource and catalyst for the work of social justice. We carry out this mission using the following operating principles:

We operate as a division of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese.

We base our activities on the biblical and theological foundations of Catholic social teaching.
We give priority to working with Catholic parish communities in their mission of social justice.
We emphasize the "option for the poor" by pursuing issues which address the dignity and rights of people who are socially, politically, or economically disadvantaged.
We maximize opportunities to assist and work with organizations, coalitions, and neighborhood groups to promote our common interests.
We give priority to strategies which enable people to realize and act on their own power.
We operate from and promote a model of social action that includes both the private, personal commitments to justice and also public, communal and institutional commitments to justice.

Staff

Kathleen Tomlin, Director
Kathleen is the director of the Office and is responsible for the general supervision and management of the Office. Previously, Kathleen worked as Legislative Coordinator for the Office. Prior to that, she was the public policy director for the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, an ecumenical agency. Kathleen also serves on a number of local boards and coalitions dealing with public policy initiatives.

Patrick Ness, Public Policy Manager
Patrick Ness is responsible for issue analysis, legislative advocacy, and working to expand the membership and advocacy work of Sowers of Justice. His work includes organizing and facilitating the Immigration Action Team. Patrick has worked as a family advocate and shelter manager with Mary’s Place in Minneapolis. Before coming to OSJ, Patrick completed two years of traveling/living in in Europe, New Orleans, and Mexico.

Adam Robinson, Public Policy Organizer

Cheryl Peterson, Justice Leadership Development Manager
Cheryl works to educate congregations about the Church's social mission and then engage people of faith in actions that lead to social change. The focus of parish leadership development is to inspire and lead parish teams as they work to plan and implement strategies to change the systems, structures, institutions, and policies that keep the poor trapped in a cycle of poverty. Cheryl also serves as coordinator the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) in the archdiocese.

Kerry O'Reilly, Parish Organizer
Kerry works with Cheryl as a parish organizer promoting the integration of justice in parish life. She is a member of St. Benedict's Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota and has served as teacher and administrator in secondary education. Kerry lived and worked with the church in Recife, Brazil for 15 years. This experience guides her work with parishes as she promotes leadership and social action.

Gary Wells, Office Manager

AnneMarie Grundhauser Receptionist/Communications Coordinator

Programs

Sowers of Justice is a membership organization for Catholics in the
Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis who are committed to changing
hearts and changing social structures on behalf of justice. read more....

Legislative Advocacy This program helps Catholics become involved in
public policy advocacy. The focus is on issues that impact people in
situations of poverty or who lack political power. read more....

Parish Social Justice The Office for Social Justice helps parishes
develop effective social justice activities and structures. Staff work
directly with pastors and parish social action committees to in making
the work of justice an integral part of parish life. read more....

Catholic Campaign for Human Development The Office for Social Justice
coordinates the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
in the archdiocese. This is a unique and successful anti-poverty
program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. read more....

History

In October, 1967, Archbishop Leo C. Byrne, at the request of the newly established
Senate of Priests, appointed a group of 24 Catholic men and women to form the
Urban Affairs Commission (UAC) to assist the local church to be an agent of social change.

In April of 1968 the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and Archbishop
Byrne called for a memorial collection of funds in Catholic parishes. He directed the
UAC Advocacy Committee to disperse the funds to local racial minority groups intent
on self determination for the betterment of their members.

In July of 1968 the Urban Affairs Commission opened its Office of Urban Affairs, with
Fr. Edward Flahavan appointed as director. The office was located in the second floor
of the James J. Hill House, which was then owned by the archdiocese and used to
house archdiocesan offices.

In 1978 the Office was moved from the Hill House to the Chancery Annex at 328 West
Kellogg Blvd., the former Cathedral School building. The building was later named
the Hayden Center.

In 1984 the name of the Office of Urban Affairs was changed to the Office for Social
Justice. As part of a larger reorganization in the archdiocese, the Office was placed
under the administration of Catholic Charities.

The office continues to function today as an office serving the archdiocese, but organized
as a division of Catholic Charities. Funding for the office comes from the archdiocese.

In 2000 the Office received the Monsignor John J. Egan Parish Social Ministry Award
as one of the outstanding diocesan social justice offices in the nation.