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I took these characteristics and combined them with some hands-on experiences of the poor. Instead of preparing participants for initiation into the Catholic Church, I wanted to prepare participants to become prophets and dedicated servants of God’s compassion. I devoted the curriculum to the Church's tradition of care for the vulnerable including the Scriptural evidence, historical witness and Catholic social teaching. I bundled these together, called the program JustFaith and offered the program for the first time in 1989, not knowing if anyone would be interested. To my delight, twelve people signed up that year. To my disbelief and endless gratitude, the results were staggering.
• These were the people who became the movers and shakers of social ministry not only in the parish but also in the greater Louisville area.
• These were the people who became chairpersons of the Hunger and Poverty Committee, who got on the Board of Habitat for Humanity, who initiated a relationship with a parish in the Third World, who started a women's issues committee and a Pax Christi group.
• These were the people who became experts on a variety of subjects, from deforestation to the causes of revolution in Latin America.
• These were the people who changed jobs in order to do work that they saw as more socially redeeming.
• These were the people who sold large homes and bought modest homes just to express a commitment to simplified living.
• These were the people who gave away a lot of wealth in the name of justice, charity and compassion.
• These were changed people.
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