On Sept. 4, the Diocesan Department of Life, Dignity and Justice welcomed clergy, lay persons, parishioners and various advocating organizations for human dignity and justice to the Diocesan Pastoral Center for its sixth conference.
The theme of the 2024 Life, Dignity and Justice Conference was “Exploring the Narratives of Peoples.” The conference kicked off with a prayer and remarks from Bishop Alberto Rojas, who thanked all for attending and acknowledged the work of the attendees, saying that even “a small grain of salt, will go a long way” to strengthen and uphold the dignity of the whole person.
The keynote address, entitled, “The Interconnectivity of Humanity,” was delivered by Father Pauly Iwuji, PHD, chaplain at the San Francisco Veterans Administration health care system, with over 16 years of experience in hospital ministry.
After the keynote speaker, the first of two community members invited to share their testimony took the podium. The first was Tata Menegildo Ortíz, a Purépecha elder and leader who works in the fields in the Coachella Valley and is a ministry leader at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mecca. He shared the difficulties and struggles of being a farmworker, especially in the low desert where temperatures can reach 125 degrees. Ortíz described that he sees the stress many families face, not being able to spend time with their children because of long work hours and exhaustion when they get home. “They carry big burdens that farmworkers endure,” he said.
Next at the conference, attendees broke out into session one, where they attended one of three different workshops, which they chose when registering for the conference. The first workshop was entitled, “The Good and the Ugly: The Influence of Social Media in Societal and Family Unity,” presented by John Andrews, the Director of the Diocesan Department of Communications. The second workshop was entitled, “Addressing Modern-Day circumstances: Challenging the Dignity of the Human Person,” presented by Mary Huber, former director of the diocesan Office of Respect Life and Pastoral Care Programs. The third workshop was entitled, “Mental Health: Addressing the Challenges of Addictions and Stigma associated with Mental Health Issues,” presented by Isabel Sierra, an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor and an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at Mountain Counseling and Training.
After breaking for lunch, the attendees then broke out into session two, where they again attended one of three different workshops: “Resilience: Embracing and Surviving Life’s Crisis and Daily Challenges,” presented by Dr. Melissa Hoffstetter, a clinical psychologist; “The Many Faces of Enslavement and Subjugation of Peoples and Nations,” presented by Dr. John Murillo, III, an associate professor and chair of African American studies at the University of California, Irvine; “Let’s Talk About the ‘Idolatry of Ideology,” presented by Father David Andel, Judicial Vicar of the Diocese and Director of Canonical Services.
After the workshops Pam Lucero, a volunteer who visits the youth and women’s jails, offered the second testimonial, sharing her observations of what the incarcerated and their families experience. The workshop presenters then took the main stage for a panel discussion, taking turns answering various attendee questions.