Educating for Justice

Soup and Substance is a Lenten lunchtime reflection facilitated by university faculty and staff and community partners. The topics center around a yearly theme and engage a variety of social justice issues. A simple meal of soup and bread is provided.

Campus Ministry is active in promoting respect for life from natural birth to natural death. We do so in a manner that is consistent with the Roman Catholic Church’s ethic of life and grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and the understanding that all people are created in the image of God, and thus are entitled to human dignity. Year-long, academic research aimed at discussing relevant issues of life will help to promote human dignity through service, education, awareness and advocacy.

Although respect-for-life is a topic that has been distorted with ideological government discourse and directed political party policy implementation, Respect for Life at St. Edward's is an attitude and an inherent part of the morally focused  way of life. Respect for life is rooted in the belief that the dignity and equality of all human persons is the foundation of a moral vision for society. The Pierle Scholar for Respect For Life Issues is filled by a St. Edward’s student(s) who is passionate about collaboratively working to sponsor and promote to build campus awareness for Respect for Life issues through research and scholarship. Their research is focused on topics such as the death penalty, abortion, euthanasia, human trafficking, homelessness and other social issues that impede upon the ability for people to live with dignity.

The goals of the Pierle Scholar are to:

• Create spaces for conversation and discussion about what it means to respect life.
• Develop an academic paper on respect life issues that is viable for publication both on and off St. Edward’s campus. 
• Plan events, programs, and initiatives, often supporting their paper topic, that educates on and promotes a deeper respect and compassion for life. 
• Build relationships with students and faculty on-campus, as well as organizations off-campus to, through dialogue and service, advocate for and educate on issues of respect life. 
• Self-educate on issues of respect life in the local community and beyond.

For more information, contact Josh Stagni.

Get involved through service.

At the beginning of the academic year, St. Edward’s hosts the Nonprofit & Volunteer Fair. Attendees at the fair can expect to interact with nonprofit organizations from the Austin community, university-sponsored organizations that focus on serving the community, and domestic and international post-graduate volunteer opportunities.  Representatives promote volunteer opportunities, internships, and possible jobs within their organizations.

The Nonprofit & Volunteer Fair is a great time to look for that new volunteer opportunity or gain valuable experience in an internship. If you are graduating in May, you may want to stop by and visit with some of the organizations offering post-graduate opportunities.

Some organizations in attendance in the past have included:

Alliance for Catholic Education
Amate House
American YouthWorks
Caritas of Austin
Colorado Vincentian Volunteers
Kinds in a New Groove
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Side by Side Kids
and many more.

We are committed to serving our local community. 

Through a course service-learning project, university-wide events, or a student service project, St. Edward’s has been fortunate to partner with many wonderful nonprofit organizations in Austin. With continued growth and interest in service, we hope to find a way to engage our students with your organization.  

For questions about how to promote your volunteer opportunities to the St. Edward’s community, contact Liza Manjarrez with the Office of Community Engagement or call 512-448-8534.