life from
the perspective of a social justice, public health advocate in the Bronx
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, January 20, 2014,
It felt so good today to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with the St. Martin de Porres League at Immaculate Conception Church, a Capuchin Franciscan parish in the Bronx. St. Martin de Porres is the patron saint of racial justice, connecting the goal of racial justice back to Catholic social justice teaching and the Franciscan understanding of all humans as equal and deserving of equitable treatment. We started off singing the National Black Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," followe... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Sunday, December 22, 2013,
Saturday was the Winter Solstice & I was fortunate to
spend it at a Capuchin Prayer & Service Advent Retreat. The Capuchin Prayer & Service Days were
started in NYC after Hurricane Sandy, when many members of Capuchin Youth &
Family Ministries (CYFM) in Garrison, NY wanted to come down to NYC to help out
with relief efforts in the Rockaways. The Prayer & Service Days and Weekend
Retreats have continued ever since. It’s great to see this ministry of service
continue in the true tradition of... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Thursday, November 28, 2013,
It’s Thanksgiving Eve. I
spent the day at the St. Crispin Friary as the friars and volunteers gave away
425 turkeys and bags of food to community members. Hungry people lined up outside the church and
we gave them tickets, recording their names, to ensure each person only got
one. The St. Crispin Friary in many ways feels like an extension of CYFM, but
different because they actually serve the poor and needy through the friary
& St. Anthony Residence, while CYFM ministers to Catholic famil... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Wednesday, November 20, 2013,
"Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
I have tried to let these two sentences guide my life ever since I first heard them as a teenager at Capuchin Youth & Family Ministries. On some level I suppose I've always known that it's important for us to live in right relationship with others, and ever since my involvement at CYFM have held my Franciscan roots close to my heart. But I stayed relatively quiet about my faith in many ways for a long time, par...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, May 13, 2013,
Ever since I was part of Capuchin Youth & Family Ministries, a Franciscan youth ministry center in Garrison, NY, during high school, I have always thought of the lifestyle of St. Francis an admirable one. Retreats centered around St. Francis and St. Clare and led by friars and brothers who have devoted their lives to following in the Franciscan path made my times spent at CYFM more than memorable. It's no wonder my CYFM friends alluded to the retreat center as a "heaven on earth." We were ca... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Friday, March 29, 2013,
I'm a fan of Gandhi. I'm particularly inspired by his famous quote "You must be the change you wish to see in the world" which has been and continues to be the theme of my blog. However, I was even more impressed recently when I came across his "Seven Deadly Social Sins" on a poster from Sojourners. I was able to purchase a copy of the poster at The Justice Conference in Philadelphia last month. These are the traits Gandhi considered to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity:
Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, October 22, 2012,
Amber,
Fritz, Jyna, Brielle, Denise and I took a trip to Freedom Farm from Friday to Saturday. This was the second time I’ve visited this
farm. Fritz introduced us to a year and a half ago, as he knows Ann and Edgar through his connections with the Mennonite community in NYC. Edgar had been working in
the South Bronx with youth from Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, when
he and Ann decided to move upstate to Otisville / Middletown, NY, and start Freedom
Farm. They wanted to provide ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, September 24, 2012,
I’ve come across a good number of provocative ideas in the
past couple weeks that I would like to start digesting here. Last Sunday, Pastor Guy Wasko at Trinity Grace Church – East Village gave good
meaning to the church’s motto, “Joining God in the Renewal of all Things.” During his sermon,
he spoke about how the full Christian story explains fully the Creation, Fall,
Redemption, and Restoration. This allows
for a holistic and encompassing
Christian worldview.
Unfortunately, m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Sunday, August 26, 2012,
Here is an epic memoir of Andre Christopher Rivera, a youth who was empowered to create positive change in his community in the Bronx through the guidance and mentorship of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice. His story means so much more than mine because he grew up in the Bronx. A short film has also been made with part of his story: Andre's River Vote for Andre! -----------------
My name is Andre Christopher Rivera. I am 19
years old, and I graduated from Lehman High School CLASS OF 2... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Thursday, August 2, 2012,
A
pastor named Michael was the guest preacher at Trinity Grace Church-East
Village this past Sunday. He started his
sermon off by saying he was going to address the sixth commandment, “You shall
not murder.” How is this related to many
of us, who so easily brush aside this commandment as irrelevant because we don’t
see ourselves as involved in killing?
Michael explained how the root of murder is anger.
According
to Dr. Gary Chapman, however, anger is not inherently evil. Anger goes ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, May 28, 2012,
4/14/12 Leave It Better had been teaching youth about environmental stewardship and growing food in PS 306 / MS 331 in the Bronx when one of the teachers suggested they do something with the vacant lot across the street. Dominique and Graham decided to transform the lot into an official NYC Department of Parks & Recreation GreenThumb garden. It's incredible to see the work they've done to build community and involve residents - especially youth - in growing food and transforming the formerly ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, May 28, 2012,
4/21/12
I
first heard about the New Settlement Apartments – Bronx Helpers Cooking Garden
Club through Alyssa Ruiz, who is always raving about the group and how they did
such a good job with their Adopt a Bodega project. This is the group that created the Bodega
Down Bronx video a couple of years ago.
I was so glad to have the opportunity to hear them present at the
GreenThumb Grow Together conference this year and was so inspired by the
youths’ motivation to work towards food justice. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, May 28, 2012,
4/14/12 Amber
and I borrowed Doug’s van today to go to Home Depot and get gardening
supplies. We got 7 pieces of wood to
make 3 garden beds, and had the store lumber staff cut the pieces. We got four 2x8x12’s, two 2x8x14’s and a
4x4. We also got 3” screws and brushes
for oiling the untreated wood. Home Depot didn’t have linseed oil though,
unfortunately. Dominique from
Leave It Better gave us some gardening tips from her classes at NYBG, which
included information about how to bu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, May 28, 2012,
Yesterday I
joined a bike caravan on a trip with South
Bronx Unite and Friends of
Brook Park to see the points of access (and lack thereof) to the South
Bronx waterfront, culminating in an excursion to Randall’s island for some
canoeing. We started off at Brook Park
on 141st St & Brook Ave, where about 30 of us gathered with our
bikes. Brook Park recently got a grant
from the NYC Council, which allowed them to purchase some bikes for the
community’s use – so exciting!
 We
set off go... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, May 21, 2012,
In :
Quotes
I returned from a much-needed vacation today with my family, celebrating my brother's college graduation in California. And several hours later (on a Sunday, may I add) found myself going to my office to gather some materials needed for an Adopt a Bodega workshop at a school tomorrow morning. On the train ride back I opened up a book I've picked up on and off over the past several months - Meditations with Teresa of Avila. The chapter I was up to is called "Care of the Body" and discusses ho... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Monday, February 20, 2012,
I spent this past weekend at a CYFM College & Young Adult retreat, and had some time to reflect on what it is in life that gives me fulfillment. Here's my list, in no particular order. I think, as long as my life has some semblance of these activities in it at all times, I will always feel like I am living the life I was created for.
Empowering communities to recognize and solve their own problems
Changing policies that perpetuate food injustices
Teaching people, especially youth, to value th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Tuesday, February 7, 2012,
In :
Quotes
The Missional Life: "Leveraging your personal narrative (identity, gifts, resources, education, budget, etc) to bear witness to a greater story you believe is ultimately true." - Pastor Guy Wasko, Trinity Grace Church - East Village Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Sunday, January 29, 2012,
In :
Quotes
I read a quote on my friend's webpage last night as I was checking out her new album being released. "We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community." - Dorothy Day.
And then I read it out loud to my housemate, and she pointed up above where she was sitting to the framed quote hanging on the wall. It was the same quote. Funny I never noticed it before, or took the time to let its message penetrate my conscience. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Sunday, January 29, 2012,
In :
Events
Check out some of these upcoming events in NYC! Many details are still in development but, save the dates!
March 1 - FRESH screening and discussion at COLORS Restaurant
Film at 7pm, music at 9pm
417 Lafayette St
Facebook event page:
http://www.facebook.com/events/347867608576863/
March 8 - International Women's Day event with Oxfam Action Corps NYC
7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
St. Francis College
180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
RSVP at
Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Sunday, January 29, 2012,
You may wonder about the photo I've chosen as the banner to this site. It's a photo from Freedom Farm in Otisville, NY, taken during a visit in 2011.
I found out about Freedom Farm though a Mennonite member of the NYC Community of Communities who has become a friend of the house. One of the reasons Ann and Edgar founded this farm was as an outgrowth of YMPJ, as a "Christian-based youth education organization striving for peace and justice by teaching alternatives to violence, sustainable ag... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Saturday, January 28, 2012,
In :
Quotes
My
housemate read this quote the other night at dinner, that she heard through the
Christian Community Development Association. It's from a Chinese proverb.
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have:
But of the best leaders When their task is done
The people will remark "We have done it ourselves."
I believe this sort of love is central to any sort of effort to help meet the
needs of a given community, whether in the U.S. or internationally. ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Kelly Moltzen on Saturday, January 28, 2012,
In the past I've
posted on other blogs (here, here and here). Continue reading ...
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