Felician University Holds Annual
Lecture On Social Justice
Panel to Discuss Immigration and Immigration Detention Centers
Lodi and Rutherford, NJ — Felician University is sponsoring its 10th annual Pope John Paul II Lecture on Social Justice, titled “Life in a Clear Plastic Bag: The Limbo of Immigration Detention Centers.” The popular lecture will be held on Thursday, April 6, 2017 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Obal Hall Lecture Hall, on the University’s Lodi campus, 262 South Main Street. The topic will be a panel discussion on immigration in general and the Elizabeth Detention Center in particular.
The speakers will be: Sr. Antonelle Chunka ,who has been ministering to the immigrants in that center for years; Sr. Mary Ann Mueller, who is part of a Pax Christi group that protests in front of that Center every Ash Wednesday; and Dr. Anna Brown, Chair of the Political Science department at St. Peter’s University and actively involved in social justice causes.
The event is free and open to the public.
If you have any questions, contact Dr. Mara Zukowski at: zukowskim@felician.edu.
About Dr. Anna J. Brown
Dr. Anna J. Brown is chair of the political science department and director of the social justice program at Saint Peter’s University. She co-founded and is a faculty advisor to the University’s Center for Undocumented Students. Along with James L. Marsh, she co-edited and contributed to the book, Faith, Resistance, and the Future: Daniel Berrigan’s Challenge to Catholic Social Thought. She has published in the areas of social justice, immigration, nonviolence, and Buddhism. She is a member of the Kairos peace community, which was co-founded by Daniel Berrigan, S.J., and has participated in numerous acts of nonviolent civil disobedience as well as works for peace and justice internationally.
About Sr. Mary Ann Mueller
Sr. Mary Ann Mueller has been the full-time Justice and Peace Coordinator for the Felician Sisters’ North American Province since 2010 and is a member of the Felician Sisters’ Congregational Office for Justice and Peace. She also edits the Congregational Justice and Peace newsletter.
Sister directed the Justice and Peace committee in Lodi, a very dedicated group of sisters, associates, and employees. In addition, she has served on the Leadership Council of Pax Christi New Jersey for seven years, editing The Christian Peacemaker, the newsletter for Pax Christi New Jersey for over five years.
She has been involved with the Franciscan Action Network, the Franciscan voice advocating in Washington, since its inception in 2007. Sister Mary Ann currently serves on the boards for Franciscan Action Network and for United States Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking.
About Sr. Mary Antonelle Chunka, EdD
Sister Mary Antonelle Chunka, Ed.D, is a Felician Franciscan Sister who has been cooperating with Christ in the spiritual renewal of the world for more than 50 years. As a teacher, writer and international speaker, Sister Antonelle continues to advocate for social justice in all areas of human dignity.
In 1982, Sister left her administrative position at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, to begin The Promise Outreach, a faith-based ministry to at-risk and delinquent youth. Through the years, Sister Antonelle extended the ministry to include adult correctional centers which led to a further outreach to immigrants detained in federal ICE facilities.
Under Archbishop Peter L. Gerety, Sister Antonelle was appointed as a founding member of the Newark Archdiocesan Commission for Justice and Peace and for the Commission on Women in Church and Society. She used these experiences to influence policies as a trustee on numerous boards of education, health care and social services. This year, in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, the Most Rev. James Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen, named Sister Mary Antonelle as a “Disciple of Mercy.”
About Felician University
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, Felician University – with campuses in Lodi and Rutherford, NJ – is a Catholic Franciscan University founded and sponsored by the Felician Sisters in 1942. Felician offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in Arts and Sciences, Business, Nursing and Teacher Education. In 2015, the University was ranked by Money Magazine as one of America’s Top Colleges and also listed among Money’s top 25 private colleges for merit aid. For more information, visit www.felician.edu.