December 12, 2003

Mary Burckell puts her faith into action

An advocate for social justice selected as national finalist for the Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award

Mary Burckell, A'04, who has been active in promoting social justice in response to problems experienced by poor and low-income people, was one of eight finalists for a national award presented annually to young Catholics who have made a commitment to break the cycle of poverty in the United States.

The Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award is presented each year by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), a national program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which provides grants to community-based, self-help projects that work to address poverty in local communities. The award honors Joseph Cardinal Bernardin (1928 - 1996), a leading voice on behalf of the poor, who saw the need to build bridges across ethnic, class, and age barriers.

Burckell, a Catholic Studies major, worked through the Loyola University Community Action Program (LUCAP) to make fellow students aware of the needs of the poor and marginalized. For two years, she coordinated the Hunger Relief Program that weekly offers food and friendship to local homeless people while maintaining a focus on the dignity of each person. She coordinated Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which included a panel on the "Faces of Homelessness," an Oxfam Banquet, and speakers who have worked with the hungry and homeless in New Orleans.

Her commitment to social justice extends to support of pro-life issues as well as opposition to the death penalty. She helped organize and charter the Loyola LIFE group, and organized a forum on campus about the lasting impact of the Roe v. Wade decision. She has been active in the peace movement, developing educational programs about specific issues, including military campaigns around the world and the intersection of economics and peace. She works in the Moratorium Campaign in New Orleans, which advocates legislation to provide a moratorium on the death penalty.

The Rev. Robert J. Vitillo, CCHD's executive director, said, "It is vital to promote social justice by building relationships among poor residents of the United States and those with access to greater wealth. Justice cannot be built by people at a distance. Those of us who have the resources must go to the impoverished and ally ourselves with them where they live and work. The young people we honor as finalists and recipient of the Cardinal Bernardin Award have taken a leadership role in creating those alliances against relentless and oppressive poverty. By recognizing them, we hold their work up as models, in the hope that more people will see its value and join them."

The Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award is presented to a young Catholic between the ages of 18 and 30 who demonstrates leadership in tackling the systemic problems of poverty. In addition, the program calls for educating all Americans about how social problems contribute to poverty, in an effort to create greater awareness of the obstacles faced by poor people in contemporary U.S. society.

Through an annual collection in parishes across the country, CCHD has distributed more than $270 million to more than 4,000 self-help projects over its 33 years. This year, CCHD announced nearly $9 million in grants to support 318 local projects, selected without regard to religious affiliation, in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.