The season of Advent is a time for looking inward — a time to take stock of where we are in our faith journeys and our relationships with God and neighbor.

Those of us at Catholic Mobilizing Network — who’ve been working behind the scenes to bring you Encounters With Dignity — have been looking inward too. As we conclude Advent and move into a New Year, we will begin a process of exploring what the future holds for this podcast.

In the meantime, our podcast host, Caitlin Morneau, has some ideas for how you can continue learning about restorative justice and discerning ways to bring restorative practices to your community. And when we are ready to announce “what’s next” for Encounters With Dignity, she’d like you to be the first to know.

Tune in to hear how you can stay engaged in this transformative work, and join CMN via email at catholicsmobilizing.org/join.

Caitlin Morneau:

Hello everyone. It’s Caitlin Morneau, host of Encounters With Dignity and Director of Restorative Justice at Catholic Mobilizing Network.

I am recording this during Advent, a season in which we’re called to “stay awake,” to “keep watch,” and to prepare for the coming of Jesus. It’s a time for looking inward -- a time to take stock of where we are in our faith journeys and our relationships with God and neighbor.

Those of us at Catholic Mobilizing Network -- who’ve been working behind the scenes to bring you this podcast -- have been looking inward too. We’ve spent the past year learning and experimenting with this new platform as a way to lift up some of the most powerful stories and voices we’ve come to know through CMN’s work to promote restorative justice. And we’ve been incredibly humbled by the response -- thousands of you have tuned in from all over the world to listen to these wise teachers share some of the ways that we, as people of faith, can put restorative justice into practice -- in our communities, in our churches, and in our everyday lives.

As part of this community of listeners, I am so grateful that you share our commitment to this work. It’s clear that you, like us, are deeply inspired by the wisdom of these leaders and teachers. And that you share that same vision of a kind of justice where harm can be healed, fractured relationships can be repaired, and transformation can be possible.

So, in this season of preparation and looking-inward, I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to let you know “what’s next” for this podcast. As we move through Advent and into a New Year, our podcast team will begin a process of exploring what the future holds for Encounters With Dignity. There are still so many stories and voices we want to share with you. And when we are ready to announce “what’s next,” I’d like to make sure you’re the first to know. Here are a few ways to make that happen:

To start, make sure you’re subscribed to Encounters With Dignity on your favorite podcast platform, and that you have your podcast notifications turned on.

Next, if you haven’t already, sign up to get CMN’s email updates at catholicsmobilizing.org/join. Make sure you check the box for “restorative justice updates” to get news about this podcast and other resources from CMN.

And just in case you’re looking for ways to stay connected between now and when new episodes arrive, I have a few ideas for you:

First would be to dive into CMN’s restorative justice engagement guide for Catholic communities: Paths of Renewed Encounter. You might have heard us talking about the guide on past episodes; it is an expansive digital resource that offers tons of information about restorative justice and lots of practical considerations for ways that you can implement restorative practices within your Catholic community or ministry. You can access the guide online or order hard copies for your parish or ministry group at catholicsmobilizing.org/paths.

If you’re looking to connect with other ministry leaders and restorative justice practitioners who are already doing this work, please check out CMN’s new RJ Ministry Community of Practice. This is a virtual network for emerging and experienced restorative justice ministry practitioners to share resources, swap stories, and hear about special community events, like bimonthly “Deepening Circles.” You can join the community of practice at catholicsmobilizing.org/community-practice.

If it wasn’t immediately clear, this is not a “goodbye,” but a “see you later!” We have so enjoyed the process of bringing you Encounters With Dignity: Season One. We can’t wait to connect with you again soon.

As I get ready to “sign off” one more time, I’d like to invite you once again to join me in prayer.

Emmanuel - God with us,

For months you grew in your mother’s womb, waiting to be born into a suffering world.

You came that we might know healing, know justice, know life in relationship with You, one another, and all of creation.

In this time, may we ready the way for Your arrival in hope, joy, peace, and love. Embracing the dignity of every person and Jesus’ reconciling way in our lives. Amen.