US Faith-Based Community Organizing

In the United States, Oblates around the country are involved in Faith-based Community Organizing – a congregation based, activist organizing tool to bring about social and economic justice.

As a congregation, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a member of Interfaith Funders (IF). This is a network of nine faith-based and two secular grant makers committed to social change and economic justice. Learn more…

Faith-based Community Organizing

Oblates have been active supporters of faith based community organizing (FBCO) for nearly thirty years. We continue to see it as a tangible and practical way to implement Catholic Social teaching and to work for justice in local communities. A number of Oblates and oblate institutions are actively involved in local faith based community organizing projects in their areas.

Faith-Based Community Organizing (FBCO) is a movement working to establish inter-faith, cross class, multi-ethnic and multi-racial grassroots organizations in order to improve social and economic conditions. FBCO groups see one of their primary roles as the development of participants’ leadership skills. A strong web of relationships built among congregations and with other institutions helps participants to pressure decision-makers at the city, regional and national levels to make needed changes.

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Specific Oblate involvement in FBCO includes:

• PACT: People Acting for Community Together (Miami-Dade County, FL)
• BOLD Justice (Miramar, Florida)
• Merrimack Valley Project (Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts)
• One LA – IAF (Pacoima, California)
• WIN (Washington, DC)
• Valley Interfaith (Brownsville Texas)
• The Metropolitan Organization (Houston)
• The Border Organization (Del Rio, TX)

Most FBCO groups are affiliated with one of the regional or national training networks of FBCO:

• Pacific Institute for Community organizing (PICO)
• Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF)
• Gamaliel Foundation
• Direct Action and Training Research Center (DART)
• Regional Congregations and Neighborhood Organizations Training Center
• InterValley Project
• The Organizing Leadership and Training Center

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