Fordham's Feerick Center Hits Five

Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice celebrated its fifth anniversary on Sept. 26—five years to the day of its launch in 2006.

The center presented honored guest Senator George J. Mitchell (left above), a former visiting professor at the Law School, with the very first George Mitchell Lifetime Public Service Award, recognizing Mitchell’s social justice work in the Northern Ireland Peace Process and as Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace.

Over 240 alumni and friends attended a reception at the headquarters of Mutual of America, raising almost $400,000 for the Center’s initiatives on behalf of poverty and consumer law, pro bono counsel initiatives and other social justice programs.

Robert C. Sheehan, former managing partner of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, was honored with the "Spirit of Service Award” and David Jones, president and CEO of the Community Service Society of New York, received the "Life of Commitment Award."

Attending the event were the center's founder and director John D. Feerick (right, above), former dean of the law school; University president Joseph M. McShane, S.J.; provost Stephen Freedman, Ph.D.; law school dean Michael M. Martin; former New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye, and Fordham president emeritus Joseph A. O'Hare, S.J.

Since its founding, the Feerick Center has been recognized for its outstanding work by the New York State Courts with their "Access to Justice Award," and by the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University with its "Bright Idea of 2010 Award".

Bishops Recognize Labor, Feerick Center

In its Labor Day Statement, "The Value of Work; The Dignity of the Human Person," the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) discussed its ongoing dialogue with Catholic health care workers as an example of the values that the church should pursue in labor issues.

William F. Murphy, bishop of Rockville Centre and chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, wrote that an example of "a positive step forward in respect for workers," was a consensus statement, Respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions, between the Catholic Health Association, the AFL/CIO, the Service Employees International Union and USCCB, which he said offers guidance on how workers can make a free decision about whether or not they want to be represented by a union.

Bishop Murphy cited the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School, and its dean, John Feerick, in helping to "look at real situations and genuine differences in light of some basic themes in Catholic social teaching."

The consensus statement was informed by the encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, published this year, according to Bishop Murphy. He said, "decent work, according to the encyclical, 'means work that expresses the essential dignity of every man and woman in the context of their particular society: work that is freely chosen, effectively associating workers, both men and women, with the development of their community; work that enables the worker to be respected and free from any form of discrimination; work that makes it possible for families to meet their needs and provide schooling for children, without the children themselves being forced into labor; work that permits the workers to organize themselves freely, and to make their voices heard; work that leaves enough room for re-discovering one’s roots at a personal, familial and spiritual level; work that guarantees those who have retired a decent standard of living.'”