Restorative Justice Leadership Summit answers Pope Francis’ call to encounter
By Valerie Schmalz
At 6’9” people ask Ted Hahs if he plays basketball. The answer, still at age 50, is yes. Hahs plays basketball at San Quentin Prison with incarcerated men in a volunteer ministry aimed at building the men’s sense of self-worth as children of God.
“We pretend to play basketball, but what we really are doing is worshipping God,” said Hahs, who said the joy he experiences in his lifelong passion is a way to help the men, most incarcerated for serious felonies including murder. Playing sports, being part of a team and physical activity are healthy activities that studies have shown are instrumental in healing trauma, said Hahs, an ordained Protestant minister.
Hahs was just one of the panelists on three panels that anchored the first Archdiocese of San Francisco Restorative Justice Leadership Summit on March 19. The daylong event at St. Mary’s Cathedral Event Center brought together 225 government, nonprofit and Christian leaders in Restorative Justice throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and California.
“Each of you are a sign of hope,” said Father George Williams, SJ, who opened the day with prayer. Father Williams is the Catholic chaplain at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, California’s oldest prison and until recently the site of Death Row. “We are all children of God,” Father Williams said in his prayer for victims, perpetrators, and all affected by violence.
The well-attended event had a joyful vibe, as leaders for organizations offering victim support, help for formerly incarcerated, and ministering to those in prison, had an opportunity to be together in a relaxed atmosphere.
“We are answering the call to encounter by Pope Francis; this was an opportunity to come together and get to know our neighbors—so we can become stronger,” said Julio Escobar, archdiocesan Restorative Justice Ministry coordinator. He noted that several panelists came from as far away as Monterey and Los Angeles, paying their own way. Escobar’s cousin, a chef, flew in from Houston to prepare luncheon for those gathered–also on his own dime.
The theme of the day was “Unity in Justice: A Path to Peace, A Day of Dialogue.”
While most attending were executive directors, government officials, or community leaders in nonprofits without a direct religious affiliation, about 50 percent were “people of Christian faith, who see justice and peace as part of our religion,” Escobar said. Discussions throughout the day reflected a deep sense of care for victims and for those incarcerated and formerly incarcerated. “We work with a common goal, which is to love each other and to love God first,” Escobar said.
The three panels scheduled for the day included the first focused on support for victims of violence, followed by leadership in rehabilitation of justice involved people, and a third one on gun violence.
The event was a new venture for the Restorative Justice Ministry because of its focus on getting leaders together. Escobar hopes the event will continue, perhaps every other year. Many of those participating in the March 19 summit as leaders also attend the Restorative Justice Reentry Conference, which will mark its 13th year in September. That event, which last year drew more than 1,200 attendees, is focused on helping those returning to society after prison and on providing a voice for victims of crime, particularly those left behind after a homicide.
For more information: sfarch.org/rjministry