They were already passionate about making positive change in the world. After attending a national Franciscan conference on developing leadership skills to advocate for peace and justice, they are now even more inspired.
A group of 10 Saints traveled to the Franciscan Justice Leadership Conference, hosted October 13-16 in Washington, D.C. by the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) in partnership with the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU). The Siena group was led by Judy Dougherty, director of the College’s Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy.
The goals of the conference were to help attendees build relationships with the wider Franciscan family – students from other colleges, members of the religious communities, lay people, FAN leadership – and to inspire and empower them to advocate for creation, peace and justice. A capstone visit to Capitol Hill provided an opportunity to put into practice what they learned in their conference sessions.
“It taught us how to exercise our voices and understand how much they matter and are needed,” said Dougherty.
Attendees delved into the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi and explored ways to translate their faith into action. They also learned about Franciscan Justice Circles, which are independent grassroots groups empowered to advocate for social and environmental justice issues in their communities.
“It was a very Franciscan way to view the state of world, and to envision ways to improve it,” said Alyssa Himes ’24. “We looked at social justice and environmental issues from a Franciscan standpoint, and learned the best ways to approach others to advocate, where we are not being aggressive but effective in getting our key points across.”
Those skills were stressed in leadership and mobilization training on Congressional advocacy and legislation overviews. This prepared all attendees for their conference capstone: a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and their staffers to encourage them to co-sponsor two bills: H.R. 1167/Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2023 and H.R. 1705/A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act.
“These visits were truly the highlight of the conference,” said Dougherty. “We are all very thrilled and felt so empowered. The students were just magnificent and I could not be prouder of them.”
They were also very effective: shortly after the visit to the office of U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20) he agreed to sign on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1167.
Before meeting with legislators, the group participated in a justice walk to see major D.C. sites such as the National Mall, Union Station's Christopher Columbus statue, sites of historic slave markets, and the monument to Japanese-American internment during World War II, through a social justice lens.
Gabriella Giordano ’25 said for her the best part of the conference was its emphasis on how to advocate for social justice.
“We learned how to connect with like-minded people and work together toward our common goals,” she said.
Charles Mandracchia ’24 said he appreciated the two-pronged approach to the conference’s content.
“We first discussed important concepts about social justice, peace and the environment, then we explored concrete ways to advocate for legislation to make actual change,” he said. “Denial about climate change and injustice is becoming less and less acceptable.”
Samantha Aremburg ’24 believes firmly that despite the unsettling news from around the world, “it’s not too late to do something.”
“People may not like change” she said. “It’s hard whether that change is small or large. But change must happen.”
Other Saints who attended said they have heard their concerns dismissed by people who say they are too young to understand how the world works, or that people will be resistant to restrictions, that changes in climate naturally come in cycles, and as is becoming more commonplace now, saying that addressing justice and environmental issues would have too much of an economic impact to be feasible. But the Saints can see far more serious problems down the road if these needs are not addressed quickly and decisively. And despite their youth, they believe they are just the people to address them.
“Gen Z has been saddled with the consequences of our grandparents’ actions,” said Aaron Buckley ’24. “We have never known a world without environmental crisis and we are now forced, not called, to deal with it.”
The group is interested in starting a new Franciscan Justice Circle on the Siena campus, to carry forward what they learned in Washington. A participant’s religious background does not matter if they want to join the fight.
“We are not necessarily Franciscan, but we are Franciscan-hearted,” explained Chahna Choksi ’24. “The goal is to bring the whole community together.”
Also attending the conference were Belton Dos Rios Teixeira ’25, Dianna Esa ’26, Karina Greco ’25, and Anna Patel ‘25. Br. Michael Perry, O.F.M., Franciscan scholar in residence at Siena and director of the College’s Laudato Sí Center for Integral Ecology, was the keynote speaker.
