JusticeworX

On JusticeworX, high school students spend a week of their summer in an overnight setting exploring the Gospel call to build a more just world, participating in dynamic prayer services, building community with fellow participants and volunteering in the community. Students return home prepared and inspired to make service and justice central components of their lives. 

JusticeworX is a weeklong service immersion retreat offered by the Center for FaithJustice, designed to help high school age students explore the connections between their faith, the Gospel call to service and justice, and their everyday lives. While we are a faith-based program, we are truly open to all teens of all faiths, provided they are here to learn and grow on their own journeys.

JusticeworX was created in 1999 by the mother and son team of Helen and Sean Sanford. Combining the best methodology of youth ministry, service trips and Cathloic Social Teaching, JusticeworX instills in young people an awareness of social justice through experiences of faith in action. Inspired by the Gospel, JusticeworX helps youth understand how and why the Church teaches that issues of peace, justice and service are central to our identity as Christians. By empowering young people to help build the Kingdom of God, we are offering them a precious resource – a faith that speaks to their lives and helps them navigate the complexities of the world.

JusticeworX started with a few dozen students from Immaculata High School in Somerville, NJ and St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Skillman, NJ. Over the years JusticeworX has been able to reach out to thousands of youth, encouraging them to become faith based advocates for change.