Mary Novak serves as the Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. She is a lawyer, educator, chaplain, spiritual director, restorative justice practitioner, and activist who has worked in Catholic contexts for decades.

Before leading NETWORK, Mary served as a Mission Integrator and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown Law Center in Washington, D.C. In this role, she worked at the intersection of spirituality, psychology, and the work of justice

This episode explores how Mary’s family origins led her into an intersectional journey as a Catholic restorative justice practitioner. That journey informs her tenure at NETWORK, where she pursues a vision at the nexus of solidarity across faith, race, gender, and generation. 

We discuss the threats of WCN within our unfinished experiment we call democracy and how her organization is leaning into it. And we wrap with reflections on how she - in the words of the mystic Howard Thurman - “centers down.”

Social media: 

Instagram : Networ_Lobby

Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson is an activist, philanthropist, and public theologian who pursues a vision of a community marked by justice, peace, and love.

As the president & CEO of the Children's Defense Fund  (CDF) and CDF Action Council, he advocates for children's well-being at the intersection of faith and justice. Previously, he pastored St. John’s Church (The Beloved Community), a multiracial congregation in the city of St.Louis, while also serving as the president & CEO of the Deaconess Foundation.

In the wake of the killing of Michael Brown in 2014, Rev. Wilson was appointed co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, which released the report, ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity,’ calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being, and economic mobility.

In this episode, my colleague, Dr. Cassandra Gould, joins me in this conversation with her seminary classmate. Together, we explore lessons from Ferguson and the wisdom it cultivated for Dr. Wilson’s current tenure with the Children’s Defense Fund. We discuss the impact of Black institutions in shaping his vocation and approach to social change leadership. We talk about his co-generational vision that reveres elders and prioritizes children. And we wrap up with reflections on how he finds rest amid the demands of the movement.

Follow Rev. Dr. Starsky on Instagram @revdrstarsky  @childdefender1973

Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III  is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL,  and is a Senior Fellow with Auburn Seminary.

In this episode, we discuss themes from his new book, Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times. We explore the reality of the Darkness and how Black spiritualities have historically engaged in the darkest moments in our history. And we learn the powerful story of Robert Smalls and the brilliant, embodied wisdom of his daughter Makayla.

Referenced in this episode:

Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology :
Inward Journey Podcast, hosted by Otis Moss III 

Otis on IG: @otismossiii  @trinitychgo

Amanda Tyler is the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C, she is also the lead organizer for Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Amanda also co-hosts the Respecting Religion series on the BJC Podcast, and she is an advisor to Faith in Action in developing a curriculum to confront white Christian nationalism.

In this episode, we discuss her lifelong interest in the intersection of faith and public life. We explore what white Christian nationalism is and how her coalition, especially a dynamic array of women leaders, shapes this counter-movement. And  we talk about how multi-faith solidarity can be an antidote to white Christian Nationalism.

Just a note that this episode discusses sexual abuse and briefly mentions suicide. 

If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741

Romal Tune is passionate about teaching others how to heal the wounds of their past. He uses the power of storytelling to bring about meaningful change. Romal is the author of three books: God’s Graffiti, Love is an Inside Job, and his latest, I Wish My Dad: The Power of Vulnerable Conversations Between Fathers and Sons.

This episode is special to me because my story is featured in I Wish My Dad. Romal and I have been colleagues for close to 15 years, and our friendship deepened when he joined my family for a suicide prevention walk in the wake of the death of my brother Myron in September 2013.

In this episode, we discuss the themes of I Wish My Dad, including healing, forgiveness, self-care, and the links between personal and social healing.

Social Media Handles:

Instagram @iwishmydad

Twitter: @romaltune

Jonah Pesner is a Rabbi whose work encourages Jewish communities to reach across race, class, and faith lines while campaigning for social justice. He serves as the Director of the Religious Action Center and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Pesner co-edited “Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority: Our Jewish Obligation to Justice.”  

In this episode, we explore his roots in faith-based community organizing, the current threat of white Christian nationalism, and the power of multi-faith solidarity to help us face this moment and thrive in our beloved community.

Social media handle 

@jonahpesner

https://www.instagram.com/jonahpesner/

https://www.threads.net/@jonahpesner

Aurelia Davila Pratt is a pastor, writer and sacred spacemaker. She is the lead pastor of Peace of Christ Church, Austin TX. An ordained Baptist minister, she is the chair of the board for Nevertheless She Preached, a national, ecumenical preaching event designed to elevate the voices of women on the margins. She is the co-host with Rev. Britanny Graves of the Nuance Tea Podcast.

Aurelia is the author of A Brown Girl's Epiphany: Reclaim Your Intuition and Step Into Power

It has been a long time coming, but Season 7 begins August 16.

Check out this short greeting from our host, Michael-Ray Mathews. He reflects on the podcast hiatus and the theme for Season 7: Multifaith Solidarity.