“What can I do?” These days, that question often carries more
than a practical inquiry—it can be a deeper lament, a longing to do something.

Many of us in the CSJ community have been wrestling with this question, especially in times when it’s hard to know if we can respond at all, let alone boldly.

When I first began working with the CSJ Justice Office, I was deeply inspired by the Sisters’ long history of faithfully showing up. I learned about the Sisters
of Selma, and later met a Sister of St. Joseph from St. Louis who marched in 1965 for voting rights with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others. I read about Sr. Rita Steinhagen’s activism and arrest. I came to know the McDonald sisters and admire their witness as portrayed in the play Sisters of Peace. And I’ve met countless members of this community whose quiet, consistent presence continues to inspire me.

Yes, over the years, many in this community have humbly shown up—bearing witness and helping bring about change. We show up as a witness to hope for a more just world for all. The Sisters of St. Joseph, Consociates, Carondelet Village Justice Seekers, and our extended community have been present at rallies, vigils, demonstrations, and other public actions. These humble acts of showing up inspire and embolden others to do the same.

In recent months, members of our community have been seeking and creating new ways to respond. The public roadside rallies on Fairview Avenue are one such effort, with growing turnout each month. S. Mary Lang reflected on her experience at the July rally:

“My voice is small… but it was the place to be if one believes that the presence of many impacts those present, those passing by, and confirms one’s own commitment to peace and justice. We provided a public space on Fairview Avenue where many unknown to us came to make a community outcry and protest. At that time and place, we were community.”

Indeed, the CSJ community, together with the Carondelet Village Justice Seekers, became community that day—perhaps even with a thousand of our neighbors—at the Fairview roadside Good Trouble Lives On Rally, showing support for immigrants and for a just economy.

As an extended CSJ community, our humble acts of gathering and showing
up help inspire and unite everyday neighbors who are also wrestling with the question of what they can do. We respond by continuing to show up for justice and for a better world. In our CSJ way, we remain present to the realities of our time, create community, and “do something” together. And by showing up—not only at rallies, vigils, and demonstrations, but also through direct advocacy and other forms of civic engagement—we don’t just do something. We become something: a living community of the more just world we long to see.

— Marty Roers, CSJ Justice Office