The first time Father Daniel Griffith heard of restorative justice, he thought it sounded “New Age-y” and kind of ethereal. “What I found in the last five years is that it’s extraordinarily effective because I think it’s human,” he said.
Father Griffith, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, visited the “Practicing Catholic” radio show to discuss a course called Restorative Justice, Law and Healing he teaches at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. It will be offered again in late August.
Father Daniel Griffith
He said when people experience harm in their lives, restorative justice seeks to name the harm, “and in the Catholic setting, it doesn’t promote … a victim-centric sort of thing … where you just stay within the harm, but rather seeks to allow people to tell their story for others to listen attentively, also with compassion and empathy to accompany them.”
He said that’s often done in a “healing circle,” a concept of restorative justice that originated from indigenous first nation peoples in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The course invites students to go deep into what restorative justice is, Father Griffith said. “I do a part on its correlation with the Catholic tradition and the Scripture,” he said, “and then what the best way they learn, (which) is through experience.” So, the students enter into healing circles.
“What happens is, these students, sometimes for the first time, are bringing to other folks an experience of harm that they had that they might not have ever talked about. And it’s deeply moving for them.”
Father Griffith believes the course will help law students understand the need for healing and learn critical skills that will help them become better lawyers, including empathy.
“I think it finds a ready partner in terms of the Catholic intellectual tradition, biblical theology and Catholic social teaching in their effort to promote justice and oppose injustice,” Father Griffith said. “And so that’s the main thrust of restorative justice — to philosophically and, in reality, respond to harm in a way that invites greater healing, justice and accountability as … another way of responding to harm.
“In a way, I think that’s human and consistent with what God desires for us.”
During the show, host Patrick Conley asked Father Griffith how lay people can live out restorative justice in their own lives. To hear his response and more of the interview, tune in to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show at 9 p.m. March 5, 1 p.m. March 6 or 2 p.m. March 7 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
“Practicing Catholic” is produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Other guest interviews on the March 5 show are Father Jonathan Kelly, who discusses his new role as rector of the St. John Vianney College Seminary, and Sister Mary Anne Schaenzer, who describes a March Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office winter conference.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic
Practicing Catholic on Spotify
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