CAJE: Addressing Social Concerns in Our Community

In the Book of Micah, there is a passage that so perfectly encompasses one of the core principles of the Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment (CAJE) — “to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

Founded in Evansville in 2003, the interfaith CAJE organization works to address areas of social concern in Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Posey counties. Designed to create a more just community, CAJE brings together over 20 local congregations from a variety of faith traditions to identify injustices, research solutions, and bring real change to the Evansville area.

St. Benedict parishioner Jane Leingang has been on our parish’s CAJE team for almost 17 years. She recognizes that the organization has a unique opportunity to address social injustices in the community.

“The driving force of CAJE is to love your neighbor — love your neighbor in the public square, in the community," Jane says. "We all do the 'charity' part, the 'love' part, really well. But the 'justice' part is harder because you have to work in groups to be able to make a change. That’s why organizations like CAJE are really helpful. There is no way an individual alone could effect change to the same degree in a community, like providing dental care or changing the culture in a community so there is less violence. But if we join with other faith communities, we can be a force that can do something about the issues that trouble us.”

Over the years, CAJE has spearheaded many significant improvements in our area. After identifying a lack of lowcost dental care in Evansville, CAJE was instrumental in meeting this need in various ways before eventually helping to establish a permanent dental clinic on the ECHO Community Healthcare campus.

Another project that CAJE has completed in recent years has ensured that all of our area counties provide every first responder with Narcan, the antidote used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. As a result, countless lives have been saved, including one young man who was revived with Narcan on a recent Christmas Eve. Knowing that she had played a role in saving the young man through her work with CAJE was a priceless gift for Jane that Christmas.

Currently, CAJE is working on improving the availability of affordable housing and the safety of our neighborhoods, especially on the south side of Evansville. The organization hopes to make our city a part of John Jay College’s National Network for Safe Neighborhoods (NNSN).

For Jane, being able to participate on a parish team that works together with people from all different faith traditions — including our fellow Catholics as well as Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic neighbors — is a true joy.

“It’s really uplifting, especially when we get a chance to gather,” Jane says. “It’s people from all walks of life and from all around the community. It’s probably the most diverse gathering in Evansville that happens all year. It’s really wonderful to break down barriers between people, and when you work on one of the committees that is researching one of the issues, you really get to know other people’s perspectives and get to know people across boundaries in our community.”

Being on the St. Benedict CAJE team provides parishioners with an incredible opportunity to serve the most vulnerable of God’s people right here in the Evansville area. And what better way could one find to live out the Gospel call of Jesus?

“It is a big part of Catholic social teaching and a big part of our faith that we respond to the needs of our neighbors in the community and work for the common good,” Jane says. “It’s just something that has been important to me for a long, long time. I feel that call to be a part of making the world a better place, and I really feel I have to do what I can to make life better for others. It’s a way of loving your neighbor.”

The St. Benedict CAJE team has a tentative virtual meeting planned for Monday, March 15, at 6:30 p.m. — please be sure to refer to the church bulletin and Flocknote for details. The next Nehemiah Action meeting for the area-wide CAJE ministry will take place on Monday, May 10, at the Old National Events Plaza from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Mayor Winnecke speaks at the 2019 Nehemiah Assembly for CAJE (Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment).

A CAJE (Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment) assembly caucus meets to discuss community issues.