The words of Matthew 25 are familiar to many: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Father Bob Dalton identifies these words as the motivation for the Glenmary Commission on Justice, established in 1978 so that Glenmary might more fully live its commitment to work to change systems of injustice.

Father Bob, co-convener of the Commission on Justice with Brother Larry Johnson, pastors three Glenmary missions from his base in Aberdeen, Miss., an area where the per capita income is far below the national average and the unemployment level is far above. “It’s the end of the month, and just this morning three people were here asking for food,” Father Bob says. “We can continue to give food. But at the same time, we must work on the justice issues and ask why they don’t have food. Why are they at our door?”

The gospels have many calls to justice, Father Bob says. “Jesus liked the little people and was always in controversy with the big shots.”

The Commission on Justice “takes on the big shots,” he says. It’s a Glenmary ministry that can be described as community activism at its best.

Marcus Keyes, the director of the commission, identifies its activity as a means of walking in solidarity with people who struggle for justice, particularly in the rural areas served by Glenmary. Right now the commission is focusing on issues of concern to immigrants, unskilled workers and those affected by racism.

For example: During 2005, much of Marcus’s time was devoted to the National Poultry Justice Alliance. This group grew out of a landmark meeting hosted by the commission in 2003. It brought together nearly 40 participants in the poultry industry to discuss issues such as working conditions and safety. It was the first time that poultry plant workers, growers and industry representatives had met for such discussion.

The gathering called “Voice and Choices: Revisited,” was a follow-up to Voices and Choices, the pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Bishops of the South in collaboration with the Catholic Committee of the South, a group with whom the Commission on Justice collaborates.

“There’s no use having a letter or a statement if there’s no follow through,” Marcus says. From that meeting grew the National Poultry Justice Alliance, which is facilitated by the Commission on Justice.

Their goals include advocating for a living wage, benefits and healthy working conditions for poultry industry workers, promoting humane animal husbandry practices in poultry production, and ensuring that all laws regarding health and safety, labor and the environment are observed by the poultry industry.

Since many poultry workers are immigrants from Mexico and Central America, immigration issues are closely intertwined with any efforts to address poultry issues as well as those related to other agricultural industries.

Currently the commission is waiting to see what happens with the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and three other senators. The bill contains large and small changes to immigration law and requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop a security plan for border patrol. As of early December, it had been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The commission is concerned about the negative rhetoric about Hispanics and immigration in our country, observing that the real economic facts aren’t acknowledged. “We’d never have the food prices we have in the United States and the hotel rates that we have without the Hispanic workforce,” Father Bob says. “It’s a myth that these immigrant workers don’t pay taxes and a myth that they get free benefits.”

On a trip to Juarez, Mexico, Father Bob saw firsthand what motivates so many to cross the border into the United States. “Juarez has unpaved roads, no water, sporadic electrical service. But from the church property you can see the tops of buildings in El Paso, the city, the ‘American dream,’ Father Bob says. “It’s very dramatic; no wonder people want to cross the river. And there’s nothing but that contrast for 2,000 miles of border.”

Racism is another topic on the commission’s agenda. It has presented workshops on “undoing racism” for Glenmary as an organization and for communities in mission areas. Workshops—facilitated by a team that includes an African-American, a Latino and a Caucasian—take participants through exercises and discussions to open their eyes to the persistent racism in themselves and society.

“I’m basically trying to keep the Commission on Justice moving forward and focused on justice issues, both local and national,” Marcus says, “and to keep surfacing new issues.”|

One way the commission surfaces new issues is through an annual mission forum. The one held in October 2005 in Statesboro, Ga., focused on the concerns of the Latino community. The commission partnered with the Immigrant Justice Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., to present a workshop on immigration rights and workers’ rights.

The mandate heard in Matthew and in all the Gospels—and lived by Jesus—is the fuel that stokes the commission’s commitment to continue serving the least among us. No matter the issue, the commission is committed to giving voice to those who have no voice—and creating a more just society as those voices are heard.