The work of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns stems from the lived experience of Maryknoll missioners and the people with whom they live and work around the world. Also, as an organization headquartered in the United States and comprised primarily of U.S. citizens, we hold the obligation to respond with clarity and intelligence to the actions of the U.S. government.

Our day-to-day foci can shift over the months and years due to changing situations in countries where Maryknoll is present.

Most of the work falls under two broad categories:

Faith-Economy-Ecology (FEE) -- The fossil-fuel-based economic model and way of life promoted by the industrialized North, especially the United States, must be transformed toward significantly greater sustainability and social justice. Issues that we follow through the FEE program include climate change, trade and investment, food sovereignty and hunger, corporate accountability, among others.

  • Economic Justice
  • Environmental Justice
  • COVID-19 Recovery

Sustainable Pathways to Peace (SPP) -- Peace is possible through inclusive communities and economies of “enough.” Maryknoll’s cross border experience helps reduce fear of the other and celebrates diversity as a real and enriching contribution to true security. We encourage the promotion of diplomacy, dialogue and a multilateral approach to solving global problems. Issues that we follow through the SPP program include peace processes, arms trade, torture, migration and border issues, among many others.

  • Peace and Nonviolence
  • Nuclear Disarmament
  • Migrants and Refugees
  • Human Rights

Economic justice

From Cambodia to El Salvador, Bangladesh to Tanzania, Maryknoll missioners accompany people and communities affected by poverty and extreme poverty.

Environmental Justice

Climate change is at the center of the environmental challenges facing the global community. Maryknoll missioners around the world witness firsthand the devastating impacts of the changing climate, most egregiously on those who have contributed least to climate change, communities that are poor, powerless, and pushed to the margins by society.

Peace and Nonviolence

The work of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns on peace is focused on identifying and eliminating the root causes of violence and conflict with a focus on specific regions, expressions of violence and areas of conflict affecting Maryknoll missioners, and U.S. aggression and national security policy (e.g. war on terrorism).

Migration

Maryknoll missioners have worked with migrants and people on the move for decades.

Human Rights

Upholding human rights enables a society to put people at the center of all policymaking – political, economic and social – thus protecting the life and dignity of the human person whatever its condition or stage of development.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of our global interconnectedness and the insecurity of our systems – or, in Pope Francis’ words, that we are “all in the same boat.”

By Region

Maryknoll missioners work in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and have previously worked in the Middle East.

Other

Examples of other issues we work on include anti-racism, the response to HIV/AIDS, and human trafficking, among others.