Philosophy

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Mission Statement

Through the Kinship Initiative, people of North Lawndale and Old St. Patrick's Church walk alongside one another in friendship, sharing our talents and resources to secure justice, opportunity and the transformation of our communities.

 Vision

  • Strengthening the reach and operational capacities of Kinship partners and affiliates.

  • Fostering anti-racist awareness, contemplation, dialog and action to counteract historic white supremacy and economic oppression, and all other evils that divide Chicago's haves from its have-nots. 

  • Developing networks of sharing, creativity, advocacy and restoration across racial, class, religious, neighborhood, gender, political, cultural and generational lines to address the pressing social issues of our time.

  • Modeling collaboration such that it transforms the North Lawndale neighborhood, Old St. Pat's Church and all who embrace our inter-community, collaborative approach. 

  • Contributing to North Lawndale's revitalizing, safety, cleanliness, vibrancy and progress so it will head off the displacing effects of gentrification and be a renown destination neighborhood in Metro Chicago. 

  • Encouraging and supporting North Lawndale's local leadership, its visioning and planning processes, its residents and its close allies.

  • Providing opportunities for the people of Old St. Pat’s and others to contribute to restitution, restoration and anti-racist efforts the North Lawndale neighborhood deserves after decades of neglect, divestment and other systemic injustices.

  • Being a model for what big city life can be when people work together for the common good.

 Values

1.)  RELATIONSHIPS

"The measure of our compassion is not in our service of those on the margins but in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them." - Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J., from his book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

2.)  MUTUALITY 

“In a real sense all life is interrelated. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from A Birmingham Jail

3.)  NETWORKING

“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others.” – Oprah Winfrey

4.)  SERVICE

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. - Matthew the Apostle, Romans 12:1

The Kinship Creed

Kinship is a way of being church in the world today.  It sees the sacred in each person, unifying, renewing and transforming. Kinship is gathering around the table to feed each other.  It celebrates difference and commonality, deepening relationships and communion. Kinship is an invitation for everyone to share their gifts.  It enriches all through loving service, fostering interconnectedness and mutuality. Kinship is an orientation of the spirit. It embodies an attitude of justice, being both journey and destination. Kinship is love in action.

Scripture

You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)