For Such A Time As This

On November 18, 2020, Hurricane Iota ravaged San Andres, Colombia, home to the Raizal community. Host Larry Payne talks with Diana Caicedo and Brittney Sandoval, both members of the Raizal diaspora in Houston about the effects of the Hurricane and how members of the diaspora in Houston and beyond have mobilized to serve their friends, family and community in San Andres.

Helpful Links:

University of St. Thomas Center for International Studies

San Andres and Old Providence Indigenous Raizal Diaspora Facebook Page

Iglesia Bautista Melrose Facebook Page

University of Houston Creative Writing Program

Larry Payne sits down with Paul Beck, President of Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston, to talk about the importance of education, mentorship and professional development.

They discuss Cristo Rey's unique work-study model that allows students to gain critical skills in a professional business setting and the budding partnership with the University of St. Thomas. The partnership allows students to carry the work study experience through to the college setting by way of the Rising Stars program.

Helpful Links:

Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston

UST Rising Stars Program

Larry Payne sits down with Herb Johnson, Director, Security Management Institute, Office of Graduate and Professional Studies, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former Executive Director, Catholic Interracial Council of New York, to discuss the elevation of Wilton Cardinal D. Gregory, the first African-American cardinal, the black experience in the Catholic Church and signs of hope for the future.

Helpful Links:

Wilton Cardinal D. Gregory

The Doctrine of Discovery

The National Black Catholic Congress

Catholic News Service: "Black Catholics rejoice with elevation of first African American cardinal"

Larry Payne sits down with Amy Auzenne, Pastoral Associate for Evangelization and Formation at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring, TX, to discuss the USCCB document Open Wide Our Hearts and talk about how her suburban community at St. Ignatius is opening themselves to encounter - learning to see, hear and love their neighbor.

Larry Payne speaks with Lacy Wolf '81, president of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, about the work that unions do, how his Catholic Faith influences his work, and his experience in the Labor Movement. Wolf ties his work back to Catholic Social Teaching - The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers - and explains why treating all workers with dignity is something to continue striving towards.

Houston, Tx is a microcosm of the demographic shifts that are occurring across America. As the most diverse major metropolitan area in the country, Houston is the leading example of how to navigate this shift in demographics. Host Larry Payne talks with Dr. Stephen Klineberg, Founding Director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, on his life's work, the Kinder Houston Area Survey, and what steps we must take as a community and as a society to successfully navigate Houston and America into the future.

In the inaugural episode of For Such A Time As This, Laurence Payne, host, converses with Dr. Richard Ludwick, President of the University of St. Thomas - Houston, Tx about the role a University plays in building a just society and what the University of St. Thomas is doing to meet the needs of the community while addressing the iniquities that exist in society.