R.J. Mangan always knew God was calling him to service—but the details were a little hazy. “I’ve always had a deep yearning in my heart to serve the people of God and to serve the Church, but I didn’t know exactly how God was calling me to do that.”
He spent a year in the seminary before discerning a different path. He then received a master’s in theology from Boston College in 2021 and taught at St Hubert’s Catholic High School for Girls in North Philadelphia for a year. When he found the job listing for his current role, he knew he had to apply. “[This] is something that’s right up my alley,” Mangan thought.
Mangan was drawn to the position because of its focus on Catholic social teaching and community outreach. As director of peace and justice, Mangan liaises with organizations such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Knights of Columbus, helping them establish engaging programs and attain funding.
His work goes beyond organizing programs, however. Mangan is also involved with
Catholic Relief Services, which donates food to the hungry, and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, a program seeking to address and alleviate the root causes of cyclical poverty, and he is also the diocesan director for prison and jail ministry, which—as its name implies—ministers to incarcerated individuals, who Mangan says are unfortunately among the most marginalized in our society.
What Mangan sees as his most important responsibility, however, is of an even larger scope—working toward legislative changes at the local and national levels. For example, Mangan recently traveled to Columbus to lobby for Senate Bill 101, a proposal to end the application of the death penalty, which is garnering significant bipartisan support.
In his role, Mangan draws strength from his connection to Christ. “My faith is the reason [and inspiration] for my work,” he said. “Without faith, the good works are meaningful—but not nearly as much … I’m looking to be Christ as much as possible, in my own capacity, to the people I meet.”
