A Message to Concerned Catholics about Loyola College's Father Ridley

FR. HAROLD E. RIDLEY, S.J., President of Loyola College-Baltimore is one of nine members of the Crown Central Petroleum Board of Directors. Fr. Ridley assumed the presidency of Loyola College-Baltimore in 1994 and has been a member of Crown's Board since 1995.

As a Catholic priest and the president of a Catholic College, Fr. Ridley is in an unique position to be a witness to Catholic social teachings at Crown which affirm that:

"All economic life should be shaped by moral principles. Economic choices and institutions must be judged by how they protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person, support the family, and serve the common good. All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions, as well as to organize and join unions or other associations."
Taken from "A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, A Statement of the U.S. Bishops".

From the perspective of Catholic social teaching, the lockout by Crown Central Petroleum and its effects on the lives of the workers, their families and communities, violates the core of these teachings.

In a time of growing business indifference to good corporate citizenship, principled voices on corporate boards are crucial to responsible business behavior. Fr. Ridley voice must be heard.

Fr. Ridley, as a member of Crown’s board, has an unique opportunity to provide much needed moral leadership to end the lockout, the company’s racist and sexist behavior and their destruction of the environment around the refinery in Pasadena, Texas.

Nearly 200 representatives of the Catholic community have been asking that Fr. Ridley enter into a dialogue about this situation. He has, thus far, refused this request.

We need your help to convince Fr. Ridley that he can help end this lockout and bring Crown to justice.

Fr. Ridley was born in Jersey City, NJ, on June 20, 1939. He attended Fordham University (A.B., Ph. L., M.A.), Woodstock College (B.D.), Union Theological Seminary (S.T.M.), and New York University (Ph.D.). Fr. Ridley was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on June 12, 1969 and is a member of the Society of Jesus. Fr. Ridley was a faculty member and administrator at LeMoyne College from 1973 to 1994 where, among his other duties, he taught English and at one point served as a chair of the English Department.

For more information, please contact: ocawjd@aol.com