Mr. Patrick W. Higgins

Patrick Higgins brings broad experience to his work with the Rauschenbusch Center for Spirit and Action. He has served as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps, Assistant to the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Development during the Model Cities era, and as a Catholic priest and pastor in inner-city New York and Bolivia (four years as an Associate with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers). Since 1968, his career has been involved with Latino groups in locales of great diversity. He is bilingual. During his first two years in Washington State after 1992, he covered most of this and neighboring states recruiting migrant and seasonal workers for education programs at Washington State University.

Patrick is a parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the Central District, and served the congregation as Social Justice Coordinator trained in community organizing by the Industrial Areas Foundation. As program coordinator and later Director of the Institute for Washington ’s Future, he has worked with communities, unions and non-profit groups on issues of taxation, community development and immigration reform. Pat has several years of organizing and fund development experience with the Comite Pro-Amnistia (immigration reform) and Archdiocesan Housing Authority shelters. His academic background is in Sociology (A. B., Holy Cross College ), and Theology (M. Div., Pope John XXIII National Seminary and M. Th. Justice and Peace Studies, Maryknoll School of Theology).

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