The Justice and Peace International Commission

With these words, "The day that has been anticipated has finally arrived.  We are starting this

Sr Griselda welcomes us

adventure of faith, heart, and dreams," our Representative at the Congregations of St Joseph UN-NGO, Sr. Griselda Martinez Morales opened our Justice and Peace International Commission.  28 sisters representing 13 countries have gathered in Brentwood, New York.

Throughout these days we will be sharing our daily summaries with you on this blog.  It will include pictures, links to presentations and a sense of how the "global family of St Joseph" is gathering. 

Sr Gloria, our facilitator

This meeting could not happen without the work of many sisters and friends who have helped with the planning.  Most especially, we are grateful to the Sisters in Brentwood who are hosting us and have 6 sisters helping us with everything from technology to hospitality.  Sr. Gloria Philip from Argentina is serving as our facilitator.  Sisters Griselda, Justine Senapati (intern and soon to be new Representative at the UN-NGO, Barbara Bozak (Director of Public Information at the UN-NGO) and I have put in countless hours preparing to host this meeting in three languages.

We are grateful to the Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet who have loaned us their translation equipment that is facilitating our communication among each other.

The St Louis Province of Carondelet has provided scholarships that allowed us to invite a sister from Madagascar and two sisters from Haiti.

Gathering of the Daughters

Sr Judy Cauley addresses the Gathering
of the Daughters

A gathering was held this weekend in Albany of our newer members and the vocation and formation staffs of congregations.  The speaker was Sr. Judy Cauley, a member of the Congregation of St Joseph.



Sr Melissa Gernon shares the opening
reflection
 

I am pleased to share with you the reflections/introduction to our second day of meeting that was prepared by Sr. Melissa Gernon, a sister in temporary profession with the Sisters of St Joseph of Rochester.

Judy Cannato stated in an April 2011 interview that a body of intentionally spiritual woman can usher in a new paradigm of our evolving story of the universe that will fundamentally alter not only the way we think but will radically change the way we relate to one another.

So, here  we are, called to this place at this time, maybe not even conscious of why you’re here.

Perhaps it is to figure out how to order the house of Earth in the chaos of our time or perhaps it is because you feel called to share in the quest of the perennial questions of the universe.

Maybe you resonate with a quote referenced from Thomas Berry, Rumi, Joanna Macy, Isaiah, or Dorothy Day such as “a revolution within the world must start with each one of us.”

Maybe we were inspired by one of the mantras we sang, or by Colleen’s poem, the story of Judy’s grandmother and the clock.

Where are you right now? What questions are you struggling with, contemplating?  What is your insatiable thirst or deep hunger? What is the meaning of all our new powers that is good? Someone from my table asked the question, how can I be a good steward of my own energy or perhaps like Judy’s grandmother, your question is what matters most?

 

Melissa created this banner which participants added
to throughout the gathering
 

Today we will spend time connecting the dots of yesterday to the dots of our charism with our story of evolving Universe.  We will be going on a spiritual adventure.

Judy will continue to help us get to the heart of what matters.

Later in the day we will explore Whole-Making into the world and exploring the question, where do we go from here?

So, let us now experience a little bit more of the unfolding of our story.

You never know who you are going to meet

I am in pretty good space.  I had a great trip to our UN-NGO office on my way to France for the International Center board meeting.  and the planning for our international meeting went well. 

You probably remember me talking about the quote from Ilia Delio from the LCWR last summer, be an open system, slow down- be compassionate and humble, and pay attention to strange attractors.  Well I had two opportunities to pay attention to strange attractors on this trip...remember I am using my own definition of strange attractors not the physics meaning which is too complicated for me to want to pursue...anyhow I only slept about 5 hours on the plane so when I got on the train, I was going to sleep.  A woman ahead of me got up to help me put my suitcase on the rack.. I had to take it right down because I forgot to get something out so she and I spoke and she asked me where I was from.  I said St Louis.  She then introduced the other people that she had acquanted herself with- quite the extrovert.  Anyhow she introduced a young woman who is walking all the way on the St James Compostela trail from Le Puy on a pilgrimage so of course I had to talk with her about my 3 day hike on the Way with Mary Lou and Griselda last summer. Anyhow, I threw my other bag in the

Janneke with Sr. Jeanette

seat next to the young woman, Janneke from the Netherlands and began a long conversation. Sleep would have to wait. Jenny and her husband Jackie were frequently in the conversation-   Janneke was going all the way to Le Puy and was staying in a hostel there.  She was getting sicker and sicker with motion sickness.  The bus from Firminy to Le Puy nearly killed her.  It became pretty obvious that she might be too late to get into the hostel so I texted Line at the International Center to see if we could drop her off from the bus stop...as the ride went on, I suggested that she was going to be too sick to stay at the hostel and was welcome at the International Center.  She agreed and was most grateful.  The funniest thing was when we got to the IC, she was ok... as soon as she got out of the car she was actually better.  Our conversation about life and our discovery of our path was actually pretty interesting.  There were 3 other sisters at the IC and we all had a light meal and we sent her on her way the next morning.  I think we will be in touch with her as she walks all the way to Santiago in Spain- so this was quite unexpected. 

 Jeanette, Janneke, Line, Sheryl and me

Next day I am doing the filming of the sections I had to reshoot for the walking tour of Le Puy.  I have just about finished and am in the garden of St Gabriel at the bottom of St Michael's.  This woman, Rein, starts talking to me in English and we are talking about her world travels.  She tells me the vaguest version of her life story but it is ultimately about this dream related to volcanoes and how unusual it is that she has ended up in Le Puy.  She ended up her after leaving Brazil, USA and India...she is here to recover her health. I learned that the volcano in Le Puy is connected to the volcano in Iceland- the one that caused all the trouble with airplanes a few years ago. I tell her my sense of the presence of "mystery", the "unity of all things", that I connect with and feel when I am  in Le Puy and have time to connect- the stuff I wrote in my blog last winter.  So here I am sharing stuff that I don't often talk about with people who are complete strangers.  Anyhow, I eventually say it is time to go and she walks me as far as the twisted bridge.

I don't know what to think about these two experiences...as I put them in context, I understand that previously, my life has been far too full of situations that sapped my time and energy. Travel time was a time to rest and regroup.  So, maybe now I do have time for strangers and maybe they have something to teach me.  I feel like I will be connecting with Jannecke each day as she walks her walk to Santiago and will think of Rein when I see pictures of St Michel.

Ignite Conference: I am Not Only My Story: Survivors Speak to Action

We have all heard the phrase, saving the best for last.  That is surely what happened at the Ignite: Sparking Action Against Sex Trafficking conference.  Participants heard from 3 survivors of sex trafficking, all of whom are living proof that there is life after being trafficked.  However, all 3 were very articulate in speaking about the systemic barriers that make that transition very challenging. 


Holly Austin Smith who was lured into sex trafficking as a vulnerable 14 year old middle school Walking Prey she provides ideas on how to address this important subject with these vulnerable youth.  On her website under resources she offers a curricula guidelines for advice on the education of human trafficking and prevention of child sex trafficking.  there are numerous other resources available on her website also, including Holly's sharing of her story. to get to her website, click on this link.  http://hollyaustinsmith.com/

Left to right, Kimberely Ritter, Katie
Rhoades, Holly Austin Smith and
 Christine McDonald

graduate spoke about the need to raise awareness in middle schools about sex trafficking.  With the average age for entry into trafficking in the US being 13 years of age, middle school girls are especially vulnerable.  In her book,


Christine McDonald was trafficked at the age of 15.  She spoke about the need for housing, employment and trauma treatment.  She noted how the stigma of being involved in the sex trade impacts the type of help a person can receive. Her comments on how the legal system, by treating those who are trafficked as criminals instead of victims, really hinders their leaving the life.  Imagine trying to get a job with felony convictions for prostitution. 


Katie Rhoades, who shared her story with us at both the US Federation Event and at the LCWR conference in St Louis, focused on the lack of specialized services.  She shared that no one agency can do everything that is needed for people coming out of trafficked situations.  There is a need for victim specific services but also for better training on the specialized needs of these people along with a deeper understanding of the importance of complex trauma care.


All three emphasized the importance of the community coming together to address barriers to services, to improve collaboration among service providers and to do more to prevent young people from ever being lured into trafficking situations.  There is a need for doers from every walk of life, mental health professionals, attorneys, law enforcement, educators, the health field and the faith community.

Ignite- Sparking Action Against Sex Trafficking

Srs Of St Joseph and colleagues at Ignite

The first Exchange Initiative Conference is going on at the Union Station Hotel in St Louis, a hotel that has trained all its staff on how to identify sex trafficking.  There is no shortage of Sisters of St Joseph present.  The Congregation of St Joseph is a silver corporate sponsor and the US Federation is bronze.  We are a sizable group with a notable presence.

I was taped for a TV interview news today which should air tonight and be on our Facebook page tomorrow.  I was able to convey the strong sense that human trafficking is an important issue for sisters and we

Don Gallaway and Farrah Fazal
from KSDK interviewed me at the
Province House

are proud to collaborate with others in this nation-wide effort to stop sex trafficking. 

Congresswoman Ann Wagner
 

During the interview I was also able to talk about a new effort in which the Sisters of St Joseph will engage.  At the Ignite conference, one of the speakers was Congresswoman Ann Wagner.  She let us know about a bill that she is introducing to address human trafficking.  The bill will be known as the SAVE Act.  This stands for the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation  Act. It would make it a crime to sell or commercially promote an advertisement in reckless disregard of the fact that the advertisement facilitates a crime such as human trafficking or sexual abuse of a minor.  The bill is aimed at closing online classified websites like Backpage.com that makes millions of dollars per year off of selling advertisements to human traffickers. The SAVE Act also contains a limitation of liability provision that would protect innocent actors like Facebook, Google and Twitter, along with telecommunications services providers like Verizon and Comcast.

Representative Ted Poe introduced
another bill, "Justice for Victims of
Trafficking Act"


The Sisters will begin a massive effort to encourage their congressmen and women to co-sponsor this important piece of legislation.  It will be an important tool to assist law enforcement in stopping human trafficking. 

Congressman Ted Poe, a very effective speaker, shared his perspective as a prosecutor, a criminal judge and now as a Representative.  His commitment to changing the way people perceive those women and children who are trafficked was greatly appreciated by the participants.  It is clear that he believes the people who need to be stopped and punished are the traffickers and the customers.  Those who are trafficked are victims of crime and need specialized help during their recovery from the trauma they have experienced.  His legislation HR 3530 would do just that.

Tomorrow, I'll update you on some of the other workshops that we attended.

Traveling in France

I am in France for the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Sisters of St Joseph International Center board.  I have spent the night in Lyon at the Motherhouse of the Lyon sisters.  When I went to bed last night, I was very pleased by how much my French had improved since my last trip to France.  This morning I feel like I am starting all over again, struggling for the simplist word or phrase.

At the Lyon house, I was with the leadership team, Catherine from France, Cicely from India, and Maria Elena from Mexico.  Cicely had recently returned from a visit to the Ivory Coast.  They were eagerly awaiting the return of Rita from Egypt.  Conversation about international presence were rich. ( See the global map of the Sisters of St Joseph on the International Center website centreinternationalssj.org

View from train to Le Puy

A decorative tree at St Etienne

 

). Since our first beginnings in France we have spread throughout the world.  It still amazes me to be part of this international web of sisters who share the same charism and commitment to mission.

Cicely was especially interested in how we can make a more powerfu impact at the United Nations through our NGO there.  I was able to share our upcoming plans for the Justice and Peace International Commission meeting in April 2014.  At that meeting, sister-representatives from around the world will begin working with our new Congregations of St Joseph declaration on systemic change for sustainable development.  We will learn how to use the UN tool for monitoring progress on human rights issues, the Universal Periodic Review.  Also, we will meet with the UN representative delegate from our countries to begin an even closer woking relationship.  The soon to be released CSJ-UN-NGO website will give us a vehicle to tell our global story in five languages.

The day is now drawing to a close and I am returning from Le Puy to Lyon.  I had a new experience navigating a shift from the train to the bus (trains don't run as frequently on Sundays).  It was really quite simple but was a little scary for me before I did it.  No problem and no big need to speak French.  However, it is towards the end of the day so I am at my maximum fluency (that is not saying much).    I was able to see the progress being made on the renovations at the International Center and discuss new outreach/marketing plans for the International Center in Canada and the US with the staff, Line and Valerie.  While there I had a brief encounter from two faculty from the school started by the Sisters of St Joseph in Le Puy to explore opportunities for developing a closer working relationship with Sisters of St Joseph schools around the world.

There are so many opportunities for us to explore and live more fully our international connections.  I really look forward to these opportunities to gather with our international sisters

Announcing National Catholic Sisters Week: to ignite a movement around the lives and the contributions of Catholic sisters by Sr. Joanne Gallagher



Sr Joanne Gallagher

Gathered from various online resources

 “Wherever good things are happening, there are likely to be Sisters involved,” states the proposal from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, calling for a national campaign to boost awareness of women religious. Rosemarie Nassif, SSND is director of The Catholic Sisters Initiative which was launched in February 2013 by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Rosemarie was inspired by her experience as a university president to fold that campaign into the well-established Women’s History Month.  She fashioned a three-year grant to propose a specific plan to raise the visibility of women religious.

This resulted in a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN, which plans to bring national visibility to the contributions of women religious, whose far-reaching work on the frontlines of social change, women’s leadership, healthcare, education and the Church remains relatively unknown. A key initiative of the three-year project will be the launch of National Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14, 2014, as part of Women’s History Month.

The ultimate goal is to create “fertile ground” to help more young women consider a call to religious life. “Will this mean that thousands of women will enter religious life? No, probably not,” Sister Rosemarie says. “But we’ve got to offer a chance. Even if women are inspired to live their lives differently outside the convent, the effort will be worthwhile.”

The intent is to ignite a movement around the lives and the contributions of sisters in ways that inspire girls and women to picture themselves among the ranks of these women religious. Molly Dever Hazelton and Mary Soher, OP, were named co-executive directors. Hazelton is a professor of library and information science at St. Catherine’s University; Soher, of Henderson, NV, has been a member of the Adrian Dominicans since 1996.

During its inaugural year, all are encouraged to be part of igniting this movement by announcing National Catholic Sisters Week in schools, parishes, hospitals, and local civic arenas, and more. If you have ideas of ways to promote this week, you are invited to contact Molly Haxelton at mdhazelton@skate.edu or Mary Soher, OP, at mspher@skate.edu.  Visit the National Catholic Sisters Week  website at https://www2.stkate.edu/ncsw/home to learn more!