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!

Carondelet Affirmation Ceremony

Gathering at the Holy Family Chapel

The Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet began their affirmation of new congregational leadership with a litany that called on our founders in France and all our congregational leaders since,  to be with us .  The sisters thanked their congregational leadership team completing their term and welcoming the incoming team.  

From left to right, Srs. Catherine
McNamee, Laura Bufano, Francine
Costello, and Susan Hames



In thanking the sister leaders for their service, it was noted that the sister leaders were women of strength and integrity who pushed and pulled us in to newness to reverence the Sacred in all that exists in the web of life, to communion with energy for our mission and to be and act as one for the sake of God’s people, excluding no one.

Called forward to serve are from left to
right, Srs. Mary Ann Leininger, Mary McKay,
and Danielle Bonetti

Quoting from the 2013 Acts of Chapter document, the sisters present reminded the new leadership team what they had committed to be about for these next six year.  “The mystery of transformation moves us from the center where we are comfortable to the margins where we will likely feel frustrated and displaced.  From this vulnerability we can experience true mutual relationships, see with new eyes, and recognize that all aspects of justice and survival within all Creation- nature, humanity, and organizations- intertwine.”



Srs. Mary Ann Leininger, Danielle Bonetti
Mary McKay, Barbara Dreher, Miriam Ukeritis

Left to right: Srs. Barbara Dreher and
Miriam Ukeritis

The leaders were urged by the sisters and those present to “make haste” to practice being and acting as one congregation in service to the cries of a fragile earth and all humankind.”  They were called to act in healthy and just ways within the Earth Community and Church, with each other and the dear neighbor.  All 5 sisters  of the Leadership Team responded, “With God’s grace and your support, yes we are willing.”

Sr. Laura (right) greets a well wisher

Sr. Miriam (left) is congratulated
by Sr. Eileen McCann



Sr. Francine (right) celebrates the
end of her term

Sr. Rosario at the reception

Leadership Development: Striving for Spiritual Intellegence

Musicians provided music that added
 to the prayer and theme of each day

We began Sunday morning singing, "There is a longing in our hearts, O God, for you to reveal yourself to us, there is a longing in our hearts for love we only find in you, our God."  This longing for that deep knowing echoed throughout the day as we continued to identify those barriers to effective relating and leading.


Sr. Lynn Levo

There was time to renew old friendships
 and make new friends

 

Throughout the day there was
time for sharing at our tables.
It was obvious that as we were
getting to know one another better,
the depth of sharing was deepening

Sr. Lynn Levo led us through a day of input and reflection on Spiritually Intelligent Leadership, helping us recognize some of the habits that may be hindering our ability to work effectively  with others and manage our workload so that we do not burn out.  She offered 3 ways to think about flexibility and collaboration and concluding with a reminder that hope matters. Throughout the day you could see the nods as she shared on each topic indicating that she was speaking about issues with which many could identify.


Evening offered a great time to get
to know each other better in an
informal setting.



Sr. Lynn Levo (right) engaged
 in conversation during a break

One of the great joys of this program has been the ability to engage the presenters informally during meals and breaks.  All the presenters are very approachable and available.

And in the evening, the sisters enjoyed playing cards.

Hand and Foot remains the card game
 of choice for Federation gatherings

Sr. Dolores Clerico (left) chats with
 one of the participants



There were many light moments,
such as when during a break, two sisters
got up to entertain us

A Day of Challenge

On this second full day at the Leadership Development Program, Sr. Joan Sobala spoke with us about the positive implications of being steadfast.  Using the Isaiah 11:1-10 reading, she pointed out to us that this reading challenges us to do impossible things; wolves lying down with lambs for example. She reminded us that being steadfast is not easy, it requires work and desire.  We only learn to be

Sr. Joan Sobala

steadfast by practice and watching others who can inspire us.  In many situations the task is bigger than our lifetime and we won't live to see the outcome. She reminded us that John the Baptist had a big vision and he knew it was going to get him into trouble, but he stayed the course, even to his death.



Peggy McAlister

We spent the day working with Peggy McAlister who had been the coach for most of the sisters as we sorted through our Leadership Circle profile, the tool we used to assess our leadership strengths and areas for growth.  Peggy began by asking

We used a relational circle which
 helped us understand our test results better

us to recognize what isn't working anymore in hierarchical ways that leadership is often practiced.  She shared that there are 3 practices which are emerging as essential tools for an effective leader, 1) have a clear purpose, 2) be a compassionate presence, and 3) engage in partnerships- the day of the hero and the lone wolf are over.



Working in pairs, we jumped in to
facing  our worst  fears about
 ourselves  and our abilities

This exercise brought us closer together
 as a group committed to the mission
 of the program

We spent some time focusing on our purpose and then dealing with messages that we give ourselves that restrict our abilities to be effective.  She used a skill-based learning approach that through some slight exaggerations enabled us to actually experience the triggers in our bodies that warn us of the barriers we are erecting that inhibit effective connections with others.  While we were working with these exercises, there was a noticeable change in the energy and intensity in the room.  I can't even find words to explain it but it was obvious that people were experiencing major insights and break-throughs that were freeing them up. This became more obvious when we processed the experience together as a large group.

Sr. Mary Quinn is my mentor

The day ended with a meeting with our mentors
followed by more card playing and line dancing.  We are definitely connecting with each other at many levels, emotionally and socially.

Leadership Development Program for Sisters of St Joseph begins in Racine, Wisconsin

Sr. Herlinda provides a dance to accompany the prayer

Sr. Barbara Bozak, Program Director

Sr. Mary Dacey challenged the group

Twenty-eight sisters under 62 year of age gathered to begin a year of further honing and developing their leadership skills at the first Leaders as Leaven program sponsored by the US Federation for its sisters.  I am one of the 28 sisters so I will try to give a first-hand account of what is happening here.
 
An opening ritual and a symbolic use of scarfs as part of the ambience and the prayer set the stage for what looks to be a powerful five days together.  Sr. Barbara Bozak welcomed the group and set the tone on Thursday evening.  Sisters from Los Angeles and New York joined us late due to fogged in flights. 
In the opening prayer, the readings helped us reflect on leadership.  Sr. Mary Dacey, as part of the prayer, helped us to see the importance of leadership at this moment in history in religious life and the world.  She challenged us to use this opportunity to further develop our skills as leaders.

Sr. Dolores Clerico presented some
 old material with a new twist
 

On Friday, Sr. Dolores Clerico focused her talk on the core values of the Sisters of St Joseph by providing a brief overview of how evolving consciousness has impacted our view of leadership, where the church has evolved to at this time and then a new look at the core values of the Sisters of St Joseph.



Sr. Ginny Maitland
serves as facilitator
 

One of the highlights of this gathering is to meet sisters that I do not know and catch up with friends.  I had a very stimulating lunch discussion with Sr. Susan Wilcox and others at our table as we discussed the powerful energy connections that can heal the world.  Of course, it wouldn't be a US Federation event if we didn't play "Hand and Foot," a card game in the evening.  Last night six of us joined together.  Sr. Rosanne Oberleitner reminded us of the rules and Sr. Ginny Maitland served as coach for the three novice players.  Lots of fun and promises from others to join us tonight.

We have been joined at this event by 28 wisdom sisters who will serve as our mentor for this year period of growth in leadership.  I was extremely happy to have a meeting with my mentor, Sr. Mary Quinn.  As seems to be the sense among those of us participating, the matching of the sister with a mentor seems to have gone very well. 

Today we meet with two staff from the Leadership Circle who will continue the process of helping us learn how to use the Leadership Circle Profile, a tool that we and those we work with filled out.  It is compared with a vast database of the results of many thousands of leaders who have also taken this profile.  It provides helpful feedback on areas of strength and areas that could be further developed. 

I'll keep you posted on how the days go.




Sr. Donna Del Santo led us in song