Congregational Statement on Zero Tolerance Immigration Policy

A painting by Kim Vanderheiden of Oakland

We, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, oppose and condemn the unjust implementation of the “zero tolerance” immigration policies.  

Our values and the Gospel of Jesus Christ impel us to reject completely any policy that ignores and defiles the dignity of the human person, and uses the most vulnerable among us for political purposes.

We join our voices and our concerns with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Catholic Health Association, and many other organizations, denominations, and faith and civic leaders in condemning this policy.   We urge members of the United States Congress to act immediately to halt the unjust, immoral and unconscionable implementation of this policy.

“What you do to the least of these, you do to me” (Matthew 25:40).

With Refugees!

TODAY is World Refugee Day. The plight of refugees connects to all other areas of justice, peace, and the care of creation.  There are populations of refugees known as climate refugees who are forced to flee their homes and country due to the impacts of climate change.  There are refugees who are fleeing poverty and violence in their native countries – a poverty and violence often caused and/or supported by other world powers.  We know that refugees are at greater risk for becoming victims of human trafficking due to their vulnerable and desperate situations.  

Refugees seeking asylum in the United States and other countries are being locked up, separated from their families, and denied their basic human rights.  The reality of refugees helps us to see how all life on this planet is connected, and how we all have a responsibility to alleviate the conditions that cause people to flee from their homes, and also offer hospitality and welcome to those who come to our countries seeking safety and a better life for their families.     

We hope that everyone finds at least one way commemorate World Refugee Day by raising awareness, joining in prayer, and/or taking action to defend the rights of refugees.  Our faith calls us to welcome the foreigner and offer hospitality to those in need, “for just as you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for me [Jesus, the Incarnate Word]” (Mt 25, 40).  

Action ideas: goo.gl/j13cXf 

¿Dónde están los niños?

Nuestras Hermanas CCVI: Yolanda, Leticia,
Mary Margareth, Jean y Martha Ann.

Cientos de personas de San Antonio nos reunimos el 31 de mayo de 2018 en Guadalupe Plaza, en San Antonio, TX, para mostrar nuestra preocupación por el trato dado a los inmigrantes y especialmente a los niños y niñas. Y es que cerca de 1,500 niños inmigrantes se han perdido en el sistema; mientras tanto, la actual administración republicana está aplicando una política para separar a los padres inmigrantes de sus hijos en la frontera. El padre Jimmy Drennan, el rabino Mara Nathan y otros líderes de fe se reunieron en el escenario para unir en oración a las familias.

Una maestra de sexto grado, una hondureña que ha estado en los Estados Unidos desde que tenía cinco años, dijo que ella y otros hondureños que huyeron de la violencia ahora han perdido su condición migratoria (DSP) y podrían ser deportados.
Una mujer guatemalteca cuyos hijos le fueron quitados habló sobre el dolor extremo que sintió "es más que perder un brazo o una pierna". Si bien recuperó a sus hijos, ahora ella estaba apelando a la humanidad del pueblo del gobierno de Estados Unidos "que también tiene hijos" para pensar en cómo se siente y recuperar la "humanidad".

Nicole, madre de tres hijas, dijo: "San Antonio gritó, en voz alta, contra la política de la Administración Trump de separar a las familias inmigrantes que buscan refugio en los Estados Unidos. Los niños necesitan a sus padres ESPECIALMENTE en tiempos de grandes cambios. No puedo imaginarme huir de un lugar violento con mis hijos, llegar a Estados Unidos para solicitar asilo (algo que es JURÍDICO y humano), solo para que mis hijos sean arrancados y enviados a miles de millas de distancia para ser detenidos por separado en un lugar desconocido.  The New York Times informó en abril que desde octubre de 2017, 700 familias habían sido separadas en la frontera. #BastaDeSepararFamilias

Escribe: Sister Martha Ann Kirk CCVI

Take Action: #FamiliesBelongTogether

Children are being separated from their parents at the U.S. / Mexico border. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have separated babies/young children from their mothers and fathers.

Separating children from their mothers “amounts to arbitrary and unlawful interference in family life, and is a serious violation of the rights of the child…the U.S. should immediately halt this practice of separating families and stop criminalizing what should at most be an administrative offense — that of irregular entry or stay in the U.S.” Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. June 5, 2018

Please contact Attorney General Jeff Sessions: (202)-353-1555, and make your voice be heard. Call as often as possible. We suggest you use the text shown below:
We want the immigration agencies — ICE, Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Refugee Resettlement — to stop the implementation of any policy that separates children and youth from their families. We urge the Administration to enlist qualified non-profit social service agencies to ensure the well-being of all children who are in their custody. Additionally, we disagree with your decision that domestic violence and gang violence are no longer grounds for asylum.

Call your Senator: 1-888-897-9753, now to raise political will to address the family separation crisis. When you call, here’s what you might say:
“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY/TOWN]. I am outraged over reports of family separation at the U.S. border, and I am calling because I want you as my elected official to do something about it. There are some legislative proposals, like the HELP Separated Children Act (S. 2937) of 2018 and the Keep Families Together Act (S. 3036) that would address this problem. Does the Senator support this legislation? What else are they doing to address family separation at the border?” 

Read more about these legislative proposals on NETWORK’s blog: https://networklobby.org/20180611immigration/

Download a 2 page flyer with this information and additional background information HERE

#FamiliasUnidasNoDivididas Manifestacion en San Luis, MO

Manifestacion frente del viejo Palacio de Justicia en San Luis
para protestar la politica de separar familias en la frontera

El jueves 14 de junio, miles de personas en más de 75 ciudades de los Estados Unidos participaron enmarchas y manifestaciones para declarar que las familias deben estar unidas no divididas y para oponerse a las políticas inhumanas e inmorales del gobierno de los Estados Unidos que incluyen la separación de padres y madres de sus hijos y hijas sin decirles dónde están o cuándo los volverán a ver. Incluso se ha informado que algunos funcionarios de ICE les dicen a los padres que nunca volverán a ver a sus hijos y hijas. Los/las niños/as separados de sus padres están siendo almacenados en jaulas improvisadas en tiendas reutilizadas como el Wal-Mart en Brownsville, TX. Las Naciones Unidas incluso han intervenido para recordar al gobierno de los Estados Unidos que es ilegal debajo del derecho internacional separar a las familias de los/las migrantes y refugiados; viola sus derechos humanos.

La hermana Anne Marie Burke CCVI y Jennifer Reyes Lay

En San Louis, MO, las Hermanas de la Caridad del Verbo Encarnado estuvieron representadas por la presencia de Sor Anne Marie Burke CCVI y Jennifer Reyes Lay (Subdirectora de la Oficina de JPIC CCVI) quienes asistieron a la marcha local. Alrededor de 150 personas se congregaron frente al antiguo Palacio de Justicia en el centro de la cuidad donde hace un siglo se vendieron esclavos: cuerpos negros que se consideraban menos que humanos y, por lo tanto, propiedad de otros cuerpos blancos. Aquellos/as reunidos/as audazmente declararon "Nunca Más" permitiríamos que los seres humanos sean tratados como propiedad, como algo menos que humano, como la actual política de inmigración es tratar a los hombres, mujeres y niños/as que huyen de la violencia y la pobreza en sus propios países.

Los y las oradores en la manifestación también incluyeron voces de mujeres judías y musulmanas, latinos y organizadores comunitarios, políticos locales y familias, incluidos niños que hablaron en contra del trato inhumano de otros niños como ellos.

Tomando la caye en protesta del tratamiento de
las familias migrantes y refugiadas.

Después de los discursos en el Viejo Palacio de Justicia hubo una marcha por las calles hacia el Tribunal Federal. Aproximadamente a mitad de camino, los organizadores y participantes tomaron las calles y cerraron una importante intersección por al menos 5 minutos para hacer escuchar su mensaje y exigir justicia para las familias de inmigrantes y refugiados. Al final de la marcha, hubo un período de silencio para recordar a todos y todas los/las que murieron al intentar cruzar la frontera, o a manos de la Migra y policia mientras estaban detenidos.

Un niño participa en el momento de silencio.
Su letrero dice "No separas a las familias"

A todos y todas presentes se les recordó la importancia de su voto al elegir políticos que defenderán la justicia y defenderán a los/las más vulnerables en nuestras comunidades para proteger sus derechos humanos. Recien se presentó un proyecto de ley en el Senado llamado "Keep Families Together Act" patrocinado por la Senadora Dianne Feinstein (S.3036). Lo alentamos a que se comunique con sus senadores y les pida que copatrocinen este proyecto de ley y lo pongan en la vía rápida para pasar al Congreso para su aprobación.

#FamiliesBelongTogether Rally in Saint Louis

Event organizers and supporters gather in front of the
Old Court House in downtown St. Louis.

On Thursday, June 14th tens of thousands of people in over 75 cities across the United States participated in marches and rallies to declare that Families Belong Together and to oppose the current inhuman and immoral policies of the United States government which include separating parents from their children without telling them where they are or when they will see them again.  Some ICE officials have even been reported to tell parents that they will never see their children again.  The children that are taken are being warehoused in makeshift cages in re-purposed stores such as a Wal-Mart in Brownsville, TX.  The United Nations has even stepped in to remind the United States government that it is illegal under international law to separate migrant and refugee families; it violates their human rights. 

Sr. Anne Marie Burke CCVI (left) and Jennifer Reyes Lay

In St. Louis, MO the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word were represented by the presence of Sr. Anne Marie Burke CCVI and Jennifer Reyes Lay (Assistant Director of the CCVI JPIC Office) who attended the local march and rally.  Around 150 people gathered in front of the Old Courthouse downtown where a century earlier slaves were sold: black bodies that were deemed less than human and therefore the property of other white bodies.  Those gathered boldly declared "Never Again" would we allow human beings to be treated as property, as less than fully human, like the current immigration policy is treating the men, women, and children fleeing violence and poverty in their own countries. 

Speakers at the rally also included voices of Jewish and Muslim women, Latinos and community organizers, local politicians, and families including children who spoke out against the inhumane treatment of other children just like them. 

Demonstrators block a downtown intersection while
chanting for justice for immigrant families

After the rally at the Old Court House there was a march through the streets to the Federal Courthouse.  About mid-way there, organizers and participants took to the streets and shut down a major intersection for at least 5 minutes to make their message heard and demand justice for migrant and refugee families.  At the conclusion of the march, there was a period of silence to remember all those who have died either trying to cross the border, or at the hands of ICE and immigration while being detained. 

A young boy participates in the moment of silence
holding his sign that says "Don't tear families apart"

Everyone present was reminded of the importance of their vote in electing politicians who will defend justice and speak up for the most vulnerable in our communities to protect their human rights. A bill was just recently presented in the Senate called the "Keep Families Together Act" sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (S.3036).  We encourage you to reach out to your senators and ask them to co-sponsor this bill and put it on the fast track to move through Congress for approval. 

20 puntos de acción - Refugiados y Migrantes

La migración global es un gran desafío para gran parte del mundo actual y una prioridad para la Iglesia Católica. En palabras y hechos, el Papa Francisco muestra repetidamente su profunda compasión por todos los desplazados. Testigo de sus encuentros con migrantes y refugiados en las Islas de Lampedusa y Lesbos. Testigo de su llamado a que se abracen plenamente: acoger, proteger, promover e integrar a los migrantes, los refugiados y las víctimas de la trata de personas.

Así la Sección de Migrantes y Refugiados, guiada por el Santo Padre, insta a las Conferencias Episcopales a que expliquen los Pactos y los Puntos a sus parroquias y organizaciones eclesiales con la esperanza de fomentar una solidaridad más efectiva con los migrantes y los refugiados. Dada la gran variedad de temas tratados en los Puntos, cada Conferencia Episcopal debería seleccionar los puntos más relevantes para su situación nacional y llevarlos a la atención de su Gobierno, específicamente a los ministros responsables de las negociaciones del país sobre los Global Compacts. Cada país ya ha comenzado a preparar su posición y las negociaciones tendrán lugar durante los primeros seis u ocho meses de 2018. Los mismos puntos en un lenguaje más formal, para su uso en la incidencia política, pueden encontrarse en el documento 20 Action Points for the Global Compacts.

Los 20 Puntos se ofrecen como consideraciones valiosas a todas las personas de buena voluntad que estén dispuestas a implementarlas y abogar por su inclusión en las negociaciones de su país. Líderes y miembros de todas las religiones y organizaciones de la sociedad civil son bienvenidos a unirse a este esfuerzo. Unámonos para acoger, proteger, promover e integrar a las personas obligadas a abandonar su hogar y buscar uno nuevo entre nosotros.

El contenido de este documento esta organizado:

1.     Acoger: Aumento de las rutas seguras y legales para los migrantes y refugiados

2.     Proteger: Defensa de los Derechos y la Dignidad de los Migrantes y Refugiados

3.     Promover: Fomento del desarrollo humano integral de los migrantes y refugiados

4.     Integrar: Mayor participación de migrantes y refugiados para enriquecer las comunidades locales

Puedes descargar el documento aquí: http://bit.do/respuesta20Acciones

Oración por las Personas Refugiadas

Dios de Misericordia,
te pedimos por todos los hombres, mujeres, niñas y niños
que han muerto después de haber dejado su tierra,
buscando una vida mejor.

Aunque muchas de sus tumbas no tienen nombre,
para ti cada uno es conocido, amado y predilecto.

Que jamás les olvidemos,
sino que honremos su sacrificio, con obras más que con palabras.

Te confiamos a quienes han realizado este viaje,
afrontando el miedo, la incertidumbre y la humillación,
para alcanzar un lugar de seguridad y de esperanza.

Así como tú no abandonaste a tu Hijo
cuando José y María fueron buscando un lugar seguro,
muéstrate cercano a estas hijas e hijos tuyos
a través de nuestra ternura y protección.

Haz que, con nuestra atención hacia ellos y ellas,
promovamos un mundo en el que nadie se vea forzado a dejar su propia casa
y todos puedan vivir en libertad, dignidad y paz.

Dios de misericordia, Madre y Padre de todos,
despiértanos de la indiferencia,
abre nuestros ojos a sus sufrimientos
y líbranos de la insensibilidad, fruto del bienestar mundano
y del encerrarnos en nosotras(os) mismas(os).

Ilumina a las naciones, comunidades y a cada una(o) de nosotras(os),
para que reconozcamos como nuestros hermanos y hermanas
a quienes llegan a nuestras calles.

Ayúdanos a compartir con ellas y ellos las bendiciones
que hemos recibido de tus manos y a reconocer que juntas(os),
como una única familia humana,
somos todas(os) emigrantes, viajeras(os) de esperanza hacia ti,
que eres nuestra verdadera casa,
allí donde toda lágrima será enjugada,
donde estaremos en la paz y seguros en tu abrazo.

Amén

Prayer for Refugees

Prayer of Pope Francis for Refugees 

Merciful God,

we pray to you for all the men, women and children 

who have died after leaving their homelands 

in search of a better life. 

Though many of their graves bear no name, 

to you each one is known, loved and cherished.
May we never forget them, 

but honor their sacrifice with deeds more than words.

 

We entrust to you all those who have made this journey, 

enduring fear, uncertainty and humiliation, 

in order to reach a place of safety and hope.

Just as you never abandoned your Son 

as he was brought to a safe place by Mary and Joseph, 

so now be close to these, your sons and daughters, 

through our tenderness and protection.

In caring for them may we seek a world 

where none are forced to leave their home 

and where all can live in freedom, dignity and peace.

Merciful God and Parent of all, 

wake us from the slumber of indifference, 

open our eyes to their suffering, 

and free us from the insensitivity 

born of worldly comfort and self-centredness.

Inspire us, as nations, communities and individuals, 

to see that those who come to our shores 

are our brothers and sisters.

May we share with them 

the blessings we have received from your hand, 

and recognize that together, as one human family, 

we are all migrants, 

journeying in hope to you, our true home, 

where every tear will be wiped away, 

where we will be at peace and safe in your embrace.

Amen 

#DondeEstanLosNiños Manifestacion en San Antonio

Unos cientos de personas de San Antonio se reunieron el 31 de mayo de 2018 en Guadalupe Plaza en San Antonio, TX, para mostrar su preocupación por el trato dado a los inmigrantes y especialmente a los/las niños/as que sufren. Cerca de 1,500 niños/as inmigrantes se han perdido en el sistema, mientras tanto, la actual administración republicana está aplicando una política para separar a los padres y las madres inmigrantes de sus hijos/as en la frontera. El padre Jimmy Drennan, el rabino Mara Nathan y otros líderes de fe se reunieron en el escenario para unir en oración con las familias impactadas por esas politicas.

Las hermanas CCVI Yolanda Tarango, Leti Rodriguez, 

Mary Margaret Bright, Jean Durel, y Martha Ann Kirk 

estaban presentes.  

Una maestra de sexto grado quien proviene de Honduras y ha estado en los Estados Unidos desde que tenía cinco años, dijo que ella y otros hondureños que huyeron de la violencia ahora han perdido su permiso de TPS y pueden ser deportados. Una mujer guatemalteca cuyos hijos fueron sacados de ella habló sobre el dolor extremo que sentía "como perder un brazo o una pierna". Finalmente ella recuperó a sus hijos. Ahora ella estaba apelando a la humanidad de personas en el gobierno de los Estados Unidos "que también tienen hijos" para pensar en cómo se siente y "ser humano."

Nicole Foy, Assistant Director de Women’s Global Connection 

y miembro del CCVI Comite Internacional JPIC (derecha) 

y Cynthia Layton, abogada de inmigracion (izquierda).

Nicole, madre de tres hijas, dijo: "San Antonio gritó esta noche en voz alta contra la política de la Administración Trump de separar a las familias inmigrantes que buscan refugio en los Estados Unidos. Los/las niños/as necesitan a sus padres y madres ESPECIALMENTE en tiempos de grandes cambios. No puedo imaginarme huir de un lugar violento con mis hijas, llegar a Estados Unidos para solicitar asilo (algo que es JURÍDICO y humano), solo para que mis hijas sean arrancadas y enviadas a miles de millas de distancia para ser detenidas en un lugar desconocido a mi. The New York Times informó en abril que desde octubre de 2017, 700 familias habían sido separadas en la frontera.

#familiasunidasnodividas

Congresista Joaquin Castro, Representante del Estado Diego Bernal 

hablaron de la necesidad de proteger los/las niños/as quienes estan

en mayor riesgo de violencia y trata de personas. 

Escrito originalmente en Ingles por la Hermana Martha Ann Kirk CCVI

Material Educativo - Día Internacional de las Personas Refugiadas

El presente recurso es una oportunidad para fomentar que los y las jóvenes conozcan mejor la realidad que viven las personas refugiadas en el mundo y se comprometan con esta situación. 

La Unidad Didáctica contiene propuestas adaptadas por edades para trabajar con grupos de 8 a 15 años. Este recurso tiene como objetivo que niñas, niños y jóvenes identifiquen acciones que puedan realizar para promover la creación de una cultura de acogida en sus entornos.

Descarga el Recurso:
http://bit.do/recursoeducativoRefugiados

20 Action Points for Refugees and Immigrants

From the beginning of his pontificate, using persuasive words and deeds, Pope Francis has urged the Church to accompany all people who are compelled to leave their country. In 2017, he established the Migrants and Refugees Section (M&R) to help him implement this pastoral objective. While M&R forms part of the new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development under the direction of Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Section is personally guided by the Holy Father for the time being. Concerned with immediate humanitarian needs as well as long-term integral human development, the M&R Section focuses on the legal and policy frameworks which govern migration; on understanding the structural causes of forced displacement; and on achieving beneficial changes in the long run. 

Migration has four possible stages. Migrants may be leaving their place of origin; in transit; arriving, with its subsequent process of integration; and perhaps choosing or obliged to return to their former homeland. In each of these stages, what is happening and why it is happening are of great interest. The Church encourages the Catholic faithful and everyone of good will to respond personally and communally to the material and spiritual needs of asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons and victims of human trafficking.

Pope Francis knows what asylum-seekers, migrants and refugees need. We should welcome and protect them, he says, we should promote and integrate them. To do all this, here are some resources you can use in your community or parish … plus some policies to advocate in your country and at the U.N. level.

20 Pastoral Action Items:

Depending where you live, you may find refugees and migrants arriving, leaving, passing through, settling, and even returning to their place of origin. This is your chance to get personally involved in practical and spiritual ways. Lend them a hand and become their neighbor.

DOWNLOAD HERE


20 Government Action Items:
What about the laws and policies which govern human mobility in your own country and all over the world? Take these policy proposals up in your dialogue with your government and international organizations as they prepare the new Global Compacts on Migrants and on Refugees in 2018.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Full Packet
And you can also download the full packet of all the above information, including Pope Francis' message for World Day of Peace on Migrants and Refugees. This booklet presents three documents which provide the teaching, reflections and pastoral guidance of Pope Francis regarding the various issues concerning migrants and refugees. 

DOWNLOAD HERE 

World Refugee Day and Human Trafficking

On World Refugee Day, June 20, we take time to remember the strength, courage, and resilience of the millions forced to flee their homes by violence of every kind. Today, more than 50 million people are displaced by war and violence, some 33.3 million in their own country and 16.7 million as refugees, mostly in neighboring countries. Every 15 minutes a family is forced to flee their homeland.

The US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking Advocacy Working Group has prepared a Toolkit for World Refugee Day, highlighting the connection between the plight of refugees and their vulnerability to human trafficking.  Men, women, and children are made vulnerable to human trafficking by the mass displacement caused by violence, extreme poverty, humanitarian crises, natural disasters, and conflict. Impoverished, vulnerable people are targeted by traffickers who promise to provide education and opportunity only to exploit them through forced labor, sexual exploitation, enslavement, or organ theft.

We invite you to take action on June 20, World Refugee Day to #StopRefugeeTrafficking.

1) We are asking you to make calls to your senators asking the senators to support the bipartisan bill, S. 1580. Here is a sample script, talking points, and a link to the bill. https://bit.ly/2Jmg51T

Call your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor the bi-partisan S. 1580, “Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act.”  You can find your Senators’ contact information here. Alternatively you can call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office.

Suggested Script: 
I’m your constituent from [CITY/TOWN] and as a person of faith [and a Catholic sister], on World Refugee Day I urge you to do all that you can to protect and support refugees and to ensure that our country fulfills its legal and moral obligation to welcome refugees.

Today, more than 22 million people have been forced to flee their countries to escape violence, persecution, or natural disasters. More than half of these refugees are children. Refugee children, especially girls, are vulnerable to human trafficking, early marriage, and forced labor. Providing opportunities for education is one way to reduce their risk of being trafficked.

You can support refugee children by co-sponsoring the bi-partisan S. 1580“Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act.” This bill will help to ensure that refugee children, especially girls, have access to education that will strengthen and empower them. 

2)  View the World Refugee day Campaign materials on the USCSAHT website for additional action items.

3)  Resources to help you plan to #StopRefugeeTrafficking:

• Backgrounder on connection between refugees and human trafficking.
• Social media content for use on Facebook and Twitter.
• Stories of refugees and trafficking survivors.

4)  Additional resources from our friends and colleagues:

• World Refugee Day 2018 Toolkit from Justice for Immigrants Campaign (JFI).
• Refugees Welcome Toolkit from Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC).
• Refugee Council USA’s World Refugee Day Tool Kit.
• Global Week of Action, June 17-24, from Share the Journey.

Support Immigrant Dads this Father's Day

Fathers’ Day is just around the corner. Our friends at the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) have developed a resource to help us all celebrate immigrant dad’s.

All fathers make sacrifices to give their children the best life possible, but migrant fathers face the additional task of navigating a brand new world to do so. The current political climate has created many other challenges for them over the past year.

Click Here for five ways you can help immigrant dads this Father’s Day.

A Prayer for Immigrant Fathers

Dear Lord, 

We offer a prayer for all fathers torn from their homes 

Whether mentally by worry 

Or physically by injustice. 

Please watch over them, guide them 

Allow them to return to a world of peace 

Sprung from watching their children flourish. 

May they never again fear a knock at the door 

For by then they will know full well 

That they are protected by your light 

And anyone who approaches it is touched by it as well 

Amen

Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace

Inspired by a reinvigorated conversation about nonviolence within the Catholic Church, Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace is an 8-week JustFaith Ministries program focusing on nonviolence from a Christian perspective. Based on Jesus as model of nonviolence, the program takes participants through explorations from self-focused nonviolence to what nonviolence can look like on a national or global scale. The program includes prayer, mind- and heart-opening readings and videos, spiritual exercises, dialogue, and invitations to action.

This program was developed in partnership with Maryknoll.

Sessions
Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace consists of eight 2 ½-hour sessions. All sessions include prayer, dialogue, active listening, and relationship-building. Some sessions may include videos and/or a guest speaker. 

Participation
JustFaith Ministries recommends that a group be approximately eight to fifteen people.  Groups are co-facilitated by one or two participants.

Resources
Participants deepen their understanding through in-depth reading and viewing videos and online materials. The most essential resource is the community formed through the process.

Immersion Experience
To broaden perspectives, Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace includes an immersion. Participants visit local organizations to learn from those involved with the issue.

To learn more and register a group CLICK HERE

Sr. Teresa Maya CCVI Participates in Georgetown Panel

Sister Teresa Maya was invited by Georgetown University’s Initiative for Catholic Social Thought and Public Life  to join a panel discussion on “Healing a Polarized America," June 4th, in Washington, D.C.  She was joined by three other panel members, Cardinal Blase Cupich (Chicago), Archbishop Jose Gomez (Los Angeles), and Professor Helen Alvare (George Mason University).  

You can access the discussion by clicking on the following link:

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/06/05/georgetown-panel-explores-healing-a-polarized-america/

Faith & Action First Fridays

Have you signed up for Faith & Action First Fridays yet? Don't miss out this Friday, June 1st and each first Friday following. Sign up today to receive one email each month with the most impactful information to help you bring Christ’s mercy to the broken system of capital punishment.

Your voice is critical in calling for life. Each First Friday, one email will arrive in your inbox with a single legislative action, a current call for clemency, a timely liturgical resource, and a key educational tool to enable you to make a difference. Ending the death penalty is within reach!

Faith & Action First Fridays draws on a centuries-old Catholic tradition. First Friday devotions recognize that people deeply desire to be drawn closer to and learn from the Sacred Heart of Christ, which is full of love and mercy for humanity. 

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UIW Participates in SA300 Tree-Centennial Program

By Teofilo Reyes, Ettling Center for Civic Leadership & Sustainability Community Outreach Coordinator, and Phillip Lopes, Assistant Facilities Director and Energy and the Environment Subcommittee Member.  Article originally appeared on UIW blog. 

The University of the Incarnate Word took part in San Antonio’s Tree-Centennial program on Tuesday, May 2. The Tree-Centennial initiative, led and managed by the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, honors San Antonio’s Tricentennial (SA300) celebration to enhance the city’s tree canopy and green spaces by planting 300 trees over the course of 2018.

The program was launched with tree plantings at various higher education institutions across the city. The University of the Incarnate Word is a prominent institution for higher learning, not just in San Antonio or across the Texas region, but globally – serving students and communities throughout the world. UIW is participating in the Tree-Centennial program because it embodies the spirit of “citizenship and commitment to community” by bettering the places where we live, learn, labor and enjoy leisure in our city.

We chose to plant this beautiful Sierra Oak tree at the University of Incarnate Word’s new School of Osteopathic Medicine because this young oak tree will symbolize the budding growth and grandeur these medical students will achieve through serving the health needs of patients around the globe. We worked with our friends at Mortellaro’s Nursery in Schertz, Texas to find a fresh tree that is strong and beautiful, but also one that is native to the south, tolerant of heat and requires little watering once established. The Sierra Oak was the perfect fit.

Tree-Centennial is another great opportunity for UIW to expand its sustainability efforts across the San Antonio community. Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ demonstrates the responsibility not only as a single organization, but as habitants of this wonderful planet to take care of one another through compassion and action.  Tree-Centennial is another step forward for UIW students, staff, and faculty to engage and educate the community on the various social, economic, and health benefits of being environmentally conscious.

Sustainability balances human development and growth with the welfare of the natural world, both in the present and for the future. The emphasis placed on social justice by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and the establishment of care for creation as a tenet of Catholic social teaching inspiring sustainability as a part of the university’s legacy. The University is committed to meeting people’s cultural, educational, economic, and ecological needs in ways that protect and restore the natural environment.

SA300 has beautifully celebrated the many facets that make San Antonio unique, and Tree-Centennial is another great example of what sustainability means to the citizens of San Antonio and the city’s legacy.