Our Work for Justice

February 20th marks the annual World Day of Social Justice, as established by the General Assembly of the United Nations, and this year our Congregation is also celebrating 150 years of promoting human dignity.  This is definitely a sacred time for us to look back with gratitude, act in the present with passion, and dream of the future with hope. 

Our work for justice is led by our International Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Committee and Office, better known as JPIC for short.  Sr. Katty Huanuco CCVI is the Director of the JPIC Office and Sr. Martha Ann Kirk CCVI is the Chair of the JPIC Committee. 

The International JPIC Committee includes collaborators and sisters from Mexico, Peru, and the United States, supporting the entire Congregation and our Ministries to understand and get involved in the work for social justice from a global perspective. 

Since 1869 to the present day, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word have responded to the injustices of their times through their various ministries.  Solidarity with the suffering people of God is imperative to our call to make real and tangible the merciful love of the Incarnate Word in the world today.

Through the Incarnation, God is shows solidarity with the most vulnerable and marginalized.  That is why in 1984 during the General Chapter, the Congregation adopted a preferential option for the poor as a response to injustice.  This also created our Pastoral Popular work in Mexico.  Committed to helping realize the Kingdom of God here and now, in 1998 the U.S. province adopted a Corporate Stance against the death penalty, and in 2006 signed on to the Earth Charter.  The Congregation also established the ministry of Headwaters in San Antonio, to live our call to protect and care for God’s creation. 

Our commitment was again strengthened in 2008 when the Congregation formed the International Justice and Peace Committee which, “utilizes all methods possible to educate, inform, and form members of the Congregation in the ways of Justice and Peace, and exercise corporate power and congregational influence to promote systemic change.[1]”

Conscious of the global reality in which we live and trying to radically follow the Incarnate Word, in 2015 the Congregation created the Congregational Office for Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) as one of the most concrete ways to respond to our call to: “seriously commit to the poor and vulnerable and collaborate with individuals and organizations that share our same values, taking the risk of a prophetic and corporate stance in favor of justice, peace, and the care of creation.[2]”

In this journey to collaborate for social justice, we have discovered that injustice is rooted in the misuse and abuse of power, resources continue to be concentrated in the hands of a few, and women are still the most vulnerable to different forms of oppression.

Therefore our priorities in our work for peace and justice are the same as those in Catholic Social Teaching.  The four main areas around which we organize our work are: ecology, human rights, poverty, and immigration.  Each year, JPIC chooses particular themes in which to focus for that year.  In 2019 the focus of our creativity, prayer, and collaborative work is to build a culture of peace and nonviolence. 

Our methods of promoting social justice take many forms such as: preparing prayer resources, reflections on the relationship between faith, spirituality, and sustainable living, promoting corporate statements and actions against human trafficking, in support of immigrants and refugees, promoting the care of creation and peacemaking, and actively participating in local, national, and international networks with individuals and groups working for social justice. 

 We strive to ‘defend the right, without any discrimination, to a natural and social environment that promotes human dignity, health, and spiritual well-being with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.[3]’  We want to respond as mystical and prophetic, creative and audacious women, in light of the realities of death that unjust systems generate.[4]

We long to reveal the Good News of the Gospel: sharing the non-violent love of Jesus Christ, advocating for just laws and policies in society, promoting collaboration at all levels, living in a way such that all life can thrive, serving the common good with a preferential option for the poor and radiating joy.[5]

To achieve this vision we invite all people to join our commitment to collaborate ‘with those in networks working for justice, peace and the care for creation, focused on the poor and vulnerable, joining efforts in the daily work to incarnate Jesus in the world.[6]'

---

[1] Chapter Acts 2008 

[2] Chapter Acts 2014

[3] Earth Charter

[4] Chapter Acts 2018

[5] Congregational Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation – Vision Statement 

[6] Chapter Acts 2018

Testimony from Sr. Bertha Flores on Ministering to Migrants in El Paso, TX

There are no words to describe what a shelter is. Only when one is a witness of the relief provided to so many people, can one value and appreciate a shelter in all its magnitude. We were blessed recently to be part of the solidarity shown to immigrants at the St. Charles Shelter in El Paso, Texas, and to see how it attracts, as a magnet, the unity of other people and institution. We arrived at the shelter on Monday, November 4, 2018. The staff toured the facilities with us and explained the policies and daily procedures.

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in El Paso, TX

The Saint Charles Shelter operates with a team of volunteers, most of whom are women 50 years old or older, who provide services to the migrants related to food, lodging, laundry, and telephone connections with their relatives or with those who will receive them. They also provide transportation services to bus stations or to the airport. Ten full-time volunteers live at the shelter.

The maximum capacity at the shelter is 100. Thirty to forty migrants arrive daily; at times this number increases to sixty or seventy. They come from Honduras, San Salvador, Guatemala a, d Brazil and stay for two or three days.

Volunteers cook and serve breakfast. Lunch and dinner are prepared by different groups from parishes in El Paso and neighboring places. Towels and sheets used by the refugees are washed daily; blankets are disinfected with spray.

Every day, a bus drives people from Migration Detention Centers to the eight different shelters in El Paso. Most of them are detained at these shelters from four to fifteen days where they receive only one meal a day and can bathe only once during their stay. The temperature in the Detention Centers is kept low, so when the immigrants reach the shelter, they are exhausted, and most of the children have colds. Most immigrants travel with one or two children, and some bring babies.

Many experience various forms of stress. One afternoon, a woman who traveled alone with her five-year old child fainted while she was waiting to take a shower. The child was very scared and cried. He feared that his mother could die. Those minutes seemed like hours to us until his mother, a 24-year old woman, recovered.

When the immigrants arrive at the shelter, after we welcome them, they register and contact by telephone the people who will receive them in this country. They call across the country – to New Jersey, Maryland, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, California, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Texas, New México– and because they have no money, they ask their contacts to buy tickets for their trip. They are always hungry when they arrive. It is very moving to see how the babies “devour” food. If they drop a piece of food, they pick it up with their little hands and put it in their mouths. Sometimes the pieces of food are so small that they could be considered crumbs. It is difficult to hold back our tears when we see this. The babies are not the only ones who do this; children and adults do the same. After dinner, the atmosphere changes and they begin to feel the effects of the warm welcome and hospitality they have received.

Before their departure from the shelter, we give the migrants clothes suitable for the places where they will go. We also provide them with a backpack for their use during the trip containing items for personal hygiene, a towel, a blanket and a pillow.

But why do they come here?

Most of them are escaping from extreme poverty conditions and from the violence of organized crime which is increasing in Central America. Yesterday, a couple with three children arrived from Guatemala. They had to run away because two armed men, covered with hoods, demanded the payment of a fee for the small business they have there. Because they did not receive the fee, they shot the husband six times, at point-blank range, and they left him, presuming he was dead. Fortunately, he survived. He still has the marks of the six bullets around his waist and heart. One of the bullets broke a bone in his arm and he is wearing a metal support with six screws. Thanks be to God he is alive.

Yesterday, we received three small girls with their heads full of lice. They were very frightened and were crying. Thank God we had an excellent medicine cabinet so we could give them the first treatment. Word spread that I was excellent in treating this problem and I was told that others who needed attention would be referred to me!

Some of the immigrants arrive very ill with colds and other ailments. Yesterday, a boy and a girl with chicken pox came to the shelter. A doctor, who visits every day after work, immediately took the necessary precautions. The mothers take care of the smaller children and those who are ill.

The children are a living lesson of resilience. They arrive exhausted, sad and nervous, but the next day they are outside playing football and are happy! Usually, their parents join them.  Many mother care for the smallest ones or those who are sick.

As the days go by our energy is exhausted, and after a week we must take a pause and rest to recover strength and energy.   .

Hemispheric Meeting of Religious Networks Against Human Trafficking

Article originally published in Global Sisters Report by Soli Salgado

After Sr. Angélica Segoviano, an Oblate of the Most Holy Redeemer, wakes up at 5 a.m. and gets dressed for the day in Guatemala City, she goes to the chapel for an hour of silence. Here is where she restores her mind and heart, she says, a form of self-care and preparation for what awaits her that day.

Then she visits the brothels.

Introducing herself as a social worker to the man in charge, Segoviano is able to visit the women who are prostituted, gaining their trust before they open up to her about their lives and worries. They often ask her to pray with them so that they get clients that day, which to them means being able to feed their children or care for their sick mother.

"They give me the money and say, 'Buy medicine for my son, buy his diapers, buy him milk,' " Segoviano says. "And I say, 'What about for you?' 'No, nothing. For my children. Take it, please.' "

Though Segoviano's typical daily ministry is done solo, the Central American anti-trafficking network of women religious, Red Ramá, provides her and other sisters in this ministry with training and formation, including news and information on the issue in her region.

Similar networks of women religious combating human trafficking dot the globe, united under the umbrella of Talitha Kum, an intercongregational network of networks that facilitates collaboration between consecrated men and women in 76 countries. (Next year is its 10th anniversary.)

Displays from every country and network provided brochures and contact information throughout the anti-trafficking conference in Cleveland. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

At a Cleveland retreat center Oct. 24-27, the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking network brought together women religious throughout the Western Hemisphere to connect on their shared ministry. Presentations from all the networks, survivors as guest speakers, virtual classes, and group reflections allowed participants to share best practices and strengthen connections across borders.

"You can talk to them on the phone, that's one thing," said Margaret Nacke, a Sister of St. Joseph of Concordia and a co-sponsor of the U.S. network. "But what this has given us is a flavor, to look at who we are together in this hemisphere and how we can help one another."

Crossing borders, in the same room

Sisters and guests took the fabric butterflies on their tables and clipped them in their hair, on sweaters and nametags — a symbol of crossing borders to engage with one another. Headphones were linked to interpreters in the back of the room to bridge the four languages present: English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

With every network presenting the realities from their regions — their efforts, their resources and approaches — a common theme among all, from Canada to Argentina, was the tie between trafficking and migration. Having roughly 60 sisters in one room meant neighboring countries could brainstorm ways their networks could collaborate.

"The trafficking networks are extremely well-organized, so we have to maintain our connections and work in networks. Otherwise we won't get anywhere," said Joanne Pundyk, a sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Pundyk ministers in Masao, Brazil, a country whose border spans 10,500 miles and touches 10 countries. Much of what it borders is pure Amazonian forest with no population, let alone policing, making it "more susceptible to trafficking," she said. Brazil's anti-trafficking network is Um Grito Pela Vida (A Cry for Life).

During the cultural celebration on the conference's final night, Sr. Joanne Pundyk of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary dances the "quadrilha" from the northeastern region of Brazil, where she ministers. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

And with Brazil's new far-right president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, whose pro-torture and bigoted stances concern proponents of human rights, Pundyk anticipates a "harder time getting our work done," particularly with his antagonizing women, indigenous and LGBT people, who are most vulnerable to trafficking, she said.

"Some who are trans[gender] and want to have an operation to have physical changes, they're often lured, they're trafficked," she said. "They're being told they can earn a lot of money and have an operation, and when they get there, they're put into prostitution."

Sisters in Brazil and Colombia are both witnessing an influx of Venezuelan migrants crossing their borders and becoming easy targets for traffickers. Divine Savior Sr. Sandra Hernández, who ministers in Bogotá, Colombia, said this is one of the biggest challenges for Red Tamar, the country's network. It works to absorb into civil society the thousands of ex-combatants who, before the 2017 Colombian peace accord, had been living in forests and jungles.

"There aren't favorable conditions within education or health care because those resources were instead directed to weapons and state violence, exacerbating our social problems and especially for migrants and ex-soldiers," she said. "We have double the task."

With four languages in one room, sisters used interpreters and headsets for all the presentations. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

Hernández said human trafficking is easily manifested in institutions for education, with children being high-risk targets due to frequent teacher strikes and protests that put students on the streets instead of keeping them in class.

With the risks of trafficking increasing "within a migratory context," she said, her network lately has been focusing on the new arrivals from Venezuela who come with health problems, injuries or unmet basic needs, "as they're usually led into prostitution that's masked as opportunity."

But labor trafficking remains a prime concern when it comes to Venezuelan migrants, who are often paid half the Colombian minimum wage. "It's a challenging job because we're dealing with a number of forms of human trafficking that can be as invisible as the extraction of human organs or as contentious as the rehabilitation of children soldiers, who we consider victims of trafficking."

Ministering in El Salvador, Guardian Angel Sr. Carmela Gibaja Izquierdo said that one challenge is maintaining the connection between all the countries that belong to Red Ramá. This is because they're all countries of origin, transit and destination for traffickers. And while parishes and bishops' offices are involved in the issue of migration, she said trafficking "is still secondary" and has "not yet been deeply penetrated" as a problem.

More than 60 sisters traveled to Cleveland from all over the Western Hemisphere for the gathering on anti-trafficking ministries Oct. 24-27. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

Adopting an "intercongregational, interinstitutional" approach to tackling human trafficking, Gibaja said, "is the only way to respond to the complex problems; the response can't be simple" — a stance that all who spoke to GSR shared.

A three-year project in Uruguay provided training and awareness-raising among locals, with the help of Red Kawsay, the network that includes Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. "The idea was to generate trained actors to be able to respond to the situation," said Oblate of the Holy Redeemer Sr. Sandra Ortiz. The network's goals in the coming year, she said, are to tackle borders and provide more service to victims.

"Participating in [this conference] helps strengthen what's being done in our networks, whether we're few or many," she said. "It's important to listen to different experiences and to be able to think about where one is and how we approach our realities, even if other places seem much more advanced than us or have different opportunities. It always helps to share."

Sometimes the network can feel like "a tiny little dot in a country so big" like Argentina, said Missionary Social Service Sr. María Silvia Olivera. Partnering with lay and civil institutions can be a way of covering more ground — an approach she was keen on learning while at the conference. "Maybe we can't copy exact prescriptions, but it helps to be exposed to how others do things."

Each table wrote down their reflections following presentations by networks, then displayed them for everyone to read throughout the three days. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

The sisters in Canada, who belong to the network CATHII, indeed are considering adopting what the U.S. sisters shared in a presentation on training doctors and medical attendants to spot signs common among victims of trafficking.

"I think with CATHII we could do something like that," said Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Sr. Lise Gagnon. "Just as we already visit hotels, maybe we can visit emergency rooms, too, especially since the material is already there."

Why the sisters do what they do

When she was 14, Marlene Carson's middle-class family in Columbus, Ohio, welcomed a new couple moving into their neighborhood. Fully trusted by their neighbors, the couple's house became a hangout for kids after school; they'd invite Carson and her friends on little field trips, with each outing getting farther and farther from Columbus. When they invited the girls to New York City, Carson's mother said no, multiple times, until she finally caved, distracted by a family tragedy.

"We sang Christian songs all the way to New York City," Carson recalled of the drive.

Sisters visit with Marlene Carson, center, after Mass Oct. 26 for pictures and hugs. Carson spoke during the anti-trafficking conference of her experience being prostituted as a young teenager. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

After a day of shopping and tourism in the city, the girls were told to be back at the hotel at 8 p.m. to get dressed for a Broadway show. But instead, they were greeted with racks of see-through lace dresses, pasties and thongs.

When one of them protested, the man smacked her. That's when it dawned on 15-year-old Carson that they had gotten into something beyond their comprehension.

"That weekend, I was sold 27 times as a virgin girl raised in the church," she said. "That very first act, every dream, every desire, everything in me died that day. I never thought I'd be standing here telling anyone how great God is when something like this happens."

Carson and her friends were trafficked on the streets, in brothels and at professional sporting events.

Since escaping (the details of which she left out of her presentation), Carson founded Rahab's Hideaway, a restorative housing program for victims of human trafficking.

Flor Molina shares with the group her story surviving labor trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico border, where she was forced to live in a sewing factory. She has since worked with the sisters to pass legislation around this issue. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

When asked the highlight of the conference, the unanimous response among all who spoke with GSR was hearing Carson and Flor Molina, a victim of labor trafficking who now works with sisters on this issue. It served as a reminder of why they do what they do, they said, particularly in a field where one doesn't necessarily see the fruits of their work or a happy ending on the other side.

For Kathleen Bryant, a Religious Sister of Charity who is on the board of the U.S. sisters' network and was on the event's planning committee, the gathering helped the group become "sisters among sisters in the hemisphere."

"What I love is the recognition that we're all about the same mission and we're angry about what's happened to children, to women, to boys, to men in labor trafficking, and that we really are convinced that we can make things different and create change," Bryant said.

The fact that just two sisters from Mexico pioneered Red Rahamim and were able to organize on this front reminded Bryant that "as Americans, sometimes we think we have to have everything first organized with a mission statement and the budget and all the rest." As one Mexican sister emphasized during their presentation, creating and sustaining Red Rahamim with little underpinning was possible because it was an "obsession."

The final night of the gathering was a cultural celebration. Here, Mexican sisters — many of whom work in other countries — sing a Mexican song together. (GSR photo / Soli Salgado)

The international coordinator of Talitha Kum, Comboni Missionary Sr. Gabriella Bottani, said that networks are also important for "bringing joy to a dark topic," as their respective communities tend to be unaware of the harsh realities these sisters witness in their ministry.

She noted that a crucial advantage in their coming together was "to recognize the diversity of charisms, to trust in one another [so we] can really share our experiences and our challenges and our suffering in these activities," she said. "But at the same time, [sharing] the hope and the ideas we have and the projects we're developing, supporting each other."

The last night of the Cleveland gathering was a cultural celebration, with every sister or group of sisters representing her country with food, costumes and trinkets, and demonstrating local dances or songs.

Bottani, however, was the sole sister from Italy, so she called on every attendee to dance with her as she demonstrated basic footwork and established a rhythm for all to follow. Her dance, in a way, was emblematic of the network she leads, bringing together sisters who moved together with her guidance, as laughs and trips and improvisations punctuated their efforts.

"We are writing the story of Talitha Kum together because we are many stories," she said.

Sowing Hope for the Planet

Everything is Connected
A Campaign of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG)

You are invited to consider joining a collaborative campaign called Sowing Hope for the Planet.

We are urged to heed the call of Pope Francis for an ecological conversion “to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and to discover what each of us can do about it.” (LS #19)

For this reason, members of the UISG Board met on May 18 and decided to whole heartedly promote the UISG Campaign, Sowing Hope for the Planet.

They have asked Sheila Kinsey, FCJM, Executive Co-Secretary of the JPIC Commission of UISG-USG, to coordinate this campaign.

We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to become involved in Sowing Hope for the Planet (2018-2019). During this time we encourage you and the members of your congregation to reflect more deeply on Laudato Si and to consider ways to make Pope Francis’ message a reality, both personally and within your communities. During this time, we will notify you of various ways in which you can actively participate. 

For this campaign, please consider appointing someone to help engage the Sisters in this experience; a person responsible for notifying the Sisters of what is available and to organize prayers, observances and celebrations. Your community JPIC Promoter may be the person who can undertake this coordination or else a designated person with the responsibility for helping the congregation to participate in this campaign. We also encourage you to share what you are doing within your constellation.

Each of the following websites – UISG, JPIC Commission and Global Catholic Climate Movement will promote the campaign.

For any questions or information regarding this campaign please email Sr. Sheila Kinsey, FCJM, at hopeforplanet@gmail.com. 

Thank you very much for considering your congregation’s involvement in the important work of Sowing Hope for the Planet!

To learn more about the campaign visit their website: http://www.internationalunionsuperiorsgeneral.org/campaign-sowing-hope-planet/ 

An Evening with John Dear in St. Louis

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, along with other member Congregations of the St. Louis Intercommunity Ecological Council are pleased to sponsor an evening with renowned author and peace activist John Dear. 

Join us for an evening of reading, reflection and book signing with internationally acclaimed voice for peace and nonviolence, long time activist, popular lecturer, and movement organizer John Dear, sharing about his new book: They Will Inherit the Earth. 

In his landmark work, They Will Inherit the Earth, John Dear shows us why we need to build the global grassroots movement of nonviolence if we are to protect creation.

Dear notes how Jesus connected nonviolence with oneness with creation; how he practiced nonviolence and lived at one with creation, and how we need to do the same.

Books will be available for purchase and signing! 

Attendance is FREE but seating is limited, so please register at the ticket link: http://www.franciscansisters-olph.org/events

Sisters at the United Nations

Sr. Jean Quinn (left)

Did you know that many religious congregations are members of the United Nations through a joint coalition called UNANIMA International?  Global Sisters Reports recently featured an interview with Sr. Jean Quinn, the executive director of UNANIMA which represents 22 congregations on issues of human rights, women and children, migrants, and the environment. 

You can learn more and read the interview HERE.

Also in the most recent LCWR Newsletter, women religious who are connected to the United Nations shared the following updates:

February 6—International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM
Ending the practice of female genital mutilation would have profoundly positive effects across societies as girls and women reclaim their health, human rights, and vast potential. The UN and NGOs affiliated with the UN have learned important lessons about what can be done to end this practice which reflects deep-rooted inequality and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls.

February 20—World Day of Social Justice 
The UN recognizes that social justice is essential for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of its global mission to promote development and human dignity. Social justice lies at the heart of the work of the UN and includes promoting gender equality and the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants, as well as removing barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, or disability.

United Nations Seeks Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees According to International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
Director General William Lacy Swing in these times of the unprecedented movement of people around the world, it has become clear that global leaders must focus on making migration safe and legal rather than trying to halt the flow of people fleeing conflicts, drought, and poverty. In fact, world leaders from Pope Francis to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have noted that solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent.

On September 19, 2016 the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, a landmark political declaration that is directed at improving the way in which the international community responds to large movements of refugees and migrants, as well as to protracted refugee situations. Negotiations are now underway that will lead to the adoption of a Global Compact for Migration (GCM) at an international conference in 2018.

The agreement to move toward this comprehensive framework means that migration, like other areas of international relations, will be guided by a set of common principles that will lead to universal guidelines on the treatment of migrants in vulnerable situations. Work is also being undertaken by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to develop a Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) for adoption by the General Assembly. The aim is to achieve a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world’s refugees. The GCR will flesh out the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) articulated in the New York Declaration with specific actions to ease pressure on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand access to third-country solutions, and support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

Unfortunately, on December 3, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the United States was ending its participation in the UN process to develop the GCM. The administration objects to the New York Declaration’s commitment to “strengthening global governance” and to a number of policy goals that are, according to Secretary Tillerson, “inconsistent with US law and policy” and “could undermine the sovereign right of the United States to enforce our immigration laws and secure our borders.”

A Eucharistic Celebration to Open National Migration Week

Stained glass window of Jesus, Mary, 

and Joseph fleeing into Egypt 

in the Chapel of the Incarnate Word.

At a special liturgy hosted by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Sister Mary Henry, CCVI introduced National Migration Week on January 6, 2018:

“On behalf of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, I welcome you to the Chapel of the Incarnate Word. We gather today in our Motherhouse Chapel, the symbolic center of our international congregation, to celebrate National Migration Week, a week set aside by our Church in the United States to recognize that we are a country of immigrants, and to call attention to the circumstances confronting migrants, including immigrants, refugees and survivors of human trafficking.

Our founding Sisters came to Texas from France; the first three women that joined them were Texans of French, Mexican, and Polish families. Our Congregation was founded by immigrants, for immigrants.

Joining us today is the University of the Incarnate Word worshiping community.  The University has its roots in the school our Sisters established in 1888 to educate young women.  Responding to the needs of the times, The University has continued to grow in service and scope. Today, International students comprise 14% of the student body, and they represent over 70 countries.  The University is ranked No. 1 nationally among faith-based universities in the conferring of bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics.

The issues and challenges facing our immigrant brothers and sisters are very real for us, and it is our duty as a community, and as a Church to bring them to the fore of our consciousness and our prayer.

Let us stand now and begin our prayer on this great Feast of the Epiphany when the whole world was introduced to the Incarnate Word.”

The Eucharistic celebration continued and after the Scripture readings, Sister Tere Maya, CCVI, the Coordinator of the Congregation shared these reflections:

“The Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, the pure experience of joy when we recognize God among us! 

As I pondered on today’s readings: the star, the journey of the magi, the gifts… I could not help going back in time to my “Abuela’s nacimiento”-  grandma’s nativity - that took almost one third of her living room.   The smell of heno y musgo- (the moss and the hay)-  the sheep, ducks, shepherds, streams, donkeys, chickens, pigs, wells, even lions and tigers in caged caves.  Also, the three wise men, los tres reyes magos.  You know, abuela knew their names- Melchor, Gaspar  y Baltazar, and also that they had a camel, a horse and an elephant.  The three would appear suddenly on the other side of the living room, and every day they would move a little closer. I guess this was the equivalent of our advent calendar. Finally, magically, the vespers of the feast of the “Santos Reyes”, they would get off their horse, camel and elephant and we would find them kneeling before the baby Jesus in the manger.  This was when abuela would give us “Rosca de Reyes” explaining to us, that like the Reyes Magos, we too needed to find the baby Jesus.

What strikes me in this memory of childhood is the movement.  The wise men, los reyes magos, had to MOVE to find Jesus.  Today’s Gospel is filled with movement: the wise men see the star and begin their journey; they make stops along the way, they ask for directions, they get lost, and then they see the star again, until they reach their destination-  Jesus Incarnate, the incredible moment when they realize that God had decided to live among us. And I wonder about the movement in our own lives… What do we move away from?  What do we move to?  How willing are we to leave behind what keeps us from finding God? How willing are we to let go, because God is calling us to find the places of the Incarnation in the margins with the poor and the outcast? 

The Church also invites us this week to recognize and honor the migrants in our midst- This is National Migration Week.  For 50 years the US Bishops have called us to honor migrants in our midst.  We are called to recognize: “the fact that each of our families have a migration story, some recent and others in the distant past. Regardless of where we are and where we came from, we remain part of the human family and are called to live in solidarity with one another. ... Unfortunately, in our contemporary culture we often fail to encounter migrants as persons, and instead look at them as unknown others, if we even notice them at all. We do not take the time to engage migrants in a meaningful way, as fellow children of God, but remain aloof to their presence and suspicious or fearful of them. During this National Migration Week, let us all take the opportunity to engage migrants as community members, neighbors, and friends." (USCCB, National Migration Week)

As we gather today as an Incarnate Word Family, also a family of immigrants.  We are called to heed this call. How do we move to create a culture of hospitality and encounter in our heart, our communities, our ministries?  We are invited to ponder on the plight of men and women and children, who have had to move-  always because they had no other choice.  The words of the Somali Refugee Poet, Warsan Shire, came to mind as I considered the “movement” God calls us to.  She says “no one leaves home, unless home is the mouth of a shark… You have to understand, that no one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land…”

Can we “move” to recognize that the stranger among us has moved and challenges us to recognize God among them. Paul reminds us in the letter to the Ephesians that:  “that the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”  We are all one family in Christ.  No borders, no walls, no “other”- coheirs of the same body.  Can we move to embrace this call?

Our brothers and sisters are here.  They moved from near and far, some have crossed borders, some just moved from other places in the country, from other neighborhoods, from abusive situations, from poverty.  This week, we need to honor what moving has meant to the millions of people around the world – that have no choice.  And we also need to pray for our own capacity to “move”-  away from fear, and prejudice, away from all that keeps us from finding God Incarnate Among us!  

We will discover then that moving brings freedom.  When we move, we are lighter, less bound, we think clearly.  Perhaps that is why when the Wise Men first “noticed the star” rising they decided to move. I hope that like the wise men, like the shepherds, of the Christmas story- we learn to recognize the “stars” – the signs of the times – that call us to move. 

I hope we become wise in our noticing. Because if we can notice, and move, only then we will find the most precious Christmas Gift: The Gift of Joy.  This was the experience of the Wise Men.

Some gospel translations say that when they saw that star “they were overwhelmed with joy”-  imagine, not just being happy, or content, or even joyful--- but being “overwhelmed” with joy. 

What does that look like in our lives?  When was the last time you were simply “overwhelmed with joy”?  Where do we find this kind of joy – perfect, complete- overwhelming?  

The magi are teaching us a lesson:  first we must notice, then we must move, and when we find Jesus Incarnate we need to offer our gifts. When we find Jesus, we need to bow, prostrate ourselves.  Because to find true joy we must go beyond ourselves, we must give ourselves completely to others; we must strive to serve the common humanity that binds us all-  stranger and friend.  

 

I pray for our Congregation, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, for all our ministries, for each our sisters, collaborators, associates.

I pray that because this 2018 is a very special year because we celebrate our General Chapter. I pray we may strive for this gift of perfect, overwhelming joy, for the gift of seeking, finding and serving our God.  Our awesome God who chose to live among us- in the stranger, the outcast, the saddened, the one who needs us. 

I pray that all the Church, all of us gathered today-  to remember, the journey of the wise men from the East, to remember, los “Tres Reyes Magos”- that we like them…. Learn to notice, to move and to offer our gifts.

Sisters, friends, may the Joy of this day be yours, may you find Jesus, and may you bow to offer the gifts you have received.  May this be the witness of our lives. Praise the Incarnate Word.  Forever, Amen.”

These were the General Intercessions:

PRAYER FOR NATIONAL MIGRATION WEEK

Good and gracious God, We pray for all people who are migrating particularly those who are forced from their homes or separated from their families because of threats of violence and persecution.  We ask that you protect and keep them safe. Although we come from different countries, and have our origins in different cultures, we were all created by you, and are made in your image, and therefore we all share an inalienable dignity that is deserving of respect. Lord, we ask that you give us the strength to defend those who are marginalized, to give aid to those in need, to come to the defense of those who are poor or vulnerable, and to welcome those who are on the move into our homes and into our hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Various Sisters shared the General Intercessions revealing the immigrant nature of the Congregation:

For Pope Francis, … that our loving God may gift him with deep wisdom as he calls the Church to struggle against the evil of human trafficking.

Sr. Brigid Marie Clarke, who came to San Antonio in 1956.  Over 800 young women came to the United States from Ireland to serve in the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

For all Bishops and leaders in the Church, … that they be encouraged by our prayers and support to lead God’s people in building a culture that respects the human dignity of all migrants.  

Sr. Michele O’Brien, whose grandparents came from Poland to Panna Maria, TX, and from Ireland to the Dallas area.

For policy makers in our nation, … that God grant them the wisdom to enact laws that provide greater protection for all migrant populations.

            Sr. Elizabeth Riebschlaeger, whose great-grandfather came from Moravia at the age of 13, to Fayetteville, TX.

For immigrants and refugees who have come to American and continue to make our nation strong, … that God bring them peace and all else they need to build a life of prosperity and happiness.   

Sr. Margaret Snyder, whose family came from Germany and Ireland in the late 1700’s and settled in Missouri, via Rhode Island and Kentucky.

For all people of faith, for Christians, Jews, and Muslims, … that we will work together to bring God’s light and love to the world.

Sr. Chris Stavinoha, whose family came from Poland and Czechoslovakia and settled in Poth, TX.

For the community gathered here, … that we may in every place and every way faithfully welcome and support those in need.

            Sr. Ramona Lopez, whose family came from Piedras Niegras, Mexico, to San Angelo, TX

For all who are suffering in body, mind, or spirit, for all the poor, for all children separated from their family due to circumstance or death, … that God will provide relief, and protection.

            Sr. Germaine Corbin, whose family came from France to Louisiana.

The Eucharist continued helping all to pray in solidarity with God’s family around the world. 

For more resources on celebrating National Migration Week click HERE.   

Congregational Statement in Support of Immigrants and Refugees

Sisters in St. Louis, MO participate in a Solidarity March
with Immigrants and Refugees April 2017.

In response to the suffering and precarious situation of immigrant and refugee communities in our world today, our Congregation issued a Congregational Statement in Support of Immigrants, Migrants, and Refugees earlier this year.  

In it we declare that, “we are a congregation founded by immigrants, for immigrants,” and clearly state our support “for and with our brothers and sisters who still have the trust and courage to leave all that they know and love to build a better life for themselves and others.”

This solidarity with our immigrant and refugee brothers and sisters is not new for the congregation.  Incarnate Word Sisters have been engaged in this ministry for years. We remember the initiatives, value the efforts, and offer gratitude for the service and dedication of Srs. Jean Durel, Guadalupe Moreno, Guadalupe Ruiz, Peggy Bonnot, Margaret Snyder, Bertha Flores, Maria Luisa Gamboa, Ana Luisa Prieto, Maricela Martinez, Rosallen Harold, Anne Marie Burke, Yolanda Tarango among others.  

We continue working together with other people, organizations, and institutions to defend the human rights to land, home, and work. 

Here is the full text of the Congregational Statement: 

The call of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is to make the love of God as shown in the Incarnation a real and tangible presence in the world today.  This means that we have a particular responsibility to practice the love of Jesus as shown in the Gospels, in the present and in our own reality, wherever we are.

The love of Jesus was inclusive and compassionate, especially toward the poor and those most in danger of being cast aside because they were considered dangerous or different.  Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of these least of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).  In instructing the Israelites on living holy and just lives, God said:  “The foreigner who lives among you must be treated like one of your own.  Love them as you love yourself, for you too were a foreigner in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34).

Recent actions against our brothers and sisters who are considered to be alien, dangerous, different, and a threat to the status quo has caused great fear and suffering.  Any time a group of people is separated from the human community because another part of that community determines they are a threat, our faith and tradition demand that we speak against and act for.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word stands alongside voices of our own faith tradition, and others, who have issued statements against recent extreme actions by the Executive Branch of the United States government which in some cases is a violation of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis spoke out against proposed bans on immigrants and refugees, saying “all nations must focus on service to the poorest, the sick (and) those who have abandoned their homelands in search of a better future for themselves and their families. If I say I am Christian, but don’t do these things, I’m a hypocrite.”  The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, of which we are a member said, “We vow to continue to welcome refugees and minister to immigrants” (statement issued January 30, 2017).

We are a congregation founded by immigrants, for immigrants.  Their faith and fortitude made this country a refuge for freedom. We stand for and with our brothers and sisters who still have the trust and courage to leave all that they know and love to build a better life for themselves and others.

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January 30, 2017
Original: http://bit.do/dwV66