Sundays without Mass

A post from Fr. James Martin, SJ 

Dear friends: A Sunday without Mass is unthinkable for millions of Catholics. Yet out of prudent and pastoral concerns for everyone's safety in the time of coronavirus, most Catholics are unable to participate in the Mass on Sunday. But there are many ways of worshiping our Lord today.

First, many archdioceses, dioceses and parishes are livestreaming the Mass. A quick online search will lead you to them, for example, the Archdiocese of New York's Mass from St. Patrick's Cathedral.https://saintpatrickscathedral.org/live

Second, there are many excellent online video reflections on the Sunday Gospel readings, which are posted every week, including by Catholic Women Preach
https://catholicwomenpreach.org

And by my brothers at The Jesuit Post https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Also, there are many good audio (and written) reflections on the Gospel readings of the day, sponsored by Catholic organizations and media outlets, like at America Media: https://www.americamagazine.org/…/…/11/word-lent-reflections

Third, you can always pray about the readings on your own. In today's reading (Jn 4), where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman, try to place yourself in the scene imaginatively. Try some Ignatian contemplation: https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Fourth, even if you're unable to attend Mass, you might try calling another person and sharing your experience of God over the week. Or talk about what today's Gospel readings mean for you. That is, try "faith sharing" as a way to build up community, and support one another.

Finally, remember that the Catholic church has always had the tradition of "spiritual communion," where even if you are unable to attend Mass you can participate spiritually. Here is St. Alphonsus Liguori's prayer on Spiritual Communion to end with:

"My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.

"Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.

"Never permit me to be separated from You."

Amen.

Celebrate the Feast of St. Mary of Magdala!

Go and Tell My Sisters and Brothers: Celebrating Women Preachers Join thousands of Catholics across the U.S. and worldwide as we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary of Magdala, July 22. This year, FutureChurch will lift up women preachers from Scripture and history -- from Mary of Nazareth and Mary of Magdala to Catherine of Siena and Thea Bowman. Together we will honor and learn from their witnesses and ask them to pray with us as we work to lift up women’s voices in the Church and society today.  Download 2017 resource

Solidarity March and Mass with Immigrants and Refugees

On Saturday, April 8, 2017 hundreds of people gathered at the campus of St. Louis University to stand and march in solidarity with our immigrant and refugee neighbors.  This Solidarity March and Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica was sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis and co-sponsored by a number of other religious congregations including the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.  Present at the march representing the Congregation was Sr. Anne Marie Burke, Sr. Pilar Neira, and Jennifer Reyes Lay. 

The group gathered began the event with a series of prayers and songs in both English and Spanish, and reflections led by immigrants and refugees and those who serve them.  Then after about 30 minutes we began a march of solidarity down Lindell Ave. for about one mile, carrying signs of support welcoming immigrants and refugees as a faith commitment.  There were also songs and chants as we marched both in English and Spanish. 

The march ended at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis where a Mass of Solidarity was celebrated.  The Mass was a beautiful multi-cultural celebration incorporating seven languages throughout in prayer and song.  The homilist exclaimed with great joy that this was the first Mass celebrated in Spanish in the Basilica and the whole congregation gathered applauded and cheered!  It was truly a beautiful witness of the diverse Catholic community in St. Louis coming together to celebrate our faith and show our commitment to standing together in these difficult times.

Justice Promoters for Women Religious Gather in Chicago

March 5-7, 2017 JPIC staff and promoters from women's religious congregations across the country gathered in Chicago, IL for their second national convocation titled, "Which roots will we water?  Systemic Change and JPIC Ministry."  Representing the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word was Jennifer Reyes Lay, Assistant Director for the CCVI JPIC Office.  There were over a hundred participants made up of women religious, associates, and lay women and men.  Overall it was an inspiring and challenging three days of strengthening networks and relationships, learning about systemic oppression and systemic change, and praying and reflecting on where we've been and where we are going.

The keynote speaker for the convocation was Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, a professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Church Divinity School of the Pacific.  Her latest book is "Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-Economic Vocation."  Her keynote focused on themes in her most recent book including what grounds us in our work for systemic change, tools of systemic change, roots of moral power, and tools of resistance.  She reminded us that "to love means disrupting systemic injustice."  This is part of our vocational call, to incarnate God's love in the world, means to work for justice, peace, and the care of creation.  

Cynthia Moe-Lobeda's Keynote Address

Here are some of the wonderful insights shared by Cynthia:

• We root ourselves in the promise of God's infinite and endless love.  We are called to receive that love and also embody that love in the world.  
• We need to have "critical mystical vision" which means 1) seeing clearly what is going on and unmasking systemic evil that tries to present itself as good, 2) seeing what alternatives are already in the process of becoming or creating new realities, and 3) acknowledging the sacred powers at work in the universe for the well being of all creation.  
• Climate change is a manifestation of white privilege and class privilege.  Those with the most privilege are polluting those with the least privilege.  The majority of climate refugees are African and Asian.  
• By doing little to nothing we actively contribute to oppression and systemic evil.  
• We come from a rich heritage of "fiercely loving subversive faithful resisters."  Do we know and share these stories?  What is the story we see ourselves a part of?  
• From the wisdom of Ireneaus of Leon, we are "mud creatures," moist by the dew of the Holy Spirit so we can continually be molded by the Word (Jesus) and Wisdom (Spirit) of God into who we are meant to become.  How will we maintain our moistness?  
• Pando is a vast network of Aspen trees with interconnected root systems.  Use this image to reflect on how we can build stronger root systems with one another to keep one another nourished and moist with the Holy Spirit.  
• We need both resistance (stop systemic evil) and rebuilding (create new just systems).  
• Action in one level of society impacts the others (individual, family, civil institutions, businesses, government).  
• There are many options for actions to take, and all are needed!  These include: lifestyle changes, economic advocacy, legislative advocacy, community organizing, education and consciousness raising, public witness, economic alternatives, direct service to those in need, worship and prayer, and theological reflection.  

During the rest of the convocation there was time for conversations, relationship building, and breakout sessions on immigration and refugees, human trafficking, gospel nonviolence, feminism, legislative advocacy, Laudato Si and care of creation, and racism.  Many of these topics and actions are items that the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word are already actively involved in, and Jennifer share about some of the ways the CCVIs have engaged in prayer, education, and action around gospel nonviolence, human trafficking, and care of creation.  

On the final day of the convocation each table had time to reflect on the following two questions: 1) What needs to happen to ensure a vital JPIC ministry in women's religious congregations working toward systemic change? 2) How can we as JCWR (justice coordinators for women religious) members help foster this organization?  There were many great ideas and hopes shared to continue supporting one another and working together for systemic change as women's religious congregations.  There was overwhelming support to continue having these national convocations every two years, and in the off years to try and have more regional gatherings.  

After gathering together for three days in prayer, education, and reflection, we left with a renewed sense of hope, energy, and commitment to the work of justice, peace, and care of creation, knowing that we are in the struggle together and are continuing a long and powerful history of faithful resistance to injustice and evil in the name of our loving God.  

The closing blessing of the convocation

Sister Story Highlight: Sr. Maria del Carmen Monroy

Carmelita, as we call her, is a very significant woman for many Peruvian Sisters and the people of Peru. Her testimony - in these lines - delves into spirituality and her commitment to non-violence: a way of dealing with systemic violence, inequalities and injustices.

Sister María del Carmen Monroy CCVI, born in Mexico, came to Peru almost 27 years ago to teach us – through her lived witness - that only through inclusion can we build real communities that seek to build the Kingdom of God here and now.

--------

Since the beginnings of my religious life in 1974 I have been formed in a corporate spirit where I was encouraged to share my thoughts or life experiences, but I also received many gifts from contact with my older Sisters who from their illness or old age encouraged me to look beyond what my eyes could see. There were difficult times, but at the same time they challenged us, they opened new paths for us to explore, gradually recovering the life that for a time had fallen asleep.

I can say with sincerity and gratitude that I have been very fortunate since my life resembles in some way that of Abraham, who was invited to leave what he knew and go in search of the fulfillment of the promises of God to make him father of a great people. I also left my land and have continued to follow my path to the present day, seeking day after day the signs of God’s creative presence.

When I became aware of diversity I was able to experience a lot of joy.  Knowing different things encouraged me to look for creative ways of encounter.  I was confirmed in my belief that the Holy Trinity did well to make its home among us, in order to express to the world and to the Church that love, reconciliation, and a tender embrace is possible as a tangible presence of God.

During these 40 years as a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word, I have heard the continuous call to live unity in diversity, to create bridges of communion and participation.  This has inspired me on my spiritual path to contemplate four icons: the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation of the Word and Pentecost. Each one has been very important since they continue to motivate me to seek fruitfulness in community life and witness.

Having had the opportunity to live in different communities both nationally and internationally has become a great joy in my life since it has broadened my horizons and opened me up to multiculturalism which I have embraced with all its challenges.  It also has been an opportunity to be protagonist of history, not only congregational but also the Church, in the world and as part of this cosmos.

It has been in the community setting that my sense of belonging and missionary spirit has been revitalized, continually listening to the words of the Gospel of Luke and making them mine: “He sent me to bring the Good News to the poor, to announce release of the captives and sight to the blind, to bring freedom to the oppressed, and to proclaim a year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4: 18-19).

I find such strength in realizing that the Word gives sense to our daily living as people and as a community!  It is this God of Life who sustains us in a timeless embrace!  Because as I look back I realize that the Word has been with us since the beginning of the Congregation: when in 1866 Bishop Claudio Maria Dubuis asked for help and the first Sisters came to Galvenston; when the Madeleine Sisters, Pierre and Agnes took the rugged road to San Antonio, Texas in 1869; and when our Sisters left San Antonio in 1885 to bring the Word, and find it, in the people of Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ireland and Zambia.

And as in the beginning, today and always: God speaks the Word; God speaks our life in the always present now. Every day I receive invitations to say yes, to share Christ with everyone. I can share this positivity even through silence: smiling at strangers where I find them, happily accepting people or unexpected events, respecting and appreciating what is different, listening with my heart and my ears, letting go of negative feelings, being open to new ideas, trying something different, and replacing anxiety with confidence in the Incarnate Word that knows and loves everything.

Educational and Prayer Resources on Human Trafficking

Many groups have created wonderful prayer resources for Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita.  Below we share with you a list of these prayer and educational resources for your personal and communal use.  United together in prayer and action, we can defend human dignity and end modern day slavery in the form of human trafficking!

2017 Interfaith Tool Kit on Human Trafficking
Resources for Worship and Action
Created by the Washington Inter-Religious Staff Community, Working Group on Human Trafficking

2017 Trafficking Prayer and Ritual
Created by Rose Mary Meyer, BVM
Project IRENE

2017 Prayer Service for an End to Human Trafficking
Created by the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center

February 8, 2017 Prayer Service
They Are Just Children, Not Slaves!
Created by US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking

Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Day of Prayer Resources
Created by the US Council of Catholic Bishops

People of Faith Stand with Standing Rock #NoDAPL

(From our friends at Franciscan Action Network (FAN))

November is Native American Heritage Month. What better time to stand up and show our support of our Native brothers and sisters in Standing Rock and other tribes who have been peacefully protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline from going through their sacred lands. Organizations such as Pax Christi USA and Creation Justice Ministries have developed prayers and petitions to bring awareness to this wrong that needs to be righted.

In some cases, there have been representatives able to go to the camp, join in the ceremonies and bring back eyewitness accounts of the people and their stories. Just this past weekend, four sisters: two Sisters of St. Francis (Oldenburg) plus two School Sisters of Notre Dame (Mankato province) drove to Standing Rock with coats and other supplies and to be there as a gesture of solidarity. Mercy Sisters Aine O’Connor and Kathleen Erickson and the Sisters of Mercy West-Midwest Justice Coordinator, Mike Poulin also headed out to be a part of the Solidarity Circle, described below. Additionally, a Mercy Lay Associate, Virginia Fifield of the Akwesausne, who went to Standing Rock in September posted this blog of her time there.

Those mentioned above joined a group of nearly 500 faith leaders and clergy in a Multifaith Solidarity Circle in Support of Standing Rock. FAN urged people of all faiths across the country to fast and pray in a coordinated prayer of solidarity to support those in North Dakota. Here is a post of FAN’s prayer service on Facebook.

As the protests continue, we urge members and friends to continue to pray and show your support of our native brothers and sisters. For concrete ideas on what you can do, go online to Stand with Standing Rock.net.

Family Detention Interfaith Letter

Join a growing list of religious and faith-based organizations and leaders using their moral authority to call for an end to family detention and a shift to community-based approaches for unaccompanied minors and families seeking asylum in the U.S. Let us use our collective power to create much needed change at this critical policy juncture.

If you are signing on as an organization, click here.

Dear President Obama:

As religious leaders, communions, and faith-based organizations, we urge you to listen to the recommendations of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers. These recommendations were presented at its final meeting on October 7, 2016 and call for an immediate end to the practice of detaining Central American children and families seeking asylum in the United States.  

While we come from diverse religious traditions, we share common values and teachings calling us to welcome the stranger and to show mercy and kindness, particularly to those most vulnerable. Surely, the children, youth, women, and men who are fleeing rape, murder, extortion, gang recruitment, and other physical and emotional horrors in countries internationally condemned for their impunity to violence deserve our most thoughtful care.                                     

The Committee’s report recognizes that simply improving detention center conditions to meet best practice standards is not a sufficient fix for the trauma and re-traumatization resulting from detention of any length of time. 

In addition to being inhumane, detaining parents and children is unnecessary. According to the report, these families pose an extremely low flight risk and no harm to local host communities. Moreover, detention is extremely expensive for the U.S. government while other effective, community-based, low-cost alternatives are immediately available.

DHS’s own experts make this case. There is no reason to wait any longer. We see this as a matter of conscience as well as good policy and call upon you to immediately institute a community-based asylum-seeking process for families as well as unaccompanied children.  

(to electronically add your name to this letter please CLICK HERE)

Join Oct 5 Webinar: Faithfully Engaged in the 2016 Election

IIC WEBINAR: October 5^th at 4pm 

Faithfully Engaged in the 2016 Election

We are one month out from election day! And candidates, trying to get your vote, want to hear your perspective. What will you tell them? How can you best get your message across?

Join the Interfaith Immigration Coalition on Wednesday, October 5^th at 4 pm EST for a special webinar. We’ll outline ways that communities of faith can meaningfully participate in the final month before the election, key for building support for compassionate action on immigration in 2017.

Civic engagement is a key component of integration and building welcoming communities. Participating in civil society by voting, understanding the issues of the day, and engaging in civil and productive conversation with others is one of the many strengths of the United States and an important part of integration for new Americans.

Join the webinar on October 5th and find out:

• How can we strengthen our democracy by ensuring that more people are registered to vote, including new American voters?
• How can people of faith ensure better access to the polls for disenfranchised voters?
• How can we talk about the election from a faith perspective to our neighbors, faith communities, the media, and directly to candidates for public office?

Speakers include a first-time voter, and representatives from Church World Service, the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

Register today!

A Revolution of Tenderness--A 2016 Election Pope Francis Values Reflection Guide

As we live out this Jubilee Year of Mercy and the United States enters into the 2016 election season, Americans face a myriad of choices between competing visions for our nation’s future. As Catholics, we are called by our faith to engage in this election. Pope Francis says that “a good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of one’s self so that those who govern can govern well.”

Politics, Francis says, “is one of the highest forms of love, because it is in the service of the common good.” He called on us to orient our politics based on the Christian models of Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Martin Luther King Jr.

We engage in this political process not because we’re partisan, but because we’re Christian.

Our faith offers a specific vision for the common good. It isn’t theoretical or abstract. It’s rooted in the story and person of Jesus Christ. In short, the entire social vision of the Catholic Church is this: in Jesus, God became poor to save humanity from every form of oppression. We must do likewise.

The Catholic vision for the common good, then, is a radical invitation to what Pope Francis calls a “revolution of tenderness.”

We invite our fellow Christians and all people to consider carefully how candidates do, and do not, embrace the vision of Jesus and the values of God’s beloved community, and to make prudential judgments about which candidates best reflect Christian love.

We offer this guide to help inform our brothers and sisters about their specifically political vocation as Catholic Christians in the United States. Please feel free to share it widely.

http://popefrancis16.com/

For God So Loved the Cosmos

A Reflection on Creation and Incarnation 

By Elizabeth Johnson 

In our day concerns about ecology are rising. Climate change, pollution, and extinction of plant and animal species make us question harmful human treatment of the natural world.

One religious response has been to focus on the doctrine of creation. Since the whole world was created by God, who saw it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31), nature—sky, sea, land, and the creatures that dwell there—has great value in God’s eyes. Human beings, created in the divine image and likeness, are part of this community of life. We are put in the garden to till and care for it (Gen. 2:15), not destroy it.

For Christians, Jesus Christ is the center of faith, the ground of the church’s belief and practice lived out in his Spirit. If love for him can be connected with love for nature, a strong impulse for ecological care will result, in addition to the doctrine of creation. Does Jesus have anything to do with the cosmos? Exploring his incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection with this question in mind yields some inspiring and challenging answers.

Made of stardust

At the core of Christian faith is the truth that in Jesus Christ God became a human being to redeem the world. The gospel for Christmas day proclaims this beautifully: “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Word is God’s own self-communication, uttered from all eternity. Flesh means what is material, perishable, vulnerable, finite, the very opposite of what is divine.

Here is a most radical statement: God became material. Christmas celebrates a radical gift: The all-holy God personally joined our world of sin and suffering to save. This is known as the doctrine of incarnation, from the Latin in carne, “into flesh.”

Scientific discoveries have made clear that human flesh is part of the evolutionary network of life on this planet, which in turn is a part of the solar system, which in turn came into being as a part of a long cosmic history. This awareness of our natural history provides new insight into the cosmic meaning of the “flesh” that the Word became.

Theologians have started to use the phrase “deep incarnation,” coined by Danish theologian Niels Gregersen, to express this radical divine reach into the very tissue of biological existence and the wider system of nature.

Like all human beings, Jesus carried within himself what Jesuit Father David Toolan has called “the signature of the supernovas and the geology and life history of the Earth.” The genetic structure of his cells made him part of the whole community of life that descended from common ancestors in the ancient seas. The flesh that the Word became thus reaches beyond Jesus and other human beings to encompass the whole biological world of living creatures and the cosmic dust of which we are composed.

This “deep” way of reflecting on the incarnation provides an important insight. By becoming flesh the Word of God confers blessing on the whole of earthly reality in its material dimension, and beyond that, on the cosmos in which the Earth exists. Rather than being a barrier that distances us from the divine, this material world becomes a sacrament that can reveal divine presence. In place of spiritual contempt for the world, we ally ourselves with the living God by loving the whole natural world, part of the flesh that the Word became.

CONTINUE READING HERE 

Pope Francis Will Wash the Feet of Refugees on Holy Thursday in Rome

Gerard O'Connell | Mar 14 2016 

In a powerful symbolic gesture that is sure to resonate across the globe from Europe to the United States and Australia, Pope Francis will wash the feet of 12 refugees on Holy Thursday in Rome.

He will do so on March 24, at a center that assists migrants in the city. The Vatican has not yet disclosed the venue.

The breaking news comes at a time when many politicians in Europe, the United States and elsewhere are calling for the closing of the doors of their countries to refugees and migrants. Several governments in Europe, including Austria, Poland, Hungary and Macedonia, have or are in process of closing their frontiers or building barriers or walls to what they perceive as a tidal wave of migrants and refugees from war-torn Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East and Africa. The question of immigration is at the center of political debate in the United States and Australia, as well as in Germany, where yesterday many voters cast their ballot against the more humanitarian approach of Chancellor Angela Merkel. It is an issue that is not going to disappear as long as the wars continue and dire poverty forces people to leave their homes and the countries of their birth.

Pope Francis believes in preaching the Gospel by deeds as much as by words, and he has emphasized this especially during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. His symbolic gestures this year, as in the past, come from the depth of his heart and are aimed at highlighting particular areas of great concern for humanity, in the hope of awakening consciences.

The son of Italian immigrants, he is deeply concerned about the dramatic plight of migrant and refugees, and in his first journey outside the Vatican after becoming pope he visited the island of Lampedusa, near Sicily, “to weep” for the some 20,000 migrants that have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in recent years as they sought to reach the shores of Europe in search of refuge.

Since becoming pope, Francis has repeatedly drawn the world’s attention to this dramatic problem, as he did recently in Ciudad Juarez, at the border between Mexico and the United States. He is appealing to governments to respond with humanity and open their hearts to the biggest wave of refugees since the Second World War.

He has also called on the churches in Europe and the United States to respond with generosity to this humanitarian crisis. Last September, he asked every Catholic parish in Europe to give hospitality to one refugee family, and he set the example by instructing that the Vatican’s two parishes do likewise. Right now, two refugee families have a home in the Vatican, while many parishes across Europe have also given refuge to these people who have fled war and poverty in the hope of a new future. His gesture on Holy Thursday next week reinforces his call.

Source: America Magazine

Danger Did Not Drive Us Out of Peru

By Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, CCVI

"These are our martyrs," said our Incarnate Word Sisters in Chimbote, Peru, as they showed us an image of three priests whose beatification ceremony they attended on December 5. These priests — Fr. Micael Tomaszek and Fr. Zbigniew Stralowski, Franciscans from Poland, and Padre Alessandro Dordi, from Italy —were murdered by the terrorist group, Sendero Luminoso, "the Shining Path," in 1991.  

I was on my fifth trip to Peru as a teacher from the University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas, connecting students and faculty with realities in Chimbote where our sisters started working after Pope John XXIII begged North American religious to go to South America to help meet the needs.

In the 1950s, Chimbote had been a popular resort and prosperous fishing port. Things changed as thousands of indigenous people immigrated there seeking a better life. Some got jobs in fishmeal factories, but eventually these led to overfishing. Air, water and soil were polluted by factories. Now Chimbote is one of the poorest and most contaminated cities in the country, with about 400,000 inhabitants, many of whom do not have access to water, sewage or electricity. According to Worldwatch Institute, life expectancy in Chimbote is about 10 years lower than the Peruvian national average.

Abimael Guzman, the leader of Sendero Luminoso and a former university philosophy professor in Ayacucho, said they wanted to help the poor. He taught that violence and terror were the only ways to destroy the governmental system in Peru and bring in a new communist model. They began bombings and assassinations in 1980. Church workers, who tried to protect the people or advocate nonviolent approaches to change, were considered enemies.

The martyred priests were working among the poor and trying to teach peace. Our Sr. Grace O'Mara, who actively spoke for justice and peace, received a death threat from the terrorists. Sr. Rita Prendergast reflected, "The violent methods of the terrorists overshadowed their claims that they wanted to help the poor." Sr. Sarah Lennon noted, "Often, those working for peace and justice [were] caught in the crossfire between terrorists and government forces."

I remember the late 1980s and the reports of thousands being killed in Peru. Some of us were saying to our sisters in Peru, "Come home. Come back to the U.S. and Mexico. You can minister here. We do not need you dead in Peru. The Incarnate Word Sisters can minister other places."

On August 9, 1991, the two Franciscans were killed in a village not far from Chimbote. Sr. Rosaleen Harold had collaborated on diocesan projects with Fr. Dordi. He was killed 16 days later and the terrorists left a sign on his body, "This is how those who speak of peace die."

Two months later, our sisters gathered for a special assembly in Peru to discern what to do as more people were being killed. They remembered how the first six Incarnate Word Sisters began ministry in 1964 in health care, education, and accompanying the most vulnerable. They opened the Santa Clara Center where they offered basic medical services and received hundreds of sick people per week during the many cholera, typhoid and yellow fever epidemics. In 1982 the sisters extended their mission to Cambio Puente, a nearby rural zone where they helped protect the rights of farmers and developed catechists, literacy programs, health promoters, centers to feed the needy and other services.

Three years later, the sisters began a mission among the Aymara-speaking indigenous people in the Puno area in the Andes. The sisters accompanied those with physical incapacities and did prison ministry, and they also promoted religious education. In 1988 the sisters began ministering in parts of Lima as houses were opened to welcome and teach Peruvians wishing to be sisters, as well as lay persons seeking to be associate members of the congregation.

In the 1980s as the congregation became more firmly rooted in Peru, the terrorist group Sendero Luminoso was spreading. Finally Guzmán was captured and imprisoned in 1992. About 70,000 people were killed during 20 years of conflict in Peru. In 2003, the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission reported that although the government reacted with excessive violence and there were other terrorist groups, about 37,800 people were killed by Sendero Luminoso led by Guzmán.

Sr. Juanita Albracht said that when Guzmán was in prison, Fr. Jack Davis, a good friend of our sisters in Chimbote, went to talk to him. Father asked why the priests were killed. Guzmán replied, "Because of their faith; they were teaching peace." Sr. Grace O'Meara explained that Senderistas believed that violence was essential in the revolutionary process and that religion was "the opium of the people."

Despite the dangers, our congregation chose not to abandon its mission in Peru. Sisters there argued that if they left the people's side, they might never have a chance to go back.

If we would have let the danger drive the sisters out of Peru, what difference would it have made?

In the Andean area, there wouldn't be lay pastoral leaders for the 150 small communities in their parish that has only one priest, leaders who were taught and encouraged by our first Peruvian Sr. Hirayda Blácido.

Hospicio Santiago Apostol, the first hospice in Latin America, which was started by our sisters in 2002, wouldn't be bringing a holistic approach of spiritual and physical care, as well as assistance to the patients' families. Sr. Mirella Neira is now the administrator of the hospice program with both home-based care and a residential center.  

If the sisters had left, about 31,000 people would not have been served last year alone by the Incarnate Word Health System in Peru. Sr. Lourdes Gómez, a psychologist who works in mission effectiveness, guides over 70 lay collaborators in the clinic and hospice in the spirit and values of our congregation. She is also the coordinator of our sisters in Peru. Sr. Sofia Mamani, who sings beautifully in her first language of Quechua, is studying physical therapy.

In the Lima area, Sr. Mary Luz Cayo wouldn't be an early childhood teacher in San Viator School in Comas. We wouldn't have Carol Velarde Flores, our pre-novice, attending the inter-congregational formation program where women and men of over 20 congregations study. Sr. Katty Huánuco wouldn't be bringing her extensive skills in communications and her passion for justice as the director of our International Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation office. And we wouldn't have the opportunity to be proud of Sr. Pilar Neira, who is the executive secretary of CONFER, the national Peruvian organization of religious men and women.

If our congregation would have let danger drive us out of Peru, there would not be Peruvian Incarnate Word sisters, lay sssociate members, and lay missionaries from the U.S., Ireland, or Mexico volunteering for a year or two there, and over 70 lay collaborators working with them in the Centro de Servicios de Salud Integral Santa Clara and in the Hospicio Santiago Apóstol.

In the church yard of Cambio Puente people waiting for eye examinations; a woman, right, reads the eye chart on the tree that Dr. Jamie Matos is pointing to. (Martha A. Kirk)

If the sisters would have left, our 21-member university international service learning group, sponsored by the UIW Ettling Center for Civic Leadership and Women's Global Connection, wouldn't have had the recent opportunity to visit Peru. We shared workshops with early childhood educators and women trying to develop small businesses. We received information for pharmacy and nutrition collaborations in the future. We helped provide eye care to over 400 adults and children, many of whom had never had glasses before.

We were helping them to see, but more than that, they were helping us to see more of the beauty of the face of God that danger cannot dim.

Original article taken from Global Sisters Report:  http://globalsistersreport.org/column/ministry/danger-did-not-drive-us-out-peru-37021 

TOGETHER Caring for Creation: An Interfaith Week of Learning, Reflection, and Commitment to Action

 Ettling Center for Civic Leadership  >  Interfaith Week

“TOGETHER Caring for Creation,” An Interfaith Week of Learning, Reflection, and Commitment to Action, January 28 to February 8, 2016.

Part of the World Interfaith Harmony Week Initiative: http://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/

Sister Alice Holden (right side) in front of the pond and Korean Pavilion at the Denman Estate Park. Sister Alice seeks to develop interfaith programming there.

Visitor Parking Information: For events at the University of the Incarnate Word, please use the front entrance 4301 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209. Note: Visitors must check-in at the Parking Office (small building on the left) and identify themselves in order to obtain a parking pass.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

“San Antonio Interfaith Action on Climate Change: A Pre-World Interfaith Harmony Week Event,” 7:00 -8:30pm. We will break into work groups around action themes that emerged at the December 3 Interfaith Convergence for Climate Action. Come prepared to make actionable plans that will require follow up. Contact:https://www.facebook.com/events/1054639157935228, Diane Duesterhoeft, 210-254-0245, dduesterhoeft@gmail.com. Episcopal Church of Reconciliation, Parish Hall, 8900 Starcrest Drive, 78217. RSVP: optional, Cost: free.

Saturday January 30, 2016

“Blessing of the Interfaith Retreat and Conference Center followed by nature walk in Denman Estate Park,” 10:00-11:30am. Leaders from San Antonio's civic and religious communities will speak to the importance of being TOGETHER in caring for our creation and the need for interfaith/intercultural education. Music by Rudi Harst. Walk led by naturalist Jim Funk will follow. Contact: Alice Holden, CCVI,rcc@uiwtx.edu. Denman Estate, 7735 Mockingbird Lane, 78229. RSVP: optional, Cost: free.

Sunday January 31, 2016

“Caring for Creation: Celebrating our Connection to Mother Earth,”11:00am-12:00pm. An upbeat, interfaith worship service focused on celebrating our deep connections to Mother Earth through Creative Ritual, Music and Meditation. Contact: Rudi Harst, 210-533-6767,rudi@celebrationcircle.org. SAY Si, 1518 S. Alamo Street, 78204. RSVP: optional, Cost: free.

“Deep in the Heart: A Passion For Peace,” 3:00-5:00pm. 10th Annual Blessing of San Antonio Peacemakers 9th Annual Declaration of the San Antonio Peace Laureate. Join the San Antonio peaceCENTER and the San Antonio Peace Laureates in our re-commitment for the long haul and in mutual blessing of holy legacy. The Blessing will be filled with beautiful music, sacred images, human encounters, and words of wisdom. Fr. Ron Rolheiser will be appointed as the 9th San Antonio Peace Laureate. Bring family and friends! Invite others! SAcompassionNET.org. Whitley Center, Oblate School of Theology 285 Oblate Drive, 78213. RSVP: optional, Cost: Free and open to the public.

Monday February 1, 2016

“Jesus in Islam,” 6:15-8:15pm. Lecture and book signing by internationally respected scholar Dr. Zeki Saritoprak who will examine the place of Jesus in the Qur'an and Hadith and discuss the important role Jesus can play in interfaith dialogue.http://sites.jcu.edu/nursichair/about/faculty/. Co-sponsored by the Dialogue Institute and UIW Religious Studies. Suggested Donation: $10.Students and Seniors-complimentary. Registration: sa-jesusinislam.eventbrite.com. Contact: Dialogue Institute San Antonio, 210- 377-1110, sanantonio@thedialoginstitute.org, or Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, kirk@uiwtx.edu. UIW Rosenberg Skyroom, 847 E. Hildebrand, 78212.

“Water Stewardship in the Face of Climate Change,” 7:00– 9:00 pm. (Two sessions: Feb. 1 & 8.) How can we collectively change our relationships to our water resources and to each other to build a better and more resilient water future? Uncontaminated fresh water, essential for human health and life itself, is becoming increasingly scarce, both globally and regionally. At the same time climate change is already causing increasing weather extremes – flooding, droughts, and record high temperatures, which are linked with the availability of usable fresh water. In this class we will find good information about what is possible for our water future to be both hope-filled and empowering. Instructor:Meredith McGuire, Ph.D., recently retired Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Trinity University, serves as Co-Chair of Alamo Sierra Club Conservation Committee. Co-sponsored by San Antonio Interfaith Power and Light. RSVP by Jan. 25. Cost: $35. Enrollment: 12 min./25 max. To register, contact the SoL Center at University Presbyterian Church, 300 Bushnell Avenue,78212, 210-732-9927 or www.upcsa.organd click on SoL.

Tuesday February 2, 2016

“Invasive Species,” 8:30-10:30am. Cutting down Chinaberry Trees. Contact: Lonnie Shockley, email: lonnieshockley@satx.rr.com. Government Canyon State Natural Area, 12861 Galm Road, 78254. RSVP: none. Cost: free.

“Solar House: Being Eco Conscious,” 4:30–5:45 pm. Built by engineering students at the University of the Incarnate Word, the Solar House http://www.uiw.edu/solarhouse/background.html is a model for sustainable construction and an invitation to the community to learn more about sustainability. Learn more of this from Daniel Potter, the director.http://www.uiw.edu/greenuiw/. Solar House on the UIW Campus map at 31A http://www.uiw.edu/map/documents/uiwcampusmapland.pdf Contact: Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, kirk@uiwtx.edu. RSVP: none. Cost: free.

Wednesday February 3, 2016

“Headwaters,” 8:30-11:30am. Assist in the care of 53-acre nature sanctuary to preserve, protect, restore and celebrate the rich natural, cultural, historical, spiritual and educational values of the headwaters of the San Antonio River,http://www.uiw.edu/greenuiw/greenuiwheadwaters.html. Contact: Howard Homan, howard.homan@gmail.com. 4707 Broadway, 78209. Across from UIW football field. RSVP: optional, Cost: free.

“Weed Wednesday,” 8:30-10:30am. Help combat exotic invasive species, including Australian and Kleberg Bluestem, wild mustard, and malta star thistle. Contact: Wendy Leonard, 210-207-3292,wendy.leonard@sanantonio.gov, http://fosana.org/calendar/. Phil Hardberger Park. RSVP required. Cost: free. Contact Wendy for exact location in the park.

“Renewal, a Documentary Film,” 11:30 am–1 pm. Inspired by the many Americans who are answering a spiritual call to confront the enormous challenges of environmental degradation, these men, women, and children are finding ways to become caretakers of the Earth, from within their Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions.,. The religious-environmental movement grows as people from diverse traditions work to build a sustainable future. Sponsored by the Headwaters Coalition, http://headwaterscoalition.org/index.html. Contact: Pamela Ball, 210-828-2224, ext 280, Pamela.ball@amormeus.org. UIW Mabee Library Auditorium. RSVP: required. Cost: free.

“Evolution and Christogenesis,” 6:30-8:00pm. First in a series of DVD programs by Ilia Delio, OSF with discussion lea by Alice Holden, CCVI (To continue for five additional weeks.) Contact: Alice Holden, CCVI,rcc@uiwtx.edu. Library of the Denman Estate, 7735 Mockingbird Lane, 78229.

“Caring for Creation: An evening of guided and silent meditation, focused on our deep connections to Mother Earth,” 7:30-8:30 pm.Contact: Rudi Harst, 210-533-6767, rudi@celebrationcircle.org. SA Friends Meetinghouse, 7052 N. Vandiver Road (at corner of Eisenhower Rd.), 78209. RSVP: not required, Cost: free.

 

Thursday February 4, 2016

“Sustainable Systems: Environmental, Economic and Social--Looking Towards the Future,” 9:00-10:15 am. The world faces many dynamic environmental, economic and social challenges. How do we create sustainable systems that meet these challenges so the people of the world can live fulfilling lives in harmony with one another and with nature? This will explore climate change as one environmental challenge among many, the future of energy as one of many economic challenges, and work as one of the social challenges facing the world. The Presenter: Joe Cook holds a B.Sc in Natural Resources and the Environment (Univ. of MI), a M.Sc in Entomology with Minor in Soil Science (Univ. of MN), an MBA (UIW), a MTS (Oblate School of Theology, and a M.A. in Theology (St. Mary's University). He has worked worldwide in Natural Resources and the Environment with his last position being a Senior Environmental and Sustainability Scientist with the firm Consulting for Health, Air, Nature and a Greener Environment. Contact: Joseph L. Cook, 760-577-5931,jlcapplevalleyca@gmail.com. UIW Mabee Library Auditorium, RSVP: not required, Cost: free.

 

“Caring for Creation, an Exploration of Climate Change and Faith from a Biblical Perspective,” by Joe Cook. 10:30 – 11:45 am. (See location and contact information above)

“Celebrating the Season of Creation in Worship,” 11:30am-2:00pm.Workshop for worship leaders and community leaders of all faiths. Will begin with a sandwich lunch, followed by a presentation of how Reconciliation Episcopal has used this new liturgical season to bring an awareness of God’s love for creation and our call to care for it to the entire worshiping community. Participants will be invited to share ideas for how they might use something similar in their own worship services. Contact: Priscilla, 210-655-2731, priscilla@cor-satx.org. Episcopal Church of Reconciliation, 8900 Starcrest Drive, 78217. RSVP required. Cost: $10 for lunch (specify turkey or vegetarian).

“Healing the Earth, Saving Ourselves,” 1:30 - 2:45 pm. A discussion led by Betty Dabney, PhD, on how working together to solve climate change can unify Humankind. Contact: Betty Dabney,bdabney@gmail.com. UIW Library Auditorium, RSVP: not required, Cost: free.

"Food Justice in the Era of Climate Change," 4:30 to 5:45 pm.Shared by Dr. Jeff Crane, author of The Environment in American History, Nature and the Formation of the United Stateshttp://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415808712. In modern America approximately 50 million

Americans, including about one-fourth of all children, suffer from food insecurity. The food that is available is often unhealthy and produced in an industrial-agricultural economy that is damaging to both farmworkers and ecosystems. Community and urban farming offer some solutions to those problems while also helping urban populations prepare for the unpredictable impacts of climate change. UIW Mabee Library Auditorium. RSVP: not required, Cost: free. Contact: jcrane@uiwtx.edu.

“Foods from the Quran and the Bible,” 5:45 – 6:30 pm. Enjoy a reception with foods mentioned in the Quran, Christian Scriptures, and Hebrew Scriptures gifts from God for all God’s people. UIW Mabee Library Special Collections Room.

Dr. Rolla Alaydi and Narjis Pierre with Foods from the Quran and the Bible.

“The Islamic Declaration on Climate Change,”6:30 pm. A discussion with Narjis Pierre, Sarwat Hussain, people of the Dialogue Institute, and friends. All will be invited to discuss little and big things individuals and groups can do about climate change.http://islamicclimatedeclaration.org/islamic-declaration-on-global-climate-change/.

Both the 5:45 reception and this are hosted by the CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations), the Dialogue Institute, Muslim Women’s Association, and UIW Liturgical Outreach. Contact: Sr. Martha Ann Kirk,kirk@uiwtx.edu. UIW Mabee Library Special Collections Room.

"Divine Harmony - Human Voices Call Out to God," 7 pm. Music with people of different faiths. Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 5955 FM 78, 78244. Pastor Michael Lawrence Weden, 210-452-3207,mlw128@juno.com. RSVP not required. Cost: free.

 

Friday February 5, 2016

“Interfaith Meditation Centered on Caring for Creation,” 7:15-8:00am. Contact: Alice Holden, CCVI, rcc@uiwtx.edu. Library of the Denman Estate, 7735 Mockingbird Lane, 78229.

“Starting out Wild: Rockin’ and Rollin’,” 10:00-11:00am. Introduce 1-3 year-olds to nature and learn all about rocks through stories, songs, and hands-on fun! It is recommended that a child be walking and a parent or caretaker attend with each child. Most classes will take place outdoors. Contact: Nicole McLeod, 210-207-3782,Nicole.mcleod@sanantonio.gov. Friedrich Wilderness Park, 21395 Milsa, 78256. RSVP required. Suggested donation: $3 per person or $6 per family.

“Laudato Si’,” 1:00-4:00pm. A Community Conversation led by JPIC Assistant Director Jennifer Reyes Lay. Gather to dialogue, reflect, and celebrate that together we have a responsibility to care for our common home wherever we are, in whatever we do. To prepare read “Laudato Si’.” Contact: jpic.office@amormeus.org, http://www.saccvi.blogspot.com. Heritage Hall, the Village at the Incarnate Word. RSVP at http://goo.gl/forms/9eehhgcIIG by Jan. 29. Cost: free. Sponsored by the Incarnate Word Sisters International Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Committee.

“Pursuit of Harmony,” 6:30pm. Shabbat Service: A musical journey of friendship and peace. Join Jewish singer and song writer Michael Ochs and Palestinian songwriter and commentator Alaa Alshaham for a weekend of music, dialogue and friendship! https://www.beth-elsa.org/. Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, 78212. RSVP: not required. Cost: free.

“First Friday Open House----Paris Climate Agreement and Climate Change,” 6:30-8:00pm. 195 nations signed a climate agreement in Paris. The presentation examines the science of climate change and the Paris climate agreement and challenges to make the agreement work as planned to keep global temperatures within the agreements parameters. Contact: Joseph L. Cook, 760-577-5931, jlcapplevalleyca@gmail.com. San Antonio Mennonite Church, 1443 South St. Mary’s Street, 78210. RSVP: optional. Cost: free.

Saturday February 6, 2016

“Going Solar,” 4:00-6:00pm. Dr. Roy Ellzey will provide information on local options for families and businesses who are considering converting to all or partial solar energy.https://www.facebook.com/events/162111897491768/. Contact: Betty Dabney, bdabney@gmail.com. Fellowship Hall, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 7150 W Interstate 10, 78213. RSVP: optional. Cost: Free and open to the public.

“Pursuit of Harmony,” 6:30pm. Shabbat Service: A musical journey of friendship and peace. Join Jewish singer and song writer Michael Ochs and Palestinian songwriter and commentator Alaa Alshaham for a weekend of music, dialogue and friendship! https://www.beth-elsa.org/. Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, 78212. RSVP not required. Cost: free.

Sunday February 7, 2016

“Mitchell Lake Bird Walk,” 8:00-9:00am. Guided birding tour. No dogs, except service dogs. Contact:210-628-1639, mlac@audubon.org,http://mitchelllake.audubon.org/birding-tours. Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, 10750 Pleasanton Road, 78221. RSVP: optional, Cost: $8 for non-members.

“Caring for Creation,” 9:30-10:30am. Adult Sunday school presentation will include an examination of creation care, scriptural aspects of creation care and aspects of challenges creation faces from environmental issues. Contact: Joseph L. Cook, 760-577-5931,jlcapplevalleyca@gmail.com. San Antonio Mennonite Church, 1443 South St. Mary’s Street, 78210. RSVP: optional. Cost: Free.

“Kids Alive!” 11:00am-1:00pm. Wilderness Survival class for 6-14 years of age; must be accompanied by adult or guardian. Contact: Joey Rios, 210-688-9055 ext. 2009, activities@friendsofgc.org. Government Canyon State Natural Area, 12861 GalmRoad, 78254. RSVP: required athttp://friendsofgc.org/event/kids-alive-7/. Cost: $5 entry or park pass.

 

Monday February 8, 2016

“Centering Prayer and Discussion on Ecology,” 6:00-7:00pm. Contact: Alice Holden, CCVI, rcc@uiwtx.edu. Library of the Denman Estate, 7735 Mockingbird Lane, 78229.

“Water Stewardship in the Face of Climate Change,” 7:00– 9:00 pm. (see Monday, February 1 description)