Death of Former LCWR President Mary Dacey, SSJ

With sadness, we share with you the news that Mary Dacey, SSJ died on Thursday, January 16 at St Joseph Villa in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. She was 77 years old.

Mary served as vice-president and a member of the leadership team of her congregation, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, from 2004 – 2014. In 2006, the LCWR members elected her to the three-year presidency of the conference. During that time, she served on the committee to plan and create the traveling exhibit, Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America, where she played an instrumental role in fundraising as well as appearing in the exhibit’s introductory video.

In 2020, LCWR created the Discerning the Emerging Future Initiative and Mary served on that initiative’s committee from its inception to the time of her death, participating in weekly meetings in the early years and contributing from her wealth of experience, particularly from her work as a facilitator for many religious institutes across the country. Her keen insights and wise counsel significantly helped to shape the anticipatory manner in which LCWR has worked to ready its members for future challenges and opportunities. Mary also generously served the Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph for several years.

Mary spent more than 35 years in the ministry of education as a teacher, administrator, and board member for many institutes on the secondary and higher education levels. Her ministries have included service as principal and president of Mount St. Joseph Academy for 16 years and as the director of schools for The Healey Education Foundation.

Mary’s funeral will be held in her congregation’s motherhouse on January 24 at 10:30 AM.

Let us hold in prayer all of Mary’s family, congregation members, friends, and all those whose lives were impacted by her as we gratefully remember her spirit and presence, mourn her passing, and celebrate her eternal life.

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955 | www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

2020 Outstanding Leadership Award Recipient

We are very pleased to announce that the LCWR 2020 Outstanding Leadership Award recipient will be Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN.

Patricia has spent nearly 30 years committed to anti-racism training and dismantling white privilege, where she modeled inclusivity and witnessed to the truth of the dignity of the human person. During her nine-year tenure as Executive Director of Pax Christi USA she promoted a spirituality of non-violence and asked each bishop in the United States to affirm active nonviolence as a core Christian principle. She has worked with countless religious congregations and lay groups on diversity-racism issues, including the Ignatian Solidarity Network. In 2017 she served as keynote speaker at the 2017 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. At the 2019 LCWR Assembly Patricia was one of three panelists who helped members explore the connections between three critical justice issues which LCWR members identified in their discernment of the 2019-2022 assembly resolution: the intersection of systemic racism, forced migration, and the climate crisis.

Patricia was one of the founding members of the Black Sisters Conference and served as its president from 1996-2001.

A member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Patricia served on the provincial leadership team. Recently she was elected to the leadership team of the East-West unit based in Baltimore, MD.

We look forward to honoring Patricia at this year's LCWR assembly in Dallas and learning more about her groundbreaking leadership.

Our deep appreciation goes to the LCWR Awards Committee for compiling all the feedback that was provided from you, the LCWR members, about candidates for this award and making a recommendation for this year's recipient.

Sincerely,

Jayne Helmlinger, CSJ
Elise García, OP
Sharlet Wagner, CSC

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Virtual Assembly 2021

This year LCWR is able to make recordings of the major LCWR assembly presentations available for viewing on the public side of our website: https://lcwr.org/2021-lcwr-assembly. The recordings are of:

  • Presidential address and responders 
  • Keynote address (in Spanish) and responders
  • Testimonials by three LCWR members
  • Role play for the Discernment of Our Emerging Future
  • Lifetime Achievement Awards

Also on the site are texts from the addresses in English and Spanish, a summary of the assembly you can use for your own communications, and a 4 ½ minute video of the assembly highlights. 

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Resolutions to Action - Winter 2021

Congratulations to Carmen González Arias, CDP, for her piece Crises in Puerto Rico: US Policy and the Resilience of the People which explores the troubled relationship between the federal government of the United States and the people of the Common Wealth of Puerto Rico.

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Stands Against Racism and Misogyny

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious condemns racism and sexism in all their harmful forms whether the violent acts of white supremacists and misogynists or the daily acts of hate and discrimination that diminish us all.

We grieve with the citizens of Atlanta and the Asian-American and Pacific Island communities. We mourn with those who have lost loved ones to hateful acts of violence, with all who live in fear, and with all whose dignity is threatened by xenophobia and chauvinism. We lament the racism and sexism that continue to afflict our communities, threaten neighbors and denigrate all we hold dear.

We acknowledge our own complicity in institutional racism and sexism. We commit ourselves to cleanse our hearts and rid our land of these twin evils. We promise to continue to use our voice and our energy to build God’s beloved community where all are one.

LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has more than 1300 members, who represent more than 38,800 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, LCWR assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world.

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

2017 LCWR Assembly Materials

We invite you to view the various materials available for you on the LCWR website following this year's assembly (https://lcwr.org/calendar/lcwr-assembly-2017). You are encouraged to share these widely with your own members, associates, or anyone else who might benefit from them. While some materials are still in process, eventually you will have available to you:

  1. The texts of the presidential address by Mary Pellegrino, CSJ and the keynote addresses of Chris Pramuk and Jan Richardson. Thanks to the generosity of the Sisters of Bon Secours and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio, all three addresses will be translated into French and Spanish and will be posted on the website.
  2. The remarks of Constance FitzGerald, OCD after receiving the LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award. These too will be translated into French and Spanish.
  3. The press release about the assembly. Please feel free to use or adapt this release as you share with your own members and publics about the assembly. (https://lcwr.org/media/lcwr-assembly-explores-call-embody-love-sake-world)
  4. The public statement issued by LCWR on the escalating tensions between the governments of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. (https://lcwr.org/media/lcwr-assembly-statement-us-dprk-crisis)
  5. Information on ordering CDs and DVDs of various assembly events.
  6. A short video capturing highlights of this assembly. Please feel free to share this video on your own social media platforms. (https://animoto.com/play/WMAxoiTam4bAoBDcLeGD5A?autostart=1)

You will receive a separate message that contains the link to the evaluation of this assembly. Please be sure to complete it since your feedback is invaluable as we plan future assemblies.

Please contact us if you have any questions.
 
National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious

AttachmentSize
PDF icon Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Leaning into the Mystery of Resurrection Faith -- Dr. Christopher Pramuk Leadership Conference of W66.36 KB
PDF icon The Future Enters Us Long Before It Happens: Opening Space for an Emerging Narrative of Communion84.55 KB
PDF icon Remarks by Constance FitzGerald, OCD, Recipient of LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award26.31 KB
Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Embraces the Call to Respect Diversity and Work for Inclusion and Equity for All

The Provincial Leadership Team of the Marie de la Roche Provinces supports the LCWR statement on diversity. As stated in our Directional Statement of our 2016 Provincial Chapter, "…we commit ourselves to be in right relationship with one another and all of creation…Mindful of the brokenness within our global community, we commit ourselves to be prophets of hope and agents of healing…"

We are living at a moment when society is discovering the vast breadth and depth of both the richness and the challenges inherent in the diversity that exists within the human family. That diversity entails a rich mix of differences and encompasses all the dimensions that make each person unique including: ethnicity, race, age, gender and gender identity, beliefs, sexual orientation, and more.

As the world community grapples to understand diversity, we, the members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, wholeheartedly join in this exploration. We recognize that this is a difficult journey that requires enormous capacity to transcend ideas that may have shaped our thinking over the course of decades, if not millennia. We acknowledge our need to continuously educate ourselves to understand differences – informed by science as well as theology, to patiently listen in a non-judgmental way to people who suffer because of who they are, and to commit to an unceasing reconsideration of our own ethical judgments in light of new understandings. Furthermore, we recognize that we must grow in our capacity and willingness to experience the pain and struggle of people who have been excluded or subjected to violence by others because of who they are. We know that the more we can see life from the perspective of others, the greater will be our capacity to grasp what they experience and learn from it.

As we work to understand the differences among us, we also pledge ourselves to work towards both inclusion and equity. We believe that all people need to feel valued and connected, and that they belong. All people thrive in environments where their inherent worth is respected, and where they are safe to express their authentic selves. Inclusion helps us all know that we belong to something bigger – the reign of God, in our view as religious. At the same time, we will work to guarantee a society marked by fairness, equal access and opportunity, and justice for all people.

As we continue this lifelong work of non-judgmentally walking along side persons whose ways of being may differ from our own, we anticipate that at times we will fail. We ask for forgiveness when we close our hearts, unconsciously exclude, or speak or act in ways that disrespect another. Like many in society, we know that we do not yet fully understand the diversity among us and that we have much work ahead of us. We believe, however, that the work to comprehend and appreciate what it means to be human in all our glorious diversity -- each one made in the image of God -- may be one of the most important contributions we can make at this critical moment of evolutionary change and growth for the entire global community. As women of faith, we are committed to it.

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

2024 LCWR Assembly

We  invite you to participate in Who Shall We Be: A Contemplative Prayer for the World, a prayer experience that will take that will take place on Friday, August 16 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET during the LCWR assembly in Orlando, Florida. 

The link to the livestream is: (10) LCWR Assembly 2024 Who Then Shall We Be? A Contemplative Prayer for the World - YouTube.

 A copy of the prayer service, a commitment card, and a recording of the prayer will also be available HERE on the LCWR website. We hope that as many people as possible will choose to participate, thus increasing the power of our collective prayer, presence, and response.

Livestream Links

Wednesday, August 14

9:25 - 10:10 AM
Presidential Address by Maureen Geary, OP
https://youtube.com/live/wiQ3hM4-9QY?feature=share

2:05 - 2:50 PM
Keynote: Bryan N. Massingale
https://youtube.com/live/tEGQQK6U4zk?feature=share

Thursday, August 15

9:20 - 10:05 AM
Keynote: Maricarmen Bracamontes
https://youtube.com/live/_3WINsEYMtA?feature=share

11:20 - 11:50 AM
Reflectors: Who Do We Need You to Be for the World?
https://youtube.com/live/8aPfMAEu2DE?feature=share

2:30 - 3:45 PM
Discerning the Emerging Future: What’s Emerging? 
https://youtube.com/live/g6T3wYHPYCs?feature=share
 

Friday, August 16          

2:00 - 3:00 PM
Who Then Shall We Be?
A Contemplative Prayer for the World
https://youtube.com/live/P0n_Lv_vv7A?feature=share

8:00 PM (approximation)
Outstanding Leadership Award Presentation to Nancy Schreck, OSF
https://youtube.com/live/tilP36D1N80?feature=share

 

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955
www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

Hurricane Harvey Relief Effort

The facilities of several congregations of women religious have sustained damages from the fury of Hurricane Harvey. We thank the members of Region XII who have provided us with the contact information for congregations that need assistance and the names of congregations that are offering assistance.

Damage varies in the extent of severity, and the capabilities of the congregations to deal with the expenses vary, also. Most of those who have damaged facilities are still reaching out to help those who have been more severely impacted.

1. At this point, we are aware of these Congregations sustaining the worst damage due to the hurricane Harvey disaster:    Cenacle Sisters, in Houston, whose facilities are still underwater and have lost everything. They are now housed at Holy Name Retreat Center in Houston.

  •     Carmelite Missionaries of St. Teresa, in Houston, who have three inundated convents and no flood insurance.
  •     Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate, in Houston, who have roof damage.
  •     La Salle Sisters, in Houston, who lost everything.
  •     Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, in Victoria, who have two inundated convents.
  •     Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, in Lamar, TX, whose convent and retreat center were badly damaged.

2. Congregations responding directly to the needs of those impacted by hurricane Harvey are:

  •     Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (CVI) in Houston and Incarnate Word Academy
  •     Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in Corpus Christi
  •     Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in Victoria
  •     Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Hearts in Victoria Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in Beaumont
  •     Cenacle Sisters in Houston

Contributions may be made directly to the congregations needing assistance and we provide the contact information for your reference.

Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle
(Sr. Pamela J. Falkowski, RC, pamelajeanrc@gmail.com Local Superior)
430 Bunker Hill Road, Houston, TX 77024-6399

Carmelite Missionaries of St. Teresa
(Sr. Victoria Alvarez, victoriaalvarez14@yahoo.com.mx Provincial Superior)
9548 Deer Trail Drive, Houston, TX 77038-3902

Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province
(Sr. Angela Pham, OP, srangela2012@gmail.com Provincial Superior)
5250 Gasmer Drive, Houston, TX 77035-5716

LaSalle Sisters
(Sr. Thoa Thi Ta, Ls.S, balaovn@yahoo.com Local Superior)
13115 Dogwood Blossom Trail, Houston, TX 770665

Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
(Sr. Midory Wu, MSCH, wumidory@hotmail.com Provincial Superior)
203 E. Sabine Street, Victoria, TX 77901

Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, SchoenstattLamar@gmail.com
(Donate with Credit card or PayPal account on website Schoenstatt-texas.org or schoenstattlamartx@corpus.twcbc.com )
134 Front Street, Rockport, TX 78382-7800

Contact information for the congregations responding directly to the needs of those impacted by hurricane Harvey follows:

Sisters of the Incarnate Word
(Sr. Lauren Beck, CVI, lbeck@incarnateword.org President, Incarnate Word Academy)
3400 Bradford Street, Houston, TX 77025

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
(Sr. Anne Marie Espinosa 361-774-4910)
Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament
5201 Lipes Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78413

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament
(Sr. Stephana Marbach, IWBS, srstephana@yahoo.com )
1101 NE Water Street, Victoria, TX 77901

Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
(Sr. Midory Wu, MSCH, wumidory@hotmail.com Provincial Superior)
203 E. Sabine Street, Victoria, TX 77901

Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament
(Sr. Annette Wagner, IWBS, sawagner@iwbscc.org [for Beaumont])
5201 Lipes Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78413

Congregation of Our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle
(Sr. Pamela J. Falkowski, RC, pamelajeanrc@gmail.com Local Superior)
430 Bunker Hill Road, Houston, TX 77024-6399

Congregation of Divine Providence
(Sr. Anita Brenek, CDP, abrenek@cdptexas.org )
515 SW 24th Street, San Antonio, TX 78207

Know that whatever support you can offer will be deeply appreciated. We now hold in our thoughts and prayers all who have been and will be affected by hurricane Irma.

Joan Marie Steadman, CSC
Executive Director

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Election Results 2023

Balloting for the LCWR president-elect and national board opened on Monday, June 5 and closed on Friday, June 23.

We are happy to announce that Sue Ernster, FSPA is our new president-elect. She will join Maureen Geary, OP and Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP in the LCWR presidency.

It is also our pleasure to announce our three new LCWR board members:

  • Rose Martin, RSM
  • Veronica Esparza Ramirez, OP
  • Celeste Trahan, CCVI

Congratulations to Sue, Rose, Veronica, and Celeste. They will join Kathleen Brazda, CSJ; Laura Bregar, OSU; Pushpa Gomes, CSC; Nkechi Iwuoha, PHJC; Patty Johnson, CSJ; and Sean Peters, CSJ on the LCWR national board.

The terms of our newly elected leaders will begin at the conclusion of the national assembly in August.

A special thanks to our other gifted candidates: Maryanne King, CSR, LaDonna Manternach, BVM, Maryann McMahon, OP, and Corinne Sanders, OP for their generous offering of self in service of religious life and LCWR.

Thanks to all who participated in this year’s nomination and election process.

With prayers and best wishes for our newly elected leaders,

Laura Bregar, OSU
Anna Marie Reha, SSND, Chair
Mary Soher, OP
Anne Victory, HM
LCWR Nominations and Elections Committee

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

National Black Sisters' Conference and LCWR Issue Statement on Conviction of Derek Chauvin for Murder of George Floyd

The following is a joint statement issued by The National Black Sisters’ Conference (NBSC) and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in response to the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

We, the National Black Sisters’ Conference and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, stand together in our commitment to the sacred dignity of each human person as emphasized in Catholic Social Teaching.

In the aftermath of the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, we recommit to working for real and sustained systemic change in the struggle to end institutional racism in every aspect of our society.

Sadly, we know that the trend of fatal police shootings has only escalated in this country over the last four years. The rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans is much higher than that of any other ethnic group. Starting with the savage beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1991 up to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the trend of abuse at the hands of law enforcement has alarmingly increased. 

In 2020 there were 1,021 fatal police shootings, and in the first three months of this year 213 people have been shot by the police; 30 of whom were African Americans. Police brutality is only one of the many manifestations of systemic racism; but it is one that too often ends in the death of too many young African Americans.

We believe that we are at a crucial moment in race relations in this country.  We must acknowledge and work to eradicate the sin of White Privilege that seeks to affirm the false superiority of Anglo-Saxon culture and way of life. 

We must as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. admonished us “learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish together as fools.”  Therefore, we call upon all people of good will and especially people of faith to join us in working for real and sustainable solutions to the racial divide in our country.

We will not rest and our work will not be done until the belief that all people are created equal and entitled to the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is a lived reality for every American citizen.

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Mourns the Death of Former LCWR President Theresa Kane, RSM

With sadness we note the death on August 22, 2024 of Theresa Kane, RSM who served in the presidency of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious from 1978-1981. She was also the recipient of LCWR’s Outstanding Leadership Award in 2004, the second person to ever receive this honor.

The Sisters of Mercy recognized Theresa's natural leadership skills soon after her entrance to their order. She was appointed councilor and secretary for the New York Province of the Sisters of Mercy at age 29. Four years later she was elected the provincial administrator, a position she held for seven years until her election as president of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of the Union at age 40.

One year later, she was elected president of LCWR and, in that capacity, greeted Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC on October 7, 1979, speaking publicly from the sanctuary. Her courageous statement asking for greater involvement of women in the Catholic Church, spoken because of the yearning she had heard expressed by hundreds of women who were looking for equality in the world and church, drew international attention. As noted at the time in The Sacramento Bee, “It must have taken enormous courage for her to stand before the pope at an internationally televised prayer service and make her appeal. We have rarely heard such quiet, measured language of such force.” 

Her action made an undeniably important contribution – it focused worldwide attention on the crucial question of the rights of women. Over the years since that time, Theresa gave her life’s energies, time, and skills to fostering religious life, creating peace, and working for the rights of women and the rights of people who are impoverished. She was a founding member of the Intercommunity Center for Justice and Peace in New York, a chair of LCWR Region 2, a US representative to the International Union of Superiors General, board member and president of the Washington Office on Latin America, founding member and first vice president of the board of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church, among other actions of service. 

LCWR echoes the words once spoken by Theresa’s long-time mentor and friend, Sister of Mercy Betty Carroll, who noted, “A picture of Theresa must embrace a Theresa who smiles in adversity, and who responds to closed doors with a consistent but gentle plea for civilized discourse and dialogue.” We are grateful for her perseverance in consistently working for a more just world and persisting with such graciousness.

Funeral arrangements are pending. The Sisters of Mercy will post them here when they are finalized. We join in prayer with these sisters and all who were touched by Theresa during her 87 years of life.

 

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955
www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

LCWR Stands in Solidarity with the People of the Middle East

Since we first heard of the loss of life, violence, imprisonment, and war in Israel and Gaza, we, at LCWR, searched for a way to respond that was true to our commitment to work on the root causes on injustice from a stance of intersectionality and the transformation of consciousness. In the days that have passed, we have reached out to interfaith leaders, representatives of organizations on the front lines in Israel and Gaza, and particularly the Jewish communities in the United States to ask them, "What do you need at this time?”

With alarming consistency, we have heard the call to be cautious in our words, to avoid escalating the crisis with rhetoric that assigns simplistic blame or solutions, and above all to call for an intolerance of the propensity towards violence in communities of faith within our borders, particularly towards Jewish communities. With these admonitions in mind, we share the following response to the Israel-Gaza crisis.

Included with the response are resources for use in the ongoing education of your members that can help us all understand this war from the perspective of those whose communities are most impacted. Please feel free to distribute these resources as widely as you wish.  

We stand together in our commitment to the urgent work of transformative justice and the discipline of contemplative prayer that we trust can help heal the pain of loss, wounds, and division.

Sincerely,

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955
www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

Tere Maya, CCVI to Address USCCB at Spiritual Discernment Day

We would like you to know that the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) invited LCWR past president Teresa Maya, CCVI to address the entire body of bishops at their spiritual discernment day on Monday, November 12.

As you may know, the USCCB changed the agenda of their annual assembly in light of the clergy sexual abuse situation. Knowing that true discernment begins by listening, the bishops have planned a day of discernment and prayer that will provide opportunities for them to listen to the tradition of the Church, as well as to the people. To that end, they will conduct their day of prayer as an experience of lectio divina. Readings from the tradition of the Church will be followed by reflections from two abuse survivors who will address the bishops from their personal experiences, a young mother who will speak about the responsibility of the Church to future generations, and Tere, who will have 15 minutes to address the bishops. Tere will speak in the afternoon, following the last reading of the day which is from Charles Borromeo.

According to Tere, the USCCB invited her to speak because of what LCWR was able to accomplish at its LCWR assembly this past August - provide hope to its members while also discussing delicate and challenging issues with honesty and transparency.

Portions of the day will be live-streamed via the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org/live.

We assume that there will be media coverage of this day and we wanted you to be aware that this was happening. We apologize that we were not able to let you know of this sooner, but we were honoring USCCB's decision to not release the names of those addressing the assembly until now.

We are very grateful to Tere for accepting this important challenge, and for the courage it requires. Please join us in prayer with and for Tere, the other speakers, and for the body of bishops during this important assembly.

Sharlet Wagner, CSC, LCWR president
Jayne Helmlinger, CSJ, LCWR president-elect
Carol Zinn, SSJ, LCWR executive director

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

Discernment on the Future of Religious Life

Discerning Our Emerging Future is an initiative created by LCWR to support institutes of women religious as we explore together how collectively to organize for mission at a time of dramatic change. The initiative provides a path into the future marked by collaboration and creativity, as well as support and solidarity.

The accelerated pace of change in religious institutes points to an urgent need to work across religious institutes to create new sustainable structures that assure a future for religious life. Leaders are strongly urged to seriously consider the implications of the current reality of large numbers of aging members in religious communities, along with the entrance into religious orders in the United States of approximately 200 women each year. There is a clear call to our generation of leaders to create new ways to organize the body of US women religious for mission and service.

For more information, visit: https://lcwr.org/discernment-future-religious-life

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

Updated LCWR Response and Prayer for the Middle East

We begin our week cognizant of the struggles for peace in so many corners of the globe, in our own communities, and in our own lives. LCWR, through the work of transformation of consciousness, is finding ways to take seriously our collective commitment to contemplative action, awareness, and engagement in the conflicts around us.

We have updated the LCWR response to the crisis in the Middle East that we shared with you last week. While not a statement of policy or position, this response invites each of us to willingly refuse violent rhetoric, find resources to support our understanding, and recognize the complexity of healing the polarities that shape the root causes of the division among us. The work of transformative justice impels each of us into a response. The LCWR response has been updated to reflect our inclusion of all those who experience the consequences of violence in the current conflict in the Middle East and around Earth.

Call to Make October 17 at Day of Fasting and Prayer

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, on behalf of the bishops of the Holy Land has asked that people make Tuesday, October 17 a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer. Please see the notice from the International Union of Superiors General who have asked religious globally to join this effort. We encourage you to ask your sisters, associates, and partners in mission to consider participating. You may want to organize your sisters for a specific time of prayer together.

Resources for Prayer

We would also like to share with you two resources that might be helpful to you as we pray for all those impacted by the violence in the Middle East.

Prayer from World Relief

Lord, You said “Peace, be still,” and the storm was stilled.
We confess that at times, we feel overwhelmed by the storm. But today, we lift our eyes to you — the Maker of heaven and earth. And we ask for a miracle… let your peace fill Israel and Gaza.
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.

God, let violence cease in the region. Let there be no more bloodshed. We know your heart breaks for those killed and those left behind — for the orphaned child, the injured elderly, those abducted and families desperate for safety. Lord, speak into this crisis.
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.

We pray for those who have lost loved ones. Let your peace and love wash over them. Please protect and provide for those who have been abducted and bring them home safely. Let them be reunited with their loved ones — let them feel the comfort of their embrace.
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.

God, we pray that you open doors that allow food, essentials and medical supplies to reach those in need. May first responders be able to rescue the injured, comfort the grieving and help rebuild many lives.
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.

God, we pray for your peace and reconciliation to overcome conflict. We ask that you give wisdom and discernment to our global leaders and those in positions of power who have the ability to impact the course of this war. Help us to be bold advocates and agents of peace in our own communities.
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.

We pray for people scattered around the globe whose friends and family members have been caught in the crisis. We know you are with them. Help us to express your love to those affected in our communities, churches and workplaces.    
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.

Lord, we raise Israel and Gaza to you, and pray for those suffering. We ask that you provide peace in this crisis, and protection and comfort for all those who have been impacted.
We lift our prayer to you,
Lord, hear us.
Amen.

Another resource is this video of a virtual choir of 54 young people from 36 countries singing together “Veni Sancte Spiritus” by Taizé from their homes. Although recorded three years ago, the prayer is appropriate as we all seek the presence of the Spirit for our suffering world.

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955
www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

Launch of LCWR’s Transforming Grace

LCWR’s new initiative, Transforming Grace, runs from now through November 2024. Beginning today, there are resources on the LCWR website during this year-long effort to increase our capacity to live in a world characterized by division, polarization, and fear.

The first season of this initiative takes place during Advent and focuses on Transforming Consciousness. A reflection will be provided for each week of the season that includes suggestions for prayer and an invitation to dialogue. We believe that these 12 months leading to the national election provide a context for this work of contemplation, education, commitment, and response – the work of transformative justice.

The materials will continue to come to you throughout Advent and then will begin again during Lent with a focus on Transforming Presence. We believe that these efforts we are making collectively will lead us into a deeper embodiment of the LCWR Call 2023-2028.

May this season of Thanksgiving ready us to enter into this new initiative with hearts open to the transformation we need as individuals, a nation, and global community.

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955
www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

2024 LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award Recipient

We are pleased to share that Nancy Schreck, OSF has been selected by the LCWR members as the recipient of the 2024 LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award.

Nancy, a Sister of St. Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, is currently the program director of Excel Inc., a community service organization located in Okolona Mississippi.

Nancy previously served in leadership and formation ministry in her congregation, as well as in the LCWR presidency and as a US delegate to the International Union of Superiors General (UISG). She also served for eight years as a member of the council of the Franciscan Handmaids located in New York. Her contributions to LCWR over the years -- including keynote presentations at LCWR assemblies, facilitation of the Leading from Within Retreat and New Leader Workshop, articles, and more – have significantly influenced leaders and members of religious institutes nationally and globally. She is a sought-after presenter and facilitator for many religious groups throughout the United States and beyond.

LCWR looks forward to learning more about Nancy and the leadership she has exercised in many contexts throughout her lifetime when she is presented with the award at the 2024 assembly in Orlando in August.

Special thanks to the committee members who oversaw the selection process: Anna Marie Espinosa, IWBS; Rosemarie Jasinski, CBS; Vicky Larson, PBVM; Anne Munley, IHM; Constance Phelps, SCL; Sharlet Wagner, CSC; and Carol Zinn, SSJ.

National Office
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
8737 Colesville Road – Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4955
www.lcwr.org

Author: 
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)