Social Justice

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

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.

The Senate is moving quickly to put together its version of legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), following passage of the House American Health Care Act last month. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hopes to schedule a floor vote on the bill before the July 4th Congressional recess.

Senators are said to be crafting a bill that would increase the number of uninsured and impose harmful cuts to the Medicaid program which protects the health and wellbeing of the vulnerable elderly, disabled, and those living in poverty. The major changes to current insurance coverage such as those included in the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA), as well as the fundamental restructuring of the Medicaid program, will jeopardize the health and economic safety of some 23 million Americans.

Please join our colleagues at the Catholic Health Association (CHA) in urging the Senate to reject any legislation that would increase the number of uninsured or impose harmful cuts and changes to the Medicaid program which is a life-line for so many, including many of our own elderly women religious.

A sample letter, background material, and talking points are available on CHA's e-Advocacy website: www.chausa.org/advocacy/contact-congress. Even more effective may be a phone call to your Senators' offices. Call the US Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected. You can also find your Senators' direct phone numbers on the U.S. Senate website: www.senate.gov/senators/contact.

Please share this action alert and write or call your Senators. The time is short and the stakes high.

Thanks for whatever you can do to protect the right to health care of all!

Bridges of Providence is sponsored by the Ketteler Justice and Legacy Committee of the Sisters of Divine Providence; it seeks the participation of all the sisters and associates of our congregation. This project was generated to look for new, current ways of ministering to those in need. We work in partnership with other congregations and lay people called to service in different countries, especially those considered third-world countries.

Countries presently included in this ministry, in collaboration with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, who operate entrepreneurship projects for women:

• El Salvador - Sister Joselin Alvarado 
• Guatemala -  Sister Sara Galindo 
• Honduras  - Sister Marta Iris Lopez 
• Mexico – Sister Graciela Medina Hernandez
• Nicaragua – Sister Candida Rosa Garcia
• Peru – Sister Olga Soldevilla Ureta
• Costa Rica – Sister Nelly Ortega Espinal
• Angola – Sister Marcelina Manuel Domingos de Nacimento

In collaboration with:

• Institute Id of Christ the Redemer Idente Missionaries 
  Peru – Sister Maria Burgos Machuca
• Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
  Peru – Sister Magna Castillo
• Oblate Sisters of the Holy Redeemer 
  The Dominican Republic – Sister Angelica Segoviano

When these women are ready to start a small business that generates an income to improve their quality of life, they receive financial support with which they acquire the supplies and equipment necessary for their undertaking. The support provided is $200 to $400, depending on what they need to start their small business. This does not exclude being able to help men who really need and show a desire to go forward.

Bridges of Providence is expanding its collaboration in these countries by supporting young people who do not have the resources to study. They are helped by paying tuition and study materials for one year.

Another support that is being provided is psychological support for women and young people. Bridges of Providence pays for 10 sessions with a psychologist recommended by the sisters in these different countries.

By providing these services, Bridges of Providence is trying to address the whole dimension of a human being; education, the emotional, psychological, and entrepreneurship skills of the person, thus helping to improve their quality of life. 

The Sisters and Associates of our congregation are periodically informed about the support that is provided through this ministry in the different countries. Videos are prepared and published below.

You are invited to become a "partner" in this new ministry! HOW?

• First with your prayers and moral support
• Second by asking family and friends for monetary gifts, no matter the amount
• Buying or helping to prepare the cookies (alfajores), cheesecakes, and roasted peanuts that are sold periodically
• Donating online at cdpsisters.org/donate
  Select the donation amount
  Select  "Yes" for Restricted Gift
  Type "Bridges of Providence" in the designation field
  Enter name and billing information
  Click "Submit"

The Spirit and the Charism of the Sisters of Divine Providence have shepherded these experiences. In cooperation with the Sisters of the Congregations mentioned above and lay people, we trust and are open to God’s Providence making God's face visible to the world.