Letter to president to stop divisive rhetoric
At their annual assembly, 663 Leadership Conference of Women Religious ( LCWR) members, including Racine Dominican Executive Committee Ss. Maryann McMahon, Kathy Slesar and Lisa Kane, sent to following letter to President Trump:
August 14, 2019
Mr. President,
We live in a world increasingly marked by hatred, brutality, and violent conflict. We see our own country threatened by increasing disparities in economic, political, and social power. We are caught in a political culture paralyzed by ideological extremism and hyper-partisanship. These are times that require exceptional insight and courageous leadership.
In the face of these unprecedented challenges, we are outraged and heart-broken when our political leaders appeal to our basest instincts and stoke the fires of fear that threaten to tear the fabric of our nation apart. We cannot, we will not, let the voices of hatred and fear carry the day.
Mr. President, we beseech you to end all divisive and polarizing rhetoric. We implore you to never use language that disrespects, dehumanizes, or demonizes others. We expect our president, and all who serve this nation as leaders, to be always mindful of the common good and the dignity of each and every person. You hold a position that has the potential to inspire the best of every one of us, and we ask you to use this unique status to bring about healing and never seek to create division.
The people of this pluralistic nation form a diverse polity characterized by a wide variety of beliefs, experiences, and interests. Disagreements and differences have the potential to challenge all of us to abandon easy certainty and seek a fuller truth. The problem is not our many differences or passionate disagreements. Those differences are our greatest strength; those disagreements are opportunities for growth. It is how we handle those inevitable conflicts that spells the difference between building the common good and destroying the bonds that bind this nation.
In his address to the US Congress in 2015, Pope Francis invited our political leaders to promote respect for the dignity of every human person and to renew their commitment to a spirit of cooperation. He also addressed each of us and all who seek to lead this nation when he said, "Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility . . . You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk . . . Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity."
As Catholic sisters, our ministries frequently require us to be in the heart of situations of discord and division, and thus we understand the great complexities and challenges that are inherent in the work of reconciliation. We too have to reach deep within ourselves to bring forth the grace and strength that are needed to not give in to the temptation of labeling or judging those who are different from us. We share with you, Mr. President, that maintaining this fundamental stance in life requires discipline and fortitude and a constant examination of our daily thoughts and deeds in light of our beliefs. We sometimes come up short, but pledge to do better each day because we are aware of the moral authority we, as sisters, bear. We ask you, Mr. President, if you would consider a similar examination of the practice of your own moral authority.
We send this letter to you as 663 Catholic sister leaders gathered in assembly in Arizona. We and approximately 700 other Catholic sisters are members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and represent approximately 35,000 sisters who minister throughout this nation. We promise to never cease raising our voices on behalf of the common good and praying for the healing of this country.
Sincerely,
The Members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Statement from Racine Dominican leadership regarding Pope’s acknowledgement of Catholic sisters being abused by clergy
It is affirming that Pope Francis chooses to acknowledge and shed light on the abuse of Catholic sisters by clergy. This is in large part happening due to the many discussions among leadership of women religious over the past decades and helped by the efforts of International Union of Superiors General (UISG), the Rome-based organization of the leaders of orders of Catholic sisters throughout the world. As this issue became more apparent, communities of Catholic sisters have worked hard to understand the trauma of abuse and to create environments where victims would feel comfortable coming forward.
The Racine Dominican executive team agrees with statement from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) that concludes:
We hope that Pope Francis’ acknowledgement is a motivating force for all of us in the Catholic Church to rectify the issue of sexual abuse by clergy thoroughly and swiftly. The upcoming summit of bishops on sexual abuse provides the opportunity for decisive action. Among the actions we recommend are:
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The creation of mechanisms for the reporting of abuse in an atmosphere where victims are met with compassion and are offered safety.
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Refashion the leadership structures of the Church to address the issue of clericalism and ensure that power and authority are shared with members of the laity. The revelations of the extent of abuse indicate clearly that the current structures must change if the church is to regain its moral credibility and have a viable future.
Statement from Racine Dominican leadership regarding recent violence in the United States
The Racine Dominican Executive committee is deeply saddened by the recent violence in the United States. This includes the anti-Semitic shooting that claimed the lives of 11 of our Jewish brothers and sisters, and injured six others at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We pray for the victims, their grieving families and friends, and the Squirrel Hill community as they mourn and seek healing. We are equally alarmed by the attempted assassinations of opposition leaders to the president—all of whom he has repeatedly maligned.
It is disturbing that political discourse in general has become so polarizing. It is disturbing that our president, and many of his followers, are using rhetoric with insinuations and untruths in order to diminish Jewish, Muslim, black, brown, LGBTQ people and immigrants. This un-Christian talk sows divisiveness and may incite violence. Words can be very powerful especially from the president of the United States.
We are all God’s children, and as such, everyone should be treated with respect and dignity. We join with all people of faith and goodwill who refuse to let hatred and fear find a place in our hearts, kindling instead, our capacity to love.
Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement calling for the protection of immigrants:
LCWR Calls for Protection of Immigrants
The US Department of Homeland Security’s proposed changes to the public charge regulation are yet another attempt by President Trump to restrict immigration and punish immigrant families. The new regulation would force parents to make impossible choices between the well-being of their families and the prospect of future citizenship.
The rule changes would dramatically increase the barriers to lawful status for low-income immigrants and their families. It could dissuade parents from obtaining benefits for which their children qualify, out of fear that they may not be able to regularize their immigration status in the future. Lack of access to public benefits programs will increase poverty, hunger, homelessness, and disease, and decrease children’s school attendance and general well-being.
This attempt to target the most vulnerable within the immigrant community violates the tenets of our faith and threatens the values of our nation. We are called by our faith to welcome the stranger and care for the most vulnerable and we are challenged by our national values to promote the welfare of our children and tend the common good. If we want our communities to thrive, all families in those communities mast have access to the care and services they need and to which they are entitled. The Trump administration’s proposed changes to the public charge regulation threaten us all.
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious urges all people of faith to call for protection of immigrants, especially those who are most vulnerable, and to register their objections to this unreasonable and mean-spirited proposal during the 60-day comment period.
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.
The Racine Dominican Leaders respond to
administrations' U.S. Withdrawal from Iran Nuclear Deal:
In withdrawing the United States from the Iran Nuclear Deal, Donald Trump has opened the door for Iran to re-establish its nuclear weapons program. Despite its flaws, this multilateral Iran Nuclear Deal is widely acknowledged as having achieved the goal of preventing Iran from continuing to develop its nuclear arsenal. Pulling out of the deal is a dangerous and irresponsible action that isolates the United States from global leadership and destabilizes our nation’s diplomatic relationship with other leaders.
“One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war" Isaiah 2:4c
For the safety of this country and the good of the world, we, the Racine Dominican Executive Committee, call upon our nation’s leaders to assert wisely and responsibly the power of the positions to which U.S. citizens elected them. We denounce Mr. Trump’s divisive behavior in creating discord nationally and globally through his action.
As women of faith, we encourage all citizens to call forth their elected officials to represent them prudently and courageously at this perilous time. When those in power impose deleterious decisions, our democratic system calls each of us to assert individual responsibility for the good of this nation and the safety of people around the world.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” Matthew 5:9
Issued by the Executive Committee of the Racine Dominican Community: Sister Maryann McMahon, president; Sister Agnes Johnson, vice president; Sister Kathy Slesar, vice president
The Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement denouncing the
administrations' decision to rescind Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Salvadorans:
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious strongly denounces the cruel decision by the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 200,000 Salvadorans. El Salvador is the fourth country whose citizens have been stripped of their right to protection by President Trump’s administration. Rescinding TPS from human beings under continuing threat of violence of all types is inconsistent with the values and traditions of this nation and with our belief in the dignity of all persons.
The TPS program is designed to protect people from being returned to harm. That is precisely what Salvadorans will face if they are deported. El Salvador is the most violent country in the Western Hemisphere and continues to suffer from endemic poverty, lack of access to quality education, and healthcare.
TPS holders are our neighbors and friends. They have been contributing members of our communities for decades. Rescinding TPS protection for citizens of El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan and threatening Hondurans with the same, places us all at risk. Ending their protection will tear families apart, fragment our communities, and disrupt local economies.
Catholic sisters will continue to heed the scriptural command to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. We urge the Trump administration to reconsider its decisions and we call on Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to develop legislative solutions to protect vulnerable people.
The Racine Dominican leadership supports the Adrian Dominican Sisters General Council Statement opposing offshore drilling:
We are alarmed by the Trump Administration’s decision to open federal waters to new offshore oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. Lifting the ban on new offshore drilling makes no sense as our nation reels from the present impacts of climate change with record-freezing temperatures, unprecedented wildfires, and crippling hurricanes. Governors of coastal states also fear the potential negative impact on tourism, fisheries, and recreation threatened by the specter of oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster in 2010 that killed 11 people and devastated the Gulf Coast. This move is all the more alarming as the Trump Administration rolls back oil rig safety regulations put in place after the Deepwater disaster.
As women of faith concerned about the degradation of God’s creation and the future of humanity, we urge elected leaders to oppose this reckless unraveling of environmental protections and take legislative steps to put the nation on the path of a clean, renewables-based economy.
January 18, 2018, Adrian, Michigan
The Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement on
the racially motivated protests in Charlottesville, Virginia:
LCWR Condemns Racism in All Forms
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious condemns racism in all its harmful forms whether the violent acts of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, and White Supremacist groups or the daily acts of hate and discrimination that diminish us all.
We grieve with the citizens of Charlottesville and all people of goodwill. We mourn with all who have lost loved ones, with all who live in fear, with all whose dignity is threatened by hate and violence. We lament the racism that continues to afflict our communities and threaten the values that we hold dear.
We acknowledge our own complicity in institutional racism. We commit ourselves to cleanse our hearts and rid our land of this evil. We promise to pray for our country and to continue to use our voice and our energy to build God’s beloved community where all are one in Christ Jesus.
LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 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.
The Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement on the
US-DPRK (North Korea) Crisis:
This week, while tensions between the governments of the United States and the People's Republic of Korea quickly escalated, approximately 650 members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious meeting in Orlando, FL issued a public statement imploring President Donald J. Trump to engage in dialogue and negotiation.
At this critical moment for our country and global community, we - the 650 members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious gathered in assembly - have discerned the Gospel call to embody love for the sake of the world. We believe that love is more powerful than fear, dialogue more productive than rhetoric, and connection more transformative than threats of destruction.
We call on President Trump to engage in constructive dialogue and negotiation to resolve the current crisis between the governments of the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in a manner that guarantees the peace and security that all people seek.
We commit ourselves to promote nonviolence and a compassionate response to the thirst of the world for integrity and communion.
LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 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.
The Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement on
Welcoming Syrian Refugees:
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is horrified at the violence we witness in our world and appalled by the recent acts of bloodshed in Paris, Beirut, and throughout the Middle East. We continue to pray for all who suffer as a result of these senseless acts of terror.
We also pray for the strength and courage to respond to this violence with love and mercy. We refuse to let these acts of death and destruction sow the seeds of fear and mistrust that threaten to tear our communities apart and lead inevitably to more violence and harm.
We are witnessing the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. More than 4 million Syrians have fled violence in their homeland and 12 million more are displaced internally. Syrian refugees are fleeing exactly the kind of terror that we have witnessed in these past few weeks. More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives, many more have lost family, home, and community.
At a time when the world is in desperate need of humanitarian relief, some are calling for suspension of the US refugee resettlement program, an end to funding for Syrians, or a rationing of mercy based on religious creed. Such restrictions violate the tenets of our faith and the principles of our nation....continue reading the LCWR Statement on Welcoming Syrian Refugees.
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States.
The Racine Dominican leadership supports the LCWR Statement on
Children Crossing Borders Alone:
As women of faith, we take seriously the gospel call to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. As Catholic sisters, we have a long history of welcoming immigrant families and healing, housing, and educating children in need…
…These children, most from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador are fleeing extreme violence in their cities and neighborhoods. They have been threatened by gang members and drug dealers. They have seen their sisters and brothers raped and abused by traffickers. They have been intimidated on their way to school and harassed on their way to church. These are children and families who have endured such unspeakable violence at home that they have no choice but to flee. They are quite literally running for their lives. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 58 percent of unaccompanied minors “raise potential international protection” claims and may have a viable claim to refugee protections under international law…
Read the entire LCWR Statement on Children Crossing Borders Alone which includes eight directives in a"call to congress" along with a plea for efforts to address root causes of this mass emigration crisis.
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States.
Racine Dominican leadership supports the following LCWR 2016 Assembly Resolution on Racism:
Grounded in our belief that action on behalf of justice is a constitutive element of the Gospel, we, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, affirm the interrelatedness of the justice concerns addressed by our recent assembly resolutions. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we commit ourselves to examine the root causes of injustice, particularly racism, and our own complicity as congregations, and to work to effect systemic change as we struggle to establish economic justice, abolish modern-day slavery, ensure immigrant rights, promote nonviolence and protect Earth and its biosphere. We pledge our prayer, education, and advocacy and commit to using our collective voice, resources, and power in collaboration with others to establish justice which reflects God’s abundant love and desire that all may have life.
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States.
PRESS RELEASE: 8/11/15
(Racine Dominicans are among the congregations participating in this LCWR campaign)
Wisconsin Sisters Confront Human Trafficking
Sixteen congregations of Catholic Sisters have banded together to create an awareness campaign confronting human trafficking in Wisconsin. The Sisters purchased advertising on buses in Milwaukee County (now through Aug. 25), Oshkosh (through 2016) and Green Bay (September through February 2016). “Trafficking people, including children, is a travesty in today’s world,” said Sister of St. Agnes Jomarie Zielke, representing Wisconsin’s Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). “It is nothing short of modern slavery, exploiting people for profit through sex and labor.”
The ad highlights the national hotline number and text address, with the hope that victims will see it and that the general public will become alert to the existence of trafficking in Milwaukee and throughout the state. It stresses keeping children safe by ending trafficking.
“No place is exempt from human trafficking today,” Zielke said. “Small towns, rural areas and large cities alike are targeted by traffickers.”
Human trafficking ranks with gun and drug trafficking as the top crimes globally. “People think this is a problem in developing countries. It is, but it is also prevalent in every one of the United States, including Wisconsin,” she said.
Wisconsin ranks among the worst states for human trafficking, with both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Young girls and children are especially vulnerable. Two weeks ago, a seven-year-old Milwaukee girl was nearly abducted while playing in front of her home. Fortunately, she escaped, and the alleged would-be captor has been arrested. The average age of a child coerced into sex trafficking is 12-14.
The bus ads are one component of the Catholic Sisters’ awareness campaign confronting human trafficking. The Sisters are also preparing a toolkit to help Catholic parishes throughout Wisconsin educate their congregation about the dangers and prevalence of human trafficking in their own area. Along with providing resources, statistics and information, the toolkits encourage parishes to collaborate with local police and programs already in place in their area.
“Human trafficking is so insidious because it is kept hidden through intimidation and control,” Zielke noted. “We need to bring it out into the open so victims can get the help they need to regain control of their lives.”
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has more than 1400 members, who represent more than 80 percent of the approximately 51,600 women religious in the United States.