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Corporate Statements

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE (2014)

We Racine Dominican,recognizing the reality of Global Climate Change and how it is impacting the whole Earth community,

  • commit to support life sustaining alternatives to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.
  • commit to lending our individual and collective energies joining those groups mobilizing awareness and action toward a more sustainable future.

- June 2014 Assembly Resolution

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM  (2011)

We Racine Dominican Sisters join with other faith-based leaders and organizations in their call to our elected officials to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation that affirms the right of every person to earn a livelihood and live as a family through a safe and humane immigration system consistent with our Christian values.
 
We acknowledge and support the U.S. and Mexican Catholic Bishops, as they, too, call for comprehensive reform of current immigrant policies in their pastoral letter on migrants, “Strangers No Longer: Together on a Journey of Hope.”

As faith-based people, we call attention to the moral dimensions of public policy and the need to pursue policies that uphold human dignity.

We believe that immigration reform must include a system that facilitates legal status and family unity in the interest of serving the God-given dignity and rights of every individual. Our diverse faith traditions teach us to welcome our brothers and sisters with love and compassion.

- June 2011 Assembly Resolution

 

 
WORKERS RIGHTS (2011)
 
We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters supporting their worker rights, especially those related to collective bargaining. We trust their voices will be heard and legislation created to honor this sacred right. The Justice and Rights Council of the Racine Dominicans, Jean Verber, OP, chair.  Racine, WI
 
- Statement issued on February 25, 2011

 

HUMAN TRAFFICKING (2009)

The Racine Dominican Sisters and Associates stand in support of human rights by opposing the trafficking of women, children and men for sexual exploitation and international works of enslavement. We commit our prayer, study resources and action to end this criminal activity against our brothers and sisters.

- Adopted July 2009

 

NEW SANCTUARY MOVEMENT PLEDGE (2008)


As a religious community, the Racine Dominicans affirms the right of every person to earn a livelihood; to family unity; and to physical and emotional safety. Informed by these beliefs, we determine current U.S. immigration law disregards these rights for millions, many of whom are U.S. citizens, resulting in serious workplace abuse of undocumented immigrants, in harmful family separation, and in widespread fear within the immigrant community.

We also affirm the right and responsibility of the religious community to extend sanctuary to those whose legal status causes them to fear for their safety and the safety of their family, to lose their livelihood and to be unjustly deported.

Rooted in these principles, we commit ourselves to:

1. Support the religious communities extending sanctuary
2. Advocate for the protection of immigrants against hate, workplace discrimination and unjust deportation
3. Reveal, through education and advocacy, the impact current and proposed legislation has on immigrant
    workers and their families
4. Take a public, moral stand for just and comprehensive immigration reform

- Adopted March 2008

 

STATEMENT ON WATER (2007)


Fresh, safe drinking water is fast becoming the world’s most treasured and scarce resource. Its value is rooted in the sustainability of life on the planet. It is the common heritage of all creation, a sacred gift.

Racine Dominicans believe that access to enough safe, clean, and affordable water for personal and domestic use is a basic human right. And further, we believe that water should be held in the public domain as a common good for all.

Therefore,
We commit to the following:

  • educating ourselves and others about the reality and consequences of actions that threaten the water supply, including study of the Great Lakes Compact;
  • promoting what preserves and conserves water supply;
  • engaging in campaigns to overturn policies of privatization of water, especially in poor areas;
  • working on issues and campaigns to reverse the effects of global warming.

A further statement endorsing Wisconsin’s legislative initiative to promote measures that enforce the stewardship goals of the Great Lakes Compact in Wisconsin is now being drafted. The Great Lakes Compact, created through collective legislative action of the member states in the Great Lakes Basin, requires that each state designate how it will “promote the orderly, integrated, and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin.

- June 2007 Assembly Resolution

 

OPPOSITION TO THE DEATH PENALTY (2006)

As Racine Dominicans, we believe that all life is sacred and created by God; therefore, we see all human life as significant and valuable.

When governments implement the death penalty, the life of the convicted person is devalued; the possibility of change is eliminated if that person’s life ends. The gift of reconciliation must be offered to all individuals without exception. For this reason, we oppose the death penalty and urge its elimination from all criminal codes.

- Adopted October 2006

 

PEACE PLEDGE TO END WAR IN IRAQ (2006)

We join with the majority of US citizens, the people of Iraq, and people around the world in calling for a comprehensive end to the US war in Iraq.

We solemnly pledge to contact President Bush and congressional representatives to urge a concrete and rapid plan to end the war. We support the call to

  • Bring the troops home now
  • By September 21 (International Day of Peace) establish a comprehensive plan to end the war
  • Oppose future U.S military invasions

- Adopted September 2006

 

MORATORIUM ON PLANTING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS (2004)

We propose that the Racine Dominicans endorse the corporate stance of the Federation of the Dominican Sisters USA by supporting a moratorium on the planting of genetically engineered crops for consumer or commercial use until such time as this technology is proven safe, and by calling for the labeling of foods already containing genetically engineered ingredients.

- June 2004 Assembly Resolution

 

WORLD BANK BONDS BOYCOTT (2002)

We, the Socially Responsible Investment Committee, propose that the Sisters of St. Dominic, Racine, Wisconsin, endorse the World Bank Bonds Boycott.
 
This is an international effort which calls for deep change of World Bank policies which continue to bring suffering, sickness, death and environmental destruction to the poorest people in the world.

- June 2002 Assembly Resolution

 

PEACE PLEDGE (1982)

We, the Racine Dominican Community, rooted in Gospel values and called by the Church, pledge ourselves to promote peace and reconciliation, and to oppose war, causes of war, and preparation for war.

Therefore:

We are prepared to live without nuclear weapons.

We oppose the neutron bomb as another step in the escalation of the arms race.

We support young people who choose to follow their consciences by their refusing to cooperate with military registration and or induction.

We will continue to support the establishment of a National Peace Academy.

We pledge ourselves to study and promote the skills of peacemaking and conflict resolution.

- August 1982 Assembly Resolution

 

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:

  1. The creation of mechanisms for the reporting of abuse in an atmosphere where victims are met with compassion and are offered safety.

  2. 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.