Shalom News North America
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An instrument of hope, formation, and action
concerning priority matters of social justice.
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Ecological Conversion
Wetlands
Climate and Migration
Black History Month
American Sainthood
First Nations People
Human Trafficking
Poverty and Famine
Afghan Resettlement
Girls in Science
Nuclear Disarmament
Nonviolence
Death Penalty
Healing for All
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Dear Friend,
“We are called to ongoing conversion, choosing again and again to be grounded in prophetic hope, to affirm the steps toward justice, to participate in the possibility of peace.” - Excerpt from Jane Deren’s Prayer for the (Feb 20) World Day of Social Justice.
May the resources found in this e-newsletter support your ongoing conversion as well as your efforts to promote peace and social justice in the SSND spirit of Shalom.
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Shalom North America Contacts
(Click here to download pdf version of newsletter.)
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The Call to Ecological Conversion
The foundation of the Laudato Si Action Platform commitment made by SSND and countless other organizations is a commitment to participate in the healing of Earth, and to living in right-relationship with all in our planet’s community of life. While the seven Laudato Si’ Goals provide a framework and critical guidance for engaging this mission, it is essential that we remember that at the heart of this initiative is a call to each of us to undergo the process of ecological conversion. Adopting eco-friendly policies and practices will always be essential, but without the deeper work of ecological conversion these efforts will be limited and short-lived. We invite you to take time this month to reflect on the call to ecological conversion using this reflection, the video below, and this prayer resource.
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World Wetlands Day
February 2, 2022 marks the first time that World Wetlands Day will be observed as a United Nations international day, following its adoption by the UN General Assembly August 30, 2021. This year’s theme is “Wetlands Action for People and Nature.” It highlights the importance of actions that ensure that wetlands are conserved and sustainably used and serves as an appeal to invest financial, human, and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded. You can find materials for reflection and action here.
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Climate Change and Migration
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February is Black History Month
This year’s theme for Black History Month, “Black Health and Wellness,” explores the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. Click here to learn more. Catholic health care systems have intentionally served the underserved, the poor, and those most at risk. Here’s a link to a webinar on race and healthcare from Trinity Health. Watch it in segments; the panels are excellent, and the keynote calls us all to action.
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Dismantling Racism - Recognizing Saints
Out of the more than 10,000 men and women recognized as saints, none are African Americans. This troubling, but truthful statistic is another illustration of the impact of systemic racism in every sector of our society, including our church. However, it is quite possible that this disconcerting fact is about to change. The names of six Americans of African heritage have surfaced for sainthood. Read more about it in America and NCR Online. For those interested in reaching out to Pope Francis about this situation, the group mentioned in the articles has prepared a sample letter for your consideration and potential use – download sample letter.
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A Step Towards Reconciliation with First Nations People
Instead of supporting 115,000 children and their families with shelter, food, clothing and appropriate education, the Canadian government moved them to foster care and/or residential schools. The explicit goal was to assimilate them and ‘take the Indian out of the child’. Thousands died in what is now recognized as cultural genocide. The Indigenous Relations Minister of Canada acknowledged, “No amount of money can reverse the harms experienced by First Nations children.” In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled Ottawa discriminated against First Nations children who lived on reserve because of its chronic underfunding of family and child services in their communities. Now $20 billion will pay for compensation, and another $20 billion will be spent on reforming the child welfare system over five years. There is widespread, very public support across Canada supporting Indigenous Human Rights. Learn more.
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International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking (2/8)
Catholics all over the world are invited to observe a day of prayer and awareness building about human trafficking on February 8, the feast of St. Josephina Bakhita. Josephina was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery in Sudan and Italy. Once freed, she became a Canossian nun and dedicated her life to sharing her testament of deliverance from slavery and comforting the poor and suffering. The theme for this year’s day of prayer and education is, “The Power of Care – Women, Economy, Human Trafficking”- learn more. Download the prayer resource.
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Child Poverty in the U.S. - Action Alert
In 2021, more than 36 million families received a monthly payment through the expanded Child Tax Credit program to help make ends meet. December marked the last monthly payment unless Congress acts to extend the expanded Child Tax Credit. The expanded credit has been an extremely effective anti-poverty program, lifting 3.8 million children above the poverty line, cutting child poverty by roughly 30%. Learn more. The Child Tax Credit is an economic and social policy that supports the strength and stability of family life. Let your voice be heard - Urge Congress to take action for poor families and the protection of our common home.
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Crisis-Level Hunger in Afghanistan
Over 22 million people, more than half Afghanistan’s population, are facing crisis-levels of hunger, the majority of them unable to guarantee when their next meal is going to be, according to the U.N. World Food Program. In December, the program estimates that 95 percent of the population had insufficient food consumption, adopting measures to cope with their situation by, for example, skipping a meal. The U.N. and its partners have recently put forth an appeal for more than $5 billion in aid for 2022, more than the organization has ever requested for a single nation. Learn more about the crisis here, and ways you can help here.
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Afghan Resettlement in the U.S. - Action Alert
Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, over 130,000 Afghans were evacuated of whom 44% are children. Tens of thousands of U.S.-affiliated and at-risk Afghans have been welcomed into the United States via “humanitarian parole,” which is a temporary immigration status, typically only granted for 1 or 2 years, to provide safety for people under threat. Right now, Congress is negotiating legislation to fund the federal government after February 18, the date the current funding expires. So now is the time to let your voice be heard urging Congress to robustly fund the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and include an Afghan Adjustment Act in the final legislation. Learn more/take action.
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Commission for Social Development (2/7 - 2/16)
The 60th session of the Commission for Social Development will take place largely online from February 7 - 16, 2022 at the UN in New York. The priority theme for this session is - An inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Learn more. During the UN Commission for Social Development, the NGO Committee holds a Civil Society Forum and other capacity-building and networking events to raise awareness on the priority theme and bring forward the voices, experiences, and recommendations from the grassroots. Click here to learn more about these sessions and how you can register to participate. Click here to learn about SSND at the UN.
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Women and Girls in Science Day (2/11)
This year’s UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly aims to recognize the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries, but also as agents of change, including in view of accelerating progress towards the achievement of SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). Learn more. SSND schools recognize the value of women and girls in science. Read about science education at Notre Dame Prep and Academy of the Holy Angels Academy, the 4+1 program in Public Health at Mount Mary University, and the nursing professor at Notre Dame Maryland University chosen to participate in the first Digital Academy of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. STEM is an area of emphasis for the girls who attend Notre Dame School of Milwaukee. Download a prayer resource for the day.
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Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament
In his just issued pastoral letter, Living in the Light of Christ's Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament, Archbishop Wester calls for serious conversation in New Mexico and across the nation about universal, verifiable nuclear disarmament. Acknowledging the role New Mexico played in the production of the atomic bombs and continues to play via the Los Alamos and Sandia nuclear weapons laboratories and the nation’s largest repository of nuclear weapons, Archbishop Wester states, “The Archdiocese of Santa Fe has a special responsibility not only to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but also to encourage its active implementation.” He says, “If we care about humanity, if we care about our planet, if we care about the God of peace and human conscience, then we must start a public conversation on these urgent questions and find a new path toward nuclear disarmament.” Read more quotes here, the full document here. For further reflection, consider Happy are peacemakers who wake up the rest of us by Joan Chittister.
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SSND Called to Action Podcast Season Two Gospel Nonviolence
The SSND Podcast Called to Action, features sisters, lay colleagues, associates, and SSND ministry leaders discussing timely priority social justice concerns. Season 1 focused on Care of Creation, while Season 2 (which launched a couple weeks ago) focuses on Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace. Learn more/listen to episodes from both seasons and find resources to take action here. You can also subscribe to the podcast series through Apple Podcasts or Spotify - new episodes are released every other week.
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Dignity and the Death Penalty
Join Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, and Sister Helen Prejean on February 1 at 4 pm (Eastern) as they discuss the death penalty in the United States in a webinar presented by RENEW International and The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. In addition to sharing their own views of capital punishment, Cardinal Gregory and Sister Helen will talk about how Catholics can participate in civil discourse on this polarizing topic and how Catholics can take part in the movement to abolish the death penalty. Learn more, register to participate. Resources for taking action.
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We All Need Healing
In view of the intergenerational, collective, personal stress/ trauma we suffer from a variety of causes, we all, including our planet, need healing. Abuse, racism and sexism, exploitation and domination, superiority and inferiority all affect our mental - emotional - spiritual- physical health. We are always body-mind-spirit. We experience stress and trauma within and around us. The Body Tells the Truth – by Bessel van der Kolk MD and When the Body Says No: The Hidden Cost of Stress by Mator Gabe´ MD help us both to understand hidden costs of stress and ways to heal. Waking up the body to do its work of healing is the solid foundation for healing, including in talk therapy. Examples: Do daily, simple flowing exercises. Tap the body to wake it up to heal (www.thetappingsolution.com). Massage your ears, hands and/or feet vigorously, daily (www.healerwithin.com).
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The SSND Shalom Network witnesses to the Gospel with audacity and hope as we collaborate to build just relationships and respond to the urgent needs of our times. |
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Shalom News North America is an e-publication of the Shalom North America Contacts (SNAC) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame - Arlene Flaherty, Barb Paleczny, Ethel Howley, Mary Carter Waren, and Tim Dewane. Your comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcomed. Email us at tdewane@ssndcp.org.
Please only print this e-publication if necessary.
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