San Rafael and Sparkill Dominicans Affirm
Corporate Stand on Nuclear Disarmament

Emerging Nuclear Threats Draw New Concerns
and New Voices

December 11, 2006--- From one coast to the other, Dominicans are signing on to a new effort against nuclear arms. The nuclear issue has gained new urgency with the emergence of North Korea's recent nuclear testing. Last summer, President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Singh announced a plan to resume full civilian nuclear cooperation for the first time since India improperly used U.S. nuclear material for its 1974 bomb test.

The Dominican Sisters, USA (Federation) has called on US congregations to affirm a corporate stand against nuclear arms.

Recently and independently, Dominican Sisters in San Rafael, CA and Sparkill, NY have made public corporate statements that call upon the United States government to lead the way for the global abolition of nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction by adopting a plan to lock down, reduce, and eliminate nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction.

The Sparkill Dominicans first spoke out on the issue in 1980, the San Rafael Dominicans in 1969. Both communities see this latest effort as an update of their policies that take into account the recent world developments.

Although each community's wording is slightly different, each endorsed the Federation statement.


Here is the Federation statement:

As women religious, the Dominican Sisters of [Sparkill and San Rafael], believe all life including Earth itself to be sacred and we stand witness to the triumph of life over death, love over hatred and hope over fear. Humanity has lived in the shadow of nuclear weapons for too long. Land itself has been desecrated' by nuclear testing and dropping of bombs. Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction continue to pose a threat to all life.

We believe that our country cannot rightly seek to halt the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction while at the same time maintaining our current stockpile of weapons and developing new weapons capabilities.

We stand with scientists and military leaders who believe that eliminating nuclear weapons will make our country and world safer. The first step in making our world safer is to develop a detailed plan to lock down, reduce, and eliminate nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction.

The Dominican Sisters of [Sparkill] therefore, call upon the United States government to lead the way for the global abolition of nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction by adopting a plan to lock down, reduce, and eliminate nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction. We call for immediate development, adoption and implementation of a plan that will ensure that there will be no new nuclear weapons, no new materials for nuclear weapons, and no testing of nuclear weapons. We will work will all people of goodwill until there is no chance that a nuclear weapon or other weapon of mass destruction can come into the hands of anyone wishing to do harm.

Today’s Prayer (Sparkill)

You have given us life, intelligence and the beauty of Creation, O Lord.

Your good gifts were given so we might be stewards of all that is alive.
In our arrogance, we have unleashed fearful forces that destroy.
We have brought down fierce fire from the sky.

Your children have been burned, your gentle green earth scorched.
Fear rules us now, not Love; we have given in to evils, lesser and greater.

In your mercy, help us turn from destruction, from the bombs and barricades.

Lead us to Life again, to affirmation of all goodness and to international disarmament.

With your grace, may we begin to dismantle the bombs, beat the swords into plowshares,

And so transform the nuclear nightmare into the peace your have proposed.

Hear our prayer, Lord, and guide us in your ways. Amen.