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CRS: 7 things you can do to help refugees
Read the full article from Catholic Relief Services: “European Refugee Crisis: 7 things you can do to help”
Yearly Archives: 2015
Out of the Shadows – Human Trafficking in Our Midst
Marking their 165th congregational anniversary and the Year of Consecrated Life, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael initiated a regular speaker series that began last January. Once or twice a month, all are invited to a Gather@Grand event. There has been a wide range of speakers and topics of interest to religious, Catholics, and the general public.
This month a distinguished panel spoke to a group of about 100 people on the issue of human trafficking, underlining the facts that trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business with millions of victims around the world—and that it is going on in the very same county where the event was held. Many in the audience said they had had no idea that the problem was so close to home.
The panel was facilitated by long-time social justice activist, Sister Marion Irvine, OP and was joined by Sister Judy Lu McDonnell, OP and Lyn Kirkconnell, current Co-promoters of Justice, Peace and Care of Creation for the Dominican Sisters; Emily Sims, the founder and director of West Marin Advocacy, a nonprofit organization providing services to survivors of family and community violence throughout Marin County, herself a victim of trafficking; and Ron Brown, a member of a local temple, Congregation Kol Shofar, and a member of the Marin Organizing Committee’s Human Trafficking Research Team.
In addition hearing basic information about the issue of trafficking, those who attended were presented with many sources of further information and ways they can get involved to address the issue. As Superbowl 50 is being hosted in the San Francisco Bay area in February 2016, already justice activists are communicating with local hotels to gain their cooperation in identifying and potentially rescuing trafficking victims.
Dominican life and mission: Ever ancient, ever new
By Sister Margaret Mayce, OP
Saturday, Sept. 19, was an extraordinary day in the soon-to-be 800-year history of Dominican Life and Mission. A group of 100+, men, women and children, including Catholic Workers, Jesuit Scholastics, Passionists, Sisters of St. Joseph, Dominican Sisters and Brothers from the Northeast and Dominican Sisters from the Midwest gathered to celebrate the Eucharist and offer prayers of blessing for the newly established Benincasa Community. We listened to the Gospel story of Mary and Martha, who lovingly extended their warm hospitality to Jesus and his companions. Our Preacher, Pat Daly, OP (Caldwell), invited us to see the integration of the active and the contemplative in our lives as disciples; of service rooted in prayer. It could not have been a finer message for this fledgling community, whose enthusiasm for life rooted in the Gospel is palpable. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Sisters representing the five Northeast Congregations (Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope and Sparkill), processed through the house, blessing each room:
May this good house be blessed with the rich heritage of Dominic and Catherine; may it be Truth, may it be Love for all, near and far, and may it awaken a new hope for the future of our life together on our blessed and broken planet.
Housed in the former Blessed Sacrament Parish Convent on West 71st Street in Manhattan, Benincasa is the fruit of the vision and persistence of Karen Gargamelli. Karen, a former Dominican Volunteer, lived with Amityville Sisters Pat DeMarco, Connie Kavanagh and Janetta McAlevey while she taught at Most Holy Trinity School in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Upon completing her year’s commitment, Karen studied law at City University of New York., and is now a public interest attorney, specializing in housing law. Though she never felt quite called to the religious life, her experience of Dominican life and mission captivated her heart and spirit. She feels strongly that we need to acknowledge and cultivate the seeds of new expressions of Dominican life already implanted in the laity. Thus, her great desire to establish a lay community, which would live in the spirit of Dominic and Catherine, guided by the four pillars of our Dominican life – prayer, study, community and mission. In Karen’s words, “Benincasa Community seeks to break and share bread with those hungry for integration between their job and their spiritual life. We hope—through study and prayer and sharing resources—to cultivate a contemplative life and a community life that will support our active life of ministry.”
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Dominican Sisters of Peace work with CHI’s Community-Based Violence Prevention Initiative
Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) recognizes that violence is a key public health concern. For the past five years, CHI has reached outside the walls of its member hospitals and other health care facilities to support violence-prevention efforts in the broader community.
Through its program of violence-prevention grants, CHI is currently working with partners in 43 communities. The Dominican Sisters of Peace was one of the first groups to partner with CHI in this initiative five years ago. The grant enabled the congregation to seek ways to actively address the pervasive violence and create community empowerment in a trailer park not far from the Columbus motherhouse. After two years of pre-planning, the congregation moved to the implementation phase, where they continue to work with about 250 primarily immigrant Latino families, 90 percent of whom have experienced some form of violence. For each area of violence (domestic violence, youth bullying, adult family-to-family violence, etc.) the group set goals for reduction and has met, exceeded or is on track to meet each goal—all within just three years of the implementation process for the grant.
Sisters Shawn Fitzpatrick, Robin Richard, Roberta Miller and employees Lisset Mendoza, Donna Vroom and Alice Black have been working on this project. They formed a coalition which focuses on activities to build leadership skills, increase health and wellness, provide a safe physical environment and empower trailer park residents to become individual, family and community advocates. Meetings and workshops have addressed topics such as police-community relationships and immigrant rights.
Residents are reclaiming their community from gang and drug activity and building positive social relationships that will support the long-term health of their community. Children have been able to attend summer camp at Shepherd’s Corner, and youth of all ages are experiencing more hope for
their future. Women are becoming empowered and positive outcomes are being achieved for those
who are marginalized by society. In this ongoing process, much has been learned about serving those
who are most in need. Please continue to keep this community in prayer.
Read the full CHI report: United Against Violence Catholic Health Initiatives Five Year Progress Report: Community-Based Violence Prevention Initiatives 2010—2015
News from the Western Province Friars
Fourteen Dominicans representing four provinces of friars, one monastery of cloistered nuns, and three congregations of active sisters participated in the annual Vocations Fair Oct. 9 at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio. From Western Dominican Vocations Facebook page
Read recent article in Catholic San Francisco: Dominican vocations on the West Coast: “A real sign of hope”
