Statements on the Siege of the US Capitol Building

Dominican Sisters of Adrian

January 6, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – The General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters issued the following statement in response to the unfolding events today at the U.S. Capitol Building.

Like other Americans around the country, we are horrified by the events at the Capitol, iconic home of our nation’s representative government. As soon as this insurrection is quelled, we urge all members of Congress to act immediately to confirm the results of the Electoral College as certified by every State.

We pray that this shameful moment in history will spur us all to come together as a people, e pluribus unum, committed to the ideals of our democracy, united in our diversity.

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Members of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ General Council are Sisters Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress; Mary Margaret Pachucki, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor; Frances Nadolny, OP, Administrator and General Councilor; Patricia Harvat, OP, General Councilor; and Elise D. García, OP, General Councilor. 

The Dominican Sisters of Adrian, a Congregation of about 500 vowed women religious and more than 200 Associates, traces its roots back to St. Dominic in the 13th century. The Sisters minister in 22 states and in the Dominican Republic, Norway, and the Philippines. The Congregation’s Vision is to “seek truth, make peace, reverence life.”

Dominican Sisters of Peace

We, the Leadership Team of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, watched with disgust the blatant disregard for our country, the rule of law, and our honored traditions as thugs violently overpowered Capitol Police to disrupt Congress. We lament this moment of humiliation and shame.

The voice of the People is a core principle of our democracy. The People have spoken in selecting the next President. Along with our fellow citizens, we yearn for the restoration of calm, an orderly confirmation of the election by Congress, a peaceful transfer of power, and a return to the democratic values of our great nation.

With all people of faith, we pray for healing, for truth, for peace.

Dominican Sisters of Springfield

There is hope, they say, when the nation acknowledges it failings and pledges to renew a sacred commitment to the common good.

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. -The social justice office and the leadership of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield issued a statement today pledging their prayer, energies, and “collective desire for national healing and renewal” in a statement issued today responding to the crisis of leadership unfolding in our nation’s capital.

Today “people in the United States awoke to a new reality-but notonewithout hope,” the statement begins.

“Hope is what happens to us when we realize we’ve reached the limit of our individual human powers to find a solution for a challenge,” said Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, the prioress general of the Dominican Sisters. “Our off er of prayer is not the end, but the beginning of our individual and corporate contributions to building an equitable and just democratic republic. We start by begging God’s help.”

The statement says the mob assault on the Capitol yesterday was the consequence of years of erosion of a commitment to truth and civil rights in the nation. “The assault on truth and the democratic rule of law at the U.S. Congress on January 6 revealed the depths to which a nation can fall when its leaders are blinded by hunger for privilege and power at the expense of their own dignity, the dignity of all its people, and the common good,” it says.

“The attack on Congress has revealed the racist systems that underlie our practice of democracy,” said Sister Marcelline Koch, who heads the Dominican Sisters justice office and is co-coordinator of SDART, the congregation’s antiracism team. “What we see clearly, we can heal. There is much to be done. I encourage everyone to join in the work.”

The full text of the statement follows:

On January 7th people in the United States awoke to a new reality-but not one without hope. It is possible now, for all of us to see as clearly as we ever have the fault lines that divide our nation. We firmly believe it is also possible to heal them.

The assault on truth and the democratic rule of law at the U.S. Congress on January 6 revealed the depths to which a nation can fall when its leaders are blinded by hunger for privilege and power at the expense of their own dignity, the dignity of all its people, and the common good. The violent mob-action that breached barely-secured walls of the Capitol was a frightening and predictable consequence of years of assault on truth, the Constitution, civil rights, and democracy itself.

What we witnessed January 6 in our most sacred civic space has revealed an urgent need to forge a path for the renewal of our sacred bonds as members of a nation whose highest ideals-if we are honest-have never yet in our nation’s story been equitably made available to all.

As citizens of our beloved nation and women vowed to serve the truth of God’s infinite love for all creation, we offer our prayers, our energies, and our collective desire for national healing and renewal. When we as a nation acknowledge our historic failings and recommit our  energies toward assuring sacred treasured  rights for all, we can begin anew the process of building a republic of citizens, recognizing one another as a people, indivisible, who uphold our common desire for liberty and justice for all.

Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids

We Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids are grieved at the events unfolding in our nation’s capital. As we watch and listen to what is happening in Washington, DC, we hold our nation, citizens, and elected leaders in prayer.  We condemn the violent actions that seek to destroy the confirmation of our democratically elected President-elect and Vice-President-elect and, ultimately, our democracy.  As  President-elect Biden said in his statement, “Today’s a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile and to preserve it requires people of goodwill, leaders with the courage to stand up, who are devoted not to the pursuit of power and personal interest at any cost, but to the common good.”  It is the common good of our nation that calls us to speak out against all forms of violence and disruption that seek to disregard our common values of justice and peace, our common humanity, and our common desires for a nation built on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  

We call on the sitting President to end his rhetoric that has incited today’s events and to accept the results of the election which have been Constitutionally fulfilled.  We call on him and all our elected leaders to do what they have been elected to do – to protect the Constitution of the United States and to lead by way of example.  We call on our fellow citizens to listen to their better angels, engage in dialogue that considers other perspectives and remain open to change and compromise, and work to build a nation that is united.

As we continue to celebrate these days of Christmas in our Catholic Christian tradition, we call on the One who is the Prince of Peace, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, to instill in our hearts and in the hearts of all people  the courage and conviction needed to stand up to violence and instead create a nation that has the potential to be a light to its own citizens as well as other nations.    

May our pledge to each other and the common good restore peace and dignity to our politics and government.

Dominican Sisters of Tacoma

The Sisters and Associates of St. Dominic of Tacoma join with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and the Dominican Sisters Conference in praying for the world and for peace after witnessing the violence and lawlessness in our Capitol. 

We are disturbed that this violence and lawlessness was not confined to our Capitol but extended much closer to home at the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia and at the Capitol in Salem, Oregon.

We are deeply concerned about the state of our country and the future of our democracy. Our hearts ached watching these despicable actions that threaten not only to destroy the seat of our government but to rend our unity. We commend and thank the members of Congress who courageously continued their service to the nation last night even amid the chaos.

In our increasingly divided nation, we renew our commitment to the common good and pledge to take up the challenge to use our energy to repair our democracy and contribute to the work of building a more perfect union.We invite all people of good will to join us and we call on our elected leaders to point the way.

The Sisters and Associates of Sisters of St. Dominic

Tacoma, Washington

Dominican Sisters of Hope

We, the Dominican Sisters of Hope Leadership Team, are horrified and dismayed at the insurrection on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

In this attempted coup, white supremacists terrorized the Capitol building, government officials, and the American people. The seditionists have come forward as supporters of President Trump, and they are supported by him.

We denounce the violence, corruption, deceit, hunger for power, and racism that have led to this moment. We call on our fellow citizens to engage in dialogue that considers other perspectives, to remain open to change and compromise, and work to build a nation that is united.

We look forward to a peaceful transfer of power on January 20,2021. Further, we Look forward to all Americans coming together with a renewed commitment to the ideals on which our nation was founded.

As members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, we stand with the other more than 1300 leaders of Catholic sisters nationwide as we support the following statement:

Repair Our Democracy

JANUARY 7, 2021

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) joins with the world in praying for peace after witnessing the violence and lawlessness yesterday in our nation’s capital. We are deeply concerned about the state of our country and the future of our democracy. Our hearts ached as we watched these despicable actions that threaten not only to destroy the seat of our government but to rend the bonds that unite us. We commend and thank the members of Congress who courageously continued their service to the nation last night even amid the chaos.

In our increasingly divided nation, we renew our commitment to the common good and pledge to take up the challenge to use our energy to repair our democracy and contribute to the work of building a more perfect union. We invite all people of good will to join us and we call on our elected leaders to point the way.