We have family in Iraq

Three Dominican sisters, Marcelline Koch, OP (Springfield), Durstyne Farnan, OP (Adrian), and Arlene Flaherty, OP (Blauvelt) travelled to northern Iraq on Jan. 5, to visit the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in Erbil, Kurdistan. The Global Sisters Report is following their story, and published an article, “We have family in Iraq: A journey in solidarity and love,” on Jan. 4 prior to their trip.

Photos and updates from the trip are being shared on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IHaveFamilyInIraq2015

After four months of exile, there are no signs of hope that the situation here in Iraq will be resolved peacefully,” writes Dominican Sister Maria Hanna from her place of refuge in Kurdistan. “Unable to think or make decisions, everything is vague and we feel as if we have been living a nightmare.” —Sister Maria Hanna (from Our Sunday Visitor)

Global Sisters Report

“[Thomas] Berry said that each culture has its own ‘great work’ to accomplish. Ours is to reestablish our connection to nature and work toward sustainable lifestyles and systems that reverse the destruction we are currently inflicting on the planet.” Sister Patricia Siemen, OP (Adrian), director of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence at Barry University School of Law, Orlando, Florida, wrote an article, “Journeying into the ‘Great Work’,” in the Dec. 1 edition of the National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sisters Report. Read article