Becoming a Laudato Si Community

Laudato Si Quote of the Week: 

#91. A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted. This compromises the very meaning of our struggle for the sake of the environment. It is no coincidence that, in the canticle in which Saint Francis praises God for his creatures, he goes on to say: “Praised be you my Lord, through those who give pardon for your love”. Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.
For more information on ways to personally and communally embrace the work of Laudato Si: https://laudatosimovement.org/ 

Ending Human Trafficking    

Members of US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking are invited to join in a two-day virtual conference that will be held October 1st from 4-8pm EST and October 2nd from 12-4pm EST. This Conference seeks to bring together members of USCSAHT spread throughout the United States in order to build a stronger network of people who know and trust one another to work together in this struggle to end human trafficking. It also seeks to increase our capacity to do this work, sharing the latest information from a variety of experts in the field, with concrete ideas for how we can effect real change together.

Registration is FREE and the deadline is September 28th.  Register today here: https://forms.gle/szwwDHGVCfzXaDrA7

Sister Thea Bowman form American MagazineDismantling Racism

“What does it mean to be black and Catholic? It means that I come to my church fully functioning. That doesn’t frighten you, does it? I come to my church fully functioning. I bring myself, my black self, all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope to become, I bring my whole history, my traditions, my experience, my culture, my African American song and dance and gesture and movement and teaching and preaching and healing and responsibility as gift to the Church.” Sr. Thea Bowman FSPA (1937-1990)

To read more, click here.

Justice for Immigrants

“Canada’s Catholics have more and better opportunities than most to back up Pope Francis’ call for the Church to reach out and help the world’s 82.4 million forcibly displaced people, said Office for Refugees, Archdiocese of Toronto director Deacon Rudy Ovcjack. Pope Francis calls for a new openness to refugees and migrants of all kinds: “This is the ideal of the new Jerusalem, where all peoples are united in peace and harmony, celebrating the goodness of God and the wonders of creation. To achieve this ideal, however, we must make every effort to break down the walls that separate us.” Because Canadian citizens can privately sponsor refugees through independent organizations such as ORAT, Canada’s Catholics have no reason not to take on this challenge, Ovcjack said. “In Canada we have a unique situation through the private sponsorship of refugees program, where Catholics have the opportunity to be directly involved in coming to the aid of refugees. Parishioners are given the opportunity to take an active role in welcoming and journeying with the refugee when they arrive in Canada.” Private sponsorship is a policy that was pioneered by Canada in response to the Vietnamese boat people crisis of 1978 to 1981.”

Read more here. 

Haiti Partnership

NARAStop the Deportation of Haitians

Up to 14,000 Haitian migrants, many who have lived in parts of Latin America for the past ten years since the earthquake of 2010, began to be deported from El Paso, Texas to Port au Prince, Haiti on Sunday, September 19, 2021. Some of those deported were not aware they were being returned to Haiti, where there are no provisions for their forced return. The assassination of the president of Haiti in July 2021, followed by a devastating 7.2 earthquake in August 2021, has left the country reeling without the infrastructure to care for those already in the country, let alone those being deported.

The legal justification of the Biden administration for this mass deportation is to invoke Title 42, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year during the COVID crisis, allowing the quick expulsion of migrants without the opportunity to ask for asylum.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame hold up the human dignity of all human beings as paramount, and stand in solidarity with those who seek a life that is safe and stable for their families. The deportation of Haitian migrants currently in Del Rio, Texas cannot be justified and should be halted immediately due to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti.

Click here to take action today!

Addressing Climate Change:

“There will be no new relationship with nature without a new human being,
and it is by healing the human heart that one can hope to heal the
world from its social and environmental unrest.”
~ Pope Francis

Save the Date:  The Addressing Climate Change committee, in collaboration with the CP Province JPIC Department is co-sponsoring a zoom session October 4, 2021 7-8 pm (Eastern) on Laudato Si Action Platform Goal #1 Cry of the Earth.  Please click here to join us!

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