Blessed by Religious Life Peers

This past weekend I gathered with friends, some old and some brand new, for the first ever Giving Voice Retreat for Sisters in their 40s at my community's vacation house outside of Seattle.

I attended my first Giving Voice Retreat when I was in the novitiate. Of course I was younger back then (with less gray hair), so it was the annual 20s/30s retreat weekend. The connections I first made 6 years ago on MLK weekend have sustained me on my journey and made me a better Sister of St. Joseph of Peace.  This weekend was another graced opportunity to be with people who get both religious life and what it is like to be my age IN religious life and who also believe deeply in its future. In our closing prayer we were invited to share one grace we received on the retreat. I shared that I had quite literally been blessed by my GV Sisters.

Because you see, this summer I have also stepped out of the circle of leadership for Giving Voice, having served on two conference planning teams and as a member of the Core Team for the past 3 years. As part of our closing prayer on Sunday, my GV Sisters surprised me with this blessing:

In gratitude for all that you've done to serve Giving Voice so well, we offer you this blessing: 

May you know God's love and the gratitude of your Giving Voice sisters for the ways in which you've offered your gifts to serve us. We pray in thanksgiving for the ways in which you donated such time and talent to us. 

May you continue to grow in relationship with sisters in Giving Voice, sisters in yours and other communities, and with the people of God. 

May you recognize the ways in which you've grown from having served on the GV leadership team. 

May you continue to be effective in your service to others as you work for solidarity and justice in the world. 

May your faith propel you forward, enabling you to take "prophetic risk[s] so that God's reign might be more fully realized." 

May your next venture be successful and life-giving, and may you know God's presence with you as you move forward into something new. 

May your prayer be fruitful and intimate. 

And may you always know God's immense love for you, God's tender care of you, and God's guidance of you. 

With your sisters, we pray: "In unity with the church and with all of creation we give praise and thanks to the Giver of all gifts. We open ourselves to the liberating power of God whose Spirit in us leads to peace."

The quotations are from my CSJP Constitutions. I cannot tell you how powerful it was to be standing in the center of GV Sisters, hearing them pray the words of my congregation's constitutions. It was a beautiful reminder that we all women of the Church, connected in so many ways yet diverse in the way we embody the gifts of the Spirit.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in leadership of this grassroots peer led organization. As I wrote in my final GV E-Newsletter last month: "As I take a step out of the circle of leadership back into the larger circle of GV Sisters, I know that my friends and Sisters will continue to create spaces for younger women religious to give voice to their hopes, dreams and challenges in religious life."

I am well and truly blessed by the presence of each of my GV Sisters in my life.

Perspective

This month I'm attending the Summer Institute of the National Religious Vocation Conference, otherwise known as "Vocation Director School."  This is in preparation for moving into vocation ministry next year when I finish my degree.  I believe with all my heart in the future of religious life and my own community, and I suspect that God is indeed calling women to join us in our mission of peace. This course is to give me some of the nuts and bolts around how you actually promote vocations and work with candidates.

The last few days we've been focused on the application and screening process. I've had flashbacks to my own experience of completing the application for candidacy to my community, which of course is documented on this blog. My reaction from the way back machine? "Whew! Guess this would winnow out those who weren’t so serious."

Seriously. This is important stuff. You want to make sure that the people who join your community are able to live the life as a Sister fully ... for life. That requires a certain level of screening and assessment which is more than understandable. However, if I thought the process seemed daunting from the side of the applicant, looking at it from the side of the Vocation Director can be just as daunting!

Which is where today's readings come in. As I prayed with the Scripture this morning, I found myself reflecting both on the the first reading and the Gospel.

From Isaiah: 

O LORD, you mete out peace to us,for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.

From Matthew's Gospel:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am meek and humble of heart;and you will find rest for yourselves.For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The take away? Perspective. And trust. As we say in our CSJP Constitutions:

As we live our vows each daywe trust that Christ's blessing promisedto peacemakers will sustain us,knowing that God working in uswill accomplish more than we can askor imagine.

My task these weeks is to soak up as much information as I can that will help me when I move into this ministry. I will also learn from the current vocation director (who was my own awesome vocation director by the way!) as I develop my own plan for this ministry. I will work with the other Sisters on the vocation team, leadership, and the whole community. We all share in our love of community and desire to continue to release the charism. Ultimately, then, my/our role is to show up and follow Jesus, trusting that God working in us will accomplish what needs to be done, even that which we cannot yet imagine.

Milestones and a new adventure

It is hard to believe that is almost 2 years since I arrived in Chicago to study at Catholic Theological Union! I finished my coursework for my Masters of Arts Degree in Theology (major in Ethics, minor in Spirituality) last semester.  This summer I have been busy reviewing my research, papers and notes to draft the questions that will be the basis for my oral comprehensive exams in November.

I met with my advisor last week to review my first draft of questions, and just e-mailed off a revised set to my board for approval, which I hope are close to the final product.  Next step is to develop outlines and study guides!

Preparing the questions really was a meaningful process. I learned a lot in the effort, in no small part because turning my ethics papers into comps questions involved a bit of re-engineering.  Typically, my papers involve substantial research and social analysis into a topic or issue to which I then apply insights and methods from theological ethics.  However, because the purpose of the exam is not to show how much I learned about climate change, human trafficking, racism, or the feminization of migration, but rather to prove my knowledge, grasp, and facility with theological ethics, I had to flip everything on its head.  In the process, I surprised myself about how much I understand now about the Catholic moral tradition. Which of course is the point of the degree!

My advisor encouraged me to go ahead and draft outlines now for the questions, while I still have this depth of knowledge on the forefront of my brain. So now that the questions are finished, that's my plan for the next two days.

Then on Tuesday I switch gears and attend the Summer Institute for the National Religious Vocation Conference. Yes, in the mix of whatever else is up next for me in my life and ministry as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace, I am excited that vocation ministry will be part of that mix. And I am grateful that my community is sending me to this series of workshops so that I can gain the knowledge I need!

Writing and Muppets

I was prompted recently to ponder the following question: am I a writer, or do I simply write?

This was prompted by a few interactions with people in real life who are also readers of my blog. It was also prompted by the fact that an article I wrote for Horizon, the journal of the National Religious Vocation Conference, won a Catholic Press Award. Plus there's the fact that I have a monthly column on the Global Sisters Report.

And this blog. .... So maybe it seems like a super silly question. I write because I have this creative energy and desire to put thoughts and feelings to words in ways that might touch other people and inspire their own creative energy and desires.  Of course I realize that people actually read some of what I write, but at the same time it's easy to forget that fact when you are writing in a bubble.

It's always strange when you meet someone who you know nothing about who knows an awful lot about you! Or at least the public version of you and your thoughts.

In any case, this question has been knocking around in my brain the past week or so, accompanied by the song from the Muppet Movie, Man or Muppet:


 Although, in my case, the words I've been singing in my head are:

I look into these eyes
and I don't recognize
the one I see inside.
It's time for me to decide:
Am I a writer or do I just write?
(Do I just write?)

Silly, I know, but so is so much of what goes through my head, truth be told.

More and more, I realize how much I love to write and how I've had tremendous opportunities of late to write things that not only have an audience, but that seem to be helpful to people. It's become part of my minx of ministry, really, and that is very cool, ... whether I'm a writer or just someone who writes.

Theology Quotes: Eric H.F. Law

It's cool when you get a chance to read work for school by someone you've actually interacted with in real life.  This semester I'm reading an oldie but goodie by Eric H.F. Law for my class on spirituality and leadership, 1993's The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: A Spirituality for Leadership in a Multicultural Community.

I've never met Eric Law, but I did work with him a little in my role as editor of A Matter of Spirit, the quarterly journal of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center in Seattle. In that role, I had the unique opportunity to cold call (or cold email as the case may be) lots of folks, from Richard Rohr to Michael Crosby to Elaine Prevallet to Frida Berrigan (Catholic theology/religious life/peace activist nerds will know who those folks are). The conversation went something like this: "I'm the editor of a journal for a peace and justice center in Seattle. We've got an upcoming issue on X and think that you would be uniquely positioned to break open the topic for our readers." Then, assuming they were still on board, I'd give them a very short time line, an outline of what we were looking for, and break the news that this would be pro bono. I was often amazed at the gracious response and genuine desire to move the conversation forward with our readers. (Sometimes of course my cold calls/emails went into a black hole where they were never to be seen again).

This is a long way of saying that I had one of these interactions once upon a time with Eric Law. Except that he exceeded my expectations.  Not only was he gracious and genuinely desired to break open the key elements of culture and diversity for our readers, he surprised me. You see, his article was due the day after our nation executed it's target killing/assassination of a certain big name terrorist. Fear of the big bad wolf was replaced by college students partying in the streets. It was a strange moment, if you recall. Anyway, that morning I had an email from Eric Law. He asked for an extension, not because his article wasn't finished (it was), but because given this change of events he knew he had to approach it differently. Two days later, he sent me this article: Fear: Conqueror, Exploiter, and Miner.  Not only was the article amazing, I was impressed by his integrity, honesty, and commitment to this little side project for a small non-profit in Seattle.

Back to my homework. I spent a bit of time this afternoon reading his chapter on the need for leaders in multicultural community to be engaged in power analysis. It really struck a chord and is something I want to spend more time reflecting upon (and trying on). So I thought I'd share it with you, my bloggy friends!

Remember Haiti

A few years ago, Haiti was high on our consciousness.  As usually happens, we forget bit by bit, but the people living in Haiti are no less in need of our assistance, presence and prayers.  I just watched this marvelous little video that features one of our CSJP Sisters, Sister Ann Crawley, who has been ministering in Haiti since a few months before the earthquake.  One of our CSJP Sponsored ministries, Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ, has also recently announced a commitment to this mission in Haiti.


Please keep the people of Haiti and the CRUDEM Foundation/Hopital Sacre Coeur in your prayers.  If you are financially able and are looking for a charity to support this holiday season, I recommend visiting the CRUDEM website to learn more.

Letting Go

Thursday is my last full day of ministry at the peace and justice center.  Over the past four years, I've been part of some great projects, started others, collaborated with amazing people and worked to promote the social teaching of the church.  It's been a wonderful opportunity to bring my writing, research and organizing gifts to what I'm most passionate about--promoting social justice as a path to peace.

Someone else will be carrying on with the projects I've started. She'll do a great job, I'm sure.  She'll bring different perspectives, experiences and priorities.  I've been working with my replacement for two weeks and have every confidence that she'll do great.  Plus I know that my coworkers will continue their amazing ministry in new and exciting ways.

Still though, there is a bit of letting go in this all.  There always is in a transition.  I've been thinking back a lot to the last time I left a major job, when I left the City to enter the novitiate.  An old co-worker recently told me that I'm sort of an "empire-builder."  I create systems and projects and leave a job bigger than what it was when I started. What happens to the projects when I leave is out of my control.  There's a lot of truth to that.  And wisdom.  And humility.

Most of all, I'm finding myself filled with gratitude for the blessings and opportunities of these past four years.

The Not-so-Final Countdown

Officially I have three more days in my ministry at the peace and justice center. I say officially because I'll be back at various points over the summer for odds and ends. Also, since the center is co-sponsored by my religious community and does amazing work to promote justice in our world and church, I will always be connected. It's not really a goodbye or a see you later, but a shift in relationship and activity.

Still, after Thursday I will be a little bit more free. I will have more free time, which will be occupied by retreat, vacations, a few projects, a meeting or two, and lots of sorting, trips to goodwill and packing before I head to Chicago August 28.

I will also feel more free because I feel like I have been able to document a lot of the programs I have developed these past four years and shared the information necessary to help them to evolve. For the past two weeks I have been working with my replacement who is energetic,  committed, and has a great world view. I think I leave things in good hands which is always a good feeling.

But for now, time to pass along a little more knowledge and get a few more projects tied up.

My eyes and my heart are on Saturday when I will see the ocean and begin my retreat! That is the real countdown!!

Of Mountains & Dreams - Immigration Reform

North Cascades Highway
Washington Pass

Last weekend I traveled across the mountains to the "other side" (biblical reference anyone?). My main goal was to give a presentation on immigration in a small rural farming community that has been greatly impacted by our nation's failure to pass immigration reform. The mostly immigrant Spanish-speaking Catholic parish in town shares a priest with the parish in a more affluent English-speaking retirement community about an hour away.  The two communities are hoping to find ways to work together in a supportive way.  I was asked to give them some information about the Church's teaching on immigration and then to facilitate a beginning conversation between the two communities as they plan next steps together.


It was an amazing experience.  I felt truly humbled to be invited to assist people with giant hearts facing amazing obstacles.  While I may know enough about Catholic Social Teaching on immigration and our national immigration history and policy to give a presentation about it, I was in the presence of people who live the challenges every day.  I may have crossed the mountain passes in my little nun car to spend the afternoon with them, but the immigrant community faces bigger hurdles every day:  language, employment barriers, access to education, family separation, fear, racism, you name it.

After the first part of my presentation--which was beautifully translated by a woman who is a 2nd grade teacher in the town (note to self ... learn Spanish!)--I invited those present to spend some time reflecting first on one challenge they face in their community, and then on one hope or dream they have for collaboration between the English and Spanish speaking communities.  They then broke into mixed language small groups to share both their challenge and their hope/dream.  What happened was truly of God. I heard laughter.  I saw tears.  I observed curiosity and deep sharing.  Those present seemed to identify some potential areas for practical collaboration as well as some big dreams.  They recognized that this is a first step and that in many respects they face mountain sized challenges.  But from this facilitator's perspective, they seemed to leave refreshed, connected, and better prepared for the journey ahead, in solidarity ... together.  It truly was a Spirit filled day.  As one of the Deacon-candidates said to me as he was leaving, the people who were supposed to be there that day were in the room.

One moment that particularly touched me was when a member of the Spanish-speaking community shared that one of his dreams had come true the day before when the Obama administration announced their new deferred action policy for young adults who were brought to the US by their parents without legal authorization.  Provided these young people meet certain requirements (such as being in school, graduated from high school/GED, or served in the military), they will not be subject to deportation and will be able to apply for work permits.

With tears in his yes and a smile on his face, he shared that he has always prayed that his daughter--who graduated from college and just finished a Master's degree--would someday be able to work and use all that she has learned in school for the community.  You could tell how very proud this orchard worker was of all that his daughter had accomplished, and as her dreams came closer to reality he was filled with hope and gratitude.  As he learned more about the policy announcement, he thought that she would qualify.  He was very excited to bring the information home to his daughter.

I will never forget sharing that moment with him.  It was a beautiful ministry moment and a wonderful capstone of sorts as I come closer to the end of my ministry at the peace and justice center.

Of course, the recent policy decision is not a path to legal citizenship.  As Archbishop Jose Gomez said on behalf of the U.S. Bishops in their press release following the announcement:

On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I welcome the announcement by President Obama today that, consistent with his executive authority, he will grant deferred action on a case-by-case basis to youth who entered the United States by age 15 and have not committed certain offenses. Many of these youth would qualify for immigration relief under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. ...
The action by the President today is no substitute for enactment of the DREAM Act in Congress. We encourage our elected officials of both parties to take this opportunity to work together to enact this important law, which would give these youth a path to citizenship and a chance to become Americans. We also renew our call for bipartisan efforts to enact comprehensive and humane reform our nation’s broken immigration system.

If you agree, take two minutes today to write to your members of Congress in support of the DREAM Act and Comprehensive Immigration reform.

We can climb the mountain.  We can reach the other side and justice for immigrants.  We must.  Our God expects no less.

When an alien resides with you in your land, do not mistreat such a one.  You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.  I, the LORD, am your God. (Leviticus 19:33-34)

Documentation

In case you haven't caught this little bit of news, I'm headed to Chicago at the end of August to study at the Catholic Theological Union.  This means that I am leaving my ministry of four years at the peace and justice center.  It's been a great four years.  I've been able to create a couple of great programs, contribute to education and advocacy materials on a variety of social justice issues, and generally do good stuff.  But I'm leaving my ministry at the end of the month to head on retreat and other summer related activities, not to mention packing.  My replacement starts work on Monday and we will have two weeks of overlap for orientation type stuff.

Which means that for the past few weeks, I've been steadily trying to document all of these programs, presentations and materials that I've created over the past few years.

I've been having some flashbacks to my bureaucratic past, when I was the queen of instruction manuals. I created elections manuals for candidates and initiative petitioners.  I documented our City Code process.  I rewrote our employee manual.  I create a centralized repository of policy documents and created a whole categorizing and filing system for them.  Lots and lots and lots of documentation.

I actually loved it.  I'm really good at writing instructions, and I love to create new programs.  I also enjoy documenting them.  What I don't enjoy so much, is doing it all at once!!!

At more than a few points in the past week I've found myself pining for a pensieve, a la Harry Potter. It would be so much easier to just be like Dumbledore, touch my magic wand to my temple, and extract all of the thoughts, materials, procedures, contacts, etc... from my brain rather than trying to sort through all of my handwritten notes with random scratching and symbolic codes (I am organized, I just forget how I organized things from time to time).

But alas, I do not have magic powers.  So tomorrow morning, nose goes back to the grindstone for the last round of documentation and desk cleaning before my successor comes on Monday.

Speaking Out for the Voiceless

Many moons ago, when I was a glorified bureaucrat and fledgling Church geek, I spent my Thursday lunch hours with a group of folks who, like myself, were reluctant public speakers.  For about three years, I was a member of a Toastmasters group held in City Hall.

The folks who just experienced my polished presentation on human trafficking at a local parish this morning might be surprised to learn that I used to be very leery of speaking in public.  I wouldn't say that I was exactly afraid of public speaking, it's just that I didn't like to do it. I'd get nervous and anxious and just generally unhappy with the prospect, which of course would impact my actual ability to speak publicly.

About 14 years ago, a friend invited me to join her Toastmasters group.  At first, I was dubious.  Why would I, someone who doesn't like to speak in public, spend my lunch hour learning how to do so?  To humor her, I went to my first meeting and was hooked.  It was great!  Here was a group of other folks like me who had something to say to the world but just weren't comfortable doing so.  In a safe environment, we tried out different roles, gave speeches, worked on extemporaneousness speaking, and gave each other feedback. Each of us developed natural abilities and learned skills in areas that weren't so natural,

These days, in my ministry as a 21st Century Sister and Peace & Justice Educator & Advocate, I draw heavily from my Toastmasters experience.  When I'm putting together a talk or presentation, I think about what I learned.  My PowerPoint becomes my visual aid, simultaneously serving to draw the attention of the audience way from me--when they look directly at me I'm always more nervous!--and provides a cheat sheet of my notes/outline so that I can appear to be speaking off the top of my head.  There are other tricks I learned over the three years of mostly weekly meetings, but that's the main take away and it has proved invaluable.

Which is great, because even though I still don't exactly enjoy public speaking, I love being able to educate and empower folks to work for justice and speak out for the voiceless.  Whether I'm on the human trafficking presentation circuit or talking to a group of high school students about immigration reform, I love the fact that I am able to educate to inform and inspire people to take action.

Building Community Through Prayer - Round Two

Tonight I was lucky enough to be able to attend a prayer event at a local mosque.  It was part of the second series of interfaith visits sponsored by the peace and justice center where I work. (I wrote last fall about the first series). The event is called One God, Three Faiths: Building Community Through Prayer. The idea is that you visit Christian, Jewish and Muslim places of worship with people of all 3 faiths to pray together and learn about the traditions.

The members of the Muslim community tonight were such gracious hosts.  First of all ... the food!!  Hummus and stuffed grape leaves and fresh fruit and just general yumminess that kept coming around the table.  The Imam greeted us in prayer, then several younger men and women from the community led us through a series of informal talks, table sharing and a panel discussion.  We broke in the middle for their sunset prayer, which they invited us to join as we were able. It was very moving to follow the other women in their movements.  God felt very present, whatever name we choose for our loving God, and we were very present to God.

When we arrived at the mosque, we were invited to choose where we would sit by picking out a particular attribute shared by our faiths.  There was a place card on each table with the name of one of the attributes.  I was drawn to "trust," and so I sat at that table.  They had more table spots than people, so eventually I moved with the two other women who found themselves at the trust table to the "justice" table which had a few empty spots.  As we were joining in conversation about our personal and faith perspectives on trust and justice, it struck me that in a way they go hand in hand.

Trust is about God.  Ultimately, its up to God, not us.  These days in particular I've been feeling especially called to spend time in prayer, trusting in my loving God and my ongoing response to that love.  When we get out of the way, we can let God be God.

Justice, it seems to me, has to do with God but more so with us.  God desires justice and peace.  Humans tend to mess it up.  But humans also have the responsibility and the ability to participate in building Gods reign of justice and peace here, following in the footsteps of the Prophets, of Jesus, and leaders of other faith traditions.  It is no coincidence that all of the major faith traditions, at least to my knowledge, share the call to justice.

I was left with a feeling of community with our global family, and hope that we can grow together in the love of our creator to live more as one people with many faces.

Facing the Future

“Confident of God’s faithful love, and collaborating with others who work for justice and peace, we face the future with gratitude and hope.” 

This is one my favorite lines in the Constitutions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace.  It expresses so much in so few words--hope for the future, gratitude for our loving God, and a commitment to join others in following Gospel values and making a difference in our world.

One of the things that I have really enjoyed about my ministry these past four years at the peace and justice center has been the opportunity to collaborate with a particular segment of the population who are also seeking to make a difference in our world ... youth and young adults.  Would I ever have woken up and said, "I want to work with young people!"  No.  In fact, other than being a youth or young adult myself, this was never something that inspired me.  Hence, I am not a teacher nor youth minister by trade.  There are others who are truly called to youth and young adult ministry.  I am in awe of them and grateful to have the opportunity to dabble in their world from time to time.

What I am inspired by is the opportunity to collaborate--directly and indirectly--with young people who work for justice and peace in a variety of ways.  Yes, you heard me, it's not that some day they will work for peace and justice, but that they are already doing this in their own spheres of influence.  In the past month in fact, I've had quite a few of these opportunities which fill me both with gratitude and hope for the future.

Today I met with a high school senior who is going to co-present at a youth forum with me this summer on the topic of human trafficking.  Last summer, she joined a group of other young adults to travel to Cambodia to play soccer.  They worked with a project that both provides after care to young women who have been victims of sex trafficking and a prevention program that offers employment training and empowerment to at risk communities.  Since she returned, she has been an ambassador of sorts for this program and sold some of the products made by the young women at fair trade sales.  She's headed to college in the Fall and I'm sure will do great things down the line.

A few weeks ago I met with a group of college students who wanted to start a human trafficking club on campus. They had such energy and were thinking long-term and strategically.  They didn't just want to start a club that would fade away, but were looking out for ways to not only make a difference but plant seeds so the club would continue after they graduate.

This week we announced the winners of our high school JustVideo contest.  This was the third year of the contest, and we received such amazing entries on the themes of human rights, immigration and the environment.  Not only are the videos creative, they make such amazing connections between the call of our faith and the needs of our broken world.  

These are just a few of many stories of young people facing the future themselves with gratitude and hope, ready to collaborate for positive change.  It does a person good to have even a little hand in giving them some of the tools to help them be more effective.

So that's a glimpse into one of the cool things about being a Catholic Sister in the 21st Century--working with folks of all ages who also want to make the world a better place. 

Stopping the Demand - My Testimony at the State Capitol

Today I traveled to Olympia, our State Capitol, to join other advocates to testify at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on 10 Anti-Trafficking Bills.  I testified in support of four bills that specifically help to stop the demand for sex trafficking.  Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can watch my testimony.  Even though my prior life as a glorified bureaucrat has me fairly comfortable in a legislative hearing setting, I did stumble a little bit and was nervous.  But was happy to have the opportunity to share the important message of focusing not only on prosecution of traffickers and protection of victims, but on stopping the demand as well.

Currently, in the State of Washington the fine for being convicted of "soliciting a prostitute" aka buying commercial sexual exploitation is ... wait for it ... $150.  It's also not a sex crime and does not require registration as a sex offender.  One of the bills under consideration would increase the fine substantially to $1,500 for the first offense, $2,500 for the second offense, and on the 3rd offense would be a sex crime requiring registration as a sex offender.  If this passes, it would be a HUGE step forward in stopping the demand!

Please join me in praying for all victims of human trafficking, for conversion of heart for all traffickers, for inspired bold leadership by legislators, and for an end to human trafficking.

Sister Monica - a visionary, role model and friend

My sister is named Monica.  Which perhaps is why I've always had an affinity for Sister Monica Heeran, well that and the fact that she is absolutely amazing woman. Happy to see that the Catholic Sentinel agrees!

Visionary nun observes 100,000 patient visits at clinic she founded 

When Sister Monica Heeran shakes patients’ hands and introduces herself, she makes everyone feel that their health is the only thing that matters right now.
“Every patient feels they are the most important person to walk through the doors,” said DaLeesa Meashintubby, executive director of the Lane County Volunteers in Medicine, a clinic Sister Monica founded a decade ago.  ...
Sister Monica, an 80-year-old member of Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, is the former CEO of PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene. She retired more than 10 years ago after six decades of healthcare ministry.
It was a time when the number of uninsured was on the rise, Sister Monica said.
While Sister Monica was trying to figure out what she would like to do with the next phase of her life, she was invited to check out a clinic founded by Dr. Jack McConnell in Hilton Head Island, S.C., which was connecting the talents of volunteer medical practitioners with the uninsured population. The model was so successful that Volunteers in Medicine clinics, with their “culture of caring,” have popped up all over the country. Oregon has two clinics – the one in Springfield, founded by Sister Monica, and the VIM Clinic of the Cascades in Bend. Sister Monica returned to Eugene, inspired to start a clinic in Eugene. ...
Over the years, Sister Monica’s role at the clinic has changed. She just finished up serving as interim executive director while the clinic filled the position. She also helps with fundraising. She has served on the board for the duration.
But in the near future, Sister Monica hopes to pare down her time at the clinic, preparing for a form of official retirement. ...
Meashintubby said that she has learned more from Sister Monica than she has any other manager. The executive director calls the nun a “visionary.” 

Read the entire article here

Simply put ... Sister Monica rocks.  I've been honored to be in a small faith sharing group with her since I entered and work with her on a community committee.  She is indeed a visionary, a role model and a friend. I hope to have as much wisdom, energy, and grace when I'm in my 80s!

Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Here is a great video that some students from Holy Names Academy made last year for the high school justice video contest at the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center where I work.

Hey you high school teacher types .... the deadline for this year's contest is coming up in March!  Help spread the word.

From My Ministry World - Human Trafficking Awareness Month

For the past 4 years or so, education and advocacy against human trafficking has been a major part of my ministry.  Longer than that actually, because it started with one of my novitiate ministry experiences where I was privileged to get to know two women who were emerging from human trafficking situations.  The resiliency of their spirit in the face of such suffering continues to inspire me in this work.  Here's a press release we sent out today as part of a PR push around Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  Writing press releases is another transferable skill I learned as a glorified bureaucrat that I now use in the service of justice!

Nuns Organize Against Human Trafficking

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, January 5, 2012—Catholic Sisters in the Pacific Northwest are intensifying efforts against human trafficking during January’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, through public witness, schools based education and corporate shareholder advocacy. January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

“We know that the Pacific Northwest is a hub for human trafficking,” said Holy Names Sister Linda Haydock, Executive Director of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center (IPJC) in Seattle which is coordinating the effort. “This form of modern slavery is illegal in every country, and yet is thriving not only in far flung corners of the globe but right here in Seattle. We seek to stop the demand for human trafficking.”

Public Witness - Sisters and other advocates will gather at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle on Sunday, January 8th from 1:30 to 2:00 PM for a Public Vigil against human trafficking. “This is our 37th monthly public vigil,” said Saint Joseph of Peace Sister Susan Francois, Anti-Human Trafficking coordinator at IPJC. The Sisters began holding monthly vigils at Westlake Park in January 2009. “Westlake Park is a known recruitment spot for traffickers seeking to exploit young women in the sex industry. We come here each month to take a public stand in solidarity with all children, women and men held in slavery like conditions. We invite others to stand with us.”

President Obama has declared January National Human Trafficking Awareness month and called upon all Americans to “recognize the vital role we can play in ending modern slavery.”

Education - IPJC uses a variety of vehicles to engage the larger community. The Sisters have run advertisements on buses in Seattle and Tacoma, educate middle school students across the country via an online webinar, and provide resources for action on their website—www.ipjc.org. “In the last six months alone, more than 10,000 copies of our anti-human trafficking resources have been downloaded from our website,” said Sister Linda. Online resources are available in English and Spanish, including action ideas, education handouts, and prayer services. The website also offers a special prayer service that Christian and Interfaith groups can use to mark Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11th.

Corporate Advocacy - “We also engage in dialogue with major corporations to help stop the demand for human trafficking,” said Adrian Dominican Sister Judy Byron, Program Director of IPJC’s Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment. Collaborating with the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, the Sisters recently won significant victories against human trafficking through shareholder resolutions and corporate dialogue with Delta Airlines, Hilton Worldwide, and Wyndham Worldwide. In 2011, the airline and two hotel chains each agreed to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. The Code requires signatories to educate their employees on ways of identifying and reporting suspected incidents of human trafficking. Delta Airlines is the first U.S. carrier to sign the Code.

20th Anniversary

In 1991 I was a first year student at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. It was the start of the (first) Iraq war. I marched with other students to Pioneer Square in Portland where we joined more than 15,000 people in opposition to the war. On campus, I was involved with OSPIRG and other activist causes. My future as a peace and justice activist was in the making.

In a city a few hours to the north, a group of nuns got together and saw all the same injustices I saw as a college student. They decided to pool their resources and work collaboratively together. The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center was born.

Twenty years later, I'm on the staff of IPJC. I get to use all of my skills and passion for justice to educate, coordinate and advocate for a more peaceful world. What's more, I'm now a member of one of the five groups of religious that started this ministry in 1991 with a pencil and a paper clip.

Last night, we gathered with almost 400 supporters to celebrate our ministry of acting for justice in our church and our world. There were a good number of Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and our Associates there to mark the occasion. So great to have their support and presence!

on the road

I took my peace & justice ministry on the road today, literally. Those of you on the east coast may not realze how big states are out west. I literally drove from one end of washington to another today ... A 5+ hour drive! I had a little challenge as there was snow in the passes (you have to cross the Cascades). Thankfully one of our Sisters who used to live on this side of the mountains and had to cross the pass often lent me the all wheel drive vehicle she drives so all was well. Another blessing of community. I also had people praying for my safe travel which always helps.

I gave a workshop on immigration at a parish in Pullman tonight. It was a great group. I'm meeting with the social justice group in the morning before I head back home.

Woman You are Set Free

From the Gospel according to Luke:

Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. and just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.

But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Jesus answered him and said, “you hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? and ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham and Sarah whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.

Today there are many things keeping women bent over--patriarchy, sexual violence, and poverty to name a few. But there are also many signs of hope, women finding their power, men working as allies for gender equity, and communities coming together to set women free and enable them to stand tall.

If you'd like to learn more about the global status of women, check out the Spring issue of A Matter of Spirit (the quarterly justice journal that I edit at the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center).

In the words of Jesus, "Woman you are set free!"