Feature Stories

Terms of Use

Posted on March 25, 2015

Welcome to The Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc.,  Web site.  In the copyright below the organization is referred to as “Maryknoll Sisters.” The Maryknoll Sisters Website (the “Service”) is an online information and communications service provided by Maryknoll Sisters subject to you in  compliance with the terms and conditions set forth below including, all exhibits hereto. Please read this document carefully before accessing or using the service.

By accessing or using the service, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set forth below. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms and conditions, you may not access or use the service. Maryknoll may modify this agreement at any time, and such modifications shall be effective immediately upon posting of the modified agreement. You agree to review the agreement periodically to be aware of such modifications and your continued access or use of the service shall be deemed your conclusive acceptance of the modified agreement.

1. Operating Policies:
You agree to comply with the Operating Policies set forth below which are the rules that govern your activity in connection with the Service as they may be amended by Maryknoll Sisters from time to time. Maryknoll Sisters has the right but not the obligation to remove any communications and materials that Maryknoll believes in its sole discretion violate the Operating Policies.

2. Copyright, Licenses and Idea Submissions:
The entire contents of the Service are copyrighted under the United States copyright laws. The owner of the copyright is Maryknoll Sisters. You may print and download portions of material from the different areas of the Service solely for your own non-commercial use. You may make: (a) one machine readable copy, (b) one backup copy, and (c) one print copy of any portions of material downloaded from the different areas of the Service solely for your non-commercial use. Any other copying, redistribution, retransmission or publication of any downloaded material, is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Maryknoll Sisters or any third party information provider to the Service.

You agree not to change or delete any proprietary notices from materials downloaded from the Service. You agree to grant to Maryknoll Sisters a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license, with the right to sublicense, to reproduce, distribute, transmit, create derivative works of, publicly display and publicly perform any materials and other information (including, without limitation, ideas contained therein for new or improved products and services) you submit to public areas of the Service (such as bulletin boards, forums and newsgroups) by all means and in any media now known or hereafter developed.

You also grant to Maryknoll the right to use your name in connection with the submitted materials and other information as well as in connection with all advertising, marketing and promotional material related thereto. You agree that you shall have no recourse against Maryknoll Sisters for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary right in your communications to us.

3. Use of the Service:
You understand that, except for information, products or services clearly identified as being supplied by Maryknoll Sisters, Maryknoll Sisters does not operate, control or endorse any information, products or services on the Internet in any way. Except for Maryknoll-identified information, products or services, all information, products and services offered through the Service or on the Internet generally are offered by third parties that are not affiliated with Maryknoll Sisters.

You also understand that Maryknoll Sisters cannot and does not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading through the Service will be free of infection or viruses, worms, Trojan horses or other code that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to the Service for the reconstruction of any lost data.

You assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the service and the Internet. Maryknoll does not make any express or implied warranties, representations or endorsements whatsoever (including without limitation warranties of title or noninfringement, or the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose) with regard to the service, any merchandise, information or service provided through the service or on the Internet generally, and Maryknoll Sisters shall not be liable for any cost or damage arising either directly or indirectly from any such transaction.

It is solely your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of all opinions, advice, services, merchandise and other information provided through the service or on the Internet generally. Maryknoll Sisters does not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free or that defects in the service will be corrected. The service and the software are provided on an “as is, as available” basis.

You understand further that the Internet contains unedited materials some of which are sexually explicit or may be offensive to you. You access such materials at your risk. Maryknoll Sisters has no control over and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for such materials.

In no event will Maryknoll Sisters be liable for (I) any incidental, consequential, or indirect damages (including, but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of programs or information, and he like) arising out of the use of or inability to use the service, or any information, or transactions provided on the service or downloaded from the service, even if Maryknoll Sisters or its authorized representatives have been advised of the possibility of such damages, or (II) any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies in the service and/or materials or information downloaded through the service. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you. In such greatest extent permitted by law.

4. Indemnification:
You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Maryknoll SIsters, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers and any third party information providers to the Service from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any violation of this Agreement or any activity related to your account (including negligent or wrongful conduct) by you or any other person accessing the Service using your Service account.

5. Third Party Rights:
The provisions of paragraphs 3 (Use of the Service), and 4 (Indemnification) are for the benefit of Maryknoll Sisters and its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers, and any third party information providers to the Service. Each of these individuals or entities shall have the right to assert and enforce those provisions directly you on its own behalf.

6. Term; Termination:
This Agreement may be terminated by either party without notice at any time for any reason. The provisions of paragraphs 2 (Copyright, Licenses and Idea Submissions), 3 (Use of the Service), 4 (Indemnification), 5 (Third Party Rights) and 7 (Miscellaneous) shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

7. Miscellaneous:
This Agreement shall all be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in New York. You agree that any legal action or proceeding between Maryknoll Sisters and you for any purpose concerning this Agreement or the parties’ obligations hereunder shall be brought exclusively in a federal or state court of competent jurisdiction sitting in New York. Any cause of action or claim you may have with respect to the Service must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises or such claim or cause of action is barred. Maryknoll’ failure to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right. Neither the course of conduct between the parties nor trade practice shall act to modify any provision of this Agreement. . Maryknoll may assign its rights and duties under this Agreement to any party at any time without notice to you.

 

OPERATING POLICIES
Your participation in on-line communications occurs in real time and is not edited, censored, or otherwise controlled by Maryknoll Sisters. Maryknoll Sisters cannot and does not screen content provided by users of the Service. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Maryknoll reserves the right to monitor content on the Service and to remove content which Maryknoll Sisters, in its sole discretion, determines to be harmful, offensive, or otherwise in violation of these Operating Policies. In order to maintain an informative and valuable service that meets the needs of the users of the Service and avoids the harm that can result from disseminating statements that are false, malicious, violate of the rights of others, or otherwise harmful, it is necessary to establish the following rules to protect against abuse:

  1. You may not post or transmit any message anonymously or under a false name.
  2. You may not post or transmit any message which is libelous, defamatory or which discloses private or personal matters concerning any person. You may not post or transmit any message, data, image or program which is indecent, obscene or pornographic.
  3. You may not post or transmit any message, data, image or program that would violate the property rights of others, including unauthorized copyrighted text, images or programs, trade secrets or other confidential proprietary information, and trademarks or service marks used in an infringing fashion.
  4. You may not interfere with other users use of the Service.
  5. You may not post or transmit any file which contains viruses, worms, “Trojan horses” or any other contaminating or destructive features.
  6. You may not post or transmit any message which is harmful, threatening, abusive or hateful. It is not the Service’s intent to discourage you from taking controversial positions or expressing vigorously what may be unpopular views; however, Maryknoll Sisters reserves the right to take such action as it deems appropriate in cases where the Service is used to disseminate statements which are deeply and widely offensive and/or harmful.
  7. You may not post or transmit charity requests, petitions for signatures, chain letters or letters relating to pyramid schemes. You may not post or transmit any advertising, promotional materials or any other solicitation of other users of the Service for goods or services except in those areas (e.g., a classified bulletin board) that are designated for such purpose.
  8. You may not post or list articles which are off-topic according to the description of the group or list or send unsolicited mass emailings to more than twenty-five (25) email users, if such unsolicited emailings provoke complaints from the recipients.
  9. You may not use the facilities and capabilities of the Service to conduct any activity or solicit the performance of any illegal activity or other activity which infringes the rights of others.

AIDS: Hopes to eliminate disease by 2020

Posted on March 25, 2015

Much of the following article was published by the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) on June 13.

The United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS (UNGASS), which took place in New York June 8-10, concluded with the adoption of a declaration that by 2015 seeks to double the number of people on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to 15 million, end mother-to-child transmission of HIV, halve tuberculosis-related deaths in people living with HIV, and increase preventive measures for the “most vulnerable populations.” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a global commitment to eliminate AIDS by 2020. “That is our goal – zero new infections, zero stigma and zero AIDS-related deaths,” he said.

The three-day event, attended by heads of state, civil society groups, AIDS organizations and activists from more than 30 countries, coincided with the 30th anniversary of the discovery of AIDS and was dominated by discussions on the importance of increasing access to treatment.

“This Declaration is strong, the targets are time-bound and set a clear and workable roadmap, not only for the next five years, but beyond,” said Joseph Deiss, president of the General Assembly in a statement. “UN member states have recognized that HIV is one of the most formidable challenges of our time and have demonstrated true leadership through this Declaration in their commitments to work towards a world without AIDS.”

The money to achieve these aims is still a major issue, but the document is vague on where it will come from – about US$10 billion is spent each year, and UNAIDS says another $6 billion will be required. Countries agreed to increase AIDS-related spending to reach between $22 billion and $24 billion in low- and middle-income countries by 2015.

During his talk at a session to launch the global plan to eliminate new HIV infections in babies, former U.S. President Bill Clinton discussed the importance of coordination among governmental agencies and other bodies, and the overhead costs in assisting HIV-positive people. He noted that many UN conferences have failed to achieve the goals they set for themselves, but hoped this time would be different.

Some nongovernmental organizations participating in the debate are skeptical. They see barriers to the level of appropriations for HIV and AIDS-related programs, given the budget deficit debate in the U.S. and other countries. They are also concerned about the impact of trade agreements now being negotiated between, for example, the European Union and India, on access to generics medicines and to newer cheaper medicines by millions of people dependent on them for survival. Furthermore, opposition to women- and girl-centered responses to HIV and AIDS and to even discussing the impact of AIDS on sex workers and other highly vulnerable populations leaves gaping holes in any strategy to get the AIDS pandemic under control.

Others were more optimistic. In its June 18 issue, the highly respected medical journal The Lancet wrote, “Last week saw the conclusion of a landmark event in the recent history of AIDS. The two turning points took place in New York. The visible one was a high-level meeting on AIDS, which brought 3,000 participants to the UN to review progress in defeating an epidemic 30 years into its devastating course. Ambitious new targets were agreed. Countries committed themselves to, by 2015: halving sexual transmission of HIV; halving HIV transmission among people who inject drugs; ensuring that no child will be born with HIV; getting 15 million people onto treatment; and halving deaths from tuberculosis among people living with AIDS.

“But the invisible turning point was the realization that simply strengthening the vertical program that is AIDS has to end. The new opportunity is integration. As one senior UNAIDS scientist put it: AIDS is not an exceptional disease; it is an exceptional opportunity. Part of the reason for a change in strategy is a matter of brutal reality. Investment in AIDS is in decline relative to other spheres of global health. But the incredible success of the AIDS movement also means that it is in a strong position to embrace—warmly and generously—other sectors of global health. AIDS can be the engine that broadens a front to defeat the diseases of poverty.”

Faith in action:

Contact your member of Congress to urge the highest possible appropriations for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Response (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund in FY 2012.

Future Doctor Serves as Role Model in Tanzania

Posted on March 25, 2015

Linda Simon was only 14 when one morning, three people knocked on the door of her family home near Arusha, Tanzania.

“I was told to get prepared for the journey to Arusha town, as they are going to take me to a nun who will take me to school. It was a miracle I wished to happen.”

Linda Simon (far l) calls our Emusoi Center "a miracle." Now she plans to go to medical school.
Linda Simon (far l) calls our Emusoi Center “a miracle.” Now she plans to go to medical school.

Linda Simon (far l) calls our Emusoi Center “a miracle.” Now she plans to go to medical school.

It could have been different. Many Maasai girls dread that knock on their front door. By Maasai custom, it’s the first time a girl learns of her future husband. An arranged marriage means potential income for the father. But to his daughter, an unfamiliar groom can generate fear and family discord.

Fortunately, Linda was spared the horrors of being married so young. Instead, that day Linda met Maryknoll Sister Mary Vertucci.

Sister Mary coordinates the Emusoi Center, a school she helped found in Arusha, Tanzania. Young Maasai girls like Linda go to Emusoi to get a basic education–and to become young women prepared to study for careers they can use back home. Linda said Emusoi has given her “confidence, happiness and courage.”

“At Emusoi, I met with Maasai girls with different dreams,” Linda said. “Mine has always been that one day, I want to be among the best medical doctors and surgeons in the world.”

Students see Sr. Mary Vertucci (r) as a mentor. Early marriage forces many Maasai girls to forego school.

Students see Sr. Mary Vertucci (r) as a mentor. Early marriage forces many Maasai girls to forego school.
Students see Sr. Mary Vertucci (r) as a mentor. Early marriage forces many Maasai girls to forego school.

Linda sees a need for physicians in the Maasai culture and in Tanzania. Unfortunately, however, Linda was the only student in her ward to pass the final exams that led her to where she is today. Having finished advanced studies in physics, chemistry and biology, Linda has her eyes on entering medical school this fall.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 113 million children around the world are prevented from going to school, and 60 percent of them are girls. The reality for many girls is that they’ll be married before they’re 18. In Tanzania, Sister Mary said, no more than 20 percent of primary school graduates continue with their education. The need for education in this part of the world is so great, she said, that more resources are needed.

“At this point, we have more requests from student applicants than we can handle, and we have to send girls away because we have no room or finances to take care of them.”

Before Emusoi, Linda worried that her family couldn’t afford to send her to school. She comes from an “economically poor family,” she said, and Tanzania is among the world’s poorest countries. In 1999, education spending here was under 5 percent of GDP.

“I decided to spend my holiday teaching my young (Maasai) sisters at Emusoi because I know the environment they were brought up in and the challenges they face that some can even complete their primary education without the basic reading and writing skills,” Linda said.

“I believe that my presence will make a difference in their life.”

Mollie Speaks To Us Today

Posted on March 25, 2015

On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, we as Maryknoll Sisters continued in prayer to observe the 100th anniversary of our founder Mother Mary Joseph Rogers’ resolve to give herself to this work of Catholic mission.

In celebrating this resolve of Mollie’s, we enter into our pre-centennial times. We can imagine all that was going on among Maryknoll’s key people in these days a hundred years ago. Five days before Mollie’s resolve on September 15, 1910, Fathers Walsh and Price had met in Montreal and made their own commitments to this work of mission.

Joy spreads through the heritage of Mother Mary Joseph.

Joy spreads through the heritage of Mother Mary Joseph
Joy spreads through the heritage of Mother Mary Joseph

We often talk, however, of how very different times are today from the days when Maryknoll was being founded. For one thing, we imagine things back then as having more clarity. In our troubled world and Church of today we often feel confused and frustrated, needing to seek our way anew.

Yet there is something about Mollie Rogers in our lives that does not change. As we saw during the vigil last evening, Mollie maintains a power to convoke us and bond us in an extraordinary way. We in turn invoke her presence among us, symbolized by the chair of leadership.

Hopefully, we will all spend some time with Mollie in the coming days, perhaps placing our cares and concerns in her hands in the basket beside her chair.

Several things came together in prayer this week. Wednesday is the day when many Maryknoll Sisters spend time in adoration here in the chapel. It is also the opening day of the 100 days of prayer for community decisions suggested by Sister Rose Corde McCormick.

Opening a Window to a Silent World

Posted on March 25, 2015

Deaf Catholics connect with our ministry in China.

It can seem like a prison, a world filled with faces where lips move without sound. Now, multiply that by a lifetime and you start to sense the world of the hearing-impaired. At a church in China, we’re helping deaf people really become part of the community as Catholics.

It’s all happening at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Macau, where the assistant pastor and some parishioners volunteered to learn sign language with Maryknoll Sister Arlene Trant. It took them four weeks. Their devotion is lasting far longer.

“From that time on, there have been about a dozen people with normal hearing who sit with our deaf group and sign the Mass prayers together with us,” Sister Arlene said.

Every week at Mass, she joins about 20 deaf people who use sign language to say the prayers. Lectors who are deaf “read” the Scripture readings with special hand gestures, which make up a language that more and more in the parish can understand

arlenetrant1Students at St. Teresa”s School in Macau, China, practice their English with Sr. Arlene, who is a teacher there.

“It continually amazes me how warmly our deaf Catholic group has been welcomed into the parish,” said Sister Arlene, who began a Sunday school class for deaf people this year. In addition, the church holds a monthly Mass for the deaf on Saturday night. Sister Arlene is hoping to attract more young Catholics who are deaf.

A “special honor” took place on May 1, when deaf people helped celebrate the parish’s feast day for St. Joseph the Worker. At the Mass, the pastor invited a small group of deaf Catholics to stand at the altar and pray the Lord’s Prayer in sign language.

Macau Bishop José Lai Hung-Seng and more than 10 priests celebrated the anniversary Mass at the church. Only around five percent of the population here are Catholic.

This year’s feast came on the day the parish was founded 11 years ago in a working-class area of Macau, an island territory in the South China Sea. Among those attending was Sister Anastasia Lindawati, a Maryknoll missioner serving her first assignment in nearby Hong Kong.

“I was moved when the four deaf persons prayed the Our Father in sign language in front of the altar,” said Sister Anastasia.

‘There is So Much Needed Here’

Posted on March 25, 2015

grenoughclassIt’s often said that a problem can’t be really solved unless it’s brought to God. Well, you’re helping us bring to God Myanmar’s “unacknowledged reality.”

Your support could prevent a further spike in HIV/AIDS cases here.

AIDS is a problem Myanmar’s churches have been late to take up because of a “lack of information, high stigma and discrimination,” says Sister Mary Grenough. Myanmar is among the top five Asian countries with the most severe AIDs epidemics.

It’s not just her, though. In Catholic parishes throughout Myanmar, Sister Mary is giving her AIDS prevention workshops to anyone who will listen. In the past, people here have been quiet on the topic. Now, churches and other groups here are realizing that compassion is what’s needed when someone close is dying of AIDS.

“Would you believe that in some places here, people who die of AIDS are still denied burial in a Christian cemetery,” she said, “and some priests are afraid to visit them to offer spiritual assistance for fear of contracting the virus?”

sistermaryandfriendSo far, Sister Mary has given workshops in Myitkyina, Mandalay, Yangon, Mawlamyine, Mindat, southern Chin state, and Lashio. That’s on top of the five dioceses that were reached last year.

AIDS patients also need wellness tools for self-healing, so Sister Mary also got together some AIDS caregivers in Myanmar for a workshop with Maryknoll Sister Eileen Brady. In East Timor, Sister Eileen teaches the Timorese how to heal from their own scars, endured during the country’s independence movement.

Being diagnosed with AIDS can be just as devastating. That’s why Sister Mary is heading the Myanmar Catholic HIV/AIDS Network, which helps separate AIDS fact from fiction. The group is preparing AIDS health care guidebooks that will help churches and other caregivers in Myanmar save lives.

After her AIDS pamphlets are translated into Burmese, Sister Mary hopes people here will finally be able to welcome those who are HIV-positive, not forsake them.

Getting in Touch with The Divine

Posted on March 24, 2015

By Steve Lalli

MindBody_JapanLet’s face it, almost everyone feels stress in their lives. A big source of stress is change, and Japan is a country where people are facing life-changing stress. Using techniques being shared by the Maryknoll Sisters, people in Japan are finding some measure of relief. They include people affected by widespread migration and victims of radiation exposure who live near the Fukushuma nuclear plant, destroyed in the 2011 tsunami.

Over a 10-day period in May and June, two Maryknoll Sisters experimented with a plan to offer workshops in “liturgical dance” and “healing relationships” that helped people get in touch with the divine within themselves.

“Because the participants are our lay leaders to whom we give monthly study sessions, they were surprised that they learned many things through the body exercises and not necessarily from textbooks or lectures,” said Sister Margaret Lacson (at right in above photo).

Some workshops were held for Filipinas and parish leaders from across the Yokohama diocese. Another class was held at a parish near the Fukushima nuclear plant. As lay leaders, they are in touch with many in their own churches and can give help and guidance. All participants were Catholics and had the desire to learn about expressing prayer not only through words but through their own bodies. “One single mother (at a workshop) reflected that one exercise would help her to deal with her bi-cultural teenage daughter who’s ​in a rebellious stage now,” Sister Margaret said.

In Kamakura, Japan, where Sister Margaret is based, people struggling with such change are not hard to find, and that includes women who have come to Japan to find husbands and start families. They’ve come from places like the Philippines and other Asian countries. The benefits of these pre-arranged relationships are often mixed. The migrant women and their bi-cultural children often find it hard to adapt to Japanese ways. Domestic violence is another problem that is all too real, leaving behind physical and psychological scars.

“The workshops are helping us to be grounded in our own bodies,” said Sister Margaret. Though “we experience the world through our bodies,” she says, not everyone is successful at achieving such a mind-body balance. Part of Sister Margaret’s mission is helping Filipina women adjust to life in their new culture. “One single mother (at the workshop) reflected that one exercise would help her to deal with her bi-cultural teenage daughter who’s ​in a rebellious stage now,” said Sister Margaret, a Philippines-born missioner who is serving in cross-cultural mission in Japan as a Maryknoll Sister.

Sister Margaret (at right in photo, top) had to do was look around her to find people who could benefit from the techniques, which combine the use of dance to achieve a solemn, prayerful state. She gives a monthly training to lay leaders at a parish near the Fukushima nuclear plant to help parishioners help their neighbors who are suffering from radiation exposure as a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

During the workshops, Sister Margaret takes a supportive role as fellow Maryknoller, Sister Jeong Mi Lee (2nd from left in middle photo, foreground), introduces her sacred style of liturgical dance to Japanese audiences for the first time. During one of the sessions, Sister Jeong Mi showed how to breathe deeply and let the energy flow easily through her body. One of the women taking the class focused her breathing on her knee, where she was experiencing some pain. Somehow, the breathing exercise helped to ease the pain, and soon it appeared to be gone.

View Exclusive Interviews from ‘Dateline NBC’ Episode

Posted on March 24, 2015

JoannaChanEric Glisson wasn’t the only one freed when his murder conviction was overturned in New York, where Sister Joanna Chan was ministering to Glisson and other inmates at a prison overlooking the Hudson River, not far from her Maryknoll convent. In June 2014, Dateline NBC aired an interview of Sister Joanna for her role in Glisson’s eventual release. Now, in exclusive footage not aired in the original show, meet the other inmates, now released, who were also wrongly accused of the crime. Click here to watch the video. 

“I am innocent.” What was it about Glisson’s words that struck Sister Joanna as he pleaded his innocence from behind bars at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility? View the Dateline episode, “A Bronx Tale,” in its entirety to find out.

Though Maryknoll Sisters are better known for their behind-the-scenes mission work that brings change to the world with a meekness that’s modeled after Jesus, Dateline NBC provided Sister Joanna with a national audience to describe how her mission work mentoring inmates inside Sing Sing prison put her into contact with Glisson, who had been serving 25 years to life for murder.

The case drew headlines that shined a spotlight on New York’s criminal justice system and the efforts of Sister Joanna and others to reverse a miscarriage of justice that took 17 years of Glisson’s life while behind bars. Watch “A Bronx Tale” for interviews with Sister Joanna, New York police department and federal investigators, and a look at new evidence that got the court to set free Glisson and five others who were charged with the murder of a livery cab driver in 1995.

Inmates at the prison affectionately addressed Sister Joanna as “Grandma” because she would listen to their struggles. “Nothing but the grace of God pulled me through,” Glisson said, looking back on the ordeal.

Just before Glisson won his freedom, Sister Joanna said to him: “Your family must love you very much, and he said, ‘Yes, because they know I am innocent.'”

Click here to watch the video.

Please Join Us in Prayer….

Posted on March 24, 2015

PeaceCandleIf you feel a week can’t go by without a seemingly-random shooting occurring somewhere in the United States, you’re not that far off. In the three weeks since May 23, there have been four acts of violence involving guns fired on people at public places like schools and stores–and the latest, at a place of God.

The latest episode, on Wednesday night, occurred at a church in Phoenix. A priest was shot and killed, and another priest is in critical condition, following the shooting attack at Mater Misericordiae Mission, a Catholic church in Phoenix.

Please join us in praying for the church victims in Arizona–and for those wounded and killed during senseless violence that occurred recently in California, Washington, and Oregon:

 

God of Creation, You are always with us!

Your will is true Peace for us….your people.

Give us your Vision of Peace!

Send us your Spirit to guide us in all our efforts to

bring peace and justice to humankind.

Inspire all who come together to search out – and those who enact the ways of Peace.

God of Love, let not disagreements disturb us.

Teach us to forgive, not tomorrow but today. Clear away any bitterness or anger.

Help us resist malice and hate.

Give us your love and compassion.

Through your Word, change our hearts.

Give us courage to open our hearts to all.

Amen.

In Solidarity with the Iraqi People…

Posted on March 24, 2015

We are all very aware of the violence and suffering being experienced in Iraq at this time.  Many have had to flee but many remain in their communities experiencing anxiety and fear as violence erupts all around them.  In solidarity with the Iraqi people and with the minority Christian Community, the leader of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Sienna in Mosul, Iraq has called her sisters throughout Iraq to a time of intense prayer for peace and the protection of people of all faiths in Iraq.

We, along with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), call our sisters around the world to join the Iraqi Sisters in a time of prayer on Thursday, June 19 at 6 p.m. (in your time zone) to pray for an end to the violence and for the protection of all faith groups in Iraq.    We encourage you to participate in this act of contemplative solidarity in the privacy of your heart, in your local community or chapel.   Let us pray that there may be peace in Iraq and peace in the hearts of all peoples.

In the spirit of solidarity and gratitude,

 

The Congregational Leadership Team of the Maryknoll Sisters