summer 2022
Living
peace
congregation of the sisters of st. joseph of peace
To Be Who We Say We Are SUMMER 2022
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in this issue Living
peace
summer 2022
The mission of Living Peace, a free biannual publication of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace is to build community with a diverse audience by engaging our readers in contemplation and action for justice and peace through informative and reflective articles, poetry and prayers. If you wish to change your address, or if you or someone you know would like to be added to our Living Peace mailing list, please contact Cristina Turino at cturino@csjp.org or 201-608-5401. Copyright: Articles in Living Peace may be reprinted. Please include the following on reprints: “Reprinted with permission from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, 399 Hudson Terrace, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, www.csjp. org” Please send us a copy of the reprinted article. Jan Linley, Editor Editorial Advisory Board Susan Francois, CSJP Coralie Muzzy, CSJP Cristina Turino, Editorial Assistant & Distribution Manager Contributing Writers Frank McCann, CSJP-A Stephanie Peirolo, CSJP-A Cover Art: Artist and writer Jan Richardson created the cover art, Mother Root, which we think expresses what the Congregation is recommitting to in their Chapter Act: To Be Who We Say We Are. Jan is an artist, author, United Methodist minister, and director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC. To experience more of Jan’s work, please visit her website at janrichardson.com where you are sure to be moved and inspired. Design Beth Ponticello, CEDC, www.cedc.org
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Message from Congregation Leadership: To Be Who We Say We Are by Andrea Nenzel, CSJP
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From the Editor: We Can Do More
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Little Words Mean A Lot
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The Chapter Call
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Discerning With Creative Courage
by Jan Linley
by Angela McCarthy, CSJP
by Stephanie Peirolo, CSJP-A
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Fresh Voices: The Gift of Hope
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Peace Ministries: A Family of Ministries Rooted in Christ’s Gospel of Peace
by Seema Kakar
by Kelly Marsicano
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Pause
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Peace, Justice and Money by Melody Maravillas
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FrankTalk: Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Commit to Laudato Si’ by Frank McCann, CSJP-A
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History and Roots: Images of Refuge by Margaret Jane Kling, CSJP
MESSAGE FROM CONGREGATION LEADERSHIP
To Be Who We Say We Are by Andrea Nenzel, CSJP, Congregation Leader As I prayed over what to say, the image of Jesus asking Peter, “Who do you say I am?” was suddenly before me and just as suddenly shifted to Jesus asking me, “Who do you say you are?” This simple statement, I think, is the key to our breaking open our Chapter Act, because, before I can be who I say I am, I best know who I say I am. The COVID-19 pandemic that still impacts our everyday lives in so many ways has thrown us out of our complacency and our illusions that we control our lives, creation, and our world. The reality of living through a crisis is that we never come out the same – either better or worse – never the same. In our Chapter gathering, the Spirit urged us to speak and act boldly with open, loving, and adventurous hearts. Pope Francis has said many times these past two years that we have before us the profound opportunity to set things right in our world. We have before us endless possibilities; will we dare to risk letting go of what has been and step into the unknown unfolding, even though we may not see it? While this Chapter Act was written by Sisters and Associates of St. Joseph of Peace, it is truly a message for any person seeking to make our world a better place; for any person concerned about the ongoing wars and violence throughout our world; for any person concerned about the thousands dying from starvation and suffering malnutrition while there is enough food
L to R: Leadership Team elected April 2021, Sisters Sheena George, Andrea Nenzel, Susan Francois, Margie Fort, Kathleen Pruitt
to feed everyone on the planet; for any person who is concerned about the millions of refugees and asylum seekers stranded in camps and under bridges all over our earth; for any person concerned with the ongoing racism that permeates so many aspects of life and feeds violence and death in every country; for any person concerned about the thousands of people who have no say in how they will live. I invite you to ask yourself, “Am I who I say I am? Am I really true to who I say I am with my thoughts, words and actions?” Together with people of good will all over the globe, let us embrace these promptings of the Spirit of Life with courage, humility, hope, and trust as we dare to BE WHO WE SAY WE ARE. What will you let go of? What will you risk today?
Sisters Sheena George, Bridgetta Rooney, Catherine McCormack, Amalia Camacho, Chero Chuma, Sukyi Hur
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FROM THE EDITOR
We Can Do More Last March, the Peacocks, St. Peter’s University men’s basketball team, had a Cinderella run, making it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA playoffs, garnering much excitement, pride, and community along the way. During that run, their then coach, Shaeen Halloway, said, “We can do more.” I was thinking about that rallying cry as I contemplated the theme of this issue of Living Peace. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace held the second part of their 23rd General Chapter last March. After months, years—one could even say lifetimes—they produced the Chapter Call, “To Be Who We Say We Are.” A general Chapter is the gathering of the Congregation, usually every six years, to elect new leadership and to commit to a direction for the next six years; that commitment is known as the Chapter Call. It is a commitment in spirit, thought, word and deed developed after much prayer, discussion, discernment, and reading the signs of the times.
Here is a sampling from some of the Congregation’s past Chapter Acts: 1996 Pursuing Peace – Calling the Congregation to realize their interconnectedness and to recognize the gift of diversity, to stand with all people, especially with women everywhere, and to endeavor to match the words “we speak with our actions for justice and peace.” 2002 Well of Integrity/Fountains of Hope/ Rivers of Peace – Calling for congregational unity in responding to justice issues, in communications, ministry and governance; a commitment to actions for justice grounded in spirituality and a contemplative stance and simplicity of life and new ways of belonging in relationships and community.
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by Jan Linley
2008 Seeds of Peace: Growing in Nonviolence and Care of Creation & Climate Change – Recommitting to nonviolence grounded in contemplative prayer and reflection, practiced in daily lives and in the protection of all lives; committing to deepen spirituality of peace regarding care of creation, identifying and reducing carbon footprints, promoting a sustainability lifestyle, participating in legislative efforts, standing in solidarity with the marginalized and collaborating with others. 2014 Radical Hospitality – A recommitment to Jesus’ way of radical hospitality, a call to deeper and wider living of community for mission in company with poor and marginalized and to respond anew to the call of the founder to be “brave, noble, large-minded and courageous souls.” In this issue you will find many expressions of how the Chapter Call is being lived out in the sisters and associates’ daily lives, from their prayer life to how their resources are invested and shared, to their commitment to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Seema Kakar, an Afghan refugee, shares her story and her connection to the Congregation. A message from Sister Andrea Nenzel, the Congregation Leader, asks you, our readers, to reflect on the call in your personal lives. We are also pleased to reacquaint you with Peace Ministries’ mission and core values. Stephanie Peirolo breaks down how we can discern creatively. She writes: “Small actions, one person helping another, matter deeply. People use the phrase ‘baby steps’ to indicate a first, hesitant, small movement. Inconsequential, just a beginning. But that’s not actually how babies start walking. It is not timid. They move boldly from one dimension to another, standing up and lurching forward, driven by the imperative to walk, to move forward. What if we believe that every movement toward justice, however inexpert or hesitant, matters?” Building on the Congregation’s roots, the Chapter Call “To Be Who We Say We Are,” is a deeper examination and plumbing of all that has come before made relevant for the life of the Congregation and the life of the world today. It is the expression of how the Congregation commits to live their charism of peace through justice. And it is a commitment that boldly states, “We can do more.”
LIVING PEACE
Little Words Mean A Lot by Angela McCarthy, CSJP We’ve just come through the 40 long days of Lent and are basking in the glory and radiance of the Resurrection Days. Among other devotions and services that close off that period of penance were those three long hours of Vigil on Good Friday. Year after year, we have meditated on what we call “The Seven Last Words.” Actually, they are seven sentences, not words. But Jesus did give us seven words: “Love one another as I love you.” Go ahead, count them. Just seven words, but if we live by them what a world of difference! And those seven words, I believe are what motivate the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace both in their ministry and prayer life. For, truthfully, ministry and prayer form one unit perceived from different angles.
your beads.” And further on, commenting on the trimmin’s, “She would pray for kith and kin, and all the friends she’d ever known … For that little Irish mother’s prayers embraced the country wide; If a neighbour met with trouble, or was taken ill, or died.” It’s a long poem, but it describes what I truthfully think has happened with our modern accommodation of email. We are just widening the scope of what our parents and grandparents, worldwide, did before us. When someone calls or emails me asking for prayers, my immediate response is to ask permission to widen the circle by inviting the prayers of my other friends and my entire community. By now, my family and friends will say, “Sister, would you ask your sisters to
For me, and as I am sure for most of us, our life of prayer began in our childhood home. There, through simple prayers of petition, we learned to ask God’s guidance for ourselves but also to reach out and pray for the needs of others. My earliest recollection of prayer ministry is the frequent visits of neighbors of all faiths asking would our family pray for this or that intention. Part of that was growing up during World War II, when neighbors would be anxious about their relatives fighting in the war, especially if they hadn’t heard from them for a while. Their requests were simple: Please ask God to watch over him or pray that we’ll hear soon. We lived in a rural area of Northern Ireland, but our neighbors knew that we ended our day with rosary and night prayers. They knew we’d include their intentions, and we received many requests. There’s a wonderful folksy Australian poem by John O’Brien called “The Trimmin’s on the Rosary.” I found this poem in 1955 and identified with it immediately. One line was almost a quote from my own mother, “Now it’s getting on to bed-time; all you childer get
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Photo: Anuja Mary Tilj, Unsplash
Our ministry, whatever it may be, brings us in contact with others. And witnessing to the joys, pain, hopes, dreams, and frustrations of others automatically calls us to prayer. As stated in our Constitutions, “Our call to peacemaking permeates all aspects of our lives together. It seeks expression in mutual love and concern. It challenges us to accept and share our gifts and empower others to do likewise. It pervades our prayer and calls us to a life of simplicity and service.” (Constitution 15)
pray for …” Which brings me back to our Chapter Act, “To Be Who We Say We Are.” “Our prayer is a response in faith to God’s action in us and a vital expression of our lives together.” (Constitution 31) As I and others in our community add on the years, our field of ministry shrinks. Knees may give out, eyes grow dim, hearing fades. But if God allows our mind to stay intact, then the ministry of prayer will indeed authenticate Mother Clare’s vision of promoting the peace of Christ both by word and work, and we will honestly be who we say we are. And we will live out that mission that Jesus gave us: “Love one another as I love you.”
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The
Chapter Call The Chapter Call is a distillation of the Congregation’s participation and response to the presentations, discussions, prayer, and sharing through the various Chapter processes in 2020-2022. Unanimously affirmed at Chapter, the Chapter Call provides a guiding principle for the many decisions that will challenge the Congregation in coming years. Sister Anita Baird, Keynote Speaker
The Congregation received input and inspiration from Sister Pat Murray, IBVM, Executive Secretary of the International Union of Superiors General; Sister Anita Baird, DHM, the first African American to serve as Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of Chicago and co-founding director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Racial Justice; and Bana Gora, Chief Executive of Muslim Women’s Council. Sister Pat stirred the hearts and spirits of sisters and associates at their June 2021 Congregation Assembly with her talk, “Follow the Lights within to the Edge of Tomorrow.”
“More and more we realize that we can only make the future by walking together, sharing the lights of the Holy Spirit as we move towards the edge of tomorrow.” At the March 2022 Chapter of Affairs, the Congregation was inspired and challenged by their keynote speakers, Sister Anita Baird, DHM and Bana Gora.
“We can complain, or we can stand up and do something about it.” – Bana Gora
Bana Gora, Keynote Speaker
“To be on the edge of tomorrow requires that we examine and reassess our underlying attitudes and beliefs rooted in white privilege and access. We must reexamine and reassess our miseducation about power and dominance over everything and everyone, including Mother Earth.” – Sister Anita Baird, DHM “It doesn’t matter how big a step you take, as long as you take a step.” – Bana Gora
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The Chapter Call “The year 2020 looms large as we embark on a new decade of life, and especially a new decade in the life of the Congregation. What will the new decade ask of us? How will it gift us? How will it surprise us? How will it break our hearts?” – Sheila Lemieux, CSJP, January 2020 Letter Convoking the 23rd Congregation Chapter
NOW … There has been plenty to break our hearts: the global pandemic, racism, war and violence, the mass migration of people, political polarization, and environmental destruction. But we have been gifted and surprised, too. Disturbed again and again by the Spirit – by, for example, the gift of Laudato Si’, the Black Lives Matter movement, our Church’s call to synodality, and the challenge of the global pandemic still with us for this concluding session of the 23rd Chapter – the reality of our interconnection and interdependence is undeniable. We are committed to respond to the challenge of Laudato Si’. We are truly one family of God and Earth is our common home.
Sister Pat Murray
Each Chapter faces new challenges and, in light of our charism, the objectives of former Chapters still remain relevant to us. Yet we find ourselves at a place we’ve never been, at the edge of tomorrow, the dawn of our reCreation. These new times demand a change of heart: to be, think, and act differently. Our spiritual lives require deep re-examination and transformation; our outward actions must confront privilege and power in ourselves and society. Urged by a burning desire to speak and act boldly with open, loving and adventurous hearts, and in collaboration with others, we now commit to: • Cultivating and practicing peace through justice by the intentional living of interculturality, anti-racism, and inclusion • Addressing, healing, and being present to the wounds and broken relationships among ourselves and all of God’s Creation • Resisting every form of war and violence • Making a place for everyone at the table where all are welcomed and gifts are honored It is time to be who we have always said we are. It is time to live our words. We embrace these promptings of the Spirit with courage, humility, hope and trust.
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Sister Sheila Lemieux
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Discerning with Creative Courage by Stephanie Peirolo, CSJP-A
“The first thing I learned at the clinic was never to run. You only run if it’s a medical emergency.” My oldest friend and I are talking a few days after 19 children and two teachers were shot to death in their elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. My friend works as a mental health specialist with school children in rural Washington State. “When I saw a teacher running across the lawn towards me, my first thought was, it’s happening again,” she says. This time, the teacher wasn’t running from a shooter. She was running to talk to my friend about a kid who was struggling. They’re all struggling: children, families, teachers, staff, administration, maybe that was why her body moved her forward with more urgency. If the current trends hold, by the time you read this, there will be dozens more dead of gunshot wounds, killed in schools, synagogues, grocery stores. Maybe hundreds will die. But it is unlikely there will be any real action on gun laws, even though reasonable reforms are supported by a majority of Americans. Many of us are grieving and overwhelmed by the relentless news of violence, racism, injustice, abuse of creation. The toll of white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy are heavy. What do we do? What do I do? In a recent presentation at the Washington State Nonprofit Conference, LaShawn Routé Chatmon, Executive Director of the National Equity Project, said, “Oppression creates fear of change. Succumbing to fear quells creativity. We must act courageously to imagine possibilities beyond the confines of dominant culture.” She went on to talk about creative courage. “Every human is creative. Creative courage allows us to push through self-doubt and creative fragility so we can design bravely against oppression.” Years ago, I went through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I often turn to the framework
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of discernment to explore ways of making decisions that open us up to the still small voice of God, to the unexpected promptings of the Spirit. We’re so used to using our intellect to chart a course of action, that we miss the wisdoms of our body, our imagination, our souls. For me, the essence of discernment is listening. Not just to the Divine, but also to the longings of our hearts, our bodies, our imaginations, which bear the imprint of the Divine design. Once we begin to hear, we can be creative with that information. In discernment I try to stay grounded in reality but open to options. The concept of “creative courage” resonates especially now, when I am overwhelmed by the sense that my actions, individually or collectively, cannot be effective, or will not be enough. That fear stops my ears. The story that we cannot, as individuals, community, collective or country, fight the evils of white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism is a lie. The system wants us to be overwhelmed. Inaction and paralysis are the goal. The engine of social media is anger and outrage. Those corporations are monetizing greed and aggression for profit, telling the lie that posting about something counts as social justice work. The lie that says the real, small actions we take in the actual world can’t amount to anything. As the writer and activist Sonya Renee Taylor suggested in a talk, a group of white billionaires are trying to convince us to build an alternative reality in the metaverse and stop thinking about the actual world and the real people in it. And, as she points out, we are to build it for them, to use our imagination and passions and energy to build the false worlds that make them rich. Small actions, one person helping another, matter deeply. People use the phrase “baby steps” to indicate a first, hesitant, small movement. Inconsequential, just a beginning.
LIVING PEACE
Photo: Shahariar Lenin, Pixabay
But that’s not actually how babies start walking. It is not timid. They move boldly from one dimension to another, standing up and lurching forward, driven by the imperative to walk, to move forward. What if we believe that every movement toward justice, however inexpert or hesitant, matters? I am saying no to the inner critic that has internalized the lie that nothing I can do will make a difference, that nothing can change. I am turning to discernment with a new understanding of the importance of creative courage. What is my baby step? What is the next thing I can start doing that is going to help? What can we as a community, as a society, do to move ahead, lurching unsteadily forward, falling and getting up again? My daughter worked as an ICU nurse at the height of the pandemic. She also told me that you never run in a hospital unless it’s an emergency. If she saw another nurse running, she and the others immediately reacted, turning to help, their bodies moving by instinct, running. Now is the emergency. Teachers, elderly black shoppers, nurses, rabbis, schoolchildren are running for their lives. How can we help them? How can we, together and alone, find the courage to design bravely against oppression?
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Vocational Discernment:
How do I know what to do?
1. Frame the question you want answered. Carry it with you, in prayer, meditation, conversation. Be patient. Get familiar with the weight of your inquiry and notice how it changes over time. 2. Access other ways of knowing besides intellect. What do you dream of at night? What comes up in your body? What kind of art or music catches your attention in a special way? If you are considering a course of action, imagine it, deeply, and note what you experience. 3. Honor resistance. When resistance arises, notice it. Are there narratives attached to the resistance? Ask if the narratives that are holding you back are real or someone else’s story. Take the time to work with the stories until you can understand which are your truth and which come from systems and structures that are not for your flourishing. 4. Trust that an answer will come. Wait faithfully, patient and attentive.
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Fresh Voices
The Gift of Hope by Seema Kakar Most of the articles in Living Peace are written by sisters or associates. Fresh Voices is a first-person column written by someone outside the CSJP community to help raise awareness on specific issues.
I came to the United States of America from Afghanistan at the end of 2013. I received a scholarship for my ESL classes, then applied to a private school in Massachusetts called Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH). I was accepted, and after a year of doing my post-graduate classes at NMH, I was able to apply for a bachelor’s degree to different colleges. Luckily, I received a full scholarship from Saint Louis University, where I completed my undergraduate degree in International Business and Marketing. While I was getting my degree, my family received threats from the Taliban because I was living in the United States, and the Taliban could not accept me studying in the U.S.A. My family was very scared and had to move to different places in order to stay safe. My last time going home to Afghanistan was in 2018. I applied for my asylum here in the U.S.A in 2019. I was unable to go back to Afghanistan or see my family for four long years. But I received my asylum approval in 2021 finally, and recently most of my family arrived in the U.S.A. After I was done with my school, I came to New York City and lived in a friend’s place, where I could not live for long. As an asylee, I had some places that I could call and that could help me. I called Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Department, and they introduced me to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. I was warmly welcomed to Peace House of Hospitality by Sister Sheena George. Sister Sheena was able to help me in every possible way, including being in community with other women who lived in the house with me. I got my first part-time job working for Peace Ministries in New Jersey through Sister Sheena. I worked with Peace Ministries for almost six months under Maureen Donohue’s supervision. She has been a great mentor to me, and I have learned so much professionally from her. I then tried to find jobs related to my skills and was able to find a job with International Refugee Assistance Project, where I currently work with immigrants as a case manager. In August 2021, the Taliban took over Afghanistan, and my family there was in imminent danger. I immediately filled a Humanitarian Parole application for them with the help of Michael McLean, Division Director of the Division of Immigrant Affairs, Jersey City. One of my sisters, Basbibi, was able to help me in this process. She had lived in the New York area for long enough to know people who could help us bring over our family. A woman who paid for a charter flight for my family was able to help get them out of Afghanistan. This process took us 16 very long days with little to no sleep. We applied for our family with so many different forms in order to get them out of Afghanistan, so they could be safe and breathe in a place where they could study and work without the worry of getting bombed or kidnapped. My family left Afghanistan in early September and arrived in the U.S.A. in early October 2021.
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Seema Kakar (center) with Mayor Steven Fulop of Jersey City to her left and members of her family and the mayor’s staff, Maureen Donohue, executive director of Peace Ministries (third from left, back row) and Sister Sheena George (second from right, back row).
They lived in Fort Dix in South Jersey where refugees could stay after fleeing Afghanistan. There, they were in a makeshift refugee encampment of tents and rooms made from containers. I was worried about meeting my family after four years, and yet still unable to meet them while they were in the same country as I. I was not allowed to go in or out of Fort Dix. I could only talk to them online. They were so close but not close enough. I drove there, but they didn’t let me in. My family tried hard to get help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Rescue Committee, and other organizations but were unable to get any help for more than five months, because the demand was so high. More than 40,000 people are seeking humanitarian parole, including Afghans, so the process was very competitive. One of my brothers, a sister-in-law, and a niece are still in Afghanistan. My brother couldn’t leave because he was captured by the Taliban and beaten. Luckily, he is now okay and is out of the hands of the Taliban. We are now able to talk to him once a month through cousins. We hope that when the time is right, he and his family can leave Afghanistan and be here with the rest of our family.
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More than 40,000 people are seeking humanitarian parole, including Afghans, so the process was very competitive. Sister Sheena and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace were very kind and told me that my family could live for a year in a house they had after connecting my family’s case with Church World Service. My family and I were reunited on February 19, 2022, in that house. We all are very happy and are grateful for all the sisters who helped us in this process, just as they have helped many other women who have no place to live. We now have jobs and health insurance and are in the process of getting driver’s licenses. The CSJPs gave us a safe place to live. They gave us hope.
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PEACE MINISTRIES:
A Family of Ministries Rooted in Christ’s Gospel of Peace By Kelly Marsicano, Communications Coordinator, Peace Ministries
Strengthening and sustaining the ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace has been the mission of Peace Ministries, Inc. since its inception eight years ago. Now, the seeds that were planted have begun to blossom.
Sowing the Seeds In March 2014, the Congregation formed Peace Ministries to strengthen the sisters’ ability to govern and advocate for their sponsored ministries in New Jersey. Those ministries include Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck; York Street Project, St. Joseph’s School for the Blind and Peace Care, all in Jersey City; and Waterspirit in Rumson. The early years were guided by the vision of the Congregation, as expressed in the document Hopes and Aspirations for the Future of our Ministries, which was the result of the reflection process by a group of sisters and lay partners discussing how they wanted to move forward into the future. “We believe that through extending compassionate care to others, especially to those who are most vulnerable, we bring forth the ‘reign of God’ here and now, helping to make our world a more just, loving and peaceful place for all,” the document states. “The commitment now, as in the past, must be to this Mission of Jesus, summed up in the call to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with God. This is the heart of each ministry and so must remain.” The Peace Ministries board of trustees and staff spent the first five years focused on learning, listening and deepening engagement with the ministries.
Season of Growth In 2019, as Peace Ministries marked its fifth anniversary, the board of trustees embarked on a strategic planning process to reflect on the learnings of the early years
and identify the near-term priorities and resources needed to support the ministries moving forward. Five key areas were identified as the building blocks for the strategic plan: recruitment of new leaders, sponsorship models, formation, advocacy, and governance. Just as Peace Ministries was making headway in the planning process, the pandemic hit. But that didn’t slow them down. In addition to approving the final strategic plan in 2020, another key accomplishment was achieved that year—the Core Values booklet. There are eight core values (page 14) that define Peace Ministries’ direction and identity. They are derived from the foundational statement Hopes and Aspirations and guide the sponsored ministries and unite them as a family of ministries. Although each sponsored ministry has its own unique purpose and mission, all embrace a heritage rooted in these common ideals. The publication serves as a resource to the ministries as they affirm and enhance the expression of these core values in their organizations. The Core Values booklet was distributed to each sister and associate in the Congregation and was very well received. “This is a wonderful tool for education and for discernment. The spirit of the CSJP is alive and will live on into the future with the assistance of this document,” said Charlotte Davenport, CSJP. “The way you’ve set it out—CSJP Constitutions, CSJP Tradition, Scripture, followed by Dimensions of … is really inspired,” said Margaret Byrne, CSJP. “I often recall what John Dear said at our Chapter: Be who you say you are, and this booklet must surely be a challenge and a support to match words with deed and spirit.” continued on page 14
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Peace Ministries, continued from page 12
Mission Alive, a mission review process, was implemented to ensure just that—that the core values of the Congregation and the ministry’s mission are demonstrated and experienced in its policies and programs, as well as in the everyday behaviors, attitudes and actions of its staff. “We hope that each person who participates in, as well as those who receive benefit from, these works of compassion and care will find in each of the ministries a spirit of peace, respect, collaboration and justice,” states Hopes and Aspirations. The process, which is conducted every two years, can be utilized by each of the ministries and adapted based on their varying missions, constituents and size. During each round of the process, two core values are considered to help reinvigorate and deepen the ministry’s commitment and connection to mission. Upon reviewing the final report of York Street Project’s Mission Alive process, Susan Francois, CSJP, called
it “a treasure in that the process resulted in both formation and transformation.”
Flourishing In recent months, Peace Ministries brought on board a communications coordinator to help further develop its internal and external communications. In May 2022, Peace Ministries joined the digital world by launching its website, www.csjp.org/peaceministries, and implementing a social media presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, with more platforms soon to follow. Creating a newsletter is also high on the project list. These actions are a labor of love not just for the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace but for the communities in which the ministries serve. Peace Ministries is rooted in the call to make Christ’s gospel of peace come alive through works of justice and is confident the ministries will continue to flourish and serve the people of God for generations to come.
Core Values Compassionate Care: Enter into another’s experience, literally “suffering with another,” in order to respond to their situation. Peace Through Justice: Foster the common good, resist all forms of racism and discrimination, strive for economic justice and advocate to protect our planet are all acts of peacemaking. Preferential Option for Those Who Are Poor and Vulnerable: Strive to be with those who are poor and marginalized in their circumstances, and not just do for them. Respect for Human Dignity: Treat all people with deep respect without regard to external circumstances of race, socioeconomic location, gender, religion, age, abilities or country of birth.
Reading the Signs of the Times: Apply a broad, reflective perspective, seeking consistency among a number of critical considerations: the details of a particular situation, core and gospel values, necessities for human flourishing, and claims of the common good. Care of Creation and Stewardship: Respect creation by acting as stewards, mindful of our responsibility to future generations. Collaboration: Practice mutuality in relationships, share ideas and talents, be open to learning from others, and use imagination. Solidarity: Protect and promote the good of all within the ministry as well as reach out beyond to the wider community to cross borders and promote human rights and development.
Learn more at: https://csjp.org/peaceministries/core-values 14
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News from:
Kenmare Press We are excited to share the publication of another book from Kenmare Press, Images of Refuge, by Margaret Jane Kling, CSJP. There are now five books available under the Kenmare Press Imprint available in paperback and eBook format. Find Kenmare Press on our website: https://bit.ly/kenmarepress. Peace Pays a Price by Dorothy Vidulich, CSJP The Sparrow Finds Her Home: A Journey to Find the True Self by Doris J. Mical, CSJP Traveling Empty – Poems by Susan Dewitt, CSJP My Friend Joe: Reflections on St. Joseph by Susan Rose Francois, CSJP Images of Refuge by Margaret Jane Kling, CSJP
Kenmare Press is an imprint of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and carries on the Congregation’s long tradition of writing and publishing. Our founder, Margaret Anna Cusack (Mother Francis Clare), was a prolific writer, most often publishing as M.F. Cusack or Mary Francis Cusack. By 1870, more than 200,000 copies of her works had circulated throughout the world. Profits from the sale of her books were used for the sisters’ work with the poor. Today, many of her books are in the public domain and available to read or download online.
My Aunt Is A Nun is a podcast by Megan Bell that features sisters from the Congregation giving intimate accounts of their personal journeys. These rich and often surprising stories draw from thousands of years of religious heritage, but also shed new light on the way spiritual perspectives can inform culture on love, leadership, politics, and our overall place in the world by bringing age-old wisdom into modern sensibility. You can find My Aunt Is a Nun on the website myauntisanun.com and on Apple Podcasts.
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pause This we know: the earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. We did not weave the web of life; we are merely strands in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
Earth is a revelation of God and the sustainer of all life. We recognize that the exploitation and destruction of Earth’s air, water, soil and species is a sacrilege. We are committed to a spirituality of peacemaking, which compels us to live in right relationship with the entire community of life. In this way, “we engage in the struggle against the reality of evil and continue the work of establishing God’s reign of justice and peace.”
— Chief Seattle, 1786 – 1866
– Seeds of Peace: Care of Creation & Climate Change, 2008 Chapter Act
Prayer for Creation Creator God, We thank you for the beauty of your Creation, and for giving us the privilege of caring for it. We confess that we have not cared for the earth with the self-sacrificing and nurturing love that you require of us. We mourn the broken relationships in creation. We repent for our part in causing the current environmental crisis that has led to climate change. Creator God, give us your Spirit to work together to restore your creation and to hand on a safe environment and climate to our children and theirs. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. – Micah Challenge Australia for the standup kit for churches, 2009 excerpt.
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LIVING PEACE
Eagle Poem
by Joy Harjo
To pray you open your whole self To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon To one whole voice that is you. And know there is more That you can’t see, can’t hear Can’t know except in moments Steadily growing, and in languages That aren’t always sound but other Circles of motion. Like eagle that Sunday morning Over Salt River. Circles in blue sky In wind, swept our hearts clean With sacred wings. We see you, see ourselves and know That we must take the utmost care And kindness in all things. Breathe in, knowing we are made of All this, and breathe, knowing We are truly blessed because we Were born, and die soon, within a True circle of motion, Like eagle rounding out the morning Inside us. We pray that it will be done In beauty. In beauty. Special thanks to Sister Carmel Little for her preparation of the weekly Peace Prayer, which can be found on the CSJP website under the Spirituality tab.
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Peace, Justice and Money By Melody Maravillas, Congregation Chief Financial Officer
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LIVING PEACE
My family always had opposing views about money. My dad valued simplicity and lived frugally. He often told us wealth invited problems. My mom, however, saw abundance as a vehicle for generosity, having more enabled her to help others financially. Working with the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace has allowed me to marry both philosophies. Budgeting and operating economically bring out my father’s values. Charitable giving and impact investments allow me to live out my mother’s. I have never felt such clarity and purpose in what I do.
Shareholder Advocacy is one of our earlier efforts in using our investments to create change. We push the envelope on corporate accountability and ask companies to do better. In 1976, we filed a resolution with Colgate-Palmolive to challenge the stereotypical portrayal of women in their advertisements. The Congregation is now fully divested from fossil fuels in both the United Kingdom and the United States. We continue to hold shares in corporations to advocate for climate change, racial justice, and human rights through corporate resolutions and proxy voting. With impact investments, we started out providing lowto no-interest loans to charitable institutions, such as Leviticus Fund, Mercy Housing, and Partners for the Common Good. One of our biggest shifts occurred in our UK region where 100% of the investments in that region are impact investments. We invest in Sarasin Partners’ climate-active fund, which has objectives that align with goals of the Paris Accord. Our other investment in the WHEB Sustainability Fund promotes clean energy, sustainable transportation and medical equipment that improves quality of life. The returns we receive from both investments are sufficient to meet our operating needs and is a strong testament to the viability of impact investments. From our Resources for Mission Pathway (a direction developed by the Congregation on impact investing and best use of resources), we increased our efforts and made two direct impact investments. In 2021, we renewed loans to Global Partnerships and the UNICEF USA Bridge Fund for another five and seven years, respectively. SUMMER 2022
The UNICEF Fund was critical in providing immediate response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their most recent annual report, $6 million (~ £4 million) was deployed to India for oxygen concentrators and personal protective equipment. Over 50% of the Bridge Fund is used to improve health conditions globally by accelerating the availability of routine and COVID vaccines in Africa and the Middle East. Global Partnerships recently made a presentation to our Congregation Finance Committee. The organization continues to develop sustainable communities with 16 partners in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. As of their June 2021 report, they have impacted almost five million lives; 75% of the population they serve are women. They found that when women’s roles in the household were elevated, the condition of the entire family improved. Over 80% of the portfolio provides livelihood, thus helping their clients achieve financial resilience and weather challenging times. As seen in one of their clients’ testimonials: “Without the investment in my business, we would not have been able to survive [the pandemic].” With so many avenues to use our resources for good, we are fortunate to be working with partners like our investment advisor, Concord Advisory Group. They have helped us integrate socially responsible investing practices in our portfolio. In 2021, we shifted 9% of our investments into a Catholic-screened fund and we approved moving another 10% to an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) fund. They helped us engage our investment managers to do more for us on impact. As a result, we have started looking into transferring up to one third of that portfolio into bonds that support clean energy projects, affordable housing, and other social projects.
Our Lady Chapel in St Barnabas Cathedral
Last October, it was a privilege for me to speak at a virtual conference hosted by the Resource Center for Religious Institutes (RCRI) and share how the Congregation integrates our values into our financial activities. Many other religious organizations are in the same boat as we are. More members are entering into retirement. Physical presence in our ministries has decreased throughout the years. Yet, the desire to carry out our charism continues fervently. As such, financial resources play an increasingly important role as our ministries shift.
There is truly so much potential in this new form of ministry to use our financial resources for positive change and to carry the charism forward in new and impactful ways on an international scale. Both my parents would approve.
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Sisters Maureen Boggins, Liz Dodd, and Margaret Byrne in their garden at Carlton House, Nottingham.
FrankTalk
by Sophie Mbugua
Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Commit to Laudato Si’
by Frank McCann, Congregation Peace through Justice Facilitator
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is living hope. In recognizing the sacredness of Earth, the Church hopes to reverse the exploitation of it and unite people in new ways of caring for our planet and each other to spare us from a grim future. This requires commitment and freedom from self-centeredness and isolation. For our Congregation, and most other women religious congregations, the call to organize around Laudato Si’ is a way to focus our varied ecological and human service efforts and set smart, accountable goals. It is also an invitation to collaborate on work that one congregation could not do effectively alone. Mother Clare (Margaret Anna Cusack), the founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, wrote extensively about the injustice she encountered in 19th century 20
Ireland as greedy absentee landlords exploited both the land and the Irish tenant farmers, leaving them worse off year after year. These landlords and many of the leaders of society and of the Church did little to relieve the suffering caused by famine. Mother Clare addressed the immediate needs and the underlying systemic problems. She used the earnings from the many books she wrote to feed local people and sought solutions to the famine by looking for new species of potatoes that could grow better in the Irish soil.
Ecological Economics
by Benard Kimani
Through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, Pope Francis is challenging the Church to come together to recognize the ecological crisis that we are in and to put creation in its integral place in our lives of faith. The actions that are so destructive to Earth come from misguided beliefs that create suffering for low income and marginalized people around the globe. Francis sees the Church as an instrument of the Divine that can unite and be a source of healing and reconciliation. He has said, “From the hands of God we have received a garden. We cannot leave a desert to our children.”
Following in our founder’s footsteps, the CSJP community has been challenged to use our resources for the good of the planet and one another. One example is impact investing in groups starting up or seeking seed money to grow their infrastructure.
Typically, the loan amount is repaid with an additional return. Today we are being challenged to take more risk, including lending to worthwhile groups when repayment may not yield a return. In one case, we decided to write off an investment allowing the organization to clear the loan from its books and enabling them to provide more affordable housing. We continue our charitable giving as a congregation in a very focused way, sometimes complementing the work that impact investing enables.
LIVING PEACE
The Congregation has completed divestment from all fossil fuels, a decision made years ago, and completed in the United Kingdom in 2019, and in the United States this year. Changing the way we manage resources is critical to the vision of Pope Francis for a more sustainable future.
Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles
A simple living group was organized for our Laudato Si’ response and challenged our Congregation to practice meatless Mondays and Fridays as a way of reducing meat consumption and moving ourselves to a more sustainable plant-based diet. The challenge is a twice weekly reminder of our commitment. Solar panels will soon be installed in some buildings in our eastern regional center, and plans are in process to install them in all three regions. There is a proposal to allow more native grasses on Congregation properties to foster natural biodiversity and reduce the gas needed to mow lawns. All three regions have planted gardens in several locations. And the sisters have long had a
standard of purchasing vehicles with high gas mileage and now hybrids and electric cars. The regional center in the East has an electric charging station. The Congregation’s sponsored ministries, under the umbrella of Peace Ministries, collaborate on efforts and have developed their own sustainability efforts enacted by administrators and staff.
Response to the Cry of the Poor
From the beginning, the Congregation has been involved in ministries of social service, education and healthcare focused on serving the poor and marginalized, especially women and children. The Congregation continues a long history of serving immigrants and has recently opened houses of hospitality in the U.S. and U.K. for women seeking asylum. We cannot live the gospel of peace today without responding to the cries of Earth and the poor. To be who we say we are demands that we do so.
Goals of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (laudatosiactionplatform.org) Response to the Cry of the Earth: Protect our common home for the wellbeing of all, as we equitably address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and ecological sustainability. Response to the Cry of the Poor: Promote eco-justice, aware that we are called to defend human life from conception to death, and all forms of life on Earth. Ecological Economics: Acknowledges that the economy is a sub-system of human society, which itself is embedded within the biosphere–our common home. Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles: Grounded in the idea of sufficiency and promoting sobriety in the use of resources and energy. Ecological Education: Re-thinking and re-designing curricular and institutional reform in the spirit of integral ecology to foster ecological awareness and transformative action.
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LAUDATO SÍ GOALS
Ecological Spirituality: Springs from a profound ecological conversion and helps us to “discover God in all things”, both in the beauty of creation and in the sighs of the sick and the groans of the afflicted, aware that the life of the spirit is not dissociated from worldly realities.
Created by: StuartCenter.org
Community Resilience and Empowerment: Envisages a synodal journey of community engagement and participatory action at various levels. We look forward to sharing more about the Congregation’s commitment to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform on our website and in future issues of Living Peace. SUMMER 2022
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History and Roots
Images of Refuge by Margaret Jane Kling, CSJP We are excited to announce that Images of Refuge by Sister Margaret Jane Kling was published in March by Kenmare Press, the CSJP imprint. This collection of letters and other documents records the period that she served in El Salvador during the civil war, first with Sister Andrea Nenzel and then with Sister Eleanor Gilmore, as volunteers with the Jesuit Refugee Service. A remarkable historical record, it also highlights how little has changed for refugees in wartorn countries. The CSJP’s relationship with the country and people of El Salvador remains strong and dear to their hearts today. What follows is one of the letters from this collection.
New Assignment: San Jose Changallo May 11, 1989 Dear Sisters – Well, here we are in San José Changallo, a small (I’d say about 250 - 300 families) village nearly an hour’s ride from San Salvador. We’re located down in a valley, not far from the beautiful lake Ilopango. Although extremely dusty during your winter months, the rainy season here has just begun, so now it’s getting quite green. Our house (rented for 75 colones or about $15 per month) has two rooms and a small back patio. The construction is mud and bamboo; One of the rooms has an outer coating of cement. No running water other than a few leaks in the roof! Our work here will be pastoral, and our priority right now is to visit and get to know the people. Most appear to be very poor. The first few families settled in this area 15 years ago, but the majority are displaced people who have fled from war zones; new families continue to arrive. The land is owned, they say, by “the bank” and has not as yet been subdivided into building lots. So, wherever there is a space, people put up a one- or two-room house – the better ones are made of mud and bamboo with a laminated metal roof; many are constructed only with heavy cardboard! I have never seen houses like these before! And now we have torrential rain nearly every night. One major problem is the lack of steady work, without
Above: Margaret Jane cooking oatmeal. Right: L to R: Sisters Margaret Jane and Eleanor with Jennie and Carmen. Top: Good Friday Procession 22
LIVING PEACE
which people cannot buy the roofing material; a dozen pieces cost about $100 U.S. This area is one of five sectors of the parish of Ilopango. We have a small mission church (with a roof but as yet no walls), and our pastor will be coming twice a month to celebrate Mass. A catechist also conducts a weekly Bible reflection. During May, we say the Rosary daily. As in most parts of the country, the Evangelical Churches are very active; their Bible study groups attract many participants. More about Changallo in the next letter. Meanwhile, I am happy to tell you that my residency, which was cancelled in February when I was about to be deported, has finally been re-instated. And I am planning to come home for retreat and vacation at the end of June. It’s been quite a year, so I am really looking forward to this time away. Eleanor will remain here and will be joined by Jennie Hunt, an affiliate member of our Western Province. Jennie will arrive on June 1 with Andrea, who will visit us for a week. She’ll bring back firsthand stories of life in Changallo! During these past few weeks while we were “househunting,” Eleanor and I lived in a nearby relocation project known as La Esperanza, a Christian community of 75 families. About eight of these families lived for a time with us at Calle Real, and it was good to see them in their new homes and catch up on the news together. But, even here, all is far from calm. During the past three weeks one of these families left the country, accepted by Sweden as political refugees. Another young family moved to a different part of the country: the husband, a former political prisoner, was recognized by soldiers and was too nervous to stay. In our own village of Changallo, two young men were taken away at gunpoint in separate incidents in late April and have not been found since. And this week, a 51-year-old man was detained at a military check-point when he traveled by bus to obtain a copy of his stepson’s birth certificate. His distraught wife later spoke with the soldiers. “Look for him at the military base,” they told her, “or in the prison. If he’s not there, he’s probably dead.” Tomorrow, we will accompany her to Tutela Legal, the archdiocesan human rights office, and to the International Red Cross to see if they have been able to trace him. Blatant human rights violations are on the increase, and we fear for what may happen in June when the new president assumes office. Please do whatever you can to support peace initiatives here and in all of Central America. One way would be to call for a decrease in U.S. military spending and an increase in true development aid. May Pentecost drench our world with the spirit of peace! SUMMER 2022
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In the USA contact: Sister Coralie Muzzy, CSJP, Congregation Vocation/ Formation Director, cmuzzy@csjp-olp.org In the UK, contact: Sister Maureen Brennan, CSJP, UK Vocation Director, maureenbrennancsjp@gmail.com
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Women or men who share our concerns and charism, contact: Sister Coralie Muzzy, CSJP, Congregation Vocation/ Formation Director, cmuzzy@csjp-olp.org
request prayer Support
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. —Philippians 4:6 Our sisters and associates pray daily for friends, supporters, all who ask our prayers and those linked with us through the Pious Union of Prayer. The original purpose of this Union was to form a network of prayer for peace in homes and in families. Send a request online by selecting “Prayer Request” from our website home page menu, www.csjp.org or by mail in the U.S. using the return envelope.
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Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Congregation Office 399 Hudson Terrace Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Pursuing justice, we seek God’s gift of peace.
In accord with our tradition we commit ourselves to promote peace in family life, in the church, and in society. We strive to respect the dignity of all persons, to value the gifts of creation, and to confront oppressive situations. We respond to God’s people in need and promote social justice as a way to peace. (Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Constitution 11)
