Sisters will hold weekly vigil on Monroe Street property, 4:30 each Wednesday beginning June 4.
Springfield, Ill.—If you’ve driven the 1200 block of West Monroe or Washington Streets in the neighborhood of Sacred Heart Convent lately, then you’ve likely seen red, white, and blue signs sprouting along the perimeter of the Dominican Sisters’ property between Amos and Lincoln Streets.
The signs are the sisters’ effort to communicate the roots of social justice in the Gospel of Jesus and the social teachings of the Catholic Church. They came off the press just as the world learned the identity of the new pope, Chicagoan Robert Prevost, known to the world now as Pope Leo XIV.
“The election of Pope Leo feels like a sign that the Holy Spirit is putting a mighty wind under the wings of Catholic Social Teaching,” said Sister Marcelline Koch, the Dominican Sisters’ justice promoter and facilitator of this campaign. The Augustinian friar who now leads the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics chose the name Leo purposefully, signaling his association with his predecessor, Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), the author of Rerum Novarum, an 1891 encyclical on the rights of workers.
“We intend that our physical presence each week, will be another sign of our commitment to the Gospel and our invitation to all who wish to join us in the mission of building bridges of peace in our world."
The signs the sisters installed on their property this week carry the Gospel message of Jesus distilled into the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. These principles give shape—or should give shape—to the way all Catholics engage civically in local, state, national, and international arenas. They include recognizing the dignity of every person, the right to participate in civic and social life, the necessity for recognizing human solidarity, protecting human rights and the rights of workers, attending to the cry of Earth and the cry of the poor, assuring the rights and dignity of all migrants, and the need to stand for peace.
Peaceful Public Vigil Starts June 4
In addition to the signs that remind passersby of the Gospel roots of Catholic Social Teaching, the sisters intend to keep vigil on Monroe Street, during the afternoon drive time, 4:30-5:00 p.m. every Wednesday beginning June 4 Their goal is to draw attention to the need to “Stand for Justice” and “Stand for Dignity.”
“We intend that our physical presence at the entrance to our property on Monroe Street, done faithfully each week, will be another sign of our commitment to the Gospel and our invitation to all who wish to join us in the mission of building bridges of peace in our world,” Sister Marcelline said, echoing a recent call from the Illinoisan newly elected to the papacy.
In his first words to the world from the balcony of the Sistine Chapel Pope Leo called on the memory of Pope Francis and asked for his intercession:
“We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us. The world needs his light. Help us, one and all, to build bridges through dialogue and encounter, joining together as one people, always at peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!” he said.
“This is the hope we express when we post these signs around the perimeter of our home,” Sister Marcelline said.
“We hope these signs will give all who see them the courage and desire to build bridges of peace in their lives, in our local community, and in our nation.”
The project was given energy by a message to the sisters from the prioress general, Sister M. Paul McCaughey. “Each of you is a justice promoter,” she wrote. “Taking steps to love in your local setting is powerful. Whether through prayer or other action or advocacy, when you act and seek justice, you empower those around you.”
The signs carry a QR code linked to springfieldop.org/justice-peace where visitors can find resources to help them understand and integrate Catholic Social Teaching into their lives.
