“Rico”—A Story of Gratitude
We received this message from Sister Marcelline Koch regarding her experience volunteering at Annunciation House a Catholic Charities-sponsored ministry serving families who arrive in El Paso, Texas, seeking asylum. Sister Marcelline, Sister Anita Cleary, and two of their friends, Kathryn Raistrick and Julie Wullner, volunteered at Annunciation House Nov. 13-19, 2018. She wrote on Sunday, Nov. 18. El Paso, Texas. Sister Anita Cleary and I, along with two colleagues, Kathryn Raistrick and Julie Wullner, have been working in […]
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My Kind of Apocalypse
This essay was first published on November 18, 2018 in the Springfield State Journal-Register Beliefs column for which Sister Beth Murphy writes regularly. There is a certain way of reading Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts that makes excellent B movie material. I believe we are living in an apocalypse—but not that kind! The word apocalypse means a revelation, or an unveiling. There is a strain of thinking among certain Christian theologians, which I favor, that recognizes the death […]
Read MoreDominican Sisters Head to the Border to Serve Children & Families
A week of service at an immigrant shelter in El Paso helps ease the burdens of desperate families Springfield, Ill.—On Sunday, Springfield Dominican Sisters Anita Cleary and Marcelline Koch will travel to El Paso, Texas to volunteer at a Catholic shelter for families called Annunciation House. “We’re going because Annunciation House and other shelters like it in El Paso are experiencing an increase in the number of families with children who are being released to the streets by […]
Read MoreThe Only Opponent is Hate
A Statement from the Dominican Sisters of Springfield Office for Justice We stand with all people of good will in opposition to the hate that has seeped into our public discourse and spilled out with deadly effect into our streets, neighborhoods, and places of worship. Our hearts ache for all those whose lives have been forever altered by the horrific anti-Semitic crime that claimed the lives of 11 of our Jewish brothers and sisters at the Tree of […]
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A Call to Holiness: A 2018 Guide for Voters Summary
This material is taken from “A Call to Holiness: A 2018 Guide for Voters” created collaboratively by religious congregations and national Catholic justice organizations. “Vulnerable ourselves, we choose to stand with the poor, accompany those on the margins, and to work toward systems that promote life.” “A good Catholic meddles in politics.” A Call to Holiness As Catholics, we are called to carefully consider the many critical issues facing our nation. Pope Francis reminds us, “We cannot uphold […]
Read MoreMid-term Voters' Resources
Here are some resources you might consult to help inform your mid-term vote. Photo shows suffrage hikers participating in a walk from New York City to Washington, D.C. which joined the March 3, 1913 National American Woman Suffrage Association parade. George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress) (Source: Flickr Commons Project, 2009) 01 Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Foundational for understanding the role of faith in political participation. Available for purchase and […]
Read MoreChange afoot for St. Dominic Health Services
St. Dominic Health Services enters into sponsorship discussions with Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Sisters Reduced number of Dominican Sisters of Springfield, St. Dominic’s sponsor for more than 70 years, made continued sponsorship unsustainable (September 28, 2018, Jackson, Miss.) St. Dominic Health Services (St. Dominic’s) announced today that it has entered into exclusive discussions with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Sisters to assume sponsorship of St. Dominic’s. The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Sisters sponsor the Franciscan Missionaries […]
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