Sister Marcelline Koch, OP, during the January 2019 Associate Candidate session, “Catholic Social Teaching” examining the parts of Luke 4:18 in detail. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of …
This story, co-written by Sister Beth Murphy and Mr. Leroy Jordan, first appeared in the February 10, 2019 issue of the Springfield State-Journal Register. The Governing magazine report that discusses income disparity and segregation in Springfield was all the talk at a recent meeting of the Springfield Dominican Antiracism Team (SDART). What a discouraging message …
This story by John Freml first appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Just Words. “Just because there are more people at the table, it doesn’t mean they all feel safe.” “One anti-bias training can’t undo a lifetime of bias training.” “If you’ve never seen anti-racism before, how do you know what it looks like?” …
Dismantling Racism:
collaborative study at its best Read More »
Today is International Migrants Day. People are fleeing record violence in Central America, crossing thousands of miles in nearly unimaginable conditions to seek asylum in the United States. We can respect their right to migrate and welcome them while having a secure border. The militarization of the southern border is a waste of taxpayer dollars …
An NPR Illinois Interview with Sister Marcelline Koch. Sister Marcelline Koch, standing center, above, invites US citizens to do two things when it comes to grasping what’s happening at the US-Mexico border: See the immigrants as people who are frightened for their children. Do the analysis necessary to understand why mothers and fathers are compelled …
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 …
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 …
Dominican Sisters Head to the Border to Serve Children & Families Read More »
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 …
Seeking asylum is a human right Springfield, Ill.—Springfield Dominican sisters and associates, co-workers and antiracism team members were among the diverse crowd braving dangerously hot temperatures in the capitol city on Saturday to participate in the Families Belong Together rally here on Saturday June 30. An estimated crowd of 300 gathered on the historic Old …
Standing with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the 38,000 Catholic Sisters they represent An open letter to the nation, When religious-based discrimination is permitted, especially when sanctioned by those at the highest levels of government, the free-exercise of religion by members of all faiths is threatened. This week the Dominican Sisters of …
Dominican Sisters Join National Outcry Against Supreme Court Travel Ban Decision Read More »
This essay first appeared in the June 3, 2018, edition of the Springfield State Journal-Register, in the Beliefs column, to which Sister Beth Murphy is a frequent contributor. Tu eres mi otro yo. You are my other self. It was Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas speaking, the pastor of St. Mark’s in El Paso, Texas, who last …
Personal Transformation: The Heart of Systemic Change Transformational, systemic change does not happen overnight. At its core is personal transformation. Society-altering change begins in the human heart and radiates outward. Policy makers create transformational change when they allow their own hearts to change. Leaders who empower others often experience transformation over time. Through personal experience, …
Dominicans Host New Live Drama about First African American Priest Dominicans Host New Live Drama about First African American Priest Springfield, Ill.—Tolton: From Slave to Priest, the live theatrical one-man drama performed by actor Andrae Goodnight and directed by Leonardo Defilippis of Saint Luke Productions, will be presented at Dominican Hall at Sacred Heart-Griffin East …
“You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you: …love the alien as yourself: for you too were once aliens…” –Leviticus 19:33-34 Fear and anxiety have risen throughout immigrant communities in the U.S. under the current administration. The president’s January 25, 2017, executive order, commonly called “the …
Dominican Literacy Center
Responds to Call for Citizenship Education Read More »
LeadingAge Recognizes Sisters’ Anti-racism Efforts The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, have been selected to receive the 2016 Hobart Jackson Cultural Diversity Award from LeadingAge, a national association representing 6,000 nonprofit aging-services organizations throughout the United States. The award recognizes the Dominican Sisters’ “Conscious, committed effort to dismantle racism wherever it exists,” according to the …
