Justice & Peace 2 - Dominican Sisters of Springfield Illinois

A Springfield Tradition Returns: Churches Reconvene for Good Friday Way of the Cross

Leave a Comment / Featured, Global Peace, Justice & Peace, Life & Prayer, Life and Prayer / Website Administrator

Springfield, Ill.—For the first time since Good Friday 2019, an ecumenical group of Springfield faith communities will gather in front of the State Supreme Court Building on Good Friday, April 15, to begin the Good Friday Way of the Cross, an annual event in Springfield for more than 30 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. […]

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A Message from the Dominican Sisters and Friars in Ukraine

2 Comments / Featured, For the Life of the World, Global Peace, Justice & Peace, News / Website Administrator

Updated June 13, 2022, 9 a.m. CST Updates From Our Dominican Family in Ukraine Here is an update from Kyiv by Father Jarosław Krawiec, Vicar Provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Hyacinth. Dear Sisters, Dear Brothers, Today I made a phone call to an older woman whose son fights on the frontlines. “Good morning, this

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Dominican Month of Peace: Our Family in Myanmar

Leave a Comment / Featured, For the Life of the World, Global Peace, Justice & Peace, Month of Peace 2022, News / Website Administrator

The Humanitarian Situation in Myanmar As a result of the fast spreading of civil war, the civilians had to flee for safety either to the jungle or to other villages or towns where they considered safer. In the conflict zones, the military forces would shoot anyone found in the streets and arrest anyone caught delivering

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The Dominican Family in Myanmar Needs Your Help

Leave a Comment / Be an Anchor of Hope, Featured, For the Life of the World, Global Peace, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, News / Sister Beth Murphy, OP

Our Dominican Family in Myanmar needs your prayer and action today. Since the military coup there on February 1 the country has been in chaos, with a brutal crackdown on dissent and attempts to silence the country’s media. On Nov. 11 the United Nations Security Council issued a rare, unanimous call for an immediate end

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How St. Catherine of Siena Healed the World

2 Comments / Anti-racism, Featured, JUST Words, Justice & Peace, News / Sister Marcelline Koch, OP

Catherine Benincasa was born in mid-14th century Tuscany, a plague-ridden, economically and politically unstable time—much like our own. She and her twin sister were the 23rd and 24th children in a prosperous family of 25 children of Lapa and Jacopo di Benincasa, wool dealers. By the time Catherine died at the age of 33 in

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Indigenous Peoples Day 2021: The Both/And of Truth

Leave a Comment / Anti-racism, Featured, For the Life of the World, Healing the World, Justice & Peace / Website Administrator

Confused about which Federal holiday we are observing today? You are forgiven. The answer is that we are observing two Federal holidays October 11, 2021: The first-ever Federally recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day AND the seemingly forever-observance of Columbus Day. On Friday last week President Joseph Biden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day AND

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Feeding Hungers: A Catholic Sisters Week Reflection

Leave a Comment / Anti-racism, Care for Creation, Cor Unum, Featured, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, Mission & Outreach, News / Sister Beth Murphy, OP

“If you can’t breathe nothing else matters” says a friend of the Dominican Sisters who is a respiratory therapist. Other physiological needs are equally important. If you can’t breathe, if you are physically hungry, if you are cold, tired, and without shelter, there is little else you can be attentive to. When needs for safety,

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Dominican Women at the United Nations: Changing the Narrative One Story at a Time

1 Comment / Featured, Global Peace, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, News / Sister Beth Murphy, OP

For many years the world-wide Dominican Family has had representatives at the United Nations, in New York and Geneva, to amplify the voices of the people we accompany in every corner of the globe. Later this month, at the end of the two-week annual UN assembly of the Commission on the Status of Women, the

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Pope Francis Visits Iraq:
March 5-8, 2021

1 Comment / Featured, For the Life of the World, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, Mission & Outreach, News / Sister Beth Murphy, OP

School faculty in Qaraqosh, Iraq, 2018. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq, planned for March 5-8, 2021. A prayer composed for the occasion asks for blessings on Pope Francis’ efforts to promote dialogue, reconciliation, peace, and human dignity. To this end, during the 3-day journey visits are scheduled

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March 5-8, 2021 Read More »

“A Girl Can Be Sold Over and Over…” the Haunting Truth about Human Trafficking

Leave a Comment / Featured, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, News / Sister Marcelline Koch, OP

It was in September 2003 when our Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Committee first shared a resource unit on human trafficking with our sisters. In the years since then, I’ve heard and read many stories of exploitation and violence related to the sale and trading of human beings that seem unbelievable in their total

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Five things to know about Catholic Sisters and Human Trafficking

Leave a Comment / Featured, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, News, Teaching & Preaching / Sister Beth Murphy, OP

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Catholic Sisters are at the forefront of the struggle to prevent human trafficking and defend the dignity of 40.3 million people who are in forced labor, forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude worldwide. Here are Five things to know about Catholic Sisters’ work to prevent

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Racial Justice: Claiming Our Oneness in Christ

1 Comment / Anti-racism, Featured, For the Life of the World, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, Life & Prayer, News / Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP

Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP, prioress general of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, preached at the first of a series of Evening Prayer & Preaching events scheduled at Sacred Heart Convent for 2020. Learn more here. Her text was Philippians 2:1-11. Peter Scazzero, the author of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, is quoted as saying, “Jesus may

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Peace must Prevail

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Statement on United States Engagement with Iran The U.S. Dominican Iraq Coordinating Committee calls upon the United States Government to de-escalate tensions with Iran In the midst of the sacred days of the Christmas-Epiphany season, our hearts and minds have contemplated the promised hope of God’s coming peace. Yet, during these days, we have also

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Forgo Violent Rhetoric, Break Cycle of Violence With Iran

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Springfield Dominican Sister Marcelline Koch signed statement, calls for de-escalation of tensions with Iran Springfield, Ill.—Promoters of Justice for Dominican Sisters and Brothers nationwide call upon the U.S. Government to forgo “violent rhetoric and preparations for retaliatory attacks” against Iran. A statement released yesterday, on the Feast of Epiphany, says it is “critical that the

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What is Pachamama?

12 Comments / Featured, For the Life of the World, Healing the World, Justice & Peace, Mission & Outreach, News / Sister Mila Diaz Solano

Peruvian Dominican theologian Sister Mila Diaz Solano provides a bridge for understanding I was born Catholic, my parents are Catholic, my grandparents, and great-grant parents were Catholics as well. I grew up in very Christian, committed family and before I joined my Dominican sisters, I was an active parishioner in my hometown city, La Oroya,

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Justice & Peace