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 […]
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This story was first published in the Fall 2018 edition of JUST Words. Passions for justice Among my Springfield Dominican Sisters there are many varied passions for justice. A quick review of the community directory brings to mind certain sisters who are passionate about or ministerialy engaged with the following concerns: immigration reform access to
Seeking the Global Common Good:
Seeing, Connecting, and Sustaining
Life-giving Change 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
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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
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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,
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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
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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
The Only Opponent is Hate Read More »
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
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This essay was first published in the August 26, 2018 edition of the Springfield State Journal-Register, in the Beliefs column, for which Sister Beth Murphy writes regularly. How many tears have been spilled over the latest scandal in the Catholic Church? It is deeply disturbing, painful beyond imagining, to think of the thousands of children
How did we get here? Power, Shame—and at Long Last, Mercy Read More »
Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Speak Out Pennsylvania grand jury report leaves Catholic Sisters “sickened and ashamed” Springfield, Ill.—Today the leadership of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield released a statement addressing the scathing report from the Pennsylvania grand jury regarding the extent and brutality of clergy abuse of minors and the bishops’ cover-up of the crimes.
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End of Death Penalty, Mandated by Pope Francis, is sign of Evolving Human Consciousness Springfield, Ill.—In 1999 the Dominican Sisters of Springfield spoke out against the death penalty in an official, congregationally approved document called a corporate stance. Today they rejoice in the fruit of their prayer and advocacy with the announcement by the Vatican
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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
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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
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This story was written by Sister Geraldine Kemper, OP, and originally published in JUST Words, Vol. 17, No. 3. “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
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“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
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