Resources for grounded activists.
Fear isn’t an option.
"Between climate change, global instability, and the general challenges of everyday life, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. At Cor Unum, we believe allowing ourselves to be paralyzed with fear isn’t an option.”
These words introduce resources curated by the Dominican Sisters who live at Cor Unum House in Springfield. They are meant for use by young adult women and anyone else who would appreciate some guidance about how to engage civically and politically during this destabilizing time.
“Catholic sisters have a point of view from which we view the world,” explained Sister Beth Murphy, one of the three sisters who anchor Cor Unum House. “It’s Jesus’ Gospel mandate to stand with those who are on the margins of society. When systems and institutions threaten the human dignity of those individuals, we want to accompany them and walk alongside them as best we can.”
One way to do that is through engaged citizenship: staying up to date about issues of concern, advocating with elected officials about pending legislation, and protecting the dignity and civil rights of all people.
The inspiration for the resources on the Courageous Women web page was provided by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a membership organization to which the leadership team of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield belongs. LCWR provided a template for responding to the challenges the nation now faces under the new administration of the executive branch of government.
“During a nationwide roll out meeting, Sister Annmarie Sanders, IHM, said something that resonated with me,” Sister Beth said. “She advised that we avoid creating grand plans and instead focus on the small tasks we could accomplish locally. That’s what we want to do at Cor Unum.”
“Change is happening so quickly in Washington that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Action is much more effective than outrage, paralysis, or fear.”
Sister Beth, along with her community members Sister Lori Kirchman and Sister Kelly Moline, created a six-week campaign to introduce young adult women to some basic tools of engaged citizenship. Each week they share simple actions people can take to begin making a difference where they are.
“Change is happening so quickly in Washington that it is easy to feel overwhelmed,” said Sister Lori. “We hope these simple ideas will help people feel in control of how they respond. Action is much more effective than outrage, paralysis, or fear.”
Sister Kelly said that her favorite resource is a downloadable checklist of dozens of ways one can “Exercise your hope muscle,” as she put it. “If that list isn’t on our fridge yet it will be soon,” she said.
During the final two weeks of the campaign, the sisters invite young women in the Springfield area to make new friends by attending a social gathering at Cor Unum and establishing “Salamanca Circles,” small groups of women who will self-organize around concerns that are important to them using a model of prayer, study, analysis, and discerned, collaborative action that Dominicans have been employing for centuries. The process is named for the University of Salamanca, Spain, where the Dominican friar Francisco de Vitoria, among others, worked out the foundational structures of what today is recognized as international law.
Cor Unum House is the site of an outreach ministry for young adult women, established by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield in 2019. The sisters who live in the house welcome women for Scripture study, prayer, and social events, creating a sense of community in the “one heart” of a loving God. Cor Unum is Latin for one heart. Participants need not be especially religious. They are often seeking a deeper meaning and purpose for their lives.
Contact the sisters at Cor Unum here or through their social media handles @corunumoneheart or @corunumvillage.
