Springfield, Ill.— The Dominican Sisters of Springfield will participate in a national movement of prayer, fasting, and advocacy for a more just and compassionate world on Wednesday, July 23. They invite their friends and associates to join in, too.
The Dominicans join Catholic sisters’ from around the nation who are each selecting a day to participate in this national effort.
“By choosing a day to focus our desires for a more just and compassionate world, we heighten our awareness and sense of solidarity,” said Sister Marcelline Koch, the justice promoter for the Springfield Dominican Sisters. “It’s similar to efforts like Earth Day or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, when people are encouraged to take some action to fulfil the purpose of the day. Our purpose is the creation of a more just and compassionate world.”
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) initiated the project, which began on the Feast of the Ascension, May 29, and continues through Sept 5, the Friday after Labor Day.
Everyone is welcome to participate. All participants may choose their own ways to pray, fast, and advocate. Here are some ideas to get started:
Pray in a way that resonates with your spirit: Rosary, Mass, intercessory prayer for elected leaders, quiet contemplation, walking meditation, listening deeply to a favorite piece of music.
Fasting is commonly associated with limiting food intake, but may also include fasting from social media or television, from complaining or gossiping, from focusing on the negative or worrying excessively.
Advocating for justice by calling or sending emails to elected officials is one of the best ways to make your wishes know to those who represent you in Congress. Closer to the July 23 date the sisters will use social media share sample messages for officials, or participants can craft their own.
Other ways to make the day meaningful might be found in a downloadable PDF, “82 small acts of resistance you can do today” prepared by the Cor Unum Community.
Participants in the Springfield area are welcome to join the Dominican Sisters for the weekly 4:30-5:00 pm vigil they’ve held near the entrance to their motherhouse at 1237 W. Monroe St. since June 4. They’ve circled their property with signs advocating the principals of Catholic Social Teaching, which are “ways to lead our nation closer to what God desires for us and for our world,” Sister Marcelline said.
LCWR is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 1270 members, who represent approximately 66 percent of the 35,000 women religious in the United States.
The Dominican Sisters of Springfield are part of a worldwide Dominican family, the Order of Preachers. For more than 800 years, Dominicans have preached the Gospel in word and deed. The Springfield Dominicans were established in Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1873 and relocated to Springfield in 1893. Today, thousands of Dominican sisters, nuns, priests, brothers, associates, and laity minister in more than 100 countries around the world. To learn more about the Dominican Sisters of Springfield visit springfieldop.org.
