USA Salvatorians Take Action for Justice
The Salvatorian Sisters in the USA Province are implementing several justice actions. We recently began to participate in UNANIMA, a United Nations non-governmental organization that brings together a group of women’s religious communities to help shape United Nations policies.
USA Salvatorians Take Action for Justice
Sister Ellen Sinclair represents our entire Congregation on this group.
The Salvatorian Sisters also began a newsletter, “Called to Justice,” which helps Sisters become aware of actions they can take on various current justice issues. Recent topics included how to participate in influencing national legislation on health care reform and on comprehensive immigration reform. In the United States, individual citizens can communicate directly with their elected representatives in government, and can ask those representatives to take certain actions on national legislation. These two pieces of national legislation directly impact the poor. Our role is to help make sure the legislation helps the poor and marginalized. We want the legislation to reflect Catholic Social Teaching.
We continue to focus on the issue of human trafficking, as we have since 2001. We have a very active “Anti Human Trafficking Committee,” with members from the Society of the Divine Savior, the Sisters, and the Lay Salvatorians. We have a “safe house” for victims of human trafficking in California, USA. We publish an international newsletter, Stop Trafficking, that goes out to over 10,000 people each month. We continue to host an international website (www.sdssisters.org/slavery). We also provide seminars and training around the country, working with churches, organizations, other religious communities, and civic government to increase awareness of human trafficking and slavery. We have created a special packet for parishes to use. We also have designated January as “Human Trafficking Awareness Month,” and will do activities in our parishes and local cities to increase awareness.
The Salvatorian Sisters, the Lay Salvatorians and the Salvatorian Priests and Brothers are also actively implementing a collaborative plan to involve all members in increasing understanding, awareness, and action on three social justice issues that are particularly important in our country right now: immigration, the plight of children and teens, and human trafficking. The “Joint Justice and Peace Committee,” which includes two members from each branch of the Salvatorian Family in the USA, is responsible for developing and coordinating a corporate justice and peace outreach effort expressive of our Salvatorian identity. We will do this through a process during 2009-2010. The process will include prayer, reflection, learning, and action.
For more information on these initiatives, please contact Sister Patrice Colletti, SDS collettip@ salvatoriansisters.org .