Wade in the Water. Stepping out in faith.

Blog by Sr. June Fitzgerald, OP

Wading into the Water

The first time I heard the song Wade in the Water, I was attending Sunday services with a friend of mine at her church in Washington, DC. Having grown up in the Catholic Church, this song was not one I was familiar with. However, after a few measures – the beat took over my feet, hands and my entire body as we all began moving to the music. I still remember the heat of the church, the gardenia corsage the usher had pinned to my blouse, and a little boy dancing in the aisle. It is a song that has a deep visceral memory for me and it is one that soothes my soul when I feel the familiar beat and hear the tune swelling up to the rafters. It became a song that lapped against my life as I discerned God’s call to this life. Continue reading →

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March 28, 2017

Catholic Climate Covenant – Educational Program

Access free educational programs from Catholic Climate Covenant for parishes, schools, and congregations to celebrate Earth Day on April 22.

First 100 Days Calendar

The Congregation of St. Joseph is offering the 1st 100 Days Calendar. Click here for April 1- 15.

Action Alert from the Sierra Club

The Trump administration recently approved the presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Sign a petition urging the Nebraska Public Service Commission to block the Keystone XL pipeline once and for all.

From the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)

Thanks to your emails, calls, visits and actions the House failed to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and millions of Americans will continue to receive health care. If your Representative pledged to vote no: Thank her/him and tell your Representative you support upholding the gains the ACA has made for coverage and care. Find their local office number here, or call the Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121.

Sample Script:
My name is __________I’m a (Catholic sister and/or constituent). I view access to health care as a moral issue. I had serious concerns about the impact the AHCA would have had on access to health care, particularly for the most vulnerable. The bill would have made insurance unaffordable for many Americans struggling to make ends meet, and many would have lost coverage. I believe that the AHCA was not the faithful way forward, and I am grateful that Representative ____ showed the courage to oppose it. Thanks you for listening to the concerns of so many in your district.

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Lost Lands, Broken Bonds


Blog by Sr. Roberta Miller, OP

Many of us come from localities in which we have embedded family roots. From these roots we have our language, pronunciations, cultural traditions and ties to the familiar environments. How have you felt when uprooted from the familiar environs?

If family evictions from their traditional locales have occurred through economic losses, urban renewals, natural disasters or war, how do you imagine their thoughts and feelings about themselves? Despairing? Lost? Helpless? Hopeless? Continue reading →

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Will Your Legacy Be a Great Resume or an Inspiring Eulogy?

Blog by Associate Colette Parker, OPA – Co-Director

Striving to Inspire

I heard a beautiful eulogy last week:

He “worked to bring the hope of Christ to people’s lives. He also built bridges of solidarity to people of other faiths as a leader in ecumenism and inter-religious affairs…. The most fitting tribute we can offer is to carry forward his episcopal motto in our daily lives: ‘Do the work of an evangelist.'”

Those words – uttered by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo (of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) about his dear friend Cardinal William H. Keeler (retired Archbishop of Baltimore), who died last Thursday – struck a chord in my heart.

I thought – “Wow! I hope someone somewhere can say something like that about me” because I am striving to lead a life in which I am inspired and I can inspire others. I was reminded that each day we are writing our eulogy – the foundational document of our legacy – with our lives. Continue reading →

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The Package Deal

Blog by Sr. Beata Tiboldi

What is a package deal? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary a “package deal is an offer or agreement involving a number of related items or one making acceptance of one item dependent on the acceptance of another.” Have you ever thought about how your name and baptismal call are part of a package deal? Let’s take a closer look at how our acceptance of our names and baptismal call are important.

In Scripture, names reveal a great deal of information. For example, when Rachel’s first son was born, she named him Joseph, hoping that God would “add another son” for her (Genesis 30:24). In the story of the birth of Jesus, we are told that his name will be Emmanuel, which means God is with us. It is not unusual in the Old Testament that someone gets renamed when they are called to become a prophet or to enter into a new way of life. For example, Abram became Abraham when God called him to be “the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5). Sarai became Sarah for she would be blessed, would bear a son, and she would “give rise to the nations and rulers of nations will [would] issue from her” (Genesis 17:15-16). Jacob became Israel in Genesis 32:28 and 35:10. Their new names convey a call to a new way of life and a message from God. Continue reading →

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