This weekend, we celebrated the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas. Watching the political events of the last few days, one of St. Thomas’ quotes keeps coming to my mind –

“The things that we love tell us what we are.”

What is it that we see loved in our world?

Health care for poor children has languished in Congress since October, but a tax bill that cut taxes for corporations was rushed through in a matter of weeks, mainly under cover of night.

The government has moved to open oil drilling in some of the most fragile areas of our nation’s coastline, but one state was exempted because an oil spill might look bad and drive off tourists.

The government literally shut down over the fate of persons in DACA – and reopened with no solution for those who were brought to our country as children and now face deportation. But when faced with a weekend without football for armed service members, government and industry found a solution within hours.

“The things that we love tell us what we are.”

As Catholics, and as Dominicans, we are called to love. And as St. Thomas said, the things we love tell us what we are.

A Bishop chooses not to attend a march for unborn life because the keynote speaker opposed Catholic appeals for clemency for prisoners on death row.  We are called to love life, in every form, at every stage, in every situation. From the child in the womb to the trafficked woman on the street, the migrant at the border, the hungry, the sick, the poor, the marginalized. When we can love all of these, what we love becomes what we are – love.

We work to protect the earth, our sister with whom we share our life and beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.  A Congregation of Catholic Sisters has built a chapel on their rural land to prevent a pipeline, and have filed suit to protect the earth from the harm of fossil fuels. When we step out to protect the gifts God has given us, what we work for becomes what we are – love.

As the Honduran people seek a just government in a country torn by violence, a group of religious leaders stand with them in peaceful resistance. Around the nation, people of all faiths work for justice. When we take a stand for justice, what we believe in becomes what we are – love.

“The things that we love tell us what we are.”

Let us love justice. Let us love mercy. Let us love the Earth. Let us be Love.

Volunteers Make Ministries More Effective

According to a recent study by the Urban League of New Orleans, unemployment for black men in the Queen City is more than 50%. Positive male role models can be hard to find in this area that is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Over the past year, however, a partnership between the Dominican Sisters of Peace and a local college service group has offered boys and girls attending the New Orleans Peace Center a glimpse of a brighter future.

This past year, Srs. Pat Thomas, Ceal Warner and Suzanne Brauer have partnered with Men on the Move from Xavier University. This group of students, whose motto is “We put the MEN in MENtorship,” is committed to promoting education and responsibility to local African American youth.

The members of Men on the Move have chosen to fulfill this commitment by working with the after-school homework help program at the Peace Center. On any given afternoon, you can find them bent over a table next to a child reviewing math homework or spelling words, or outside shooting hoops and playing games with the children.

“These men are more than just volunteers or tutors,” says Sr. Pat. “They are great role models. These are strong, intelligent men working to improve their own futures by getting a quality education, and working to improve the future of the community by setting a positive example.”

The Men on the Move have also given the Peace Center afterschool group a glimpse of a positive future by hosting them on a field trip to the campus at Xavier University. The children toured the science building, the chapel, the new campus art building and the library, and shared dinner at the Student Center.

“It really is more than just the homework help,” Sr. Pat explained. “It’s the love and attention that these men give to the kids in the afterschool program. These children watch the door all afternoon and can’t wait for them to arrive. The relationships that have been built are really special.”

Part of the Center for Student Leadership and Service at Xavier, Men on the Move focuses on mentoring and tutoring middle and high school young men while teaching self-awareness and providing role models for African American youth in New Orleans.

If you would like to volunteer with one of our ministries, please click here. 

Thank you from Columbus, where “Rising Youth,” an outreach program of the
Dominican Sisters of Peace and Catholic Health Initiatives, is building peace among at-risk teens.

“In my neighborhood, I feel and see violence on a daily basis, but at times and only for a few seconds I feel peace.”

Lucy said this three years ago, when the Dominican Sisters of Peace were planning programs for Rising Youth. She is looking out to the area where her father was shot in an immigrant neighborhood in Columbus, OH.

Lucy stayed with Rising Youth, attending homework sessions and educational programs on drug abuse prevention,teen pregnancy, bullying and more. She volunteered for Rising Youth programs and camps, and eventually became a group leader.

In 2017, Lucy graduated from St. Francis DeSales High school with a 4.0 GPA, as a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.

Lucy is now a student at The Ohio State University. Her academic excellence and the leadership skills she gained while a member of Rising Youth helped her to earn the Dean’s Promise Scholarship and President’s Affordability Grant to help her family pay for her education.

Your gift to the Dominican Sisters of Peace supports Lucy and the other teens in Rising Youth lead with peace in their communities.

Each time you give to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, you help to change a life.
Thank you for your generosity.
We are grateful always for your support, and we remember you |
and your intentions in our prayers daily.

To learn more about Rising Youth and
ministries of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, click here.