Dominican Month for Peace
Tor three years, the Dominican community around the world has demonstrated solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are trying to bring hope in situations of violence and war. The Dominican Month for Peace has now become a regular part of our Advent activities. For the year 2020, the focus of our annual Dominican Month for Peace will be on Ukraine. For more information, please click here.

Welcoming the New President-Elect
The LCWR has issued a statement welcoming President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris. The statement calls for the new Administration to “to build a society worthy of the values to which our imperfect union aspires,” and for the American people to “make space in our hearts and our communities for the needs and concerns of all God’s people.”

Click here to read the entire statement, which was issued on November 10, 2020.

A Prayer for the Poor
On November 15, the Church celebrates the World Day of the Poor, with the theme: “Stretch forth your hand to the poor”. On behalf of the Claretian Family, the Sisters of Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionaries (RMI) have prepared a prayer with translation in English, Spanish and French. You are cordially invited to pray this and disseminate this prayer to the members of your organisms and to people in your contacts.

A Candle for Peace
Tuesday, 11 November at 6:30pm, Religions for Peace and Ring for Peace, as part of the First Assembly on Women, Faith and Diplomacy, are asking us to join a global moment for peace and unity. At 6:30 pm this evening, please place a candle in your window, and post a photo to social media with the hashstag #RfPPeaceandLight. 

October 2020 Stop Trafficking Newsletter
The October issue of Stop Trafficking examines the issue of sexual slavery in Native American communities. Click here to read the new issue.

Sowing Hope for the Planet Webinar, Oct. 22, 2020
The webinar will develop the theme “Instruments for Sowing Hope” with Br. Albero Parise mccj, programs specialist, discussing the Laudato Si’ Roll Out Plan and sharing practical developments for men and women religious. Inspiring examples will be featured from our congregations. Important updates will be given regarding our partnership with the Dicastery Promoting Integral Human Development (DIHD) and the work of the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM).

Schedule: 2 pm to 4 pm (Rome time) in EN, ES, FR and IT.

Click here to join.

A Prayer for the Coming Election
We have much to consider before we cast our ballots. Click here for a prayer to guide our contemplation from the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Celebrate the Gift of Our Modern Martyrs
LCWR and the SHARE Foundation invite women religious to celebrate the gift of Dorothy Kazel, OSU, Maura Clarke, MM, Ita Ford, MM, and Jean Donovan who were brutally murdered by the U.S.-supported Salvadoran military on December 2, 1980.  Please plan now to host a prayer vigil, an evening of conversation and story-telling, a retreat, or other gatherings in your communities, parishes, or educational institutions to honor the memory of the four “Roses in December” and all who followed in their footsteps.

Organizers hope to commemorate the lives of the martyrs by hosting 40 remembrances in 40 cities to mark the 40^th anniversary.  A Roses in December Toolkit to help with local organizing is now available on the SHARE El Salvador website. The toolkit includes the story of the four churchwomen; background on El Salvador; ideas for the celebration; a prayer service; suggestions for action and advocacy; media suggestions; and a list of resources.

The SHARE Foundation is collecting brief descriptions of local events. Send details about your commemoration to Jose Artiga (jose@share-elsalvador.org) to be counted among the 40.

Urge the President to Complete the PD and Allow Refugees to Be Resettled in the United States!
Despite the Trump Administration sending its notice to Congress on September 30, signaling its intent to only allow 15,000 refugees to be resettled in the United States for Fiscal Year 2021 (the lowest number ever). Refugees still are not allowed to come to the United States as the Trump Administration has not completed the statutory process required for the Presidential Determination (PD). Without the completed PD process no refugees can arrive in the United States.

There are steps that still need to be taken in order for refugees to be allowed to be resettled in the United States. Read our new FAQ on the FY 2021 Report to Congress and the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admission to learn more about what is at stake.  Also please continue to sign and share our action alert.

Curing Poverty, Inequality and the Coronavirus

This year’s Jubilee Weekend 2020: Curing Poverty, Inequality and the Coronavirus will be held October 16th – 18th, the same weekend as the major IMF and World Bank meetings this year. We need your help to lift the voices of the faithful in defense of the world’s most vulnerable during this critical time. With your help, we can expand debt relief for the 73 poorest countries and move forward more aid for developing countries.

During Jubilee Weekend 2020: Curing Poverty, Inequality and the Coronavirus, the IMF and World Bank will make decisions that will determine whether or not tens of millions of people will enter extreme poverty or if hundreds of millions of people in the US and around the world can exit poverty.

We need hundreds of faith communities to offer one prayer during October 16-18 and organizations to take action. The list of participants sent to decision-makers is what moves forward our campaigns. Please sign-up your faith community or organization for one prayer or action.

Keep our Elections Safe and Secure

On Thursday, October 15 at 11am, Faithful Democracy, Washington Interfaith Staff Community (WISC) and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) are sponsoring a panel for faith leaders on election security. They have put together an outstanding panel (See details below).

Click here to register.

Save Our Coastlines

After wavering back and forth, and following much public outcry, the Trump administration has extended a moratorium on offshore drilling off Florida’s Gulf Coast and extended it to apply to its Atlantic coastline.1

This is a great first step — and it shows the administration is willing to budge on this issue — but it doesn’t go far enough.

We’re calling for a permanent ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf and the Atlantic. Tell your senators: Ban offshore drilling off our coasts permanently. Click here to contact the lawmaker in your district.

October 10 is the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

As the Church marks Respect Life Month, Pope Francis’s new encyclical declares that there is no going back. “The death penalty is inadmissible and Catholics are to work for its abolition.”

There are several opportunities to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty.

• THURSDAY at 12pm EDT: EXECUTION BY THE NUMBERS: Harvard Law School’s Charles Hamilton Houston Institute on Race and Justice is hosting a one-hour, online event about the upcoming film by our friend Paula Caplan. about why, 18 years after Atkins, people with Intellectual Disabilities are still being executed in this country and what it will take to stop it. The film includes Bryan Stevenson, the late Justice Stevens, and Sister Helen Prejean. Register for the event at bit.ly/2RRYzFk.  See the trailer for the film at https://vimeo.com/435265615. Join us in support of this important film, here.
• THURSDAY (Time TBA): Death Penalty Action’s Voices of Experience on the Death Penalty live Facebook program will continue with special guests and an update on the campaign to abolish the federal death penalty. Click here to learn more, and sign up for direct alerts once program details are known.
• SATURDAY at 1:30pm: Ohio Northern University’s Amnesty International chapter invites you to a World Day Against the Death Penalty program with Abraham Bonowitz of Death Penalty Action and two Ohio death row survivors. We’ll hear about the status of the campaign to end executions in Ohio and talk with two Ohio death row survivors, Kwame Ajamu, chairman of the national group of exonerated death row survivors, Witness to Innocence, and also Ahmad Issa, whose case was just added to the web page of the Death Penalty Information Center. Use this link to participate starting at 1:30pm on Saturday, Oct 10.

Amnesty International Speaks Up for Poll Workers
Amnesty International USA issued an unprecedented pre-election advisory today, warning of the heightened threat of gun violence facing people in the U.S., and the potential for armed intimidation of voters, as they head to the polls. Amnesty has asked that governors prohibit guns/firearms from polling places, and expand funding for gun violence prevention nationwide. Click here to read more.

Remembering Catholic Martyrs
December 2 marks the 40^th anniversary of the martyrdom of the “Roses in December” martyrs, Dorothy Kazel, OSU, Maura Clarke, MM, Ita Ford, MM and Jean Donovan who were brutally murder by the U.S.-supported Salvadoran military for their ministry and for their dedication to those living in poverty. They were called “subversives” because they were accompanying refugee families who had fallen victim to the escalating violence and oppression that eventually led to civil war.

LCWR and the SHARE Foundation invite women religious especially to celebrate the gift of these four women and remember all of those who dedicated their lives to working for justice in El Salvador and throughout the world. The anniversary is an opportunity to offer their story to a new generation hungry for a share of their love, selflessness and courage.

Please plan now to host a prayer vigil, evening of conversation and story-telling, retreat, or other gathering in your communities, parishes or educational institutions to honor the memory of Ita, Maura, Dorothy, and Jean and those who continue to follow in their footsteps. Invite searchers and seekers and tell the story of these missioners’ lives and ministries and invite others to follow their example of faith in action.

We hope to commemorate the lives of the Roses in December martyrs by hosting 40 remembrances in 40 cities to mark the 40^th anniversary. The SHARE Foundation is collecting brief descriptions of local events. Send details to (jose@share-elsalvador.org) to be counted among the 40.

A Roses in December toolkit to help with local organizing is now available on the SHARE El Salvador website. The toolkit includes: the story of the four church women; background on El Salvador; ideas for the celebration; a prayer service; ideas for action and advocacy; media suggestions; and a list of resources.

The Roses in December delegation to El Salvador and Honduras originally scheduled for November 29 to December 7, 2020 will be rescheduled for 2021.