Facing The days after the Pandemic
Sisters Elaine DesRosiers, OP, Luisa Derouen, OP, Mary Louise Edwards, OP, have sent a letter to their local newspaper to ask their fellow Kentuckians to worm towards a “new normal” of compassion. Click here to read their letter,

DACA Webinar
Justice for Immigrants (JFI) will present a webinar on the day immediately following the SCOTUS decision regarding the legality of the Trump Administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) protecting the “Dreamers.”

The webinar is scheduled for 2 PM (ET) on the day after SCOTUS announcement on DACA.  Presenters will explain the decision, examine its implication and discuss how we might support DACA recipients in the days and weeks following the SCOTUS decision. We will share the URL as soon as it is available.

In the meantime there are a couple of things you can do:

• Continue to pray for DACA recipients, their families and all of our immigrant community members who are at risk.
• If you can, plan to join us for an interfaith prayer every Monday Morning DACA Prayers at 9:30. Click here to RSVP.
• Urge your Senators to provide a permanent solution. Pass a clean Dream Act of 2019, S. 874.

People of Color Suffering from COVID-19

The health dangers and economic ramifications of COVID-19 do not affect everyone in the United States the same way.

Due to centuries of systemic injustice, people of color in the U.S. are more likely to get sick and die as a result of this pandemic, or be left unemployed and uninsured.

Our federal government needs to prioritize communities of color in the next stimulus legislation!

Please call, write or email your representatives and ask them to support communities of color in stimulus, medical and unemployment support!

Our Sisters In Iraq
News sent by Sr. Marcelline Koch, OP

Sr. Roberta Popara recently spoke with Sr. Marie Therese Hannah on Messenger.   Sr. Marie Therese shared that the Nineveh plain including Mosul has been spared from COVID-19.  She indicated that the authorities in the northern region have acted swiftly.  The students are continuing their education online (she is principal at the grade school that was opened up in Qaraqosh when people returned).  Sisters are well in the north.

Asking her about Baghdad, she indicated the virus is there, brought in from Iran.  The maternity hospital is open but not the schools.  I would expect students are learning online as well in that city.

Sr. Beth Murphy has spoken with Sr. Habiba in Jordan.  The clinic had been closed at one point and has reopened. Habiba is not going to the clinic to work, however, because she is in an at-risk age group. Instead she has become the chef for the community. She is not happy about not going to work,  but is resigned to the idea for now.

I emailed Sr. Luma who shared that it is a different time for all everyone and online teaching has been a challenge.   She noted that everyone is well in their area.  One of their elderly sisters in Qaraqosh died and, like us, they were not able to go to the burial.  There are few cases of the virus in Iraq compared to other places. But she also noted that Iraq is not able to deal with such situations as other countries have. So there, the government imposed curfew from Feb 27 until the beginning of May.

As we pray for each other here, we also remember our family around the world.

Navajo Nation Receives Needed Assistance, More Needed
As we reported last week, the Navajo Nation has been hit hard by the COVID-19 virus. The good news is that Doctors without Borders has announced its first-ever mission to the United States, helping the hard-hit Navajo Nation fight COVID-19.

However, news reports tell us that South Dakota Governor Republican Kristi Noem has threatened to sue Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux leaders to force them to remove COVID-19 checkpoint set up to protect tribal lands from the spread of the disease. Tribal governments haven’t received one penny of the $8 billion allocated by the CARES Act.

Please join a Zoom call today to see how you can help.

WHAT: COVID-19 and Native American Communities

WHEN: Wednesday, May 20, 7:00 PM Eastern / 4:00PM Pacific

WHO:

• Special guest Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-01, Laguna Pueblo)
• Faith Spotted Eagle (Native Organizers Alliance, Brave Heart Society, Yankton Sioux)
• State Rep. Ruth Buffalo (ND-HD27, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation)
• Tara Houska (Giniw Collective)
• Kevin Allis (National Congress of American Indians, Forest County Potawatomi)

Click here to register.

Laudato Si’ Week Events
There are many virtual learning and celebration opportunities available to help us celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’. Please click here to see the entire list and to register.

Help Protect Those Who Protect Children
The Administration’s border wall is now threatening a Catholic orphanage near the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Justice has filed an eminent-domain lawsuit against Sacred Heart Children’s Home in Laredo, Texas, demanding access to the orphanage’s land in order to conduct surveys for the wall.

As an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project told the Laredo Morning Times, the administration seems to be taking advantage of the pandemic to speed up wall construction, since public demonstrations aren’t possible during social distancing.

Under eminent domain laws, the government must pay landowners a fair price — yet Trump’s callous administration only wants to give the sisters a paltry $100 to let its construction teams parade around their land.

This orphanage has been run for more than 100 years by the Servants of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Poor. As these sisters fight back in court, let’s show them that they are not alone, and submit 10,000 signatures demanding the DOJ drop this outrageous lawsuit!

Click here to tell the Dept. of Justice: Drop your border-wall lawsuit against a Catholic orphanage. 

2020 Census – Every Person Counts
In a time when so many are marginalized by our government, a fair and accurate count in the Census is more important than ever.

In 2010:
2.2 million children weren’t counted
3.7 million African-Americans weren’t counted
3.8 million Latinos weren’t counted

You can join Faith in Public Life to become a Faith Census Ambassador. Click here to learn more.

Celebrating Laudato Si, Caring for Our Common Home

Laudato Si’ Week is May 16-24! As we mark the 5^th Anniversary of Laudato Si’, the coronavirus is forcing us to think of new economies and new ways of caring for the most vulnerable. Laudato Si’ Week offers people of faith a time to reflect on the gift of the earth and creation, and realize it is under threat. It is a time for Catholics around the world to pray, learn, gather virtually, reflect, and prepare to build a better world together. Pope Francis has invited everyone to take part.

As we prepare to commemorate the 5^th anniversary of Laudato Si’ May 16-24, we hope that you and your community will consider planning a local event to celebrate #LaudatoSi5 Week.  You’ll find all the resources you need on the Laudato Si’ Week website,  and the Catholic Climate Covenant Covenant’s Laudato Si’ Week 2020 website. You’ll find logos and social media messages, videos, dialogue and study guides, and liturgy resources.

We also invite you to participate in a series of Laudato Si’ 5^th Anniversary workshops set up by the Vatican. Set against the backdrop of the current Coronavirus crisis, the virtual workshops will talk about the climate crisis, climate injustice, and action we must take inspired by the encyclical, Laudato Si’. Register for one or all of the workshops at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oJFmciB8TSKBOLNWz_c-fg.

• Introductory Session: Mon., May 18 at 2:00 PM GMT
• Eco-Spirituality: Tues., May 19 at 2:00 PM GMT
• Sustainability: Wed., May 20 at 2:00 PM GMT
• Advocacy: Wed., May 20 at 4:00 PM GMT
• Social Action: Fri., May 22 at 2:00 PM GMT

Please register your anniversary event at: https://laudatosiweek.org/activities/ and upload any events you’d like the Catholic Climate Covenant to promote (include picture if possible) at: https://www.catholicclimateproject.org/calendar/submit.  You can find out about all the global and U.S. activities and register for the Global Day of Prayer on May 24 at: https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/resource/laudato-si-week-2020.

Learn more about #LaudatoSi5 Week here.

Economic Injustice Examined
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the structural economic issues in our nation into sharp focus. Please click here for an analysis of the issues that must be resolved if the United States is to avoid continued increases in income and wealth inequality amid the coronavirus recession and recovery.