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Recent Ceremonies
Sisters Maureen McInerny, Sue Pixley, and Pat Farrell travelled to Fort Benning, in Columbus, GA, to join others in a demonstration against the School of the Americas (SOA). The name of the school was recently changed to Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). But no matter what its name is, this school is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, some of whom were responsible for the assassinations of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the 6 Jesuits, and the 4 church women, just to mention the most well known. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refuge by those trained at SOA/WHINSEC. Below are some photos from the weekend.
Members of Leadership and the Promoters of Justice and Peace from the Dominican congregations and provinces of both North and Latin America attended a four day conference in Juarez, Mexico, from July 31 to August 4, 2008. Among the thirty U.S. delegates were our four Sisters Patricia Simpson, Ann Providence Frassinello, Judy Lu McDonnell, and Marion Irvine. The seminar was named, "By What Right?" after the cry of the first Dominicans who arrived in the Americas and defended the indigenous people against the oppression and exploitation of the European conquerors. Not believing they were human beings, the invaders treated the indigenous as beings without rational powers, stripped them of their possessions and exploited them. At the time, Dominicans, consistent with the Gospel they preached, protested: With what right, with what justice do you submit these Indians to such horrible servitude?"
Today, we Dominicans have to raise our voices in defense of migrants who are being treated inhumanely. Desperate, migrants leave their countries of origin in search of work and a better life. Instead of being welcomed in our country and communities, they are discriminated against, exploited, criminalized and deported, despite the wealth they contribute with their labor to the progress of our country. Faithful to our tradition, we Dominicans must respond with our preaching and real-life restimony, "By what right, by what justice are these immigranst subjected to such horrible servitude?"
Hundredth Anniversary of St. Mary's The sisters celebrated the 100th anniversary of St. Mary's Hospital (a member of CHW) in Reno on August 7th. This was a joyous occasion and the celebration culminating with the dedication of a statue of St. Dominic.
On Sunday, November 18, we joined with California People of Faith and Death Penalty Focus for our vigil of Thanksgiving for those who care for our brothers and sistes on Death Row. There is, in effect, a national moratorium on the death penalty while the US Supreme Court grapples with the question of illegal protocols on lethal injection. There is other evidence that also gives us hope that the tide may be turning on the issue of the death penalty, and that it is turning in the favor of life.
When Sister Ann Providence Frasinello was inspired by a presentation at the POINT 7 NOW! Action Conference in San Francisco, she made a proposal to the sisters' Earth Charter Implementation Committee that we ask the individual sisters to reach into their pockets and make personal donations for bed nets in Africa. The committee agreed that, not only was this a wonderful project, but that they could commit to matching the funds that the sisters collected. The sisters dug into their pockets, and many of the generous people that work with them in San Rafael, and the residents of Rose Court in San Francisco, did so too. The scourge of malaria, spread by mosquitos has cost the lives of many in sub-Saharan Africa. Those who have suffered the greatest are the young. By providing inexpensive bed nets, many lives can be saved.
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One of the walkers in San Rafael on November 18th.
Sister Marion Irvine presenting check for mosquito nets to Fr. Paulinus Mangesho, ALCP.