Justice

Justice

Education in the faith demands of us active involvement in the promotion of justice. In this spirit and according to the teachings of the Church, our educational endeavors have a special concern for the poor and disadvantaged.

- Constitutions, No. 13

This special concern for people who are poor, especially children, was evident from the very beginnings of our foundation, manifested by concrete actions responding to the expectations of our milieus and requests from the Church, for example, Marie-Rose Durocher welcomed young Irish girls in Montreal in 1847. Sisters in Jacksonville and Key West took care of patients suffering from a smallpox epidemic in Florida. Others assumed the role of zealous nurses to the wounded in the Spanish-American War. Still others took care of children who had been neglected or orphaned as a result of plagues and provided education and security for them.

Since the 1986 General Chapter, we have identified new creative approaches to education and reaffirmed our mission in the spirit of a liberating action that can be summed up as “Educate to liberate.” That is to say, to help the persons to “name” themselves, to find their own identity.

At the 2016 General Chapter, we made a commitment to “participate actively in the search for structures, relationships and actions that liberate life wherever it is threatened.”

We wanted to ”let ourselves be questioned by the emerging questions of our time.” Thus, the call to justice is a priority that animates and motivates all our apostolic actions. Fundamental human rights, human dignity, the health of our planet Earth, openness to other cultures, collaboration and interdependence, are values ​​that we deepen and seek to promote in many ways.

UNANIMA International invites Sisters from around the world to share about their experiences and their hopes for accomplishing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In September 2023, governments are meeting at the United Nations to assess progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are a set of big commitments to end poverty and hunger, ensure access to education, health, water and sanitation, and achieve equality including gender equality. The plan also includes goals to take care of the land, the oceans and our climate by 2030. The UN Secretary General calls it a “rescue plan for people and the planet.” 2023 marks the halfway point in this 15-year agenda.

UNANIMA International invited Sisters from around the world to share about their experiences and their hopes for accomplishing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in order to bring the voices of the people to the meetings at the United Nations.

Sr. Francisca Khooa, SNJM in Lesotho and Sr. Ana Maria Vilca Mamani, SNJM in Peru, shared their hopes and challenges for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in their country via video. These videos were shared by UNANIMA International to bring the voice of the people to officials at the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Summit. You can watch the videos below. There are transcripts provided in English, French and Spanish underneath each video.

Sr. Francisca Khooa’s video

Transcripts:

Sr. Ana Maria Vilca Mamani’s video

Transcripts:

Statement on Racism

We, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, an international congregation, stand in solidarity with the U.S. National Black Sisters’ Conference, condemning systemic racism. The violent and unjust death of George Floyd and many African Americans that is heralding a movement around the world to end racism, inequity and exclusion calls us to recommit ourselves to systemic change.

We recognize that the social, political, economic and environmental problems of our century are global in nature and are integrally intertwined. We therefore pledge ourselves to seek to participate in collaborative structures, relationships and actions that will liberate life where it is threatened. (SNJM Acts of the General Chapter)

We acknowledge our own complicity in institutional racism. We pledge to examine racism in ourselves and confront racism that privileges some and diminishes others. We raise our voice and join in efforts to end racism.

As a community of women religious, we commit ourselves to justice for communities of color, in the United States and globally.

June 2020

Statement of Commitment to Indigenous Peoples

The recent discovery of the remains of 215 children in the cemetery adjacent to the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia on May 27, 2021, is a tragedy. It reveals the extent of a situation denounced in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report on the disappearance of some 4,000 of the 150,000 Indigenous children who lived in residential schools over more than a century.

This shocking news prompts us to speak out again today to express our deepest sympathy and prayers for all the people of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation and for the families of all the missing children and survivors. We are more aware than ever that this type of situation brings back the pain of colonial history in Canada and around the world.

After endorsing the TRC’s Call to Action 48, we sent a letter of support to the Senate of Canada for the adoption of Bill C-15 on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This bill seeks to make federal legislation consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It will also commit the Canadian Federal Government to work with Indigenous peoples to develop a national action plan with specific priorities and timelines.

 

Source: Faith in the Declaration

At the same time, initiatives within our international congregation are being put forward to decolonize our minds and hearts, to address racism and to build just relationships.

We also wish to join with other faith-based organizations in urging Pope Francis to apologize to the Indigenous People of Canada, knowing that the request for an apology by the Church expresses the deep aspirations of Indigenous People.

June 2021

Statement - An Appeal for Peace and Solidarity with the People of Ukraine

As an international religious congregation, we, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), express our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

We deplore the current invasion which threatens the democracy and the territorial integrity of Ukraine and causes the destruction of much of the country’s infrastructure.  We denounce the multiple adverse consequences of this conflict on the population: numerous injuries and many deaths of civilians and children, the privation of goods essential for life, extremely difficult living conditions, including, for many, the uncertainty of exile and the increased risks of human trafficking.

While billions of dollars are being expended for this war, millions of people are suffering and will continue to suffer from the repercussions of this conflict. We call upon our leaders to provide courageous leadership to ensure a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine, a peace that respects each country’s identity and the well-being of its people. We are very concerned that such an aggression could have repercussions for the whole planet.

We encourage our respective governments to take urgent and swift action to provide all necessary support to Ukrainian refugees and to facilitate their arrival in host countries.

We pledge to continue our commitment to refugees and migrants and to support, with our prayers, both the Ukrainian people and all peacemakers.

March 25, 2022

SNJM JPIC Coordinating Committee - Newsletters

This sub-section brings together newsletters related to the activities of the SNJM Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Coordinating Committee.

Today, there are still many sisters who are present in educational ministries, with a focus on education for justice and commitment to act. Others are engaged in actions that are more directly related to justice and to the promotion of human dignity. In collaboration with partners, we are active in many ways around the world.

Faithful in assuming its collective responsibility, our Congregation has adopted three corporate stands resulting from a process of analysis and reflection. They are: Struggle against human trafficking, Universal access to water and Migrant and refugee people.

Aware of global issues which involve multiple interactions, we work in collaboration with other organizations that promote values ​​similar to our own. Together, we dare to directly challenge leaders, elected officials and the media. We send letters and petitions and continue to raise awareness and to provide information.