U.S. House honors Catholic sisters
The U.S. House of Representatives this week honored Catholic sisters in the United States in a resolution that passed with a unanimous vote.
House Resolution 441, sponsored by Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, “Honors and commends Catholic sisters for their humble service and courageous sacrifice throughout the history of this Nation.” It passed on a roll call vote Tuesday of 442-0.
The resolution also “supports the goals of the ‘Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America’ traveling exhibit, a project sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and established to recognize the historical contributions of Catholic sisters in the United States.” The exhibit includes information from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, relating the story of this congregation’s role in the sanctuary movement of the 1980s.
Rep. Kaptur had introduced the resolution in May, when the “Women & Spirit” exhibit opened in Cincinnati, but it had been stalled in committee until this week.
The resolution lists a number of findings, including:
• “The social, cultural, and political contributions of Catholic sisters have played a vital role in shaping life in the United States;
• “Such women have joined in unique forms of intentional communitarian life dedicated to prayer and service since the very beginnings of our Nation’s history, fearlessly and often sacrificially committing their personal lives to teaching, healing, and social action;
• “At least nine sisters from the United States have been martyred since 1980 while working for social justice and human rights overseas;
• “Catholic sisters participated in the opening of the West, traveling vast distances to minister in remote locations, setting up schools and hospitals, and working among native populations on distant reservations; and
• “The humanitarian work of Catholic sisters with communities in crisis and refuge throughout the world positions them as activists and diplomats of peace and justice for the some of the most at risk populations.”
For the full text of the resolution, click HERE.
Congratulations! I am so proud of all the work that sisters have done for our Catholic schools – literally being the foundation for many of our parish schools. I had School Sisters of Notre Dame our of St. Louis when I was in grade school. I have worked with many sisters over the years in my teaching/administratvie career. Sisters bring a richness to our schools and a history the continues to live-on. In our school, we continue to pray that students hear the call of the vocation which God has graced them with from the beginning of time. Hopefully, they will discover this grace and move forward with it. Thank you for all that your sisters do and especially for the opportunity given me to work with Sister Vivian for so many years.
The summary of this House Resolution 441 was so beautifully written, thank you for sharing it.
What an honor to be so recognized and counted among all these great women!! For this honor, we say THANK YOU! A very timely honor, given the other writings in the news of “investigation”!!! Sarah, once again you captured the House Resolution 441 so concisely!
Congratulations to all of us! Jodi and I were able to go to Cincinnati to see this exhibit and were so grateful for the experience. It is truly awe-inspiring to see in one exhibit so many of the wonderful ministries with which Sisters in the United States have been involved.