The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the United States express our deepest sympathy and unite our hearts in prayer with the students, parents, and teachers of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the community of Parkland, Florida.
We share their pain. We stand witness to their outrage. We support the students in their advocacy for sensible laws on gun control.
No longer can we remain silent as the children and youth of our nation are at great risk of gun violence. We must raise our voices in unison with these courageous young people.
Mother Cabrini was a woman of action, as are these students. Where there was a need, she sought to respond. Where there was injustice, she worked to right that wrong.
Today, we live in a world where hate is pervasive and conflicts are not resolved with civility but with guns. The sanctity of life is forgotten. And, sadly, we have become desensitized to the on-going violence that surrounds us.
One wonders how it could possibly be that the citizens of the United States did not demand, and Congress did not act to change gun laws when twenty first-graders and six of their teachers were slaughtered at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. What does that say about the moral compass of our nation?
The Missionary Sisters are “bearers of Christ’s love in the world.” Our charism is antithetical to those who seek to harm others. We are called to bring the Gospel message to all those whom we encounter.
As Missionary Sisters, as women religious, children are among our apostolic priorities. As such, we encourage you to unite with us in demanding action from legislators, state and federal; from corporations and institutions, to establish common-sense gun reform. Pray. Speak up. Call your lawmakers. Support and join gun control advocacy organizations. Vote.
Demand change…for the children. Their future is in our hands.