On Wednesday, January 22nd Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC staff and community members joined the New York Immigration Coalition in Albany, New York for their annual Member Congress. CIS-NYC and other immigration organizations from around New York State came together to advocate for our state budget and policy priorities. CIS-NYC staff and community members visited with 9 state Senators and Assembly Members to discuss these priorities and ask that they commit to supporting them in the 2020 legislative session. We advocated for an increased investment in immigration legal services, healthcare coverage for all, an end predatory ICE apprehension activities in NY Courthouses, and more. We look forward to continuing our fight for these essential pieces of legislation in the coming months!
Gently Serving Others as a CLM
“The important thing is that each believer discerns her own path, that she brings out the very best of herself, the most personal gifts that God has placed in her heart”. (cf. 1Cor. 12:7)
felt called by God to live a life as a Cabrini Lay Missionary since 1990. I was first missioned in Nicaragua teaching religion in one of our schools. Then the Provincial asked me to go to Argentina to work in a parish where I worked as a catechesis coordinator. During that time, I lived in the Provincial house and enjoyed sharing life and prayer with the sisters.
Then, Sr. Maria Barbagallo, MSC, who was the General Superior at that time, asked if I would be willing to go to Russia. I did not know the culture nor the language but I was there for more than six years working among the people doing evangelization. Following my time in Russia I was missioned to Italy and enjoyed teaching religion and working in a parish.
In 2002, Sr. Maria believe that it was time for me to go to United States. There I began to work among the immigrants as Mother Cabrini did as she, too, was an immigrant like me ministering to immigrants.
I saw the struggles the immigrants had adjusting to a new country, new culture and new language as I, too, was going through the same struggles. After a few years I was able to become an American citizen. Following my years ministering to the immigrants I was asked to begin to minister to the Senior Sisters at Sacred Heart Convent [in New York City] and St. Cabrini Nursing Home [in Dobbs Ferry, NY]. I enjoy working with these sisters as they have lived and continue to live lives of prayer, sacrifice and love.
Over these years I have had many opportunities to enrich my life both spiritually, communally and ministerially. I am so grateful to God and Mother Cabrini for this wonderful opportunity to serve as a Cabrini Lay Missionary.
~ by: Adela Jarquin Soza, CLM
Climate Organizers: 2020 is the year to mobilize
~ by Jesse Remedios, Earth Beat, National Catholic Reporter
Catholic climate organizers say they’re certain of it: 2020 is “absolutely the year” for climate mobilization.
November 4, 2020, the United States is schedule to officially withdraw from the Paris Agrement on climate. That’s one day after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the outcome of which will largely shape the U.S. response to climate change moving forward.
With that in mind, the Catholic Climate Covenant is organizing what they are calling the “U.S. Catholic Climate Project , a yearlong intergenerational Catholic initiative to gather Catholics from across the church to make “the moral call for climate action.”
According the to the Climate Project’s website, the project will reach out to a range of Catholic institutions to provide support on activities that can galvanize action. To kick off the project, the Catholic Comate Covenant is hosting a webinar on webinar Jan. 23 to describe the initiative’s vision and goals, as well as explain how Catholics can collaborate to organize events around Earth Day and Laudato Si anniversaries.
Participation and leadership by youth and young adults is a big part of the Climate Project. The Catholic Climate Project understands that young people are the ones who will have to deal with the conseequences of climate inaction and, and project leadership is hoping to make use of young people’s passion for the issue to pull older generations into the fight.
“fundamentally, this is about the future of youth and young adults and their growing awareness of the interdependence between the Creator’s gift and the lives we lead,” said Jose Aguto, associate director of the Catholic Climate Covenant and co-chair of the Climate Project, told the NCR. “We of older generations have the moral obligation to support them.”
To read the entire article: https://www.ncronline.org/print/news/earthbeat/climate-organizers-2020-year-mobilize-young-people-lead
A Time to Heal
. Renee Kittelson, MSC would like to thank you for your prayers for A Healing Retreat for You.
Fifty people attended the retreat at Cabrini High School, New Orleans.
Although there was talk of physical, spiritual and inner healing, there was a real emphasis on spiritual healing. All were reminded that our number one goal should be to make it to heaven.
Student Advocates Bring About Change in Congress
Dr. Jerry Zurek, Cabrini University Professor, Communications Department sent this email to the 50 Cabrini students who advocated and lobbied on behalf of poor communities around the world. The current Administration wanted to cut the aid budget that would help refugees, migrants, and people suffering from extreme poverty by more than 30 percent. Cabrini students joined theirvoices with those of many others and Congress rejected these harsh cuts.
——————-
To all 50 students who lobbied this year:
Congratulations! Your voice mattered! Congress passed the foreign aid budget, and what you advocated for, passed! Your effort to prepare to go to DC paid off!
You should be so proud of your hard work. Think of all the people who will be helped because YOU CARED.
Congress–both Republicans and Democrats–voted to reject the Trump administration’s cuts to Poverty-Focused Development Assistance and even raised funding by a little bit, 1 percent raise.
• Increased development assistance to alleviate poverty in vulnerable communities by $400 million;
• Provided more than $500 million for assistance to Central America – money that the administration had reduced to 0. This will benefit the people of Guatemala and elsewhere and work to alleviate the root causes of migration.
• Signed into law: The Global Fragility Act will step up a comprehensive U.S. strategy to prevent extremism and promote stability in some of the toughest global hotspots.
• Refugees: the administration wanted to cut funding to just 10 percent of last year. Congress kept it the same as last year.
• Global Health remains strong: PEPFAR, the Global Fund, Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition — all remain strong.
• Food aid: Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole got a slight increase.
• Climate: While Congress does not provide funding the Green Climate Fund, it did include $140 million in flexible funding for the Global Environment and other climate programs.
Read more:
https://www.usglc.org/the-budget/congress-finalizes-fy20-spending-international-affairs-budget-sees-small-increase-as-global-challenges-grow/
Thanks to each and every one of you for answering the call to care for the most vulnerable!
NRVC Delaware Valley Member Area Holds Winter Meeting
The Delaware Valley Member Area of the National Religious Vocations Conference (NRVC) met on Tuesday, January 14th at the Motherhouse of the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary located in Immaculata, PA.
Sr. Debbie Borneman, SSCM, the Director of Mission Integration of the NRVC, joined the members and gave a presentation on “Risking Hope: Countering the Narrative of Completion”. Additionally, there was a panel presentation of discerners and new members who shared their stories of vocational call and discernment.
A business meeting followed the morning session. Plans are in process for a Life Awareness Retreat for young adults ages 18 – 45, for those women and men who are contemplating a major decision in their lives such as job opportunities; post-baccalaureate volunteer service; graduate school and/or life vocation – single, married, vowed religious and priesthood. (Please see the flyer on the next page. ) The Delaware Valley Member Area will also hold three Gift of Mission days for high school juniors on February 4th and 13th and March 5th. The MSCs will have representation at each of these vocational outreaches.
Another Chapter in Mother Cabrini’s Travels
To view a video presentation on the move from West Park:
Closing Observance of National Migration Week
~ by Sr. Cathy Fedewa, CSFN
This past Saturday, I planned to attend the screening of One Border, One Body at a nearby parish. This was part of the “Film Festival” organized by the Chicago Archdiocesan program of Immigrant Parish Coordinators as part of the observance of National Migration Week. But, as elsewhere in the country that day, the weather did not cooperate and I could not get there. So I watched the film privately through the internet.
That occurrence actually became a powerful mindset for my participation in Sunday’s Interfaith Service, Becoming a Community of Hope, sponsored by the Sisters and Brothers of Immigrants. For four years now, it has become our closing celebration for National Migration Week.
With representation from the African American, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions, we heard from each representative the common themes that all of their writings and teachings express: hospitality, hope, welcoming the stranger, respect for differences. As would be expected in this kind of service, we were “preaching to the choir”, but it is good for the choir to be reminded together of the common concerns that so many of us carry. It was an affirmation of the need to persevere in our care for the immigrant, the refugee, the asylum seeker.
Two of the traditions specifically mentioned their understanding of hope, reflecting that, in those traditions, hope’s opposite – depression – is seen as an offense against God because it assumes a lack of trust in God’s providence.
This was something I think I needed to hear at this point in time amidst all the difficulties and crises going on around the world and in our midst. We closed in a Circle of Communities around the church singing Sr. Miriam Therese Winters’ lyrical adaptation of America the Beautiful.
I drove home that night buoyed by the mercy, goodness and power of our God who, in spite of the limitations of the human beings God has created, is still more powerful than all the negativity we manage to create.
HOPE STILL PREVAILS.
Celebrating a Lifetime of Dedicated Service to the People of Chicago
After a lifetime of faithful commitment to their religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus better known as the Cabrini Sisters, and to the Catholic Church’s healing ministry at Saint Anthony Hospital, Sister Benigna Morais, MSC and Sister Alfonsina Gomes, MSC will be retiring from Saint Anthony later this month.
Their faithfulness to the Saint Anthony Hospital family and its community has been a blessing to us all.
The Cabrini spirituality, which Sister Benigna and Sister Alfonsina have lived out lovingly is at its core a commitment that implies nothing less than a desire to love as Jesus loved, with the total self-gift of their lives, seeking to reach those most vulnerable, neglected or marginalized. With God’s grace working in them as in St. Frances Cabrini before them, this is the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order’s ideal: no work will be too difficult, no land too distant, no person too wounded for the love of the heart of Jesus and for all those invited to be bearers of the love of Christ in the world.
To honor their sacred work and their love for Saint Anthony Hospital, a celebratory Mass will be held in the chapel on Tuesday, January 14 at 1:00 pm celebrated by Bishop Robert Casey and followed by a reception.
All are welcome to attend this special celebration to honor Sister Benigna and Sister Alfonsina.
Wildfires in Australia
The Guadalupe Province is deeply saddened by the terrible bushfires that continue to impact many communities across Australia. The Missionary Sisters have a large health care system in Malvern, Australia. Sue Williams, the CEO of Cabrini Health, described how they are responding to this situation:
“We have all been shocked and saddened by the terrible bushfires that continue to impact many communities across Australia.
“Cabrini is keen to support and assist bushfire victims as they grapple with the ongoing disaster and start to rebuild.
“Initially, we are supporting the Victorian Bushfire Disaster Appeal, will offer our Tooronga Road apartments to families affected by the fire and will provide hospital services free of charge if required. We are also considering what we can do to support communities affected by the bushfires over the medium to long-term.” A Mass was also offered for all those who have been affected by this disaster.”
We join Australia in our prayers for so many people who have been impacted.
If you wish to help, please send any monetary donations to: Cabrini Mission Foundation 222 E. 19th St. Suite 5E New York, N.Y. 10003 and be sure to indicate that it is for the Australia Bushfires. The money will be sent to Cabrini Health to support the relief effort.
If you wish to send a donation directly to the Victorian Bushfire Disaster Appeal go to: Online – visit the Victorian Bushfire Disaster Appeal website <https://www.communityenterprisefoundation.com.au/make-a-donation/bushfire-disaster-appeal
We thank you for your prayers and support.
Sr. Diane Olmstead, MSC
Provincial, Guadalupe Province
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
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