April 2010 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Newsletter

8/9/2019 April 2010 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Newsletter

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LCWR Update April 2010 page 1

Inside this issue:

April 2010

(continued on page 3)

LCWR Stance on HealthcareReform Draws Praise and

Criticism

On March 17 NETWORK presented a letter to

each member o Congress urging support othe Senate healthcare bill (HR 3590) whichpromises to expand coverage to 31 million

uninsured persons while upholding longstanding con-science protections, and not provide taxpayer undingor abortions. Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA signed theletter as LCWR president, as did almost 60 other leaderso LCWR congregations. According to eedback rommembers o the White House sta, members o Con-gress, NETWORK, and others, this letter had a signi-cant impact on the debate over the bill and helped leadto its passage on March 21.

The media gave a great deal o attention to this actionby women religious. This may have been due partly toan inaccuracy in the subsequent press release issuedby NETWORK implying that 59,000 Catholic sistershad voiced their support or the bill, rather than someo the leaders. The media coverage also played on theangle that the position taken by Catholic sisters and theCatholic Health Association diered rom that taken bythe United States Conerence o Catholic Bishops.

In responding to media inquiries, LCWR stated, With-out question LCWR stands with the United StatesConerence o Catholic Bishops and other Catholics intheir tireless eorts to promote the sacredness o lieand to assure that ederal unding is not used or abor-tions. LCWR emphasizes that we are not in opposition tothe bishops in their pro-lie stance. We support thislegislation because it provides healthcare coverage or

Hope in theMidst of Darkness

LCWR 2010 Assembly

August 10 - 14, 2010

Dallas, Texas

Watch for the Registration Forms

for the 2010 LCWR Assembly

This gathering is an important event as

women religious leaders explore their role as

ecclesial women in a time ofrapidly shifting realities.

New Items on the LCWR Website A message rom Pope Benedict XVI regarding the

47th World Day o Prayer or Vocations, to be cel-ebrated on April 25, 2010www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/WDPltr.pd

New messages o support or US women religiousas they undergo the apostolic visitationwww.lcwr.org/what%27snew/av.htm
http://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/WDPltr.pdfhttp://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/WDPltr.pdfhttp://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/av.htmhttp://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/av.htmhttp://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/av.htmhttp://www.lcwr.org/what%27snew/WDPltr.pdf


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LCWR Update April 2010 page 2From the LCWR Presidency

by Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA LCWR President

Liberty of Spirit ... Once on a Holy Easter Sunday

Here is a story rom the Francis-

can tradition. In imitation oChrist, Francis never wished toabandon the dignity o the poor

Christ at any time, not even on the easto all easts, Easter. He used to go beg-ging on all the principal easts, sayingthat, in the poor, the psalmists wordsare ullled: Humanity eats the bread ofangels. [Psalm 78: 25]

Francis believed that bread is clearly an-gelic. Bread is sought out o Gods love,gathered rom door to door and givenaway out o Gods love by the blessedprompting o angels. Once on a holy Easter Sunday,while Francis was staying at a hermitage so ar awayrom anyone rom whom he could beg, he decided tobeg alms rom his brothers. He wanted to be like a pil-grim and beggar, mindul o the Christ who appeared

in the guise o a pilgrim to the disciples traveling on theroad to Emmaus. He knocked on the door o the broth-ers. When Francis had humbly received bread romthe brothers, he taught them to always celebrate thePassover o Christ in poverty o spirit passing romthe desert o this world like pilgrims and strangers.

St. Bonaventure noted that Francis when begging for alms

was motivated . . . by liberty of spirit. [Major Legend Chap-ter 7: 9] Liberty o spirit meant that Francis had implicittrust in God when he asked alms and promised the loveo God as a reward to those who gave to him. Celanocomments that . . . he made the hearts of his brothers burnas he spoke. [Remembrance o the Desire o a Soul,Second Book XXXI: 61] Francis said to his brothers

... u cau sm at y prtn w sk ut bd oh

t bd at aifeh hug h y

h bd pral gg.

W ei c-dy uy cuue

n av cdy h Gl.

that Easter Day at Greccio, Gods poverty

should move us more than others.

We resist being co-opted by unholy cul-tures in avor o being compelled by theGospel. Our roots are planted deeply inthe heart o Christ and watered by allthat is sacramental, all that brings graceinto lie. We are urged by the touch oGod to bring the bread o prudence andwisdom on all orces that negate love,mercy, compassion, and justice in the

world. Let us embrace the liberty ospirit to beg alms. In our personal pov-erty, may we seek the alms o orgiveness, healing, andlove that are not mere words but the powers that touchthe deepest core o our souls.

As we set our tables more careully this Easter Dayand decorate our homes with signs o resurrection andspringtime, let us also capture some o that liberty ospirit when we seek out bread or others be it breadthat satises the hungers o the body or the bread ospiritual giting. We know the Risen Christ in our lives.

We have seen him on the way and courageously speakPeace rom the place where our hearts are on re. Ourbodies are turned to the springtime sun and our souls to

the lunar Son who calls church into a Paschal presenceo loving the world without end.

May the bread o our alms have the quality o angeliclie and love!


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(continued from page 1)

LCWR Stance on Healthcare ReformDraws Praise and Criticism

millions o people, thereore expanding justice theright to health care, or all.

In the days ollowing, the LCWR presidency and theLCWR national oce were deluged with phone calls,e-mail messages, and letters rom the public, as well asrom LCWR members. Some people expressed grati-tude to the conerence or speaking publicly in supporto the healthcare reorm bill, while others expressedgrave dismay or a stance they believed ran contraryto the bishops position and was not strong enough torestrict the use o ederal unds or abortions.

The LCWR ocers and sta are listening and givingserious consideration to all o the accolades, criticisms,and suggestions that are being oered regarding theways in which the conerence exercises its public voice.The responses to the conerences action have under-scored the strength o the moral authority o womenreligious and the responsibility to exercise that author-ity with great care. As a result, the ocers and sta areengaged in a review o LCWRs policies and practicesto assure that the conerence continues to employ its au-thority with integrity as it works to guarantee the rightsand dignity o all persons.

LCWR Members Invited into Solidarityand Prayer During Phase Three of the

Apostolic Visitation

Gracious and loving God, Spirit of Wisdom,today we come seeking your blessingon the women whose communitieswill be engaged in the next phase

of the apostolic visitation.Fill them with wisdom, patience, grace, and courage

as they complete this phase of the process.Fill the hearts of the visitors

with the light of your Holy Spiritthat together we all may continue

to love and praise you

and serve your people with compassion.We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

LCWR members have been invited to pray or thosecongregations who have been selected or visitations, as

well as or those conducting the visitations.A listing o congregations requesting prayer can be

ound in the password-protected areao the LCWR website.

Any congregation who is scheduled to be visited and

would like to be included on the list may contactLCWR executive assistant Marianne Benson [email protected].

Hope

Midst of

in the

Orders o the 2010 LCWR refection book,Hope in theMidst of Darkness, are in the mail and should be arrivingsoon. Individual copies mailed to all LCWR members,associates, and subscribers were sent bulk mail and mayarrive ater packaged orders.

LCWR Reflection Books

Darkness
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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More than 100 women religious leaders partici-pated in the LCWR New Leader Workshopheld at the University o St. Mary o the Lake in

Mundelein, Illinois, rom March 11-14.

Leaders received invaluable inormation on topics ocritical importance through presentations by an out-standing aculty. They also had opportunities to ex-plore the implications o the presentations or them asa group and or their congregations as they worked inseveral sessions as councils.

This workshop will be oered again March 24-27, 2011in Mundelein. Leadership teams that have been in ocetwo years or less are encouraged to attend. The experi-

ence has proven helpul or both rst-time leaders andthose returning to leadership.

More than 100 Members Attend LCWR New Leader Workshop

The participants had an opportunity to interact at mixed tablesas well as in sessions with their councils.

Lynn Levo, CSJ(right) spoke on leaders andpersonnel issues: a survival guide for leadingin a time of transition, as well as on working

together in teams.

Nancy Schreck, OSFserved as theworkshop facilitator as well as a presenteron the dimensions of spiritual leadershipand leading by reading the signs of thetimes as Gods word.

Mary Dacey, SSJpresented oncollaboration.

Christine Rody,SC and SimoneCampbell, SSSco-presented oncanon and civil

law.


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LCWR Update April 2010 page 5LCWR Think Tank XII EnergizesParticipants

I was stretched beyond my imagining. . .A whole new consciousness-raising for me.

Seeing members of LCWR together looking so boldly towardthe future makes me believe in us even more.This was a very stretching, stimulating, and powerful expe-rience of solidarity.Prayer set the tone and was so appropriate for the theme.Carol is a fabulous teacher creative and organized!

These ew selected com-ments rom the evalu-ations o the LCWR

Systemic Change Think Tankheld March 1-4 at BethanyCenter in Lutz, Florida,illustrate the enthusiasm ex-pressed by LCWR membersand justice and peace coordi-nators who were led throughThe Evolution o HumanThought and Religious Lie,or the Lie o the World, byCarol Zinn, SSJ.

Many observed that the

presentations, discussions,experiences, environment,and prayer were interwoven

and integrated. Both those who had some experience ospiral dynamics and those or whom it was new oundthe days stimulating and energizing. Several partici-pants observed that the program was what was neededat this moment in religious lie and they departed morehopeul than they came.

The Systemic Change Think Tank has evolved since1997 to something other than the title indicates. Par-ticipants were asked to oer suggestions or a title thatmore accurately indicates what these days are. Untilsuch a title emerges, the program will continue to beknown as the LCWR Systemic Change Think Tank.

Signs of New Life

Rose Marie Riley, OP o the Dominicans o Spring-eld, Illinois, sent to the LCWR national oce thisphoto o the plant seeded at her table during the

2009 LCWR assembly.

She wrote, The pot has been on our kitchen windowsill since we returned home rom the assembly. Budsstarted to open up just a ew days ago. The plant stillhas many buds on it. What a wonderul sign o thingsto come!


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JFI Joins March for America

AMarch 21 gathering o more than 200,000 peoplein Washington, DC, in coordination with the Ecu-menical Advocacy Days Conerence, called or re-

orm now o our countrys broken immigration system.The Justice or Immigrants Campaign supported andparticipated in this major immigration gathering. Whilethe Interaith Rally began at 1:00, and the ull rally at2:00, JFI planned an 11:00 Eucharistic liturgy held at St.Aloysius Church, not ar rom the National Mall.

During the March meeting o the JFI Core Group, in

addition to reports on the march, members also consid-ered plans or lobby visits to urge support or impend-ing immigration legislation and the need to continue toeducate Catholics about comprehensive immigrationreorm. More than 1,000,000 postcards were distributed,and a ew thousand are still available, as well as theelectronic versions on the JFI website (www.justice-orimmigrants.org).

FEE Grows the Degrowth Movement

The Faith, Economy, Ecology (FEE) Working Group,while educating about the degrowth o economymovement, continues to expand its eorts in sev-

eral ways: A new website: www.aitheconomyecology.word-

press.com which is user-riendly, invites groupsand individuals to endorse the statement, A Callto Integrate Faith, Ecology and the Global Econo-my, and lists current signers. There is also a linkto FEE on www.maryknollogc.org/FEE.htm.

A series o refections or signers o the statement is

in process. Core nance principles or the design o a global

green climate und are also in development.

LCWR Committee Works on Long-Range Education/Reflection Plan

The members o the LCWR Contemporary ReligiousLie Committee held an all-day meeting on March 8at Washington Theological Union to continue their

work on developing a long-range education/refection

plan or the conerence.

Catherine Bertrand, SSND acilitated the meeting whichwas attended by Constance FitzGerald, OCD and San-dra Schneiders, IHM (by phone) who served as consul-tants to the committee.

The group worked that day to image religious lie asit is today, as well as it continues to emerge, and ad-dressed the ollowing questions: What is ending? Whathard truths need to be spoken? and What is seeking toemerge?

Next the group named some o the elements that couldbe included in a corporate education/refection planor women religious leaders that would be carried outby LCWR over the next several years. The committeewill continue its work to develop the plan which will bepresented to the membership or input.

Attending the meeting at Washington Theological Unionwere: Annmarie Sanders, IHM; Rosemary Smith, SC; MarieMcCarthy, SP; Jane Burke, SSND; Constance FitzGerald,OCD; Mary Whited, CPPS; Susan Schorsten, HM; andCatherine Bertrand, SSND.
http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/http://www.maryknollogc.org/FEE.htmhttp://www.maryknollogc.org/FEE.htmhttp://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/


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LCWRSIGN ONs &

Letters

Upcoming Showings

Smithsonian-International Galleryin the Dillon Ripley CenterWashington, DCJanuary 15 - April 25, 2010

Maltz Museum of Jewish HeritageBeachwood, Ohio (outside o Cleveland)May 9 - August 28, 2010

Update is an ocial publication o the LeadershipConerence o Women Religious published monthly anddistributed to members nationally.

Editor: Annmarie Sanders, IHM8808 Cameron Street Silver Spring, MD 20910Phone: 301-588-4955 Fax: 301-587-4575E-mail: [email protected]. Website:www.lcwr.org

Update

A Pax Christi USA letter to President Obama ask-ing or specic commitment to reducing the role onuclear weapons in US national security strategywas signed by Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA, LCWRpresident

Two letters drated by members o the ReligiousWorking Group (RWG) on water were signed byMarie Lucey, OSF, associate director or social mis-sion, who represents LCWR in the RWG. A letter to the White House Council on Envi-

ronmental Quality, the EPA, and the PentagonCivil Works asking these groups to take action

to prevent mountaintop removal A letter to the chair o the House Transporta-

tion and Inrastructure Committee to urgeco-sponsorship o the Clean Water ProtectionAct o 2010 (HR 1310), and bringing it to ullcommittee

A letter to members o the House and Senate oppos-ing the Iran sanctions legislation as written becauseit would be harmul to the Iranian people and limitthe Presidents ability to conduct Iran policy.

Statue of Liberty National Monument/Ellis IslandImmigration MuseumNew YorkSeptember 24, 2010 - January 22, 2011

Mississippi River MuseumDubuque, IowaFebruary - April 2011

Center for HistorySouth Bend, IndianaSeptember 2 - December 31, 2011

NRRO Offers Planning and Implementa-tion Assistance Programs

Religious institutes interested in exploring waysto more adequately und its elder care costs maywant to consider participation in the Planning and

Implementation Assistance program o the NationalReligious Retirement Oce.

Workshops are scheduled through 2015. Althoughthe 2010 workshops are lled, institutes are welcometo submit an application or 2011 or beyond. Furtherinormation, an application orm, and a list o utureworkshop dates are available at www.usccb.org/nrro/planning.shtml.
http://www.lcwr.org/http://www.lcwr.org/http://www.usccb.org/nrro/planning.shtmlhttp://www.usccb.org/nrro/planning.shtmlhttp://www.usccb.org/nrro/planning.shtmlhttp://www.usccb.org/nrro/planning.shtmlhttp://www.lcwr.org/http://www.usccb.org/nrro/planning.shtml


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LCWR Update April 2010 page 8Upcoming LCWR Dates

LCWR AssemblyDallas, Texas

August 10 14, 2010

LCWR Leading from Within RetreatSan Pedro Spiritual Retreat Center

Winter Park, FLJanuary 16 23, 2011

LCWR New Leader WorkshopConference Center - University of St. Mary of the Lake

Mundelein, IllinoisMarch 24 27, 2011

LCWR AssemblyGarden Grove, California

August 9 13, 2011

LCWR AssemblySt. Louis, Missouri

August 7 11, 2012

Documents

April 2010 Leadership Conference of Women Religious Newsletter