Week of

SCC Assembly Action Response 

81 notes or letters have been written by sisters to migrant detainees at our assembly last weekend!  In addition, 17 sisters signed up to be pen pals. Congratulations and thank you for reaching out with some comfort and promise of prayer to those who are suffering at our borders.  Sr. Graciela will deliver the notes to First Friends and will follow up with those who signed up to be pen pals with directives on that initiative. The SCC circle of influence has increased exponentially!  Thank you to all who participated and also to those who donated diapers or wipes for the families at the Passaic Neighborhood Women’s Center. 

As we pray for all those who have died during this month let us remember especially those who have died on the journey north to freedom. Let us pray for all those who are forced to flee in search of safety, freedom, and security. And let us plead with God to open the borders of our hearts and our land to those most in need.

Internationally-recognized immigration attorney Susan Cohen has released “Looking for the Angels,” her second music video about the plight of refugees. It tells the story of a boy in Honduras who bids farewell to his grandmother as he prepares to escape his country’s brutal violence. He promises to return one day for his grandmother to bring her to safety. The grandmother’s worst fears are confirmed when she does not hear from him after several weeks. Students from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, including musicians from Central American countries that have been impacted by violence, provided the video’s instrumentation and vocals.  We are encouraged to share the video in order to shed light on how dangerous life is in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, where gang violence is rampant and teenagers who resist joining gangs are targeted. Susan’s previous music video, “Beyond the Borders,” about the plight of a Syrian refugee family, was released last June and also featured students and alumni from the Berklee College of Music.  Let the music move you to pray for the refugees. 

Remembering Dorothy Day 

Dorothy Day’s birthday is Nov. 8th.  Her legacy can be summed up in this quote: “The people are my meeting place with God.”  She truly saw Christ in everyone and spent her life opening houses of hospitality for the homeless and marginalized on the streets of New York.  She prayed for, educated and advocated for the poor. Dorothy lived the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Her vision lives on in the Catholic Worker newspaper which challenges us to focus the light of the gospel on our conscience as we respond to the cries of the poor in our own day.  

Prayer:  Loving God, help us to follow the example of Dorothy Day who cared for the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters. Help us to welcome Christ in the homeless and poor, in the stranger and in those who suffer from physical or mental illness.
 

Action:  Run a food drive for a local pantry or volunteer a few hours at one in your area.  

As a community we belong to the USCSAHT (US Sisters Against Human Trafficking), a collaborative faith-based national network that offers education, supports access to survivor services and engages in advocacy to eradicate modern day slavery. Go to www.stopenslavement.org to read the November newsletter which highlights the situation of women in human trafficking.  Sr. Joann Marie has done a few presentations on Human Trafficking. She has presented for ACS, St. Mary’s Parish in Closter, St. James Religious Formation Program and for other groups.  Contact Sister if you are interested in having her speak to a group you are working with.  

Don’t forget to send pictures with a short article or blurb of SCCs doing justice to: patriceowens1951@gmail.com
for our quarterly newsletter. Please and thank you!