Building the Beloved Community

Our goal is to create a beloved community and
this will require a qualitative change in our souls
as well as a quantitative change in our lives.
~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In keeping with Catholic Social Teaching, we believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

Our call to care for one another across differences, across borders, acknowledging that every human person is made in the image of God underlies all our work including welcoming the stranger, working alongside the poor, and environmental justice. Here are a few additional areas of special concern.

Antiracism

The Sisters of Saint Joseph are committed to the ongoing work of eradicating the sin of racism in our world, and in ourselves. We are exploring and responding to the unconscious racism in ourselves as individuals, as a religious congregation and as partners in ministry. We recognize that these unconscious biases can influence our attitudes and our choices in very subtle, yet powerful ways. Our goal is to create a structure that would support practices that would better equip us to recognize and eradicate racism when we encounter it. We know we cannot do this alone. The work of racial justice is all of our work in order to bring about the beloved community.

Learn

Visit: The Harriet Tubman National Historic Park in Auburn, NY

Read:

Learn about White Supremacy in Christianity with Network Lobby’s 4-part series: What is White Christian Nationalism, with Fr. Bryan Massingale & Robert Jones

Just Faith offers several small group programs aimed at undoing racism in our communities and in ourselves.

“1619” is a New York Times audio series that examines the long shadow of American slavery. For more information about the series, visit nytimes.com/1619podcast.

Watch: And Then They Came for Us, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII.

And: Ugly History, Japanese-American Incarceration Camps

The Land Is Not Our Own: Seeking Repair Alongside Indigenous Communities is another Just Faith program that inspires and equips people of faith to stand alongside Native communities in working for justice and repair.

TED talk by photographer, Aaron Huey: America's native prisoners of war

Discern

Take the 21-day Ignatian Racial Equity Challenge developed by the Ignatian Solidarity Network. Pray with what you discover.

Human Trafficking

From the USCCB: “Human trafficking violates the sanctity, dignity, and fundamental rights of the human person. The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons defines it as "the recruitment, transportation, harboring or receipt of persons by means of force, fraud or coercion…for the purpose of exploitation." According to the U.S. State Department, human trafficking appears in "many guises", often taking the form of commercial sexual exploitation, the prostitution of minors, debt bondage, and involuntary servitude. The United States government, and increasingly the international community, utilize the umbrella term "trafficking in persons" to define all forms of modern slavery.” www.usccb.org/offices/migration-refugee-services/human-trafficking

SSJ Public Statement on Human Trafficking

We, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Rochester, whose mission is one of unity and reconciliation, corporately proclaim our opposition to Human Trafficking in all its forms, which demeans human beings and keeps them from achieving their potential.

We commit ourselves to:

  • Continue to educate ourselves about this issue

  • Raise public awareness of the enormity of the problem

  • Collaborate with others in addressing the root cause

  • Work with and support those who advocate and minister directly to its victims.

Some Resources: