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.

“FRATELLI TUTTI”. With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother “as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him.” In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.
Read the encyclical ‘On Fraternity and Social Friendship.’

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.

Some resources:

Read Open Wide Our Heart: the enduring call to love, a pastoral letter against racism and the Open Wide Our Hearts Study Guide

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

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: