Dominican Alliance Justice, Peace, and Care of Creation Meeting

From May 19-21 the Dominican Alliance Justice, Peace, and Care of Creation Promoters met in Springfield, Illinois for their annual meeting. Saturday was spent on Jubilee Farm where Sharon Therese Zayac, OP shared her vast knowledge and wisdom as she spoke about sustainability, GMOs, and water issues. We kept asking ourselves about the implications for all of this in our Dominican lives, as we continue to take up the effort of justice in a balance of study, prayer, preaching, and right relationships.

On Sunday we attended to the Dominican Call to Action items: Iraq, Immigration, Human Trafficking, and Ecology. Our annual meeting is always a rich time of associations and collaboration. We will connect again in Adrian at the NAJPCC meeting planned for July 22-26, 2006.

WATER: THIRSTING FOR JUSTICE

The Religious Orders Partnership: Partnership for Global Justice annual meeting was held at Holy Family Catholic Church and the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, April 27-29, 2006. Fifteen Dominican women were among the 115 participant. Key note speakers and panelists presented current issues, research, and actions regarding water. Such topics as water sovereignty, equity, conservation, and the spirituality of water were offered. Speakers at the UN spoke of the gender issue connected with water, privatization of water, cost effectiveness of desalination, water as commodity, as well as environment protection and sustainability. Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, of the Green Belt Movement, Kenya, Africa was recipient of ROP’s Third Annual Justice Award.. The Conference ended with a four hour tour of the Hudson River, where the ecology, history, stories, music, and art of the area were explored.

IRAQ CALL- IN DAY

Congress is beginning to challenge the direction of U.S. policy in Iraq. The House has attached language to the supplemental funding legislation that would restrict negotiations for permanent construction projects that might lead to permanent bases.

Help flood the Senate with phone calls on Monday, April 24th. Ask your Senators to sponsor an amendment that states "it is policy of the U.S. to establish no permanent military bases in Iraq".

You can call the capitol switchboard toll-free at # 1-800-620-4394.

APRIL, 2006

DATES TO OBSERVE WITH PRAYER AND ACTION DURING APRIL

April 7th World Health Day




April 14th Good Friday




April 16th Resurrection Sunday




April 22nd International Earth Day








April 25th Arbor Day









April 30th Vietnam War Ends

Justice for Immigrants Program

The US Catholic bishops have initiated a program called the “Justice for Immigrants Program” which is a response to recent legislation and media focus against immigrants in our country. Since many of us now work with the immigrant community, we encourage you to read about and support this program. There is a web-site that is easy to access and extremely informative:www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

Please take a moment to click on this link; it will give solid information about the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform. Immigrants in the United States, especially those who are undocumented because they are unable to apply for legal status, are the people on the margins in our country today. By studying and becoming informed about this issue—and by contacting our U.S. senators and representatives—we can do something positive to improve the lives and the status of the women and men in the immigrant community today. Thank you
Source: Srs. Kathleen Ryan, Ann Clennon, and Jane Ann Beckman (Dominican Literacy Center, Aurora, IL)

Dates to Observe with Prayer and Action during February

Feb. 1-29 Gandhi-King Season
Feb. 2 Presentation
Feb. 4 Send a Peace Message Week
Feb. 11 World Day of the Sick
Feb. 12 NAACP founded, 1909
Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day
Feb. 15 Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday, 1820
Feb. 18 Quakers, the first to formally protest Slavery - 1688
Feb. 20 Presidents Day
Feb. 20 Frederic Douglas, Statesman & Abolitionist, died 1895
Feb. 21 Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 1948

Iraq Lobby Days in District

The members of the Iraq Coordinating Committee are planning lobby days from January 17-20th in each district where Dominicans reside. They are currently writing a new Position Statement on Iraq which will highlight our connection to the Dominican Family in Iraq.

There will be a call for:
* Time-line for withdrawal of U.S. military
* UN peacekeeping force to go to Iraq
* Fulfillment of US responsibility for reconstruction in Iraq
* Withdrawal of US bases from Iraq
* Fully sovereign Iraqi Government

There will aslo be a reference regarding the freedom of religion in the area.