Shalom International Meeting in Guam
By Sister Marinez Capra, SSND, (former) International Shalom Coordinator
Women representing the five branches of the SSND Shalom International Network joined the SSND UN-NGO Coordinator, the International Shalom Coordinator, and the Shalom/UN General Council Contact in Guam July 22-28 for dialogue, planning, and evaluation of our collective efforts to promote justice, peace, and integrity of creation throughout the global congregation.
Participants included: Sr. Maria-Theresia Knippschild (Germany) – Europe Shalom Branch Representative; Sr. Francine Perez (Guam) – Asia and Oceania Shalom Branch Representative; Sr. Marinez Capra (Brazil) – International Shalom Network Coordinator; Ms. Colleen Kammer (USA) – North America Shalom Branch Representative; Sr. Marcela Paola Baliñio (Argentina) – Latin America and the Caribbean Shalom Branch Representative; Sr. Carolyn Anyega (Kenya) – General Council Shalom/UN-NGO Contact; Sr. Beatriz Martinez-Garcia (USA) – SSND Representative at the UN-NGO; and Sr. Sara Tanjo (Sierra Leone) – Representing the Africa Shalom Branch.
Encouraging reports of how Shalom is being carried out at the local, national, provincial, and branch levels by sisters, associates, Shalom Clubs, and ministry partners were shared, as were an accounting of the sobering issues and challenges faced in each region. Sr. Beatrice provided an update on our SSND United Nations-NGO engagements and Sr. Carolyn shared congregational realities related to Shalom. Three outside speakers provided additional insights: Br. Rodrigo De Castro, from the Churches and Mining Network; Br. Elvis Ng’andwe, from the Africa Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN); and Sr. Sheila Kinsey, from Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.
Reflecting upon all we had heard, the signs of the times, You Are Sent, the Call and Acts of the 25th General Chapter, and our SSND Laudato Si’ Commitment, the group utilized the “Conversation in the Spirit” method to surface what we would include in the Shalom Focus and Commitments for 2024-2027. This document provides Shalom Network animators with a framework and direction for their collaborative efforts for the next three years. Take a look!
“Only what is named exists”
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, SSND, UN-NGO Representative
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo became Mexico’s first female president on October 1. In her inaugural speech, she said: “Only what is named exists” to encourage everyone to use inclusive language to make sure we don’t forget about the important role girls and women have played and play in Mexico’s history.
The phrase “only what is named exists” caught my attention. I found a similar statement by the literary theorist and philosopher, George Steiner who said, “What is not named does not exist.” These statements help me to understand the power of words to include or exclude people or facts from existing.
On September 23-24, world leaders at the Summit of the Future adopted the Pact for the Future, including a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. The Pact covers a lot of different issues, including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and transforming global governance.
I want to highlight that this is the first time a UN document has included the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in Action 55 of the Pact for the Future. This is a big step forward for FBOs, which are now recognized as a distinct group beyond the general term “other stakeholders.” It’s a historic moment, marking the essential role of the faith community in tackling global challenges, particularly in promoting sustainable development and social cohesion. In our search for the common good, can you name who or what is still not named?
What Could be the Girls’ Vision for the Future?
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, SSND, UN-NGO Representative
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his message on the International Day of the Girl (IDG), said that girls’ lives are restricted, and their choices are limited. They are twice as likely as boys to miss out on education and one in five girls is married before age 18. He added that we need to educate girls and give them the resources and opportunities to participate and lead.
The Working Group on Girls and its sponsors hosted the 11 Days of Action virtual campaign and the Girls Speak Out! event. The latter is run by girls for girls. Our students from the Academy of Holy Angels (New Jersey, USA) joined other participants to discuss what matters to them, from concerns and dreams to achievements, challenges and visions for a better future. Our students from Notre Dame High School (Missouri, USA) participated in this event online. Again, this year, School Sisters of Notre Dame co-sponsored the 11 Days of Action virtual campaign.
In preparation for the commemoration of the IDG, girls reflected on the theme Girls’ Vision For The Future by completing the following statements: If we had access to ____, girls in my community could ___; If girls in my community had gender equality, we would ___. The fight for girls’ rights needs me because ____. Girls expressed their responses with art, poetry, short videos, songs, drawings, and dance, which were displayed during the 11 Days of Action, and at the Girls Speak Out! And you, what do you think the Girls’ future vision is?
Living in Communion and Respect with Creation
By Connie P. Guerrero, SSND Associate, Central Pacific Province (Guam)
“We strive to be credible witnesses of universal communion through deepening our efforts to live as an intercultural faith community of one mind and one heart.”Call of the 25th General Chapter
Lucy Baranza
I was privileged to attend the Asia-Oceania Shalom Branch meeting in Japan this summer, from July 30 – August 7, 2024. Through the prayerful support of Sr. Marinez Capra, Sr. Beatriz Martinez-Garcia and Sr. Carolyn Anyega, Japan and Guam were given the opportunity to examine and reflect on what they believe are their priority issues. We examined our personal and communal way of life, in the spirit of synodality, listening, and discerning. We co-create practices that challenge, painfully share and unite us. Ultimately, we recommitted ourselves to be Shalom and live Shalom.
One of our recommitments is ongoing education that transforms. I would like to share with you an amazing SSND Associate kindergarten educator at Mercy Heights Catholic Nursery & Kindergarten, a facility owned and operated by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in Tamuning, Guam. Lucy Baranza teaches 25 kindergarten students including my granddaughter, Alaia. Lucy is a very good example of being a credible witness through her ministry as an educator. I was amazed when my granddaughter showed me Lucy’s lesson plan for the month of September. It included topics that we encourage each other to include in our daily life. Imagine sitting in a classroom with 4 to 6-year-old children involved in a prayer service and focusing on topics such as Care for the Earth, Meatless Tuesday, Prayer for All Victims of Abuse, Immigration, Nonviolence, “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, and Share a Snack Day!
Why Not Adopt a Simple Lifestyle?
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia, SSND, UN-NGO Representative
UN Climate Action emphasized that fossil fuels are by far the largest contributors to global climate change, accounting for more than 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Greenpeace listed some reasons why the fossil fuel industry must be dismantled. Fossil fuel companies are damaging our climate, causing air and water pollution, and not treating workers fairly. They are misleading the public about the climate threat and attacking solutions while raking in tax breaks. Today, could you imagine how our society will handle daily life without fossil fuel-derived products?
Reading the article How Does Deforestation Affect Climate Change? helped me to see that fossil fuels are not the only cause of climate change and/or global warming. Deforestation, which is caused by indiscriminate logging to create agricultural land, to make way for urban development and mining, and for paper production, is greatly contributing to global warming, ocean acidification, and changes in weather patterns, the water cycle, and the quality of life.
Given the negative impact of deforestation and our reliance on oil, natural gas, and coal have on the health of our planet, what is ours to do? As a Laudato Si’ Congregation, we are committed to living simply, responsibly and sustainably. Our Constitution states that “we endeavor to live simply in fact and in spirit.” (YAS, C 15) How can we use products derived from oil, gas and coal sustainably? Can we plan and take action in our local communities, families and places of work?
Giving Thanks and Moving Forward
By Tim Dewane, Shalom International Network Coordinator
Thanks and appreciation to Sr. Marinez Capra for all her work these past several years on behalf of the congregation and the Shalom International Network. Her efforts to animate and support our work for justice, peace, and care for God’s creation, and to bring us ever more together, especially during a global pandemic, will not be forgotten. Obrigado, Marinez!
I am humbled and honored to follow in the footsteps of Sr. Marinez and step into the role of Coordinator for the Shalom International Network. My journey with SSND began 26 years ago when I was named the Shalom/JPIC Coordinator for the (then) Milwaukee Province. In 2015, I transitioned to become the Shalom/JPIC Coordinator for the Central Pacific Province. Along the way, I served as the Shalom North America Branch Rep for a number of years, meeting sisters from throughout our global congregation at Shalom International gatherings in Cape Coast, Ghana; São Paulo, Brazil; Rome, Italy; and Munich, Germany. Some say I was born for this ministry, given my birthday is December 10, International Human Rights Day. I look forward to learning more about and supporting all the ways our sisters, associates, Shalom Clubs, and ministry partners embrace our commitment to justice, peace, and care for our common home in the SSND spirit of Shalom.
I am a lay male, married to Nancy (for 36 years!). We have four adult children – Tony (32), Megan (32), Alex (31), and Adam (28). While I will continue to live in the United States and work from there much of the time, I will spend several months of the year in Rome at the Generalate to participate and collaborate with the various groups SSND has a relationship. Regardless of my location, you can reach me anytime via email (shalom@ssndroma.orgor WhatsApp (+1 262 492 0705).
In Memoriam – Sister M. Krisztina Vargacz
(December 25, 1948 – June 26, 2024)
From 1995 to 1997, Sr. Krisztina Vargacz (Hungary), served with Sr. Margaret Mattare (USA) as the first Coordinators of the Shalom International Network. Krisztina entered the Congregation in 1967 and took her first vows in 1969. She was a teacher of math and physics. After the Soviet Union collapsed and the political regime change took place in Hungary, Krisztina reopened our school in Szeged together with two other SSNDs. Once her time serving as Shalom Coordinator concluded, she returned home to become the principal in Szeged. Krisztina led an eventful life, and lived what she said, “There is always something to do, someone to help.”
Shalom/UN-NGO Newsletter is a publication of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
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