Part documentary, part experimental short, "Inherit the Earth" is a poetic encounter with five young people living in Southwest Baltimore. Conceived as a micro-documentary exploring the experience of food insecurity among children in Baltimore’s inner city, this nine-minute film transcends both its original intent and genre to create a quiet meditation on loss and hope within the struggle of urban poverty. Developed by Ascension Health in 2019 and featured in Catholic Health World of the Catholic Health Organization (CHA) this documentary illustrates SSND’s special sensitivity to youth and preference for the poor. It makes the life and context, from which many of the students of our sponsored and co-sponsored ministries come, very real.
This video is a good resource for learning, prayer, engaging Catholic Social Teaching and theological reflection. Total length is 8:46 min. This video is posted with permission of Ascension Health.
Teaching for Change
Building Social Justice in the Classroom
Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write, and change the world. The organization offers professional development, develops lessons, and curates resources to help classroom teachers supplement pre-K–12 curriculum. Click here to access educator resources, books, news and more.
Global Sisters Report
Global Sister’s Report in the Classroom – A project of the National Catholic Reporter
Topics can be found under GSR in the Classroom (upper right in the menu bar of the above page. The topic Race Relations features SSND in two articles:
- Features Sr. Delia Dowling, SSND and Sisters Academy
- Features Marian House
Anti-racism efforts in Ferguson continue
- Features Sister Cathy Doherty, SSND (CP Province) and her ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Louis, MO
Advocating against the Death Penalty
- Features Sister Eileen Reilly, SSND and her advocacy against the death penalty in the US
Helping Migrants ‘returned’ at the US Mexican border
- Features S. Judy Bourg, SSND (CP Province) and her border ministry at the Mexican-American border, in Douglas, southern Arizona.
- Link - Details students' experience at of the sisters’ ministry at the US-Mexico border
- Link - Defines terms
- Link - Details the SSND Mission Awareness Process (MAP)
Catholic Relief Services
Click here to access lessons plans for grades 1-8, developed by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). These lesson plans illustrate a principle of Catholic Social Teaching, weaving in stories of people from different countries who’ve been impacted by CRS’s work. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about Catholic Social Teaching and the realities our brothers and sisters face around the world.
- For additional resources for schools, click here
- For additional resources for universities, click here
- One-page illustrated handouts of the Catholic Social Teaching themes:
AMSSND Values for Ministry resources click here
Open Wide Our Hearts
By: Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, Seattle
A companion to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) 2018 pastoral letter on racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts.” The booklet contains prayers, readings and resources to lead and participate in a four-session process. Each session is 90 minutes, which can also be tailored to meet the needs of its users. The resource also contains additional material concerning the history of racism and events/stories/laws that support our understanding of racism.
There are four themes that each session focuses on:
- Week 1 Individual and systematic racism, why it is sinful and a call to conversion
- Week 2 How racism has impacted Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic and Asian Americans
- Week 3 Exploring “being white” in America, its privileges and the task to end systemic injustice
- Week 4 Moving forward to address and end racism individually, communally, and societally
Purchase a copy here
