 |
| Photos |
|
|
Everything I Did Turned Into Song!
In preparing for Sister Ellen Joyce’s closing celebration of her
years of leadership in the Southern Province, Sister Kathleen Quigley wrote
her first piece of music. She and (Sr.) Kathy Hunter put one of Sr. Ellen’s
favorite scripture passages to music for all to sing: "My food is to do the
will of Him who sent me." Sensing a good connection, the two musicians began
to play for retreats at Maris Stella and write music together.
Sr. Kathy Quigley then moved to Amory, Mississippi to work in pastoral
ministry with Sr. Marie Gilligan. It was during her nineteen years there
that her composing flourished. "Everything I did, every poor family I
visited, turned into a song" – and easily connected to a passage from
scripture. From that time she has written and produced seven tapes and CD’s
and is about to publish her eighth.
The people of Amory were "people of the earth, simple people … surrounded by
cotton fields, wheat fields, embedded in the earth!" The ambience
surrounding Amory and Sr. Kathy’s enthusiastic love for music led to
developing a music ministry for St. Helen Catholic Church, including a
recording choir for her CD’s which expanded to include members of other
Christian churches in the area. Sr. Ellen Joyce, whose celebration led to
her start in composition, believed artists should be encouraged and provided
the start-up money for the recording. The people of St. Helen’s and Sr.
Marie Gilligan provided the support and involvement that made it a reality.
Sr. Kathy’s family joins her in enthusiasm and talent . She taught her
nieces and nephew instruments when they were young and they will be part of
her new recording. It is a family heritage – Kathy’s father recorded at one
time and her mother’s German family had musical talent. Her brother, Joe,
loves to sing, though his children think he sings a little too loudly in
church! One of those children, Annie, encouraged by Sr. Kathy when she was
young, is now a teaching artist in musical drama.
The writing of music is the easy part, claims Sr. Kathy. Production –
interfacing choirs, arrangements, a recording studio – laying down different
tracks one at a time is the hard work. This means adding instruments along
with melody, bass, and keyboard. She writes the melody and harmony. The
musicians recording on a variety of instruments, the "undersounds,"
improvise. Liz Mancinelli, who often plays the piano for Sister of Charity
liturgies, works with Sr. Kathy as the arranger of the musical parts.
As technical as this becomes, one wonders how does a composer begin? What is
the inspiration? What is the driving force? Sr. Kathy lets you know quickly
that it flows from her "intuitive part." Quite often she wakes up in the
middle of the night with a sense of music within her, and she goes to the
keyboard, impelled to write, to "let it come out." It is for her a religious
experience. She sees this as a special gift from God, a mystery with the
rhythm of poetry which just appeared one day and has become a driving force.
As a Sister of Charity, she sees her music as a way to invite others to
share in the mystery of God’s love, quickly adding, "Every song represents a
part of my spiritual journey."
Her return to New Jersey from the simple atmosphere of rural Mississippi
opened her to a frenetic life that was not always conducive to writing
music, but now she is beyond that and ready to produce another album. "It is
good to be able to write again in New Jersey. It means I’m home," says Sr.
Kathy.
Music is Sr. Kathy Quigley’s way of evangelization, her way of proclaiming
God and engaging others in the wonders that God’s love holds forth. Her
students at Marylawn readily affirm this and celebrate the wonders of prayer
in music with Sister Kathy, often teaching her new sounds, new expressions,
new phrasing to speak the wonders of God’s presence in the world. Yes, all
around her everything turn into song each day!
Sister Barbara Garland
A Hands On Journey with the Poor
Sister Maryanne Tracey is a woman of many talents. This woman of charity
from Jersey City never expected that her journey would bring her to work
among and with the homeless in Elizabeth. Since 2004, Sr. Maryanne has been
fulfilling her ministry as the Director of the Hospitality House Program at
The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless. In this position, Sr.
Maryanne is able to draw upon the skills she acquired during her many years
in school as teacher and administrator and working with various groups of
people. She now brings extensive experience and skills to the position of
Director.
During her 42 years as a Sister of Charity, Sr. Maryanne has ministered as
teacher, principal and fundraiser in elementary schools in Waterbury, CT,
Jamaica Plain, MA, Hasbrouck Heights, Saint Peter’s and Saint Aloysius,
Jersey City and in Saint Joseph of the Palisades High School.
In 1993, the Congregation asked Sr. Maryanne to consider the position of
Vocation Director for the Sisters of Charity, and she served in this
position for ten years. After a period of sabbatical time and discernment
around the Vincentian charism, and having a great desire to serve the poor
in a "hands-on" experience, Sr. Maryanne embraced the ministry at the
Coalition. The mission of the Coalition is in sync with the Mission of the
Sisters of Charity and our Vincentian roots. The Director of the Coalition,
Linda Flores-Tober, is delighted to have Sr. Maryanne on staff because she
brings energy, passion, and a variety of gifts to her position.
Sr. Maryanne values her opportunity to be involved in direct service to the
poor. She also recognizes and states that "my biggest challenge in working
directly with the poor and the homeless is to be part of their world. I get
frustrated with the system, especially in trying to find affordable housing,
and trying to deal with all the "red" tape. Speaking on behalf of the poor
is a daily challenge." In Sr. Maryanne’s words: "affordable housing is an
oxymoron: there is no affordable housing."
Sr. Maryanne wears a number of hats in her position. She is Director of the
Hospitality House Program, oversees the Children’s Program, monitors
Volunteers, and is Managing Coordinator. Among Sr. Maryanne’s duties are
advocating for a living wage for parents, gaining entry to schools for the
children and monitoring their attendance so that it is consistent, and
working with families on budgets so they learn to save for the future.
What is the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless?
This Coalition was established in 1981 in response to the mounting needs of
homeless families and individuals in Union County. The Coalition has helped
thousands of homeless and near homeless persons to gain shelter, rental
assistance, rent subsidies and secure permanent housing. The agency’s
mission is to provide an opportunity for safe, decent housing, to treat all
clients with dignity and respect, and to speak on behalf of the clients and
their rights. The clients advocate for themselves as well.
The program has four major components:
Advocacy: provides services for individuals and families who are in need of
emergency housing assistance and shelter placement. The Coalition helps
individuals and families receive the assistance to which they are entitled.
Organizing: The Coalition is constantly working on a grassroots community
level to struggle against increasing homelessness and address the problem of
the lack of affordable housing. There are also efforts around the Work First
New Jersey welfare issues.
Children’s Program: This program provides after school tutoring and other
educational, recreational and group support activities for homeless children
who are 6-12 years old. Advocacy work is also done to ensure that all
homeless children obtain their right to an education.
Hospitality House Program: Transitional housing is provided to those who
qualify and accept the program model. There are limited openings in this
program. This program runs in the tradition of the hospitality houses
started by Dorothy Day. The families are housed in an apartment-like setting
in three houses: Helen’s House, Ryan’s House, and Joanie’s House. Families
are assisted with their needs with the goal of returning to permanent
housing.
A community of support has been built with Saint Joseph’s Social Service
Center program which provides food, clothing, medicine and counseling. It
also provides meals at a soup kitchen on Saturdays.
Where do the Sisters of Charity fit into this picture?
Sr. Maryanne has applied for and received Ministry Grants from the Sisters
of Charity. She utilized these grants to provide family centered activities
such as: "The Family Life Enrichment Program" and "Peacemaking and Cultural
Enrichment through the Arts". Trips to the New Jersey Performing Arts
Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the circus, and the Jersey shore for a
retreat were also included.
Socials for Halloween, trips to baseball games, Thanksgiving Dinner and a
Family Night with a DJ and dancing have also been held. The family retreat,
held at Maris Stella, was attended by parents and children. Sr. Catherine
Morrisett worked with the parents and Sr. Maryanne Tracey worked with the
children. For many of these families, it was the first time they had ever
seen the ocean. These opportunities have helped to enrich the lives of the
families and to build community living skills.
Sr. Maryanne is working directly with the homeless and economically poor.
Her ministry and activities are concrete examples of the 1995 Vision
Statement that states, as Sisters of Charity we "strive to make life more
human".
Collaboration and networking are the key to success!
One of Sr. Maryanne’s most valuable assets is her ability to network and
collaborate with the Sisters of Charity, Seton Associates, colleagues,
friends and relatives. Sr. Maryanne is not shy about reaching out to those
who may be able to assist her in her ministry and more importantly to help
the families.
A series of four workshops on Parenting were held and directed by Ellen
Casey Magarelli, a social worker and former member of Sr. Maryanne’s band.
John Tracey, Maryanne’s brother, taught photography classes to the children.
Cameras were purchased and the children took photos of things from a
different perspective in order to help them to "think out of the box". It
was a way to teach different kinds of learning skills and to preserve
memories.
Many volunteers have come to the Coalition to assist with cleaning,
painting, and repairs, e.g., the Girl Scouts and parents from Berkeley
Heights, the Catholic Work Heart Camp group who came to help during some of
the hottest days of the summer, the Rotary International, and parish
supporters from Saint Helen’s in Westfield.
Seton Associates are women and men who share in the mission and spirit of
the Congregation. Seton Associates from the Ocean County area assisted in
setting up the new hospitality house. Their support and assistance was
invaluable as was their time and talent. A Seton Associate, Patricia Conk,
is a member of the Coalition’s Board.
Many Sisters of Charity have collaborated and networked with Sr. Maryanne in
her ministry. The networking between and among the Sisters who minister in
Elizabeth is outstanding. Sr. Marion Scranton, Trinitas Hospital, and Sr.
Judy Mertz and Josephine’s Place have participated in a Health Fair. Women
from the transitional housing participated in "Ladies’ Night Out" at
Josephine’s Place. Sr. Charitina, Principal of Saint Anthony’s School, has
been very supportive in providing placement for children from the homeless
families. Saint Mary’s and Saint Patrick’s High Schools have worked with Sr.
Maryanne to place the students of high school age. Although only one Sister
of Charity is engaged in this ministry on a daily basis, the presence of the
Sisters of Charity is there in many different ways.
Students from the Service Club of Mother Seton Regional High School donated
money for kitchen supplies for one of the transitional houses. These young
women also tutor in the afternoon Children’s Program. Sr. Mary Anne Katlack,
the director of the Service Club, also tutors in this program. Graduates of
the College of Saint Elizabeth are well represented. Among these are Sr.
Maryanne, Linda Flores-Tober, who is the Director, Pat Conk, Seton
Associate, and Ellen Casey Magarelli, a former member. A current CSE student
is an intern at the Coalition and five graduates of the College also
volunteer.
Fundraising! Everyone’s Favorite Activity
Fundraising is a necessary part of life today for not for profit
organizations. This is also true for the Coalition. Each January the
Coalition hosts a basketball classic. This year was the 14th annual classic.
Sr. Maryanne’s talk that had been delivered on a previous occasion:
"Everyone Loves a Success Story", was included in the souvenir journal. The
following is an adapted version of the story as told by Sr. Maryanne: "As
coordinator of the Hospitality House Program it is a privilege for me to
walk with people at one of the most difficult times in their lives. Yet, at
the same time, I have the joy of watching them grow and unravel the
different situations in their lives that have made them homeless. This is
the story of one family who have two daughters who were the first family to
move into the new Hospitality House-Joanie’s House. They are now scheduled
to move into their own place in January, 2008. The mother and daughters
arrived as political asylees, following the husband/father who already had
his legal status. It was very difficult since the husband was studying and
did not have work nor an adequate place in which to receive them. The
husband eventually connected with the Elizabeth Coalition and St. Joseph’s
and ever since, they have benefited from all their services and programs,
which they offer to distressed families. Because of all the services and
benefits that these two agencies offered, the family has learned to share
and become more united.
This family has not only received but they have also given back to both
agencies. Last year, when we had a fair for the homeless, the mother who was
a beautician in her country gave free haircuts to the homeless who came for
services. When a family vacates a house the mother cleans it for the next
family. While we are sad to see them move, we rejoice with this family as
they become more independent and are able to establish themselves in their
new country." This is truly a success story – a story of empowering people
to become self-sufficient, which is part of the Mission of the Coalition.
Sr. Maryanne’s ministry incorporates the Commitments of the Sisters of
Charity in many and varied ways especially in the concern for the poor, in
fidelity to the passion and vision of our founders and through the lens of
the common good. We are called to make Reverence for Earth an integral part
of our daily living, our spirituality, our ministries, and our use of
Congregational resources. Part of the educational component at the Coalition
is providing workshops and discussions on water, climate, and recycling – to
make people aware of reverence for earth and better use of resources.
Sr. Maryanne is happy in her daily ministry in spite of the many challenges.
When asked what motivates her, she stated that "the greatest gift and her
inspiration is the staff of the Coalition which consists of Sisters from
three different religious Congregations: Charity, Mercy and Benedictine and
many committed and dedicated laity." This position has also allowed her to
be creative with programming and to bring to birth new ideas that will
enrich the lives of the people whom she serves.
We, as Sisters of Charity committed to the charism of charity, are
challenged to be prophetic both individually and as a religious
congregation. At the 2007 General Assembly we accepted the challenge to be a
prophetic congregation, a community of women who speak the truth in love, by
focusing on the three themes which emerged: Spirituality and Charism,
Mission and Ministry and Reverence for Earth. As Sisters of Charity we are
called to a life of giving of our talents, our resources, ourselves, without
condition and without reservation. This charism of charity grows, evolves
and comes alive in each Sister of Charity and Seton Associate
Our mission is supported and nourished by prayer and vowed life in
community. Sr. Maryanne Tracey lives and breathes this Mission every day in
her ministry. She has a great ability to balance her time between Sabbath,
relaxation, ministry and prayer. This woman of charity spreads a love that
is on fire and draws others into the same wonderful mission.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways to share gifts and resources.
You might ask yourself: how can I help? Here are a few suggestions from Sr.
Maryanne’s Wish List: Tutor in the Children’s Program; donate household
products: paper towels, etc., sheets – single, double size; towel sets, and
food gift cards.
Sister Mary Morley
St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center: 140 Years of Top Quality Care
Continues
Anniversary celebrations provide an opportunity not only to give
thanks for the past, but also to force an institution to project how it will
use the experience of the past to continue the ministry and to move the
Mission forward. Saint Joseph’s Regional Medical Center celebrated its 140th
Anniversary during 2007 and, in its anniversary book, states that "St.
Joseph’s will continue to maintain our long-standing commitment to providing
top quality health care to all who enter our doors."
The Mission Statement can be seen in all the facilities that encompass St.
Joseph’s Healthcare System: "the Mission of Saint Joseph’s Healthcare
System. . .is to render quality health care. . .with a special concern for
the poor and underserved."
In addition to the importance of the Mission, St. Joseph’s emphasizes that
certain core values further define their convictions and beliefs and are the
catalysts behind all efforts: Dignity, Justice, Excellence, and Stewardship.
St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center is justifiably proud of its 140 year
history of success and total commitment to meeting the health care needs of
all "who enter our doors."
"The mission is clear and unchanged. As we look forward to another 140
years, it is clear that health care will continue with a greater emphasis on
patient satisfaction, technology, medical education, research and charity
care." (Sr. Jacqueline Burns, Chairperson of the Boards of Trustees of St.
Joseph’s Healthcare System).
"Founded in 1867, when the population of Paterson did not exceed thirty
thousand residents, the hospital of Saint Joseph grew out of the very needs
of the time. Paterson was an industrial centre and demands for a shelter for
the disabled became increasingly apparent. Mother Mary Xavier was requested
to send a corps of Sisters to open a hospital in the city of Paterson. On
September 8, 1867, a modest frame house was dedicated as Saint Joseph
Hospital with a total of twelve patient beds. The hospital was cared for by
four Sisters. . ." (Sr. Mary Agnes Sharkey – The New Jersey Sisters of
Charity, Volume 3, p. 259)
The commitment of the Sisters of Charity to the mission at St. Joseph’s is
evidenced by the fact that today there are more than thirty Sisters of
Charity ministering in the various areas at the Medical Center and in St.
Joseph’s Healthcare System.
From 102 patients in its first year of operation (1867) to more than 1.3
million patient visits in 2006, St. Joseph’s has continued to evolve as the
leading health resource in the greater Passaic County community, and the
third largest provider of charity care in the state of New Jersey. Those
receiving services are no longer mill workers of Irish, French, Italian and
German heritage. While persons of these ethnic groups are still being
served, many of the new patients are from Hispanic, Asian, African and
Middle Eastern cultures.
Over the years, as the needs grew so, too, did the facilities. It is
interesting to note that "Development" efforts were supported in part by
"The Common Council" of the city that voted a gift of one thousand dollars
for the expansion of the hospital, and employees of various shops and
factories made it a custom of pledging annually for the support of St.
Joseph’s. It was also a common practice of the Sisters to ask for financial
support at the doors of factories and private homes as well as asking for
contributions of food in the local market place.
Commitment to the poor and underserved is not limited to providing for their
basic health care such as physical exams, necessary surgery, and prescribing
medication. St. Joseph’s Healthcare System has been a leading advocate,
especially in Trenton, for providing health insurance and charity care for
thousands of people in the state of New Jersey.
Sr. Jacqueline Burns is on the Board of NJHA (New Jersey Hospital
Association) and represents the interests of the urban hospitals who are
constantly lobbying for the funding necessary for charity care. William Mc
Donald (CEO of St. Joseph’s) is active with the Governor’s office, the
Commissioner of Health and legislators. Through their efforts, and those of
other urban hospitals, the base rate of charity care has been changed so
that the amount of funding is more just. Advocacy efforts, also, included
working with policy makers regarding the poorly funded and managed Medicaid
payment system for hospitals and physicians.
There are many other ways in which St. Joseph’s attends to the needs of the
poor. For Sr. Frances Demarest, Justice is the primary issue. She firmly
believes that St. Joseph’s has to be different from other hospitals. This
difference can be reflected in how decisions are made based not only on
critical financial issues, but on serious ethical issues related to who gets
care and who can afford insurance. Advocacy for healthcare for the working
poor is primary for Sr. Frances. In addition to her regular full-time
position as Administrative Director of Community Medicine, Sr. Frances
spends hours writing grants for the needs of the poor. Last year, through
her efforts, grants totaling $4 million were awarded to St. Joseph’s.
Another aspect of mindfulness of the poor, and quite an extraordinary one,
is the educational preparation of high school students, who are in the lower
income brackets, to assist them into gradually moving into the various areas
of the health fields. Sr. Mary Rose Mitchell, Community Health Educator,
prepares these students by introducing them to the terminology of health
care and prepares them for the pretest for college. She teaches them courses
that prepare them for careers in health care related fields. Through grant
monies, Sr. Mary Rose helps these students to apply for college acceptance
into one of the Community Colleges (Passaic Community and Bergen Community).
In the hospital setting, these students work as aides on some of the floors
and assist in answering phones, making patients comfortable and dealing with
patients’ families. Because of the success of this program, these young
people are guaranteed jobs upon graduation.
Sr. Mary Rose also provides direct service to the residents of the Paterson
community by conducting health fairs three weekends a month. These are held
in churches, schools and even in factories. In 2007, Sr. Mary Rose provided
4,600 screenings through her department. If persons have high readings, they
are directed to see their own physicians (if they have health insurance) or
they may go to the Emergency Room to receive care. Here they will be taken
care of under Charity Care.
In addition, Sr. Mary Rose conducted several eight-week programs in the
Paterson schools where she addressed the problems of obesity among young
people. So much of the work in this department is aimed at being proactive
in the health care needs of the residents in Paterson and the surrounding
community.
Another area which demonstrates a compassionate care for the underserved is
in the Specialty Clinics. Sr. Virginia Thomas is the Coordinator of
Specialty Clinic Pre-Visit Services. Her responsibilities involve assuring
that patients receive the medical insurance to which they are entitled.
Almost all of the patients have Medicaid or Charity Care. Because of the
economic status of most patients, the staff of the Specialty Clinics finds
ways of obtaining financial assistance to purchase medications. A person has
been added to the staff to coordinate these efforts.
The leadership of St. Joseph’s is clear about the Vision: "St. Joseph’s
Healthcare System will be recognized as a leading health care provider of
choice in New Jersey. It will be characterized by the excellence of its
health services, its focus on compassionate care, and a culture of
continuous quality improvement."
It is singular that, as I was completing this article, the Catholic Health
Association sent an invitation to its annual Assembly. The theme is "the
Future of Compassion," and this question is posed: "In the future. . .can
the church’s ministry of healing continue its sacramental presence? Who will
care for the neediest among us? What is the future of compassion?" With the
help of Divine Providence, and the commitment to the Mission, St. Joseph’s
Healthcare System will hopefully see its Vision fulfilled.
Sr. Mary Anne Katlack
The UN NGO Liaison Ministry
Permit me, please, to begin in fairytale fashion - Once upon a time there
was the creation of a new entity, the UN, an organization through which
peoples of the earth could come together. They hoped to arrive at a mutually
agreeable way of living in a peaceful world. With much effort, many
cooperated in bringing the organization into being. In fact, along with the
government groups, various citizen groups across the world, the private
sector began to participate. Thus, began the involvement of Non-Government
Organizations in the life of the UN. For each NGO group (which is the
shorter way to speak of non-government organization people) a representative
of the group became directly involved at the UN. The representatives watch
and observe the activities of the UN. They involved themselves in committees
and sat in on commission meetings thus bringing the peoples perspective to
the table. In that capacity, they served as helpful critics as the
government processes went on. This very quick version of the founding of the
UN and the NGO involvement is meant to be a simple lead in as we move into
our present day involvement with the UN.
As you know, we, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, are part of the
Sisters of Charity Federation in the Vincentian Setonian Tradition, often
referred to as the Federation or the Elizabeth Seton Federation, its prior
name. For UN related material both names will be used until such time when
the new name is approved for official use at the UN, hopefully July, 2008.
The Federation has a NGO representative at the UN who is S. Caroljean
Willie, a Cincinnati Sister of Charity. If her name sounds familiar it is
because she was the speaker at our spring, 2007 Congregation Day.
Caroljean, or Cj as she prefers, maintains a Federation NGO office in NYC
along with our own S. Janet McLaughlin who is the Administrative Assistant
in the NGO Office. They both are at the UN on a regular basis and are
involved in committees and commissions. They interact with other NGO’s at
the UN and bring us the latest information on international issues. For each
congregation in the Federation there is a liaison to the NGO office, which
is where I come in.
The NGO office is in frequent communication with the liaisons. One of its
roles is to bring to the attention of the liaisons the latest information on
matters that require action. Monthly, the office prepares a Federation
Action Alert and its supportive materials and e-mails it to each liaison.
The liaison, in turn, does whatever additional formatting is needed and
moves the message along to the sisters of her congregation. Our congregation
has chosen to send it out as a one page SCAN—Sisters of Charity of Saint
Elizabeth Action Network piece. For easy identification, you will notice
that it differs from other scans in that it has the addition of the
Federation name and seal on it. A postcard format, newsletter format or
whatever communication tool works best may be used by other congregations.
The important thing is to make it easy for the sisters to take action on the
matter.
Who are the liaisons? We are a group of 17 sisters coming from all areas of
the U.S. and Canada. Several of the congregations have missions in other
countries so we actually represent an international grouping. The
congregations that you are most familiar with, all daughters of Mother
Seton, are the Daughters of Charity who represent provinces in Albany, NY;
St. Louis, MO; Emmitsburg, MD; Evansville IN and Los Altos Hills, CA and the
Sisters of Charity of Mt. St. Vincent, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Greensburg, PA;
Halifax NS Canada and Convent Station, NJ. Beyond these the others in the
Vincentian and Setonian tradition are three Canadian congregations from St.
John, NB; Moncton, NB and Attigonish, NS and from Leavenworth, KS; Nazareth,
KY; South Carolina and Pittsburg, PA in our own country. This makes a good
working group when we come together twice a year following the direction set
for us by the Sisters of Charity Federation. One of those times is following
their annual meeting. The second meeting is usually in the fall in NYC after
the NGO/DPI (Department of Public Information) meeting at the UN. Most of
the liaisons make an effort to attend that meeting as it gives us an update
on the status of all the UN activities. However, the 2008 meeting of the
NGO/DPI is sited in Paris (renovation will be going on at the UN building),
so we are now planning how to be in touch in another way next fall.
At other times during the year we have conference calls and e-mail contact.
All of this is to further the work of the UN connection of the Federation.
To be involved in gathering and sharing with these sisters is a most
enriching experience. There is a wealth of experience, ideas, and activities
to share that leads into further actions. How fortunate we are to have such
a network. Congregations who actually have sisters missioned in areas where
needs are occurring provide first hand knowledge for us. We know then what
is really going on and the efforts that are being made to improve the
conditions. This helps us to do what all NGO groups like to do -speak ‘from
the ground’. The UN delegates tell us that it helps them keep on track as
they work through international agreements at the UN. Although the process
is slow the Department of Public Information at the UN always remarks at its
annual meeting that they depend on this interaction of the NGO’s. We are the
voice of the people being heard in the committee work, commissions and
certainly through the extended outreach for actions in each of our
congregations.
Another aspect of the liaison’s role is to provide updates and education on
the workings of the UN and its importance to the world community. In fact
the continued status of the UN connection of the Federation depends on this
ongoing education. Every four years a report is submitted to ECOSOC (the
Economic and Social Council) and it is important to show that our member
congregations are doing this each year. So your reading of this article will
enable our representative, Cj, to complete that report more fully. A few
brief items that have come up might engage your interest.
The 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference held Sept. 5-7, 2007 was on CLIMATE
CHANGE and its theme was Climate Change: How It Impacts Us All. The wealth
of material shared at that meeting was overwhelming. "We must act now to
help reverse devastating effects of climate change," were words that more
than 1, 700 delegates heard at this international conference. Also, the
words"We have a moral imperative to act," and "a radical change of behavior"
were heard. The good news shared is that it is "more possible than ever
before to build a global consensus." It is interesting to see how the
current media reports reflect the work that was done during those few days.
To point this out, I would refer you to a recent article, Nov. 16th, in the
Star Ledger entitled "A Little Time Left on Global Warming." It provided an
alert and introduction to the UN report of the International Panel on
Climate Change. This panel was a winner of the Nobel peace prize along with
Al Gore. The report will have been out in the media by the time you read
this article. It is a continuing topic that will touch us on every side. The
outcomes of this report will hopefully be a major lead into actions that
need to be taken.
Another fact is that each year the UN dedicates the year to a particular
focus. This year it is Violence Prevention. How appropriate it is! The
entire world is putting forth a strong effort to resolve problems that
create the situations we are living through in so many places. And we are
partners in doing that. As a group of liaisons we noted that each of us
needs to better understand the words "adaptation" (making life style
adjustments) and "mitigation" (alleviating the problem) as we approach all
of these topics.
And for your additional information here are some upcoming events at the UN
that you may want to keep abreast of, the Commission Conferences in the
spring;
Social Development February 6-15, 2008
Status of Women February 25–March 7, 2008
Indigenous Issues April 21– May 2, 2008
Sustainable Development May 5-15, 2008
There is also a one day conference entitled "Teaching and Learning in an
Interdependent World" for educators at all levels on Friday, February 1,
2008.
The UN website will give you more information on each of these. As UN
security clearance is needed for all attendees, further information would be
available through the Federation office. (You will need to have the time
available for the full dates given.)
I hope this has been helpful to you and makes your involvement in the
workings of the UN more real. All of this is only a brief bit of information
but I hope it is a taste of what you may make yourself aware of on the UN
website www.un.org. The Federation efforts have an impact on us all as we
educate ourselves and respond as suggested. It is a pleasure to be serving
you in this liaison capacity.
Sr. Elizabeth Cahill
Box 476, Convent Station, NJ 07961 973-290-5345
