ANNUAL MAY CROWNING AT ST. CATHERINE
On Thursday, May 16 the Sisters and Residents of St. Catherine Convent and Health Care Center gathered in prayer for the Crowning of Mary. Three of the Sister residents who will be celebrating their 60th anniversary of religious profession were chosen to assist in this special remembrance. Sisters Anne Marie Lennon, Adrienne Fallon, and Shawn Sheflott took part in the crowning. Sister Rosalee Prew, visiting at St. Catherine’s, joined in the celebration.
Union of International Superiors General

Dominican sisters participate in meeting in Rome
Prioress Lorelle Elcock of the Dominican Sisters of Hope (above right) was among the 800 members of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) who had an audience with Pope Francis May 8 before he appeared in St. Peter’s Square. Sister Lorelle reported the pope was well-received by the global leaders who represent congregations of women religious from around the world. According to the UISG leadership, none of the sisters present could recall the last time a pope met with their general membership.
Sister Gloria Marie Jones (Mission San Jose), also in Rome for the UISG meeting, is pictured below with her “table mates” representing the following congregations: Missionary Sisters of St. Cabrini, Rome; Little Sisters of the Blessed Lady, Zimbabwe; Daughters of Mary, Tanzania; Servants of Mary, Wisconsin; Carmelites, India; Franciscan Missionaries of St. Joseph, Great Britain; Sisters of St. Martha, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. “We reflect such an amazing breadth of theological thought and religious life experience,” said Sister Gloria.
The UISG provides an international forum where leaders of Catholic women religious congregations can share experiences, exchange information and mentor one another. For more information, visit www.uisg.org.
excerpt from domlife.org
NORTH AMERICAN DOMINICAN JUSTICE PROMOTERS SET PRIORITIES
The Dominican Justice Promoters of North America met recently at Grand Rapids, MI to set priorities for 2013-14. Sisters de Montfort Kinchellagh and Pat Daly were in attendance. Priorities for study, judging and action include climate change, economic justice, human trafficking, migration/ immigration and peace and security for all life.( For the full document from the Justice Promoters, click here. )
CALDWELL HOSTS N.J. CATHOLIC HISTORICAL COMMISSION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
On Saturday, April 13, the NJ Catholic Historical Commission held an all-day conference at the Caldwell Motherhouse. Msgr. Francis Seymour, Chairperson of the NJCHC, presided. Presentations by authoritative speakers throughout the day centered around the theme: “The Art of the Printed Word—Historical Book Creation, from Prayer to Preparation to Publication.” Noted speakers included Brian Regan of the Morgan Library, Father Augustine Curley, OSB, Prior and Archivist of the Newark Abbey, Sister Margherita Marchione from Villa Walsh, and Msgr. Raymond Kupke of the Diocese of Paterson. Dr. Alan DeLozier serves as Executive Director of NJCHC. Caldwell’s archivist, Sister Patricia McKearney, served as moderator for the day’s events.
LCWR Statement on Immigration Modernization Act
LCWR posted a statement today on its website regarding the Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (https://lcwr.org/media/lcwr-statement-immigration-modernization-act). The statement reads as follows. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) welcomes the release of S-744, Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 and thanks Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), John McCain (R-AZ), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) for their efforts to craft bi-partisan legislation to fix our nation's broken immigration system. The Senate bill provides hope to our immigrant brothers and sisters and the promise that values that are the bedrock of our national identity will flourish. We applaud provisions in the legislation that would create a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million individuals currently forced into the shadows; clear systemic backlogs that keep families apart; and provide a process for future flow of immigrants that protects the rights and dignity of all. We are particularly pleased that the bi-partisan "Gang of Eight" recognized the special circumstances of our country's DREAMERs and of our brothers and sisters fleeing persecution and violence. "As women of faith we take seriously the gospel call to welcome the stranger and care for those in need. While the bill is not all we hoped for, it is an excellent beginning," said Janet Mock, CSJ, executive director of LCWR." We are concerned about those who may be left behind including: brothers, sisters, and adult children of aspiring Americans; low-income people who are unable to pay required fines; and women and others working in the informal economy who are unable to establish employment documentation. We are concerned about those who while contributing to our communities and paying taxes, will be denied rights and benefits, including basic health care. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that the final bill honors the values upon which our nation was built, includes a reasonable roadmap to citizenship, prioritizes family unity, protects the rights of all, promotes the integration of new Americans, and addresses the poverty and violence that force migrants from their homes. LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has nearly 1500 members, who represent more than 80 percent of the 57,000 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, the conference assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today's world. Ann Scholz, SSND Associate Director for Social Mission Leadership Conference of Women Religious 8808 Cameron Street Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-4955 ascholz@lcwr.org www.lcwr.org
OPSCC JUSTICE PROMOTERS MEET 
On Saturday, April 13, the Dominican Sisters and Associates from Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope, Sparkill, Maryknoll, Adrian, and Sinsinawa plus Dominican Volunteers gathered in Ossining, NY for a Justice Summit. The Justice Promoters sponsored this event and asked “What can we do together?”. A panel representing ROAR, ROW, Dominican NGO, and Tri-Cri shared information on their organizations and what they are doing in relation to Climate Change. There were breakout sessions on Economic Justice, Human Trafficking, Immigration, GMO’s, Climate Change, and Palestine/Israel plus an engaging workshop on using social media at the service of justice. The participants will move forward together with the assistance of the Justice Promoters
What can you do with others to work for justice? With whom can you partner?
LCWR OFFICERS MEET WITH VATICAN REPRESENTATIVES
Officers of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious met with Vatican representatives of the Congregation of the Faith on April 15. Following the meeting, LCWR released this brief statement:
Dear Sisters,
On April 15, 2013 Sister Florence Deacon, OSF, LCWR president; Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ, LCWR president-elect; and Sister Janet Mock, CSJ, LCWR executive director; met with Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF); Archbishop Luis Ladaria, secretary of CDF; and other members of the CDF dicastery. Archbishop J. Peter Sartain was also present. The LCWR officers reviewed the activities of this past year since receiving the report of CDF's doctrinal assessment of LCWR in April 2012.
In his opening remarks, ArchbishopMüllerinformed the group the he had met with Pope Francis who "reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform for this Conference of Major Superiors".
The conversation was open and frank. We pray that these conversations may bear fruit for the good of the Church.
If you wish to read the statement released today by the Vatican on the meeting, it can be found on the LCWR website at: https://lcwr.org/media/news/lcwr-statement-meeting-cdf-0 National Office Leadership Conference of Women Religious 8808 Cameron Street Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-4955 www.lcwr.org Facebook: facebook.com/lcwr.org
WORLD WELCOMES POPE FRANCIS I
On the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, every available form of media coverage was in use to cover the installation of Jorge Cardinal Bregoglio of Argentina as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The new pontiff, an outspoken ally of the world’s poor, has already demonstrated his intention to opt for a simple lifestyle and to be an example of pastoral concern for needy of the world. In his homily during his Mass of Installation Pope Francis I expressed his desire for “a horizon of hope” for the future of the Church and the world. (To express your own reaction to the papal selection and/or your hopes for the future, visit our blog )