Vol. XXXIII, No. 7 USA- January 2015

Remembering our 125th anniversary as a Congregation, we continue to rejoice in

gratitude as Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit. Last year we remembered and cele-

brated; we looked back at the history and stories of our Congregation. Just as Mary hastened to

visit her cousin Elizabeth to share her joy, we also organized different events, moments to share

the joy of God's faithfulness to us throughout 125 years with family members, friends and ac-

quaintances.

At the beginning of this month we celebrated the Epiphany of the Lord, the manifes-

tation of the Lord to the nations. The biblical narrative tell us that the Magi following the Star,

went beyond country borders, in order to find and pay homage to the King of the Jews. We, like

the Magi, are invited each day anew to follow the Star of Christ and meet him in our sisters and

brothers. The Star also invites us to leave our comfort zone and search for the place where the

Lord is waiting for us. Do we have courage to follow the Star wherever it leads us?

On January 15th we remembered and celebrated St. Arnold’s vibrant faith, steadfast

confidence in God, and passionate heart in spreading the Good News of Christ beyond borders.

We are grateful to God for St. Arnold’s trust and readiness to listen and to follow the Holy

Spirit’s inspirations.

As we begin this New Year, let us ask God’s grace to be joyful missionaries, willing

to follow the Star, confident that we are “sent by Christ to reveal and communicate the love of

God to all people” (Ad Gentes, N. 10). May the life of St. Arnold and his missionary enthusiasm

continue to inspire us in our primary task of proclaiming the Good News to all people.

Now as missionaries we continue to celebrate and to look forward to the future. We

journey together strengthened in the Holy Spirit and pray that the Holy Triune God may live in

our hearts and in the hearts of all people.

Sr. Monica Mabel

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Rejoicing in Gratitude: 125 Years

We in the Paraclete Province did a kind of double celebra-tion for our Congregation’s 125th anniversary. We all recog-nized December 8th as THE day and united with our Sisters around the world in praising God. However, since many of us were in school and/or at work that particular Monday, we as a Province celebrated big time on Saturday, December 13. Everyone could then join in the festivities of gratitude and joy.

Preparations for this common celebration began in true SSpS style: ahead of time. We reflected as com-munities in mission on what we experienced as the deepest characteristics marking our Congregational growth in these 125 years, characteristics of our founding generation that are rooted in us and ex-pressed by us today. A sum-mary of our reflections formed the substance of our inter-community sharing on Decem-ber 13 accomplished via com-puter technology.

In the Provincial House,

the celebrations began with Morning Praise after breakfast. This service echoed our call to worldwide mission as various sisters pre-sented flags from the many countries where we as SSpS minister. A short break fol-lowed the songs, psalms, and prayers of jubilee. The Techny community, joined by commu-nity members from Epworth, New York, Rogers Park, Mem-phis, Grayslake and Waukegan, then honored our unity in diversity through var-ious cultural dances and songs—and especially through home-cooked foods. The morning closed with the entire community, including Sisters from Maria Hall, coming to-gether for a festive dinner.

The afternoon activities began with a meeting of Sisters from all over the Province: the Car-ibbean and the Continent! This was possible through modern technology of confer-encing via computers. The faith sharing groups of the Techny Community and each of the local communities

shared their reflec-tions on our SSpS growth in mission over the years. To do this, they used stories of their experiences, descriptive phrases, and/or examples from Scripture.

Following the Province sharing

session, all in Techny gathered

in the Convent Chapel for the

Eucharistic Liturgy. The theme

of the liturgy,

“REJOICING IN

GRATITUDE: 125 YEARS,”

was aptly expressed in this ser-

vice that combined Vespers

with the Eucharistic celebra-

tion. All recalled again that

our mission is worldwide

through the entrance ritual

where five sisters, representing

the five continents, presented

symbols of life and joy. The

members of the PLT in their

reflection brought together

words of inspiration and grati-

tude as they traced our call as

SSpS through the past and into

tomorrow: Gratitude for the

Spirit working in us and

through us. A meditative

dance as the community sang

the Magnificat captured the

sentiments of all after Com-

munion. The day closed with

an evening meal followed by a

free recreation.

Sr. Judy Vallimont

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Mid-South Ride for Sight

We warmly welcomed Sr. Margaretha Ada from Flores, Indonesia on January 1st, 2015.

After some days at the Convent she will join our community in Epworth for English Studies.

Sr. Margaretha has a temporary appointment to the Paraclete Province in the USA for further studies.

“I will do anything for Cathy and Tom.” Those were the words uttered by the fan club members of Dr. Cathy Schanzer and her husband, Tom Lewis. This loving Memphis couple operates free eye care clinics in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Serving some of the poorest people in our world, Cathy and Tom began their work in Afri-ca in 1988, helping to restore sight to people who would otherwise remain blind from cata-racts or other eye problems. Modern health care facilities simply do not exist for millions of peo-ple who live out in the “Bush.”

I was among those who uttered those words to Cathy and Tom: “I will do anything for Cathy and Tom.” Tom’s answer to me was, “Are you sure?” I replied, “Sure!” Then I was asked to be the Grand Marshal for the Charity Ride for Sight

on October 25, 2014, which turned out to be a beautiful warm fall day. I, along with 60 or more motorcyclists, would ride along the back roads of West Tennessee and head south on a short cruise into Delta country and then venture up to a fancy boat on the Mississippi. All riders met at our final destination to a celebration par-ty at Mud Island River Park on the banks of the Mississippi River.

I had the best ride of all, not on a motor bike, but in a beautiful Cadillac and then onto the boat rides. Of course, I met all of the bikers who had paid their registration fee for the Charity Ride at a wonderful breakfast prepared for us at the Harley Davidson Store. After a few hours, we had lunch at the original Gus’ Fried Chicken restaurant and then later on ate dessert at home. We also visited the museum and final resting place of the “Roots” author, Alex Haley. I had mastered my “royal wave” by the time I leaped onto the waiting boats!

As I entered the harbor, I saw the bikers and others who had joined the charity event waving to me. It turned out to be a grand celebration ending with $100,000 of Grand Prize Drawings, dice winner prizes, silent auctions, raffles, hot food, cold drinks, music and entertainment with WMC’s Channel 5 Joe Birch. My final words were a prayer of thanks!

Sr. Rose Martin Glenn

Welcome Sr. Margaretha Ada!

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Thanksgiving Gathering

On Thanksgiving morning, Srs. Aprilia, Uloma, Salud, and Rose Therese went to have a Thanksgiving meal with the

homeless at St. James in Arlington Heights. Sr. Uloma

wrote this reflection:

“The things I learned from them as I was passing out the food was that it could have been me that day. They aren’t much different from any of us. As I conversed with some of them, I found out that some of them had their Masters degrees, some served with honor in military, while some held well-paid positions.

They had hope for things to get better but illness, mismanagement of their money that exceeded all insurance claims, divorce that stripped their families and money led them to lose loved ones. These made them to create their new traveling companion in the family of drugs, and friends of alcoholism as their life companion in their journey because they felt that God had abandoned them.

One decided to move on with his life after all the disappointment in his business; had a new job at a new state where he had no transportation; he made a tent close to the job and walked every day to work. He was expecting to move into an apartment from the money he

saved, instead, he fell into drugs, started missing work and got laid off. They are my instruments for my spiritual journey: their courage, friendly hearts, caring, openness to share with me and their support for each other.”

Sr. Skolastika joined the Thanksgiving Gathering on November 28-30th and shared this about the recollection on Advent: “We were invited to enter into our hearts and find a model for us during the advent time. We also were to find a star for ourselves that could guide us during advent. I felt united in the Junior community. I was very happy because I found Mother Mary as a model for me. She is very humble and really opened herself to God’s plans. I also need the Star of Openness. In my reflection, I found that "Openness" is really an important attitude as a religious missionary because it

helps me to grow in my love of God, neighbor and all of God’s creation. Even though it sometimes isn't easy because of my limitations, I still learn a lot from Mother Mary. Her open heart makes everything impossible become possible in God’s hands.”

Sr. Aprilia shared about our session on Our Mission in the South: “In the first session, Sr. Elwira Dziuk shared about the history of our mission in the South, starting from 1906 when we founded a mission in Vicksburg. The stories went to other missions we opened in Jackson, MS in 1909 until the last mission in North Carolina which was opened in 1989. The presentation also showed the Sisters who were involved to open these missions. Some of these Sisters are still living with us. This has brought us to know better about those Sisters and their works.

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Thanksgiving Gathering (continued)

In the afternoon session we had an opportunity to listen to some mission stories in the South from Sr. Priscilla Burke, Sr. Mary Helen and Sr. Marie Angela. It was a very enriching and encouraging session for us listening to their experiences. They shared a lot of wisdom with us. These were really great. From them we learned

that being a missionary means to be comfortable with who we are, especially in a culture which is different from ours. We have to give ourselves totally and meet, teach and learn from them from where they are. And most of all, as a missionary we have to be able to work as a team. We need collaboration with the people

around us and trust that they are also the instruments of God’s love and peace.”

Other highlights of the Thanksgiving Gathering were a movie, Namesake, which showed the story of an Indian couple and the changes they experience in coming to New York and having children. Sr. Aprilia shared about her Cross-Cultural Experience in Chile and we ended with a farewell for Sr. Aprilia before she goes to Australia for her tertianship.

Sr. Aprilia Untarto, Sr. Uloma Akpa,

Sr. Salud Osornio, Sr. Skolastika Wea,

Sr. Rose Therese Nolta

Waukegan Celebrates Closing Year

There is the traditional saying that all good things must come to an end. At our provin-cialate in Techny, we had a number of great celebrations during the past year, but the most outstanding ones were the opening and closing celebrations commemorating the 125th anniversary of the foundation of our congregation, the Holy Spirit Mission-ary Sisters in Steyl, Holland by St. Arnold Jansen, SVD.

Previous to Techny’s final celebration on Dec. 13, our small community, Waukegan-Grayslake, de-cided to have a closing celebration on Dec. 6. We invited the priests in our area and sisters and friends who work with us in our efforts to make God’s Kingdom more visible to God’s people. The celebration began with Holy Mass in our small, packed chapel. This was followed by the usual deli-cious meal. Not all took off after all the laughter died down. How could an evening end without the traditional game of cards and how can we not always celebrate when God has been so good to us?

Sr. Helen Marie

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On December 27th, we celebrated Sr. Margaret’s 100th birthday. Her brother George and his wife and niece came to celebrate with Sr. Margaret. She enjoyed the Community and her family’s company.

Sr. Margaret Simon is the third oldest of eleven children born in Union Grove, Wisconsin. She entered the Holy Ghost Convent 80 years ago— on her 20th birthday.

Congratulations Sr. Margaret!!!

A Day of Magnificat in Memphis

A long awaited day for the Catholics in Mem-phis dawned on All Saints' Day. The Magnificat Day 2014, held in Memphis, TN, gave thou-sands of believers a tremendous opportunity to enter more deeply into the very Christian way of life that calls everyone to holiness and joy. Representatives from 37 states converged at the Cannon Center in Memphis to mark this occa-sion. It was the first time such an event took place there. This gathering was the third in the series. The first one was conducted on the theme ‘The Day of Faith’ and took place in No-vember 2012 in Orange City. The second one was organized with the theme ‘The Day of Joy’ in November 2013 in Philadelphia. The main purpose of these events is to reach out to as many people as possible with Jesus’ message of Love and help people grow in faith and live a committed Christian life.

The “Magnificat way of life” is modeled on Mary’s Magnificat. Through this unique pro-gram the participants came together to celebrate the unconditional and joyful “Yes” that Mary gave to God’s invitation to be the Mother of God. The members of the ‘Magnificat way of life’ resolve to live and give Jesus to the world as Mary did in her life. Simply put, the ‘Magnificat way of life’ is a daily Christian life, dedicated to

participating in and sharing God's Truth, Beau-ty, and Goodness in all their forms.

The various programs conducted during the meeting were spectacular. They included music by the Memphis Symphony, Gregorian chants by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, and oth-er breath-taking performances. The concelebrat-ed Eucharist was presided over by J. Terry Steib, Bishop of the Memphis Diocese. After Mass, there was a procession carrying the Blessed Sac-rament, the relics of St. Therese of Child Jesus, her parents and Blessed Louise and Zelie Martin through the streets of Memphis. This was done with a view to promote the sanctity of couples and families and to help the people of Memphis to reach out to Jesus and to invite them to live a Christian way of life. The key speakers during the public meeting were Fr. Robert Barron, crea-tor and host of the Catholicism DVD series and Fr. Peter John Camerson, OP, Editor in Chief of Magnificat Publication. Fr. Robert focused on the importance of All Saints’ Day and he em-phasized the seven saints. Fr. Peter reflected on the parable of the woman at the well and the springs of water. The day’s events were telecast-ed live on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).

Sr. Ancy Jacob

Sr. Margaret Simon Turns 100!

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Welcome to Sr. Maria Rosa Busson from the Province of Misiones, Argentina.

She joined the community of Antigua on January 10, 2015 for an experience of 10 weeks. She will be doing ministry with the Hispanic community.

National Conference: Resource Center for Religious Institutes

Welcome Sr. Maria!

Participation in the National Conference: Resource Center for Religious Institutes, November 4-7, 2014, in St. Louis, MO was not only a great occasion to learn, discover, get motivated and deepen my knowledge of financial and legal aspects of Religious Institutes; but also an occasion to relate to a variety of people.

There were some 480 participants and many exhibitors that provide services and expertise to religious communities. Among those with whom we deal frequently was an investment firm with headquarters in St. Louis. The manager of our portfolio arranged for us to visit their offices even though it was after the normal business hours. To our great surprise the three of us: Sr. Judy, Lisa Tsuji, and I were led to the office of the co-founder and CEO who awaited our visit. Ted explained the

philosophy of this family run business which focuses on the person. Even though there are thousands of employees, he makes sure that he meets every person that is hired because, in addition to professional expertise, there needs to be synergy between the firm’s goal and the person’s goal, which is to value the client. A great deal of attention is placed on knowing each investor’s goal and purpose. No wonder respect is an expected virtue! Ted did not stop there. He coupled respect with humility. Respect for others builds on humility. He recalled from his youth, discovering his father cleaning the floor in a public restroom, when they stopped for a break during a trip. His attitude toward us certainly indicated that he learned well the lesson and lives by it. How often we associate investment

managers with the ‘show off smart guys’ that speculate, play with our money, and ultimately with us. How good it is to know that there are managers and leaders in the industry that live by values that we espouse.

The evening brought us another confirmation of the client-oriented financial culture as we met a manager very passionate about his work and his place in the market. He inspired me with his wide knowledge of some companies he invests in because he authentically takes an ownership in them for a long time. He is committed to them and trusts that their business plan is able to withstand economic cycles. What great lessons for us missionaries to be ‘totally invested’ in what we believe in.

Sr. Dorota M. Piechaczek

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On Sunday, November 16th, twelve HeartZingers, resi-dents from Misericordia along with Bob and Madge Er-lenbaugh, joined us at the Convent for dinner and a per-formance. This has been an annual November happen-ing for over ten years. The whole group has grown so large (over 55), that Bob and Madge bring the bus full each year and we get to meet different residents in each of the performances. Bob plays the guitar and Madge helps several members of the group to “sign” the words to the music. Both Bob and Madge taught in the Chicago Public Schools and now volunteer their time and talents for many hours each week at Misericordia. It is always

an enjoyable afternoon for the Sisters and the group from Misericordia and puts all of us in the hol-iday spirit. We are told that the Convent of the Holy Spirit is their favorite place to come!

Sr. Priscilla Burke

On September 13, 2014, Junior Sisters, Aprilia Untarto, Uloma Alpa, Salud Osornio and Yina Ni, as well as Sr. Rose Therese Nolta, participat-ed in an Inter-Community Gathering of Tempo-rary professed and Newly Finally Professed Sis-ters at Joliet Franciscan Center in Joliet, IL. The theme of this gathering was “Being Visible to and Reaching Out to Those Living on the Mar-gins.” The gathering started at 9am with break-fast and Morning Prayer and then continued with the panelist presentation with Sisters from 3 Congregations: Sr. Rosemary Fonck, OSF, Sr. JoAnn Persch, RSM and Sr. Therese O’Sullivan, IBVM. Sr. Rosemary, Sister of St. Francis of Mary Im-maculate, Joliet, shared about her ministry with the poorest of the poor in Mosses, the southern part of Alabama. This area is famous for the name, Alabama’s Black Belt. She works at Good Shepherd Catholic Center, a ministry of the Ed-mundite Missions. Sr. JoAnn, RSM shared her journey of work in peace and justice which has led her to working with immigrant issues. She started and helps run a visitation program at the McHenry County Jail and prayer at Broadview

Staging Center in Illinois as well as many other accompaniment programs. Sr. Therese runs St. Martin de Porres House of Hope in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chica-go. She founded this house in 1983 with her fel-low sister, Sr. Connite Driscoll, to provide shel-ter for homeless women. Over the years, House of Hope evolved into a total recovery program within the shelter as they realized the cause of homelessness was addiction to alcohol and drugs. It is now a safe and secure recovery home where women work on their sobriety. The presentation of these three panelists was closed with a question and answer session. It was a very fruitful day for all of us. We have learned and have heard directly from the people whose hearts go out to reach the oppressed and marginalized. Their actions have burned in our hearts to continue our mission and answer God’s call to serve God’s people in this land. We left the center with joyful hearts.

Sr. Aprilia Untarto

Inter-Community Juniorate Gathering

The Convent Welcomes the HeartZingers

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Employee Christmas Party

From the early morning of Sunday, December 7th, the community and dining rooms were dressed in green, red, and gold. By mid-morning the aro-mas of food delicately perme-ated the air because the chefs and assistants were diligently keeping the stoves, fryer, grills, ovens, steamers, and I don’t know what else, busy. Not long after, guests started to arrive, and though I see them almost daily, there were mo-ments of uncertainty… “Who is this elegantly dressed per-son?” It is wonderful to notice the differences: the chef in a suit instead of the usual black uniform and tall white hat; blue apron substituted by a formal dress, hair tightly bound under a cap, loosened and styled; sterile nursing uni-form exchanged for a Christ-mas outfit. It was a privilege to welcome almost all the em-ployees and many members of their families at our Annual Employees Christmas Party!

Christmas is known as the tra-ditional time of giving, so we

engaged in both giving and receiving. The party was another occasion to become aware of this mutual gifting. No doubt, we benefit from the fruit of the services of our employees, yet we prize most their under-standing and aligning with our values and be-liefs; their skills and kindness, their patience and willingness to help In turn, we heard how much the employees value the home-like atmosphere, calmness of the environment, gentleness, and being appreciated. The seven long-term awards for 35, 25, 15, and 10 years of ded-icated service attest to these feelings. Thank you Victoria, Elisa, Graciela, Maria Adela, Silvia, Maurilio, and Levar!

Harmonic tones of Christmas music filled the rooms while words and feelings sang a song of reciprocated love. Is-n’t that what each of us most wish to get for Christmas?

Yes, there were some gifts ex-

changed and much gratitude expressed but I was most touched when the next day, one of the Sisters came to thank me for the way the Con-vent treats the employees. I could tell she was very proud of who we collectively are. But this is not the end, because soon after a group of employ-ees called me to give a gift to us in recognition for who we are to them and other people. Sisters, let us be proud of the people that work for us and with us. Respect, esteem, sen-sitivity to the needs of others, appreciation, and sharing are surely our shared values! Dur-ing this Christmas Season and the year ahead, let us be a little like Jesus in His birth, who gave of Himself, not just that one time, but He has never stopped giving since.

Sr. Dorota Maria Piechaczek

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Summer months traditionally are a time for family reunions and visits. While on the mission ap-peal trip in the Diocese of St. Cloud, MN, we, Srs. Mary Miller and Dorota Maria, were very much aware that we travel through the land that is home to many of our Sisters. It would be difficult to visit the many families. We decided to pay a visit to the Poor Clares. We were happy to meet Sr. Agnes, sister of our late Sr. Lucille and Sr. Mary Angela, grandniece of Sr. Engratia. The visit was very lively and joyful even though we had to replace a hug or even a handshake with a symbolic ’finger touch’ because of the tight grill that divided us. The Sisters were interested in our mission-ary life and community life, while we continued to ask them about their way of living and follow-ing the Lord. The diversity of the ways we serve the Lord and are present to our brothers and sis-ters weaves a marvelous picture.

A later reflection about the Sisters life behind the grill led to question, who really is behind the grill? For them we were behind it separated from a world that is so much a part of their lives. Per-spective changes everything. There is no need to see and feel a grill, a separating wall, to have a different viewpoint, see things from another perspective, have disparate opinions. Am I able to allow others to view matters from their standpoint? Can I see the beauty of enriching complementary views or opinions? It might not always be so easy since ‘I know for certain that the Poor Clares are behind the grill not I.’ Yet, such a visit with them might change my way of viewing things.

Sr. Dorota M. Piechaczek

On January 1st, we gathered in a sim-

ple but solemn celebration to mark

the formal entrance of

Evelyn Lobo into our Novitiate.

As a novice of our province

we send her to take part in

the novitiate in Rome

to learn about and share the life and

mission of the Missionary Sisters

Servants of the Holy Spirit..

Congratulations Sr. Evelyn!

Sr. Evelyn Enters the Novitiate

Through the Eyes of a Grill

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Sr. Judy Vallimont, executive director, gets ready to distribute presents to the children.

On Wednesday, December 17th we held our last gather-ing of the year with our students at the Holy Spirit Life Learning Center in Rogers Park. The students came to the Center with delicious food to share, mostly tradi-tional Mexican food, their families, and full of Christ-mas spirit! Like every year, we began to collect toys, books, stuffed animals, board games, and other small things a few months back. Thanks to the generous do-nations of caring individuals we were able to wrap and put these gifts under the Christmas tree for the children.

Two weeks prior to the celebration, we held a series of intensive classes, including a daily sewing class, Eng-lish, daily computer classes, and knitting class. Even though the regular term had ended on November 21st, we wanted to continue to provide a safe place for indi-viduals, especially women, to come together and feel supported. Our next term begins on January 12, 2015.

We are very grateful to have been able to serve the com-munities of West Ridge and Rogers Park for another year. We look forward to another wonderful year with the Sisters, volunteers, staff, and clients at the Holy Spirit Life Learning Center.

Ms. Arantxa Martinez, Case Manager

Time to eat! We thank our students for preparing delicious food to share.

One of the HSLLC’s students (right) with her son, sister, and niece.

Students with their children take a moment to pose with Sr. Angel-ica Oyarzo Chavol.

Christmas at the Life Learning Center

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Our Deceased: Sr. Betty Tranel’s brother, Fr. Dan, passed away. Please keep their family in your prayers.

Fr. Roger Schroeder, SVD, came to the convent on November 19th for dinner and a talk. The subject was “Intercultural Living and Spirituali-ty.” He showed us the difference between mul-ti-cultural (tolerance), cross-cultural (one-directional), and intercultural exchange. This intercultural enrichment is what our 14th Gen-eral Chapter is challenging us to embrace. There was a good exchange of some experienc-es which the sisters have had in their mission-ary lives. Fr. Roger also told us about the histo-ry and possible future of Anthropos which could also involve SSpS members.

Sr. Pat Snider

On Saturday, November 22, twenty members of the Holy Spirit Missionary Association gath-ered at the convent for a day of prayer. The theme was “An Advent Journey.” Fr. Ed Peklo, SVD gave some excellent examples of the jour-ney of the main people in the Christmas story. This was personalized in the afternoon session when Sr. Pat Snider encouraged each one to identify their own journey. A lively sharing fol-lowed. People were there from Chicago, Grayslake, Waukegan, and Indiana.

Sr. Pat Snider

A group of Sisters helped make baskets to do-nate to a woman’s homeless shelter.

On October 15 2014, Sr. Gladys Smith met with Faith in New York along with its allies from Community Voices Heard and Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYC Councilman Mark Treyger, NYC Councilman Donovan Richards, and Director of the Mayor’s Housing Recovery Office, Amy Peterson. The meeting was held at the Sandy Recovery Opportunity and Re-source Fair, to connect New Yorkers who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Over 400 people attended this event in New York City.

For Your Prayerful Remembrance

HSMA Prayer Event

Intercultural Living & Spirituality

Sandy Recovery Conference

Sisters Make Baskets for Shelter

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January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. There are more people in slavery currently than ever before. And ac-cording to UNICEF, 2 million children are estimated to be sex trafficked each year. President Obama stated, “At home and around the globe, we must continue to fight for human dignity and the inalienable rights of every person... I call up-on businesses, national and community organizations, fami-lies, and all Americans to recognize the vital role we can play in ending all forms of slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.” We must continue to educate people on the reality of human trafficking in our country and abroad and keep advocating for an end to mod-ern-day slavery. It is vital to recognize the inherent dignity of all people and implicate anyone who is abusing that digni-ty.

February 8, 2015 is National Day of Prayer for Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking. We recognize this day on the Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita because she experienced firsthand the terror and anguish of being kidnapped and sold.

Photo courtesy of www.arlingtonchamber.org

Photo courtesy of USCCB

JPIC Corner—January, 2015

Human Trafficking Awareness Month

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January 4—10, 2015 is National Migration Week and this year the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has desig-nated the theme “We are One Family Under God.” According to the USCCB press release on Dec. 31, 2014, “The celebration of Na-tional Migration Week provides an opportunity to raise aware-ness about the hardships faced by migrants, including children, refugees and victims of human trafficking.” It also helps remind us of the struggles that immigrants face both in getting here and living here, as well as the value of family which transcends bor-ders and laws. Family members are too often separated from one another in the migration and deportation processes and we need to keep in mind that those are our brothers and sisters too. “We are all created equal in God’s image,” said Bishop Eusabio Eli-zondo, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. “There is no such thing as an illegal human being. During National Mi-gration Week we should not only pray for our brothers and sisters who are marginalized but also advocate that protections are pro-vided to them, for they need them most.”

National Migration Week began over 25 years ago by the US bish-ops to honor the wide diversity of cultures in the Church and of the people the Church was serv-ing. So this week, especially, let us not only pray for migrants, but advocate on behalf of them, so that we may ease their struggles and reunite them with their families.

Photo courtesy of USCCB

Photo courtesy of USCCB

“There is No Such Thing as an Illegal Human Being”

JPIC Corner—January, 2015 (cont’d)