As Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, we join the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in sending a letter to all members of Congress leading up to the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“For nearly three centuries, we have stood alongside those who have experienced unequal access to the resources necessary for human flourishing, barriers to full participation in civic life, limitations on the exercise of free speech, and inequities within our systems of justice,” the letter says.
In a spirit of prayer, discernment, and fidelity to the values that inspired women religious, beginning in 1727, to respond to the humanitarian needs of the times, we join Catholic sisters across the country in making this “Declaration of Commitment” to reaffirm our convictions and to guide our witness through prayer, moral courage, and action in service of the common good.
We join the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in affirming our commitment to:
- Upholding the inherent right to life of every human being and the dignity of each person
- Embracing the gospel call to love, welcome, and care for all people, especially those who are most vulnerable
- Welcoming immigrants and providing care and assistance to all who reside in our nation, while advocating for comprehensive immigration reform
- Standing against violence in all its forms
- Dismantling racism in all its manifestations
- Caring for our common home, Earth, through attentive stewardship and decisive action
- Respecting and supporting every person’s journey toward the fullness of their humanity
- Working to alleviate poverty in all its forms
- Exercising the responsibility to vote and advocating for the protection of this opportunity for others
- Promoting dialogue, negotiation, and mutual understanding as the path to lasting peace, rather than the use of force and the destruction of life
- We pledge to live our call to be courageous witnesses of love – refusing to surrender our moral authority or succumb to despair.
We make this Declaration of Commitment in light of our vocation as Catholic Sisters: to be women of God living amid the profound challenges of our world, fearless in embracing and embodying the priorities of the Gospel.