Our Justice and Peace Ministry

The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica have long been involved in justice and peace ministry. This ministry was inspired by the passion for justice of the Hebrew prophets as they call us, “to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8) Our commitment to justice and peace is also founded on the life and works of Jesus Christ who called us to be “beatitude people.”This ministry is shaped by Catholic social teaching particularly by the US Bishops Conference and was lived by all those who went before us to extend the Reign of God in the marketplace.

One of our Vision Statements says, “Our hunger and thirst for justice and peace will focus on the works of charity and our response to the root causes of injustice.”We recommit ourselves annually to find ways to extend compassion to the poor and work to bring about justice and peace.

We have developed several strategies that will enable us to continue the work begun in the past. We study the structure of the social, economic, political and ecclesial systems to ensure respect for life and human rights.

The present Justice and Peace Network of Mount St. Scholastica believes that each member of the community has an obligation to take up the task of prophetic ministry to confront social injustices, particularly violence and war, and support institutions and structures that promote Gospel values.

Some of our current activities include:

• Committing ourselves to those who are poor in Atchison.
• Paying just wages and benefits to our employees.
• Networking with others acting for the common good.
• Sponsoring the annual Guilfoil Justice Day speaker and workshop series each February.
  The topic for next year is Stop Human Trafficking: the Modern Day Slavery with S. Patrice Colletti, SDS, as the presenter. This will be held at Cure of Ars Church in Leawood, KS on February 5-6, 2009.
• Sponsoring Stop Trafficking: Anti-human trafficking newsletter. Read the latest issue on-line.
• Doing socially responsible investing and offering shareholder resolutions.
• Implementing our community resolution on Ecological Sustainability.
• Taking corporate stands (e.g. Stop Human Trafficking).
• Holding public peace vigils.
• Participating in the national Benedictines for Peace organization.
• Participating in "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in an effort to end the death penalty in the United States.
• Responding to community-initiated "Action Alerts" on legislative issues.
• Educating our community on women's issues in church and society.
  
  
  July 2008, From the Leadership Conference of Women Religious:
  "Cherish Earth's Wetlands"
  
  Read Sister Barbara McCracken's Testimony to General Services Administration & Department of Energy on May 23, 2007, to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
  
  

  Statement of Corporate Stance on Human Trafficking
  from the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses
  
  Committed to the Benedictine motto of PAX and to personal and social transformation of our culture of fear to a culture of love and right relationship, the membership of the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses, a group of fifty-seven monasteries representing 2620 women religious, denounce the practice of human trafficking and commit to the work of bringing about the elimination of this evil practice.  We invite all who are drawn to this cause to join with us by continuing to learn and to raise the awareness among family, friends and co-workers.
  
  Read Sister Barbara McCracken's Testimony to General Services Administration & Department of Energy on May 23, 2007, to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
  
  Read Sister Anne Shepard's guest editorial in the Atchison Globe, October 4, 2006, about respect for life.