- August 23, 2022 Federation
by Jenny Beatrice, with Contributors Elizabeth Powers and Sister Mary Jo Cortsinger
What does it look like to belong to a diverse, compassionate and engaged community in the spirit of unifying love? Members of our charism family including sisters, associates, agrégées, St. Joseph Workers and partners in mission, took a deep dive into this question at the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph's Event 2022: Radically Transforming Community held at the Hyatt at the Arch in St. Louis from July 8-10. Throughout the time together, the 450 in-person attendees (with another 650 watching via livestream) broke open the idea of community, discovered what is emerging, and shaped a path to transforming who we are—together.
Being "Radical"
Opening keynote speaker Sister Lynn Levo laid the foundation with her exploration of eight definitions of the word “radical.” However, she says, words are not enough. S. Lynn says that radical unioning love is not part of our human evolution but a choice we make. She offers this challenge: “Are we choosing ‘reasonable’ when Jesus calls for ‘radical?’” In her testimony to living “radical,” writer and activist Olga Marina Segura shared her personal story of being awakened to how colonialism and white supremacy has shaped our world and how the work of feminist abolitionists and the Black Lives Matter movement opened her up to new ways of thinking. Olga spoke about the work that needs to be done to bring about change to create a better world for all people, especially people of color and all those who are marginalized.
Associate Estela Garcia says, “We are living in such difficult and challenging times, and it is our young prophets like Olga that I believe will guide us to a more just world. This should truly be the work of our church.”
Emerging Ways of Being Community
A diverse discussion followed with four panelists who shared their personal experiences of building and strengthening communities in new ways. Dr. Siabhan May-Washington, CSJA, president of St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Missouri, offered the school’s “recipe” for transforming community. Sister Thuy Tran shared stories from the pandemic, and how the hurt she experienced as a member of the Asian community led to the creation of LOVE (Love for Our Vulnerable Elders) through partnerships and collaborations.
Casper ter Kuile told the story of how his podcast, “Harry Potter and the Sacred Text” came to be and how listeners formed their own online communities that helped and supported each other through difficulties during the pandemic. Nina DuBose, a recent St. Joseph Worker-Los Angeles volunteer, shared the story of the challenges of living in community and being vulnerable and open in relationships.
Transforming Community through Action
Since 1650, the Sisters of St. Joseph have committed to walking with the most poor and marginalized, including those who are incarcerated, whether they are on death row or preparing to return to their communities. The Event 2022 justice action looked at a contemporary response to incarceration and its intersection with human trafficking by addressing injustice in the cash bail system.
The cash bail system keeps people with few resources jailed before proven guilty. Even the smallest amount of bail for a nonviolent offense can ultimately prevent a person from receiving their due process by forcing plea bargains. And incarceration and arrest rates disproportionately affect people of color. Women are particularly impacted, disrupting families and harming communities. Women advocates shared personal experiences of incarceration, opening up their lives to increase awareness on the system and its ramifications.
Serena Martin-Liguori, executive director of New Hour for Women & Children-Long Island, introduced us to ways in which our carceral system “punctures the will to live” for already-traumatized persons who are resisting “death by incarceration” through hope and resilience.
Shameka Parrish-Wright wove her own story of transformation from being unjustly incarcerated to organizing and advocating against poverty, particularly by being a “bail disrupter,” eliminating the injustices of a cash bail system for The Bail Project.
Barb Baker, advocacy director and certified peer support specialist for Keyway: Center for Diversion and Reentry in St. Louis, broke our hearts with her heartbreak of being separated from her children while incarcerated and then mended them with the heartwarming alternatives she has helped to bring to life through diversion and advocacy. Barb’s colleague, April Foster, shared the professionalism of honing key ways to support the reentry of formerly incarcerated women into the mainstream.
Sister Barbara Jennings says, “I see the connection between our beginnings in LePuy when we empowered women to take control of their own lives by learning how to make lace. Today we empower women who have been in prison to be more independent and to stand up for themselves and others.”
Donations collected for these three organizations reached $15,000 at the event itself, followed by a total of $33,000 from ongoing contributions.
Experiencing Community Together
In addition to presentations, the event was rich with opportunities to experience community through prayer, Sharing of the Heart, and even a few celebrations. Bridgette Kelly, co-director of St. Paul's St. Joseph Worker Program, says, “Having such engaging, reflective content, inspiring speakers and two dance parties was an energetic way to be together and move towards what we can be in the future.”
The future of the Sisters of St. Joseph community could be seen in the make-up of the attendees themselves. “It's just great to be among people with such energy,” says Sister Linda Markway, “especially because we have such a diverse gathering, a large contingent of young people who just bring a whole new energy to where we are as we try to understand what it means to be a radical community.”
Sister Danielle Bonetti says, “What thrilled me most was to see how the concept of the ‘family of Joseph’ has evolved and matured. It a gives new energy to our charism.”
“The Federation Event gave me incredible gifts,” says Sister Kitty Hanley. “Amazing presentations. Meetings with dozens of sisters from my past. Lovingly sharing of our hearts at tables. We are truly blessed by the richness of the charism. It just keeps growing!”