(first row, from left) Sr. Florence Deacon, OSF; Sr. Reg McKillip, OP; Tricia Buxton, Communication Director for the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa; Marian Doyle, Director of Communications for The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi; Sr. Maryann McMahon, OP, Director, Sisters of St. Dominic of Racine; (back row, from left): Sr. Betsy Pawlicki, OP; Michael O’Loughlin, Marketing and Communications Director, School Sisters of St. Francis; Sr. Charlotte Roost, OSF; Lisa Demler, Director of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the School Sisters of Notre Dame; and Sr. Kathy Braun, SSSF. (Submitted photo)
Representatives from congregations of women religious in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee gathered in St. Louis May 4-7 with some 250 others from around the country. They met as members of the national Leadership Conference of Women Religious for a discussion of the meaning and implications of showing moral courage in these challenging times, and the transformative power of personal connection. The congregations that participated included the School Sisters of St. Francis, The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and the Sisters of St. Dominic of Racine.
The gathering, titled, “Transforming Grace: Next Steps on the Journey,” featured presentations by thought leaders from diverse backgrounds, including: Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington; David Spicer, policy adviser in the Department of Migration and Refugee Services at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Michelle Sardone, Deputy Director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., also known as CLINIC; E.J. Dionne, columnist with the New York Times; and Irshad Manji, educator, author and founder of Moral Courage College.
Woven through all the presentations were common threads of empathy, how to learn effective ways to connect with those with whom we have differing views, and the importance of finding common ground to facilitate true understanding.
Sr. Kathy Braun of the School Sisters of St. Francis is her community’s U.S. Provincial liaison to its Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee. She felt encouraged by the Moral Courage method of engaging across divides.
“A principle that stuck with me was, ‘Don’t merely seek common ground. Create it,’” she said. “I plan to share this information and process with the justice committee, and elsewhere within the community.”
During Bishop Budde’s appearance before the group, she commented on the importance of connection with others with whom we do not see eye to eye.
“I’m very interested in conversing with people who see the world very differently than I do and seeking the higher moral values on which we agree,” she said.
Dionne spoke about the dignity of all people and the corrosive nature of the current environment of negative polarization, reacting negatively to those on opposite sides of the political spectrum as opposed to being curious about another’s views and why they think the way they do.
“Every person on earth has something to teach you,” he said, emphasizing the openness needed to listen and learn without judgment. “Questions are almost as important as answers.”
Manji offered tools to engage others in dialogue, seeking the connection on which to build positive relationships. Among the skills she teaches is how to find ways to create this mutual understanding.
“Common ground builds trust. Transformation happens in relationships,” she explained. One of her suggestions for building relationships is for each person to overcome the “voice of ego” and the temptation to seek a “win” over someone with a differing view.
Lisa Demler, Justice Director for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, connected with that idea. “I am grateful for the time to listen deeply to one another, pausing before responding, and asking the simple prompt, ‘tell me more.’ This basic phrase can open dialogue and is useful for informal conversations in the workplace, in church and with loved ones.”
Other Wisconsin attendees were inspired by what they learned. “This gathering was a valuable opportunity for me to learn from congregational leaders, justice promoters and other communicators who are ministering across the country and around the world,” said Michael O’Loughlin, Marketing and Communications Director for the School Sisters of St. Francis. “In table discussions and large-group sharing, we shared concrete ways that we can collaborate regionally and nationally to amplify our individual congregations’ work and voices, particularly around issues related to Catholic social teaching and justice.”
“It was helpful for us to gather as individual congregations to make a concrete plan to take home with us to share with others,” said Sr. Charlotte Roost, Associate Director of The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.
Sinsinawa Dominican Promoter for Peace and Justice Sr. Reg McKillip, OP, added, “I appreciated learning skills for having conversations with people who think differently than I do on justice issues. To transform society to be more just, we need to first transform ourselves.”
