download printable copy of statement at link below

SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH PARTICIPATE
IN ACT OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE FOR IMMIGRANT CHILDREN
AT CATHOLIC DAY OF ACTION EVENT IN NEWARK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 5, 2019
CONTACT: Kristen Whitney Daniels, Assistant Director
kdaniels@cssjfed.org, 203-560-5039

Jenny Beatrice, Director of Communications, St. Louis
jbeatrice@csjsl.org, 314-372-1586

Over 30 sisters, associates, St. Joseph Workers, and partners in mission from the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph joined with over 400 individuals in the Catholic Day of Action for Immigrant Children, part of a “Stop the Inhumanity” campaign designed to increase the visibility of the Catholics who are willing to take risks on the issue to increase pressure on the U.S. government to end child detention. 

Among this group, were five sisters who participated in the non-violent act of civil disobedience to protest the traumatizing abuse of immigrant children and their families. These sisters — joined with 50 other participants who prayerfully decided to risk arrest as part of a nonviolent action — prayed in the streets of Newark for the end of child and family detention. The five sisters included Sr. Patricia Johnson, sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet- St. Louis and executive director of the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph; Sr. Joan Gallagher, sister of St. Joseph of Brentwood and co-chair of the Federation’s Leadership Council; Sr. Janet Kinney, sister of St. Joseph of Brentwood; Sr. Erin McDonald, sister from the Congregation of St. Joseph; Sr. Susan Wilcox, sister of St. Joseph of Brentwood.

Sister Patricia Johnson said she discerned and ultimately decided to participate in the non-violent civil disobedience because “this action by Catholics is so important to call attention to the life-threatening and developmentally damaging impact on migrant children that our country’s detention policies are causing.” She said it was important to “stand with my sisters, associates, and partners in mission to decry this terrible injustice and to invite others to join us in this effort to stop detaining migrant children. When normal efforts to call our government to provide humane treatment to those who are vulnerable fail, it is incumbent upon us to act boldly to call attention to this immorality.”

The event was organized by a coalition of 13 Catholic organizations, with both national and local New York/New Jersey area groups participating. Hundreds of sisters, priests, brothers and activists participated, including the Archbishop of Newark Cardinal Tobin.  “The point of today is to be able to show the real face of children who are incarcerated,” he said.   

U.S. FEDERATION OF SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH • 314-925-7676 • INFO@CSSJFED.ORG