Corporate Stance Process for Sisters of Charity of Nazareth

Definition:  A corporate stance of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth is a public statement or action made in the Congregation’s name, on behalf of and with the informed consent of a simple majority of community members, polled in regard to a major issue of concern resulting from individual/group study, networking partners (i.e. LCWR, CRI, Charity Federation, etc.) and/or prayerful reflection.

Rationale:  As Sisters of Charity of Nazareth we hold values in common which may be acted upon to live out our Charism and simultaneously to build the Reign of God.  We also look for ways of furthering our Mission Statement and opportunities to bring about systemic change.  Moreover, a corporate rather than an individual stance is more effective in addressing public policy or an issue calling for a public response.  

Process for taking a Corporate Stance:
Step 1    An individual and/or group identifies and documents an issue for a corporate stance. 

The issue should meet the following criteria:

à        External to the Congregation

à        Relevant to the Mission Statement, Gospel and/or Catholic Social Teachings

à        Affect human rights and/or the integrity of creation

Step 2    Having met the criteria, the individual/group brings the issue to the Executive Committee.  The Executive Committee decides:

à        Does the issue meet the criteria for a corporate stance?

à        Is the issue appropriate for congregation-wide discernment?

Step 3    The Executive Committee appoints a committee composed of:

à        Members who have submitted the issue

à        Additional persons if deemed appropriate

à        Director of Office of Global Ministries as ex-officio member

 

A chairperson can be decided by the committee.

Step 4    The Executive Committee announces the process to the congregation.

Step 5      The responsibilities of the committee:

à        Prepare and distribute a process and materials for theological reflection around the issue to congregational members and associates

à        Prepare and distribute the Corporate Stance for congregational members and associates

à        Prepare a ballot.

Step 6     The committee distributes the ballot to Congregational members after sufficient time has been provided for study, reflection, discussion and prayer on the issue.

Step 7      Ballots are completed and returned to the committee.

Step 8       A corporate stance is made if returned ballots show a simple majority with a “yes”.

Step 9       The Executive Committee:

à        Communicates the results of the ballot to members and/or refer to Provinces (When Congregation does not adopt as Corporate Stance, provinces are free to follow a process for Provincial Corporate Stance)

à        Distributes the Corporate Stance publicly

à        Promotes continued education and advocacy with regard to the Corporate Stance through the Office of Global Ministries

à        Monitors the Corporate Stance on an ongoing basis

Revised February 2013

Corporate Stand on Opposing Trafficking

We, Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Family,

stand in support of human rights by

firmly opposing trafficking of all persons,

especially of women and children,

for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor.

We commit ourselves to:

• Congregation-wide prayer for the end of this grave injustice;
• educate ourselves and others about the inherent violence involved in the buying, selling and transporting of human beings;
• work for systemic change by advocating for policies and programs that address the prevention of trafficking and give voice to those whose poverty makes them vulnerable to traffickers.

Corporate Stance on Water

We, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Family

affirm that water is a fundamental,

inalienable human right.

Earth’s freshwater is limited and essential

for a just and sustainable world.

Water, as a human right and a common good,

cannot be bought, sold or traded

as a commodity.

Therefore, we will study and support actions and policies that:

• ensure access to sufficient, safe and affordable water for all people, especially women and children in regions suffering currently from scarcity of water;
• protect freshwater as a sustainable, renewable resource.

We will study and oppose actions and policies that:

• endanger/pollute the world’s supply of freshwater;
• deprive humans and other species access to adequate, safe water essential for life;
• privatize and commodify global water resources.

SCN Statement on Iraq War

We, the following members and associates of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Kentucky, a community of Roman Catholic sisters and associate members based at Nazareth, Kentucky, call on the government of the United States to end the war in Iraq.

We affirm the sanctity of life, and we support peace as God’s plan for human interaction. We believe this war is unjustified and has caused wrongful loss of life and untold destruction of the environment.

For these reasons we charge our government to end this war, make peace in Iraq and address the needs for healing and reconciliation the war has caused in our world.

Cancellation of the debts of very heavily debt-burdened countries

The Sisters of Charity, as a congregation, have endorsed the cancellation of the debts of the very heavily debt-burdened countries and the use of the money that would have been paid in interest to be used for poverty reduction and the needs of the poorest people in these countries.

SCN Statement on U.S. Policies in Central America

We, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, affirming the right of peoples of Central America to life and to political self-determination, oppose the oppressive policies and interventionism of the United States government towards sovereign nations of Central America.

Specifically we oppose:

• U.S. directed violence as a means of solving complex economic and political problems of Central American nations
• U.S. supported militarism in Central American nations
• Exploitation of the fear of communism as a rationale for U.S. military intervention
• Degradation and violation of U.S. principles and values in this process of oppression

SCN Endorsement of Sanctuary

Speaking for the Congregation, the Executive Committee expressed endorsement of the right of sanctuary.

In response to our commitment as Sisters of Charity of Nazareth to:

• listen prayerfully to the call of God as expressed through shared reflection on the needs of society and the circumstances of our times (Constitutions I, 13)
• take risks as we share the burdens of the needy (I, 5)
• [show] a spirit of reverence and hospitality (I, 5) and
• live, like Jesus Christ, in solidarity with the oppressed (I, 15)

We give public endorsement to the right of sanctuary, in particular to the public sanctuary program initiated by the St. William Church Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

We pledge our support, our prayers, our love and those services we are able to render. In so doing, we believe that we are joining an effort to promote community, to overcome non-violent ways the evils of war, to further the cause of peace and indeed to witness the saving power of God.

SCN Statement on Nuclear Disarmament

As Christian women dedicated to living out Gospel values, we oppose the proliferation of nuclear armament as destructive of these values. Believing that peace is a priority in our lives, we still strive to promote it on the personal level by caring, sharing and reconciling with one another, transforming our lives on individual and community levels by prayer, self education and consciousness raising.

Moreover, convinced that our vocation as peacemakers impels us to work unceasingly to promote non-violent ways of resolving conflicts, we call upon our leaders and on women and men in the global community to realize their personal responsibility to be peacemakers also, to protect the resources of the earth and to keep the world habitable and hospitable for future generations.

Nuclear weapons cannot be deployed without destroying millions of defenseless people and rendering huge areas of the world unfit for human habitation for untold generations. Even if nuclear weapons are stockpiled only as deterrent, they constitute a grave violation of human rights. Since military spending greatly contributes to the inflationary spiral by increasing the imbalance of the budget and by decreasing employment opportunities, it places a heavy burden on the needier segments of our society, and restricts our ability to redress the inequitable distribution of resources throughout the world. Funds allocated for the stockpiling of weapons deprive the poor and the oppressed of money that should be directed toward human needs: e.g. alleviation of hunger, better health services, adequate housing, education and purification of polluted water supplies. In addition, materials used in building these weapons present a threat to unborn generations through genetic mutation.

The immediacy of health hazards resulting from improper waste disposal and contamination of earth and water resources make it incumbent upon us as members of the global community to call for an immediate freeze on the production and deployment of nuclear arms. We urge our bishops and clergy and other religious groups to join with peacemaking groups all over the world to renew - not destroy – the face of the earth and to bring about the reign of God based on a peace and justice denied to no one.