Letter of Thanks

Written on: June 10, 2019

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, President of USCCB
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washington DC 20017

May 30, 2019

Dear Cardinal DiNardo,

We the undersigned are the social justice coordinators for our respective religious congregations and as such are deeply concerned with and involved in the plight of the refugees at our southern border. We write to you on behalf of our congregations to express our gratitude for your May 17, 2019 statement in response to President Trump’s remarks on his proposed immigration reform plan. Your statement is a strong and clear comprehensive directive that leaves no room for misinterpretation changing the focus from national self-interest to the needs of the human person. It is one that not only the Trump administration needs to hear, but also many of our Catholic sisters and brothers.

We are also grateful for your May 21 letter to Congress endorsing the ‘‘Dream Act of 2019,’’ the “American Promise Act of 2019,” and the “Venezuela TPS Act of 2019,” (all agreed to with amendments by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, May 22.)

We personally, or members of our congregations, have served and continue to serve at the border, along with hundreds of lay women and men. We have firsthand experience of the desperate situation of these refugees and the total inadequacy of the present policy to deal with them humanely. Your speaking out loud and clear and often is a huge support to us as well as the necessary moral voice that must be heard above the fear and hate mongering that frequently dominate the air.

Sincerely,

Sister Diane Bardol, GNSH
Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, Philadelphia, PA

Sister Kate O’Donnell, OSF
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

Sister Kathleen Cordes, SHCJ
Society of the Holy Child of Jesus, Rosemont PA

Sister Colleen Dauberback, SSJ
Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, PA

Sister Rosemary Davis, IHM
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart Mary, Immaculata, PA

Sister Suzanne Gallagher, RSM
Sisters of Mercy, Mid-Atlantic Community

Sister Sandra Lyons, OSF
Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, Reading, PA

Sister Ellen Marvel, CSR
Sisters of the Redeemer, Huntingdon Valley, PA

Sister Terry Shields, MSHR
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary

Sister Sue Sopczynski, MMS
Medical Mission Sisters, Philadelphia, PA

This entry was posted in From our Sisters and tagged: American Promise Act of 2019, Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic Bishops, Congress, Dream Act of 2019, fear, firsthand, Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, hate mongering, House Judiciary Committee, humanely, Immigration reform, Medical Mission Sisters, Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary, moral voice, Refugees, response, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Serve at the border, Sisters, Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of the Redeemer, social justice, Society of the Holy Child Jesus, southern border, support, Trump administration, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Venezuela TPS Act of 2019