December 18, 2025 • 50 mins
“No Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our ‘family.’ They are ‘one of us.’ Nor can our relationship to the poor be reduced to merely another ecclesial activity or function.” - From Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation “Dilexi Te.”
Social justice advocacy has long been a way of life for the two religious sisters who join the Diocese of Paterson's Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for the latest episode of Beyond The Beacon.
Following the inspiration of their religious order's charism and the example of Jesus and the Saints, Sister Patrice Owens, S.C.C., and Sister Janice Jolin, S.M.I.C., have advocated for the poor and marginalized in Brazil, The Bronx, and their own backyards in New Jersey.
They share insights about this work and describe their vocation stories.
Show Notes:
- Sisters of Christian Charity social justice web page
- Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God social justice web page
- Bishop Sweeney's column, "St. Frances Xavier (Mother) Cabrini, Patron Saint of Immigrants"
- Faithful invited to close Jubilee Year with bishop in Paterson
Email questions and topic ideas to Bishop Kevin at beyond@patersondiocese.org.
Produced by Jai Agnish and Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for the Diocese of Paterson. Engineered, edited, and theme song by Jai Agnish. Illustrations by Dennis Dalelio.
Beyond The Beacon on Instagram and Facebook. Bishop Kevin on Instagram. The Diocese of Paterson on Instagram, Facebook (English) / Facebook (Spanish).
Every three years, each Diocese in the USA has the graced opportunity to make a scheduled pilgrimage as one Diocesan family with their Bishop to the National Shrine in the nation's capital. 2026 is once again "our year!" Please note the two-day and one-day options: Oct. 16, Friday, and Oct. 17, Saturday. Visit the Diocese of Paterson website here to learn more!
On Coffee with Kupke, we have a cup of coffee and sit down with diocesan archivist, Monsignor Raymond Kupke Ph.D., to delve into the history of Catholicism in the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. Hosted by Father Paul Manning and Msgr. Kupke. Listen to Coffee with Kupke wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on the St. Paul Inside the Walls YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@stpaulinsidethewalls.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:07):
Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin
Sweeney, a podcast of theDiocese of Patterson, New
Jersey.
Join us for conversations aboutour Catholic faith, and
together, let's strive to live alife of faith, hope, and love.
I'm Jay Agnish, and with me isBishop Kevin Sweeney.
Bishop, how are you?
I'm doing well, Jay.
Yourself?
Doing well, thanks.
Feels like it's been a while.
(00:29):
It actually has been a while,yeah.
Um before Thanksgiving, I guess,right?
Yeah, well, I got sick for acouple weeks there, and and uh
yeah, I guess we were hoping todo an episode, but we're we're
back, we're back here in thestudio, and it's good to be back
with you.
This is, I guess this is oursort of our Christmas episode.
Right, right.
Next year we'll decorate.
Yeah.
(00:50):
So yeah, merry, early MerryChristmas to you, I guess.
And we're technically in the Iguess we're between the third
and fourth week of Advent here.
What's been going on?
How are you?
SPEAKER_02 (01:00):
Uh things are good.
Uh Advent's a wonderful time ofthe year, uh, busy, but um we
just had uh the Feast of OurLady of Guadalupe last Thursday
and Friday, which was wonderful,and uh Gaudete Sunday, uh this
past Sunday, and now um we'rerecording on December 17th,
where the page turns right everyyear and we get the eight-day uh
(01:22):
preparation.
Uh we'll have a couple ofSimbanga B masses.
Uh the Filipino community havetheir eight-day um uh
preparation, um eight or nine umwith mass each day.
Uh so I had one last night umand at St.
Joseph's Health, St.
Joseph's Hospital in Patterson,they have a large Filipino uh
community and their um staff anduh nurses and doctors, and they
(01:45):
have a great group thatorganizes um Simbaga B Mass.
So um, yeah, good things, goodthings.
It's coming whether ready ornot, right?
Yes, that's here we go.
Um but so far so good, thankGod.
SPEAKER_00 (01:56):
Yeah, and I saw you added a Christmas Day Mass to
your schedule recently.
And um All right, good.
Well, why don't we um open up inin prayer and then we'll
introduce our introduce ourguests.
SPEAKER_02 (02:06):
Um we're winding down um to the Jubilee year,
hard to believe.
I feel like we're just starting.
And uh but um as Pope Francisbrought us into um the Jubilee,
um Pope Leo will lead us to theconclusion.
So um we'll place ourselves inGod's presence in the name of
(02:30):
the Father and of the Son and ofthe Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
As pilgrims of hope in thisJubilee of hope, together with
the Church, in these days ofAdvent hope, waiting to
celebrate the joy and peace ofthe birth of Jesus at Christmas,
we'll pray together now theJubilee prayer.
SPEAKER_01 (02:47):
Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us
in your Son, Jesus Christ, ourbrother, and the flame of
charity kindled in our hearts bythe Holy Spirit waken us the
blessed hope for the coming ofthe kingdom.
May your grace transform us intotireless cultivators of the
seeds of the gospel, may all theseeds transform from within both
(03:11):
unit of all gossipers into yourexpectation of a new heaven and
a new earth, and with the powersof the people vanquished, your
glory will shine eternally.
May God's bread the joy andpeace of our Redeemer throughout
(03:35):
the earth.
To you, our God, eternallyblessed, be glory and praise
forever.
Amen.
SPEAKER_02 (03:41):
Our Lady, Mother of the Church, our Lady of Hope,
pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us, allholy men and women, pray for us
in the name of the Father and ofthe Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
SPEAKER_00 (03:52):
All right, so with us today is Sister Janice Jolen.
Jolin, is that how you say that?
Yes.
Okay, who is a MissionarySisters of the Immaculate
Conception unit coordinator forher community, and to her left,
Sister Patrice Owens, who is asister, uh sister of Christian
charity.
Um integrity of creationcoordinator for the North
(04:19):
American Province of the Sistersof Christian Charity.
And our topic for today isimmigration and social justice
advocacy.
So welcome both of you.
Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_02 (04:31):
Thanks for being here.
We've seen each other uh overthe years now, and uh haven't
had a whole lot of opportunityto uh maybe chat especially
about some of your ministry umas women in consecrated life and
part of your uh charism of yourcommunities, and uh uh we'll be
also happy to hear a little bitof your vocation story as a
(04:54):
former vocation director.
Uh it's always good to hear umthe mystery and beauty really of
God's call in our lives and uhand those who respond to that
call.
Um, but um uh certainly um it'sbeen a challenging time for
those who have come to us fromother places and uh especially
(05:15):
those who may be undocumented,and um uh I've shared before
that being at the Bishop'sConference in November and
hearing the bishops cometogether and really so strongly
uh call concern about some ofthe ways that um unfortunately
the administration is handlingwhat their job that they have a
(05:35):
right to protect borders, but umbut we hope and pray that um it
can be done with dignity and uhwhen the dignity of any sister
or brother is not respected, wehave to um try to raise our
voices at times and uh and bringlight um um where where where
it's needed.
And so we'll get get into someof that that conversation, but
(05:56):
um maybe um you can just give usa little background where you
come from, where you grew up,how you heard the call and
responded to the call.
Maybe uh Sister Janice, you wantto lead us off?
SPEAKER_03 (06:06):
Sure.
Um I'm a New Englander.
I was born in Massachusetts,right?
Right on the water.
SPEAKER_01 (06:13):
Certain socks.
Right, right.
Certain baseball, yeah, right,right.
SPEAKER_03 (06:16):
And um coming from New England, I'm uh French by by
descent of Canada.
My grandparents came fromCanada, immigrants.
Um and uh I was introduced tothe Catholic faith, uh, which is
very strong, has been verystrong in the area where I came
from.
What was the place where yougrew up?
(06:37):
Um it was Bellingham,Massachusetts.
Yeah, and I was really on theRhode Island border, and it was
filled with French or Canadianswho had immigrated.
So very strong Catholiccommunities were uh present in
that area.
And I was uh I went to educationfrom for my education in
Catholic school from elementarythrough high school, uh
(07:00):
different groups of sisters.
Um and after while I was in highschool, I really felt a call
that became stronger.
But I want to say that myoriginal call was when I was a
small child in elementaryschool.
And the sisters were talkingabout the mission babies and how
(07:21):
that they were always collectingwhatever money that we could
give.
And um that that stayed with me,mission babies.
SPEAKER_02 (07:31):
So you had such a strong support of missionaries
in that time here in the UnitedStates, right?
SPEAKER_03 (07:36):
Yeah, yes.
And um so my primary call as amissionary sister came from that
that young time in my life whereI really felt I wanted to be
among them and serve them.
Later on, as um I was asked inthe eighth grade, what do you
want to be?
And I said, a nurse or a nun.
(07:57):
I wasn't sure.
I liked the hat stuff, you know.
And um it was at that time thatI started really to think about
uh, you know, what would I do?
And so toward the end of highschool, I was looking through
this huge book of religiouscommunities of women.
And I was looking for amissionary group, but also a
(08:20):
group dedicated to Mary.
And so it is.
I'm a missionary sister, theImmaculate Conception of the
Mother of God.
And it has it has been such ajoy to have found this community
and been a part of sisters whoare so supportive of the same
values that uh we uh want tolive, which uh and to us uh we
(08:45):
are Franciscans, so thatspirituality of the Franciscan
uh life uh really is uh primaryin our in our journey to Christ.
SPEAKER_02 (08:56):
So you just had your feast day, huh?
Is the feast day of theImmaculate Conception?
Yes, we just did.
SPEAKER_03 (09:00):
Yes, a wonderful feast day.
SPEAKER_02 (09:02):
How did your parents respond when you told them?
SPEAKER_03 (09:04):
Oh, well.
My mom was sad.
She always wanted a grandchild.
Oh no.
And actually she took me to theparish priest to try to convince
me not to join a missionarygroup because she was so afraid.
She says, I won't know whereyou're sleeping.
But the parish priest was verygood, and he says, Oh, Claire,
(09:26):
who was her name?
Oh Claire, God will take care ofher, don't worry.
And um so And God has, right?
Yeah, for truth, yes, for truth.
Uh God has taken care of me.
SPEAKER_02 (09:38):
And did you enter right after high school?
SPEAKER_03 (09:40):
One year I worked, my because my mom said, I want
you to to experience more oflife before you go in.
So I said, Okay, mom.
So I worked with her.
We were waitresses in a ChineseAmerican restaurant.
Wow, well so that was mypre-religious experience.
SPEAKER_02 (09:59):
And then you ended up being a missionary where was
it?
SPEAKER_03 (10:03):
Here uh our um our house of formation was right
here in West Patterson.
At the time it's now WoodlandPark.
So in uh 1963, this is where Icame.
Uh, but I didn't remain here allthat long after initial
formation when I first tookvows, then I was sent um to a
(10:24):
school.
Um I remember my provincialsaying, What do you want to do?
And I said, Oh, I can washdishes.
She says, Oh no, no, if you'regoing to serve the people you
need to be educated for it.
So um she said, let me know whatit is you want to study.
And I thought, well, if I'mgoing to be a missionary, I
(10:47):
already know how to do C C Dbecause we were trained here.
And I thought, I suppose being anurse might be the most
beneficial.
So I studied nursing and I'm anurse.
SPEAKER_02 (11:00):
And you served in Brazil?
SPEAKER_03 (11:02):
I yes, uh as a missionary.
Only later, when I was in myforties, I went to Brazil where
our community was originallyfounded, and we have many
Brazilian sisters.
So I was there eight and a halfyears ago.
SPEAKER_05 (11:15):
That's great.
SPEAKER_03 (11:16):
That's great.
Yeah.
It was a wonderful opportunityto enculturate in a whole
different culture.
Although I had been living inTexas along with the Mexican
American for many years, uh fromthe 70s to oh almost 90.
So um I love the Mexicanculture.
(11:38):
They they brought me to Our Ladyof Guadalupe.
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (11:42):
They have a great way of doing that.
And uh sister Patrice.
SPEAKER_04 (11:47):
So I was born in Wilkes Barra, Pennsylvania.
My um parent grandparents wereum Welsh of Welsh descent,
except for my one grandmotherwho was Irish.
So uh they were miners and camefrom Wales to find work.
So they were immigrants as well.
And um we didn't stay there longbecause it wasn't a lot of work.
(12:07):
So my father said we're movingto New Jersey.
He was in the Marines, so he hadhe could get a GI bill at the
time to get a mortgage for thehouse.
So we um settled in Rockaway,New Jersey, where it was new
development, and the parish, St.
Cecilia's was new also, and theschool was just being built.
So uh it wasn't ready until Iwas in second grade.
(12:30):
And um I had the Sisters ofChristian charity, and actually
they were in Wilkesbare as wellbecause our first mother house
was in Wilkesbara, St.
Anne's Academy, and it feelslike they followed me to New
Jersey because they taught inthe school there.
So it's still there, right?
Um we have sisters uh Kier Marieteaching there now.
(12:51):
Sister Diane's working in theparish.
Um, but um, yeah, so thesisters, you know, they were
just um I don't know, I just wasvery much impressed and inspired
by them.
In particular, we had onesister, Sister Carmelita.
She had us in fifth, she starteda vocation club for the girls.
And we would go to the convent,we would help the sisters clean
(13:14):
and you know, just hang out withthem, which was a way of getting
to know them.
And um then and we had we couldgo to Mendem for vocation days.
At that time they were busloadsof girls from all over from
Pennsylvania, New York, NewJersey to our mother house um to
get together for vocation days.
(13:35):
And it was um yeah, a lot, a lotof girls at the time.
So um came time for it wasSister Carmelita had me in
seventh grade and I started shestarted talking to me about
would you like to become asister?
I had read the book BernieBecomes a Nun.
I don't want it to be a MaryKnowles sister.
SPEAKER_01 (13:53):
Bernie Becomes a Nun.
SPEAKER_04 (13:55):
That was the name of the book, yes.
And um she said, Well, whatabout the Sisters of Christian
Charity?
And I said, Well, it's apossibility, I guess.
So she gave me Mother Pauline'slife, uh, Impelled by Love, and
I read that, and yes, I wassmitten.
Um, and so she uh talked to myparents.
My mother said, Absolutely not.
(14:16):
I'm the oldest of six, so I'mmajor babysitter.
SPEAKER_05 (14:19):
Right, right, right, right.
SPEAKER_04 (14:21):
So in fact, my youngest brother wasn't even
born yet, so but um my father uhhe won that battle and said let
her go.
And we had the wonderful pastor,Monsignor Hayes.
Did you know him?
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
I've heard the name.
Yes, he was Chris Hayes, Ithink, was um Dennis.
SPEAKER_04 (14:36):
Dennis Hayes.
SPEAKER_02 (14:37):
Okay, right, right.
SPEAKER_04 (14:38):
He was wonderful because my parents uh they
wanted me to go to the aspirancyin Mendom.
At that time we had a highschool and it was a boarding
school, but you had a pay boardand uh tuition, and my parents
had we we didn't have a lot ofmoney.
SPEAKER_02 (14:52):
Six children, right?
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_04 (14:54):
So Monsignor offered to pay my tuition and for the
for the board, and he was justso good.
Um so that was uh yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (15:03):
And there was a high school on the grounds.
SPEAKER_04 (15:05):
Yes, it's called a Makalada High School.
And uh when I entered there werefreshmen in my class, there were
13.
No, I'm sorry, 19.
And altogether in four yearsthere were 50 of us.
And um that we still there aresix of us left in the group, and
we've just known each othersince we're 14.
(15:25):
We've bonded together, we havegood friends for um a long time.
So I entered and you'd go homein the summer and get a job and
kind of try to date in thesummers, but um I would go back
then in the fall and um and thenyou make a decision after high
school, and I decided to stayand the rest is history.
SPEAKER_02 (15:45):
And you got sent to the mission territory of the
Bronx, isn't it?
I did, yes.
SPEAKER_04 (15:49):
Well, first I was um uh I was in Pennsylvania for a
couple years in New Jersey.
I was in Florent Park, uh HolyFamily.
Um Monsignor Kupke was pastor atthe time.
SPEAKER_05 (16:00):
Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_04 (16:01):
And then I went to uh well, I taught in the Bronx
for three years.
Actually, when we were novices,the teachers went out on strike
and they called the troops infrom the motherhouse.
So we went and we were scabs.
We went into the classrooms toteach and um yeah, to keep the
kids, you know, there were like800 kids at the time.
(16:23):
And how many in the classroom?
There were 40 in the classroom.
Yeah.
I have some funny stories.
SPEAKER_02 (16:27):
Places that were bigger than funny stories.
SPEAKER_04 (16:30):
But anyway, we were just 21 years old and they said
go in and teach.
We're like, okay.
But um then I went back in 82 toteach fourth grade and I fell in
love with the kids.
I was smitten then.
I just loved the kids.
And working with the immigrantfamilies there was just um was a
wonderful opportunity for mebecause Rockaway we had didn't
(16:53):
have much diversity at all, butthere, you know, I just it was
um a wonderful experience and Ibecame enriched by the diversity
there.
So then they asked me to SisterMarie Sumter, did you know her?
She was provincial.
I don't think so.
She had been my eighth gradeteacher.
So she asked if I would uh be aprincipal because she was
leaving the Bronx at the time.
(17:14):
And I said, What?
SPEAKER_05 (17:15):
I'm a teacher.
SPEAKER_04 (17:17):
So what we did, we went, a couple of us had a study
in the summer.
We went I went to Villanova withLeo, yeah.
Um and we got our degree, ourmaster's in administration,
became principals at the sametime we were principals, so we
would go for six summers to getour degree, yes, exactly.
And then we'd go back to it wasyeah, it was good because you
(17:38):
took what you learned and triedto apply it.
Yeah.
I thought that doesn't work.
But um, so I went to um my firstassignment was in Pennsylvania
for two years, and then I wentto New New Jersey, Hackest Town
Matutchin Diocese, and then toFlorent Park.
And then I went in 2000, I tookSister Joan Daniels' place in
(17:59):
the Bronx.
Now those shoes were big shoesto fill.
She had been there for eightyears.
Um and that was just a greattime because so many of us there
were just trying to help thefamilies, keep the school going,
keep the enrollment up.
You know, we started developmentuh uh development uh offices
where we could help to raisemoney.
(18:20):
And um we had good goodteachers, good people there to
help keep the schools going.
SPEAKER_00 (18:25):
So I mean we have to talk about the Yankees, right?
So you 18 years you were 10blocks from the stadium.
And you had what says you hadyour photo with Bernie Williams.
I did.
SPEAKER_04 (18:36):
Joe Girardi.
Um this is the best story.
When um Derek Cheater hit 3,000that year, I forget.
SPEAKER_02 (18:44):
I think David Price and the Temp Temple Paris.
What year was that?
SPEAKER_04 (18:48):
Do you remember?
SPEAKER_02 (18:49):
Uh good question.
Yeah, yeah.
Early 2010s, I'd say.
SPEAKER_04 (18:54):
But I challenged my kids in the school to read 3,000
books, see if you could matchhis hits.
SPEAKER_05 (18:59):
Excellent.
SPEAKER_04 (19:00):
And they surpassed it.
Great.
So the kids from grades threeand up who read the most books,
they got to go on the fieldbefore the game, and guess who
came out to shake their hands?
SPEAKER_01 (19:11):
Derek.
Derek Jeter.
SPEAKER_04 (19:13):
He shook their hands and congratulated them, so I got
to stand next to Derek.
SPEAKER_02 (19:18):
Um I believe his mom went to Pope John.
SPEAKER_04 (19:21):
Did she really?
Oh, I didn't know that.
How about it?
I met him one time in Manhattan,too, across in the street.
He said to the pastor's fatherBruce at the time, I think
that's Derek Jeter coming acrossthe street.
And he goes, Who?
Father Bruce.
Yeah, Leo and Dasky.
SPEAKER_02 (19:38):
Now Bishop of Providence.
Yes, yes, yeah.
What a great guy.
SPEAKER_04 (19:41):
Yeah, yes.
He was pastor in the Bronx.
He said, Who?
Because he wasn't a baseballfan.
I said, Derek Jeter, you don'tknow Derek Jeter.
So he's coming across, and I'mcoming from this side, and I put
out my hand.
I said, Are you Derek Jeter?
He said, Yes.
We shook hands.
So it was a moment in time.
unknown (19:59):
Very good.
SPEAKER_00 (20:00):
Manhattan, New York story, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_04 (20:02):
A moment in time, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:03):
Well, and he's got connections to West Milford as
well in the area.
All right, so let's let's moveaway from the Yankees and the
Bronx.
SPEAKER_02 (20:11):
So uh as uh uh granddaughters of immigrants,
right?
Um as a son of immigrants, um,you know, I I I think I gained
appreciation from my parentsgetting to know the
Hispanic-Latino immigrantcommunity, especially recent
immigrant communities in um inCorona, Queens and in Brooklyn
(20:32):
and Sunset Park.
Um, but um you each kind ofreferred to it um uh serving in
uh an immigrant community, um aMexican community that will
bring their love for our Lady ofGuadalupe and and uh some of the
other customs and traditionsthat you get to know.
Um maybe just talk a little bitabout um your first um getting
(20:55):
to know an immigrant communityfor was it in was it in Texas
where you first really got toknow?
SPEAKER_03 (21:00):
Yes, I would say Texas was the first immigrant
community that I had livedamong.
Uh and that was um as soon as Iuh graduated from nursing
school, so seven 1970 I went outthere.
Uh and it was very peaceful.
There uh they were first, secondgeneration, sometimes third
(21:23):
generations now of of Mexican uhpeople.
And uh always what I experiencedthough, um, well, out of that
whole culture, such a respectfor people and an
acknowledgement of people.
Courtesy, right?
(21:43):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, right.
And you know what, whenever ameeting started, they might be
late, but they always came inand they had to greet each
other.
Everyone's yes, that's right.
SPEAKER_02 (21:53):
Buenos tardes.
SPEAKER_03 (21:56):
And as a as a an Anglo American her But let's get
to work.
So I had to learn that it wasn'tall about work.
It really was about therelationship that was formed.
Yes, yes.
And they were humble, you know,they uh they just lived very
humbly and had no greatexpectations out of out of life
(22:19):
except to uh have a family andto uh have a good family, you
know, a family that had goodrelationships.
SPEAKER_02 (22:27):
And a strong faith and a love for the Blessed
Mother, right?
Oh, definitely.
Strong faith.
SPEAKER_03 (22:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (22:33):
How about yourself, Sister Patrice?
What was it like getting to knowuh an inner city immigrant
community?
Um maybe not having thatexperience growing up yourself,
right?
SPEAKER_04 (22:44):
I mean um yeah.
It was enriching, as Imentioned.
I got to learn so much aboutother cultures, but there's
different Hispanic culturesthere, and they were from South
America, from the islands, fromMexico, just uh uh how they
could get along with each otherthat and and respecting the
differences.
And I think I learned a lotabout diversity and um how
(23:08):
important it is in enrichingmyself and and and and others,
uh, you know, the children inschool too, that they could
learn from each other.
Um and their devotion and theirdeep faith.
Um they had Our Lady of AltaGrazia.
SPEAKER_02 (23:24):
January 21st, right?
SPEAKER_04 (23:26):
Yeah, and in church they always would they would
show that honor and that respectfor Mary by the flowers and and
back, I mean, you know, Our Ladyof Guadalupe, they're just full
of roses and balloons.
So they just had deep faith andum trust in Mary that she was
gonna help them through.
They struggled, you know, somuch, but they also had they
(23:49):
believed in education.
They wanted their children,first of all, to be safe,
because the area um is not thesafest area.
So one of the motivations tocome to the school was for
safety.
They knew their kids would beloved and cared for and get a
good education.
So they valued education andwanted their children to be able
to get out of the cycle ofpoverty there.
(24:12):
Um but it it was, yeah, Ilearned a lot and it was just a
valuable experience for me toget to know them.
SPEAKER_02 (24:19):
And um, Sister Janice, I think did you serve,
did you say Salvadoriancommunity from Salvador, right?
In uh in the mid-80s, who wereliterally coming from terrible
war um uh where ArchbishopRomero was killed in um uh
terrible violence, right?
SPEAKER_03 (24:35):
Um, that's true.
In the mid-80s, um my communityuh opened a mission in the
Brownsville Diocese, right onthe border of Mexico.
And um so we did experiencefirsthand people crossing the
border and needing uheverything.
They were uh for the most partseeking to either come into the
(24:59):
United States and find a way tostay here or on their way to
Canada on both things.
But um yes, uh the reasons whythey came were so much fear of
what had happened there.
SPEAKER_02 (25:14):
Trauma, right?
Many had experienced would haveexperienced trauma.
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (25:18):
Yes.
And some uh later on were comingfrom uh Nicaragua as well.
SPEAKER_02 (25:23):
Uh just going through a tough time at the
moment for the church.
SPEAKER_03 (25:27):
Yes, I know how that has changed.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:32):
Yeah, and um yeah, I guess you're you're kind of
getting into what I was wantedto ask is you know, what first
attracted you to both to socialjustice, advocacy, it sounds
like your living experience.
SPEAKER_04 (25:45):
But um maybe anything along those lines of um
when when you kind of realizelike wow, this is something I'm
really attracted to and I canhelp and use what I'm learning
through the gospel to help youknow, apply that to the Yeah, I
(26:39):
think for me in the Bronx, wehad an opportunity um to belong
to a group Father Bruceintroduced me to uh South Bronx
Churches, and it was an advocacygroup of all the churches in the
area that would get together andtalk about what are the needs,
what are the needs of thepeople, besides, you know, we
(26:59):
were in education, but what arethe needs in the from the parish
perspective to help these thepeople in in this area and so
and that would have beenecumenical, not only Catholic
right now.
Yeah, we saw Montshoja'secumenical, we had different
faiths involved.
And so we I went to a trainingin Chicago, a 10-day training
where you just you learned howto empower the people because
(27:20):
that was the basis of it.
The people, yes, they need us,but they need to learn to
advocate also for themselves.
So it it was not we're gonna dothis for you, it was we're gonna
help you learn to advocate.
And so we did.
We did a couple initiatives whenI was there.
Um safety, as I said, was anissue.
(27:41):
So we went to the local policeand we said we need more police
presence in our neighborhood.
These children this train wasjust two blocks away from the
school and they traveled fromthe train to the school.
We wanted a safe corridorbecause there was a lot of drug
dealing and a lot of someviolence in in our community
there.
So we went to the police and wesaid this is what we need, this
(28:03):
is what the community needs.
And so we learned how to speakand help the people speak
because we always took thepeople who were uh interested in
advocating with us, and we saidthis is what a collective voice
sounds like to get what youneed.
And so we were able to getbetter police presence because
of the advocacy we did.
(28:24):
Another initiative was the theneed for special education
services.
So we did a whole thing ontrying to get um the attention
of the Department of Educationand get more services because
our own children and thechildren in the public schools
was a good uh initiative that wewere in together to try to get
(28:45):
better services and it improved,but you have to keep doing it,
you have to keep going back andyou have to keep asking, and you
have to keep it's not just theprayer, we say that yeah, prayer
education, but also advocacy isimportant if you want systemic
change.
And that's you know, you can theservice opportunities are there
to give and to help, but youalso want to get the people to
(29:06):
understand that they can makesystemic change and and here's a
way to do it collectively.
SPEAKER_02 (29:11):
I've said before and others have said that um I I
don't think uh well I've said Idon't think that's a coincidence
that um the last our two lasttwo holy fathers, um Pope Leonow
and Pope Francis came out of theSalem, the Church of Latin
America, right?
And that experience of um reallysynodality has been happening in
(29:34):
s Latin and South America forfor for decades, right?
Uh and and the church as that umorganizing force and um but also
trying to um live the gospel umand uh not only feed the hungry
but ask why are people hungry,right?
And uh and how can we and andand seeing the dignity of every
person, not just that it'ssomeone I give, you know, who's
(29:56):
in need, then we give to them,but but each individual um, you
know, as Pope Francis so oftensaid, you know, has a place at
the table, has a voice, um, andand and our our our our human
dignity and our certainly ourbaptismal dignity as disciples.
And but as the church we wantto, and as you were just saying,
sister, that um uh thoughthere's we we meet natural
(30:17):
leaders, right?
And whether it be moms or singlemoms sometimes or parents or
others in the community, youngpeople that you just see there's
something in them.
Um, but if they need to thesupport and encouragement to say
you can be speak for yourselfand be a leader.
Um I I in this whole recentexperience, I uh I I'm thinking
that uh it won't be too long umbefore we have a
(30:41):
Mexican-American president, Ithink.
That some of the young uh peopleuh uh who are here who uh uh and
are really living the Americandream.
I mean the education and uhpublic schools uh that in many
places do uh a good job and umand um you know it's uh being uh
seeing in a parish uh kids thatum are from uh immigrant
(31:01):
families that um but they get aneducation, their parents
encourage them to have thateducation.
They go to maybe communitycollege, but um there are there
are some wonderful leaders Ithink that have been formed in
the immigrant community that umum uh we'll see.
But uh you heard it first.
Uh Sister Janice uh and and sothe church, yes, um, but also um
(31:23):
a religious congregation, right?
And a and a charism.
Yes.
Um and and and so part of themissionary sisters um would be
um not only uh bringing thegospel but trying to um walk the
journey with people who to putthe gospel in into practice,
right?
SPEAKER_03 (31:39):
Yes, our particular charism, each congregation of
sisters has a charism.
Ours uh was I and well not letme say the church ha kind of
caused us to identify ourcharisms in the 70s.
SPEAKER_02 (31:52):
Coming out of the Second Vatican Council, right?
SPEAKER_03 (31:55):
And so we did a charism study to that, right?
So ours, uh we identified andand live try to live this out,
is to be a contemplative,compassionate presence to all,
especially the most in need.
Uh however that is done, becausewe're we uh as educated sisters,
we uh have an education invarious ways of ministry, um
(32:19):
whether it's health care, socialcare, education, et cetera.
Um that is high.
SPEAKER_02 (32:27):
And beautiful um starting with prayer, right?
Because contemplative first,right?
Yes, oh definitely.
And again, I think that's a aprivilege um of of praying with
those who are uh uh you knowmaybe walking a difficult
journey, but uh they have thatsuch strong faith and when they
experience it in community.
SPEAKER_03 (32:43):
And so contemplative, compassionate
presence where and I must say,if I can add, we both our
communities belong to theLeadership Conference of Women
Religious in the United States.
And I tell you, they are very uhcentered on helping religious to
(33:05):
um to recognize the socialjustice as a way of our presence
in the United States, the suchneeded presence.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (33:15):
And Pope Leo has reaffirmed that with uh Deluxe
K.
Right, right, right, right,right.
SPEAKER_05 (33:20):
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (33:21):
Uh and even how he gives a little history of uh
different religious women andmen and religious communities
over the the the centuriesreally that um have um uh uh put
into practice that um Matthew 25and our call to the the social
gospel.
SPEAKER_00 (33:36):
Sister Janice, can you tell us a little bit about
the refugee resettlement workthat you're involved with?
SPEAKER_03 (33:42):
Sure.
Um in uh 2013 in the diocesethere was a a group that was uh
known as the Passaic County UmFamily Promise.
Uh it was begun as a charitableorganization, it was interfaith,
(34:02):
and it was begun to uh providehousing for women and children
that were that were having noplace to live because they were
evicted from their apartments orwhatever due to lack of uh
finances.
So this organization, uh as Isaid, comprised of
interreligious communities,organizations, would house for
(34:27):
one week at a time the families.
Then sometimes there were five,six families altogether.
Uh and so the parish would housethe family, provide food,
provide a space for them to havecots where they would have
sleeping uh arrangements, andthe children would remain housed
and um educated in their sameschool system.
(34:49):
So I I don't know how theyorganized the whole thing for
buses to come and pick up thekids and et cetera.
So this went on for severalyears until about 2016, and for
some reason either there was nomore need or there was just a
different emphasis.
What came into being was uh um,yeah, as a North Jersey
(35:14):
Interfaith Cares.
NJIC as NJIC, yeah, which iswhat it uh uh the initials for
us.
We took on the same uhcharitable uh nonprofit status,
but changed the mission to workwith uh refugees.
And the way it began was therewas uh at that time a large
(35:34):
number of Syrian refugees comingover, fleeing civil war.
Uh and so it was an interfaithgroup still, and our purpose was
really to help them socialize alittle more with the American
culture, so we held uh socialevents, picnics and um other uh
(35:56):
fun kind of events as well asgift-giving events for Christmas
for the children.
Uh, but we didn't providehousing, they uh would find
their own uh arrangements and uhwe didn't really have a close
connection with the governmentat that time.
Later on, uh actually in 2021,NJIC had to um change its focus
(36:23):
more, continuing to work withthe immigrant population, those
that were um here on asylumstatus, uh which means that they
could qualify for green cardsafter a year of being here.
And our role as NJIC um membersor organizations was also to
(36:44):
provide to work with with ChurchWorld Service.
You know, it's agovernment-funded agency, and
they had their limitations ofhow many uh families they could
help resettle, so they reallydepended on uh groups like ours
to to shepherd families,individual families.
So we first began in uh 2021,took on a family that was from
(37:09):
Syria, um, a family of a father,mother, and two children, and uh
settled them in Passaic uh andworked with them for a year.
Our intention was always forindependence so that we would
help them first find servicesfor ESL, English, uh help the
(37:30):
children get in school, uh finda job for the j for the father
or mother if she wanted to work.
Um and and really just beattentive to their
interculturation, uh theirhealth needs, their uh social
needs.
Uh families, especially fromSyria, are n very rarely
(37:53):
Catholic that we get.
They're Muslim.
Uh and so we'd introduce them tothe Muslim, to the Iman, you
know, and uh whether or not theywould continue in uh attending
mosque services was up to them.
We had no no right to force anyreligion on them.
So um that was the first familywe had, our second family, and
(38:15):
they became independent withinthe year, very and now they have
an additional child uh and it'sdoing well.
The second family was fromVenezuela, another a couple with
two other children, and uh theyare also independent.
We found the man had a job,learned English.
(38:35):
The children, the little boy isin accelerated um classes, he's
so smart, and the little girl issuch an artist.
It is incredible the future ofher future in art.
Um and then so now we're workingwith another Syrian family.
The dad came a couple of yearsago, and uh last January the
(38:59):
rest of the family came who arefive children.
Well, one of them is not reallya child, she's in her twenties
and had been married, but herhusband didn't accompany her
here and she was pregnant.
Now has a child, uh, thank Godhealthily.
And um the other uh kids arelike uh teenagers and uh there's
(39:21):
a young uh boy who's justeighteen.
We helped him get into PassaicCounty uh college for the ESL
and uh we're very hopeful thathe will now find himself part of
our society as he can manage theEnglish better.
The girls are in schools um andum we're trying to find a job
(39:46):
for the mother.
Um this family was quite in needbecause the father, although
he'd been here a couple ofyears, he works at a gas station
pumping gas.
So you can imagine trying tofeed a family of that nature.
So we've uh stepped in and uhand helped quite a bit as a
(40:06):
group to get these people on thegrow, you know, their feet on
the ground uh to assist.
SPEAKER_02 (40:11):
New Jersey interfaith cares.
Cares.
Right, great, great.
Yeah.
So the work continues, thespirit uh we try to l have that
discernment right to see wherewe can respond to where the Lord
is asking us to serve.
And uh uh and are you headingback to the Mission Land in the
Bronx?
SPEAKER_04 (40:31):
Yes, I am.
Monday, it's Monday, I'm backthere.
Looking forward to that.
There's a lot of work to do.
In fact, the convent is rightnext door to the Mexican
coalition.
Okay.
It's the old convent.
We're next door to it now.
Um and they do a lot of work,not just with Mexican
immigrants, but anyone who comesto their doors.
So we help them, we provide,we've from here, from New
(40:53):
Jersey, we're providing food forthem as well as uh clothes.
And um I I um took a trainingthrough New Sanctuary, um, which
is a um group that will trainyou to accompany them to court.
So I'll be doing some of thatwork where you can help them
navigate the system that is socumbersome and so difficult for
(41:16):
them to just be with them.
Um I have to shadow someonewho's already doing the work so
I can learn a little bit morehow to do it, but um looking
forward to doing some of that soneeded.
Um we had just a story about umour janitor was picked up by ICE
at Immaculate and the school,and so the whole community
rallied.
(41:37):
He was from um Um Guatemala andhad come here, you know, because
escaping the gangs and and thedrugs there.
And he was on his way out ofcourt to with paperwork that he
was trying to fill out.
And ICE picked him up and hewent to detention and we
rallied.
We got a lawyer and legal aidfor him, and we got his bond in
(42:00):
with one two days, two days, wehad$9,000 collected for his bond
to get him out, which we did,and back into the school.
Yeah, we had a big big party towelcome him back to the school.
But that experience just showedme how difficult it is to get
your papers, your immigration uhwork done.
SPEAKER_02 (42:20):
Right, right, right.
So many of the undocumented havebeen trying for years and years
and years to find a way to havelegal status, and many of them
have been taken advantage of bysome lawyers, unfortunately, and
paid a lot of money and beendisappointed.
Um but but many are close, youknow, and they're um and
unfortunately now there's thatfear of going.
So that's great that you'll beaccompanying.
I know some bishops and otherplaces have um and pr and
(42:43):
priests have uh have haveaccompanied people uh to
immigration court as well.
So um we we try to walk thejourney together, and certainly
um as in these last days of Avenlooking to Christmas, um um we
look at the Holy Family and andthey uh they face fears and and
had to leave their home and uhum and uh receive the welcome of
(43:05):
uh whoever the uh the offeredthe stable there, right?
Um and uh and so um we try tooffer that welcome as well as as
the church and um and so um umwe really thank you for not only
coming on today but for youryour ministry and um I don't
know if Jay had uh Yeah, I justbefore we uh wind down, I I you
(43:27):
know immigration and socialjustice, obviously pretty
controversial, lightning rodtype uh issues.
SPEAKER_00 (43:35):
Uh social justice in particular, sometimes it sounds
like it's a dirty word orsomething, but I I mean can we
talk maybe about uh scripturethat might inspire you in in
your work and your calling inthis area, um, maybe role models
in this area.
Um Matthew 25.
As just an everyday Catholic,like what can you tell me about
(43:57):
social justice?
SPEAKER_04 (43:57):
Matthew 25, right?
That's right.
You do it to me.
SPEAKER_02 (44:00):
You did it for me, right?
Absolutely.
I was hungry, you gave me toeat, I was thirsty, you gave me
a drink personally.
SPEAKER_04 (44:04):
Unfortunately, people make it a political
thing.
It's not political, it's thegospel.
I always say that.
This is gospel, and they hearsocial justice, they think, you
know, I don't know, communism orsomething.
That's right.
This is w helping people getwhat they need.
You hear the word justice somany times in scripture, just
lately.
SPEAKER_02 (44:23):
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (44:24):
Um in the in uh the readings and all through Advent.
SPEAKER_02 (44:27):
Right, right, the prophets.
SPEAKER_04 (44:28):
Yeah, it's it's helping people get a keep their
dignity.
It's Catholic social teaching.
Um but some some of that hasbeen, I don't know, um,
forgotten about or Politicize,or there's not enough focus on
Catholic social training.
SPEAKER_00 (44:44):
How can we learn more?
Who do we turn to?
SPEAKER_04 (44:48):
Well, there's leaderships and there's so many.
Uh Dorothy Day comes to my mind,she was my hero.
She did so much opening Catholicworker houses to anyone that
came to the door in New York.
It was a place for home, a placefor just to be welcomed into
hosp houses of hospitality.
She's one of my heroes.
SPEAKER_03 (45:10):
Yes.
What touched my heart uh inreality was the the death of the
four women in El Salvador.
And of course Bishop Romero.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (45:21):
One of them from Rockaway, uh New York, St.
Francis de Sales Parish and uhwho had a connection to uh
former auxiliary bishop ofBrooklyn, Bishop Ford.
SPEAKER_04 (45:34):
Okay, well Eda Ford, I knew I knew her nephew because
he started Christopher inHarlem.
Oh, is that right?
Christo Ray, New York, BillFord, yeah.
He started the school there forum uh for high school.
SPEAKER_02 (45:47):
And for those who might not know, it was four
American women who were workingas missionaries in El Salvador
and were killed during thatterrible time, right?
SPEAKER_03 (45:55):
Yes, three of them were uh religious sisters and
one was a lay person.
And they had been warned and yetthey chose to stay.
And um in their staying theysuffered what many people have
suffered who stay among theviolent.
SPEAKER_02 (46:12):
Yeah, caring for the victims of the and those.
But they inspired you and theyinspired many others, right?
SPEAKER_03 (46:19):
They sure do, I'm sure today still.
They live in our hearts and inour actions.
SPEAKER_04 (46:26):
My own foundress, Mother Pauline, she was she
founded the community in Germanyfor blind children because they
were the marginalized of theday.
They weren't they weren'tthought to be they they could be
educated, and so she startedschools for the blind there.
She was very much into socialjustice for the poor, the blind,
and any though.
Her mother taught her that.
It came from her mother's heart,I think that she um would go out
(46:48):
in the streets with basket togive out food to those who
needed it.
And uh it just yeah, it's she'salso my inspiration.
SPEAKER_03 (46:57):
And I'll add one from my community too, uh, who
was canonized in 2019.
Her name is uh Sister Dulce ofthe Poor, is the title that was
given to her.
She's Brazilian, and uh she justa simple uh uh small person of
stature, but wow, what a heartof of st of I was gonna say
(47:19):
stone, stone to confront all ofthe people.
Like Mother Cabrini, like MotherCabrini, right?
SPEAKER_02 (47:24):
Yeah, right, right.
SPEAKER_00 (47:25):
That movie was amazing.
You saw that?
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (47:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (47:29):
Okay.
So thank you for joining us andfor your insight and wisdom and
and inspiration.
Um I guess we're gonna winddown.
SPEAKER_02 (47:38):
Right.
And uh we can put up uh, I'msure on your Sister Christian
charity and uh MissionarySisters of American Conception.
If people want to go to yourwebsite, they can find out a lot
about the community and uh andabout the work on behalf of the
gospel and social justice aswell.
SPEAKER_04 (47:51):
Yeah, and it's not just about immigration, but
creation care.
SPEAKER_02 (47:55):
Our environment, yes.
Oh my goodness.
Pope Francis really.
SPEAKER_04 (48:00):
We need to do more with that.
The church needs to do more.
SPEAKER_02 (48:03):
So, Jake pick uh justice, peace, and integrity,
right, right.
Which is part of the Sisters ofChristian charity.
And which you're gonna have moretime to work on now that uh
you're back in the website.
Thank you very much, sister.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (48:22):
It was great being here.
Pleasure.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (48:24):
Jay's gonna take us out, right?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (48:26):
Well, Bishop, anything else you want to add?
SPEAKER_02 (48:28):
Uh at this point, uh mostly uh prayers that everyone
would have a wonderful uhChristmas.
We pray for peace.
Um the sadness of um violenceand Brown University and um and
Australia.
And um so let us pray for peace,especially at at Christmas, that
uh the Prince of Peace who wasborn in that stable would um
(48:51):
give us the peace that only hecan give, and that our world
would know um that peace, andthat please God, in our lives
and our hearts, our families,that um we would know that peace
and be able to be instruments ofpeace um in a world that really
needs it.
SPEAKER_00 (49:05):
Amen.
Amen.
Thank you.
All right, thank you all.
Thanks, Bishop, and thank youfor joining us.
SPEAKER_02 (49:11):
Oh, go ahead.
Uh the closing mass for theJubilee, the Sunday after
Christmas.
Sunday, June 28th, 3 in theafternoon at the cathedral.
Uh we'll put it up, but uh uhhopefully, sister, you can be
there and uh hopefully many willjoin us to close out the Jubilee
of Hope.
SPEAKER_00 (49:27):
We'll see you there.
All right.
Well, thanks for joining us.
Please subscribe, comment, leavea positive rating.
Get to know us better byfollowing Bishop Kevin's
Instagram and beyond the beaconon social media.
Read the Bishop's weekly columnon beaconnj.org.
Get in touch if you have aquestion for the bishop or a
podcast topic idea, and discoverour other podcasts.
(49:47):
See you next time.
SPEAKER_02 (49:48):
Thank you, everybody.
God bless you.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you, sisters.
SPEAKER_03 (49:52):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin
Sweeney, a podcast of theDiocese of Patterson, New
Jersey.
Join us for conversations aboutour Catholic faith, and
together, let's strive to live alife of faith, hope, and love.
I'm Jay Agnish, and with me isBishop Kevin Sweeney.
Bishop, how are you?
I'm doing well, Jay.
Yourself?
Doing well, thanks.
Feels like it's been a while.
(00:29):
It actually has been a while,yeah.
Um before Thanksgiving, I guess,right?
Yeah, well, I got sick for acouple weeks there, and and uh
yeah, I guess we were hoping todo an episode, but we're we're
back, we're back here in thestudio, and it's good to be back
with you.
This is, I guess this is oursort of our Christmas episode.
Right, right.
Next year we'll decorate.
Yeah.
(00:50):
So yeah, merry, early MerryChristmas to you, I guess.
And we're technically in the Iguess we're between the third
and fourth week of Advent here.
What's been going on?
How are you?
SPEAKER_02 (01:00):
Uh things are good.
Uh Advent's a wonderful time ofthe year, uh, busy, but um we
just had uh the Feast of OurLady of Guadalupe last Thursday
and Friday, which was wonderful,and uh Gaudete Sunday, uh this
past Sunday, and now um we'rerecording on December 17th,
where the page turns right everyyear and we get the eight-day uh
(01:22):
preparation.
Uh we'll have a couple ofSimbanga B masses.
Uh the Filipino community havetheir eight-day um uh
preparation, um eight or nine umwith mass each day.
Uh so I had one last night umand at St.
Joseph's Health, St.
Joseph's Hospital in Patterson,they have a large Filipino uh
community and their um staff anduh nurses and doctors, and they
(01:45):
have a great group thatorganizes um Simbaga B Mass.
So um, yeah, good things, goodthings.
It's coming whether ready ornot, right?
Yes, that's here we go.
Um but so far so good, thankGod.
SPEAKER_00 (01:56):
Yeah, and I saw you added a Christmas Day Mass to
your schedule recently.
And um All right, good.
Well, why don't we um open up inin prayer and then we'll
introduce our introduce ourguests.
SPEAKER_02 (02:06):
Um we're winding down um to the Jubilee year,
hard to believe.
I feel like we're just starting.
And uh but um as Pope Francisbrought us into um the Jubilee,
um Pope Leo will lead us to theconclusion.
So um we'll place ourselves inGod's presence in the name of
(02:30):
the Father and of the Son and ofthe Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
As pilgrims of hope in thisJubilee of hope, together with
the Church, in these days ofAdvent hope, waiting to
celebrate the joy and peace ofthe birth of Jesus at Christmas,
we'll pray together now theJubilee prayer.
SPEAKER_01 (02:47):
Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us
in your Son, Jesus Christ, ourbrother, and the flame of
charity kindled in our hearts bythe Holy Spirit waken us the
blessed hope for the coming ofthe kingdom.
May your grace transform us intotireless cultivators of the
seeds of the gospel, may all theseeds transform from within both
(03:11):
unit of all gossipers into yourexpectation of a new heaven and
a new earth, and with the powersof the people vanquished, your
glory will shine eternally.
May God's bread the joy andpeace of our Redeemer throughout
(03:35):
the earth.
To you, our God, eternallyblessed, be glory and praise
forever.
Amen.
SPEAKER_02 (03:41):
Our Lady, Mother of the Church, our Lady of Hope,
pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us, allholy men and women, pray for us
in the name of the Father and ofthe Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
SPEAKER_00 (03:52):
All right, so with us today is Sister Janice Jolen.
Jolin, is that how you say that?
Yes.
Okay, who is a MissionarySisters of the Immaculate
Conception unit coordinator forher community, and to her left,
Sister Patrice Owens, who is asister, uh sister of Christian
charity.
Um integrity of creationcoordinator for the North
(04:19):
American Province of the Sistersof Christian Charity.
And our topic for today isimmigration and social justice
advocacy.
So welcome both of you.
Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_02 (04:31):
Thanks for being here.
We've seen each other uh overthe years now, and uh haven't
had a whole lot of opportunityto uh maybe chat especially
about some of your ministry umas women in consecrated life and
part of your uh charism of yourcommunities, and uh uh we'll be
also happy to hear a little bitof your vocation story as a
(04:54):
former vocation director.
Uh it's always good to hear umthe mystery and beauty really of
God's call in our lives and uhand those who respond to that
call.
Um, but um uh certainly um it'sbeen a challenging time for
those who have come to us fromother places and uh especially
(05:15):
those who may be undocumented,and um uh I've shared before
that being at the Bishop'sConference in November and
hearing the bishops cometogether and really so strongly
uh call concern about some ofthe ways that um unfortunately
the administration is handlingwhat their job that they have a
(05:35):
right to protect borders, but umbut we hope and pray that um it
can be done with dignity and uhwhen the dignity of any sister
or brother is not respected, wehave to um try to raise our
voices at times and uh and bringlight um um where where where
it's needed.
And so we'll get get into someof that that conversation, but
(05:56):
um maybe um you can just give usa little background where you
come from, where you grew up,how you heard the call and
responded to the call.
Maybe uh Sister Janice, you wantto lead us off?
SPEAKER_03 (06:06):
Sure.
Um I'm a New Englander.
I was born in Massachusetts,right?
Right on the water.
SPEAKER_01 (06:13):
Certain socks.
Right, right.
Certain baseball, yeah, right,right.
SPEAKER_03 (06:16):
And um coming from New England, I'm uh French by by
descent of Canada.
My grandparents came fromCanada, immigrants.
Um and uh I was introduced tothe Catholic faith, uh, which is
very strong, has been verystrong in the area where I came
from.
What was the place where yougrew up?
(06:37):
Um it was Bellingham,Massachusetts.
Yeah, and I was really on theRhode Island border, and it was
filled with French or Canadianswho had immigrated.
So very strong Catholiccommunities were uh present in
that area.
And I was uh I went to educationfrom for my education in
Catholic school from elementarythrough high school, uh
(07:00):
different groups of sisters.
Um and after while I was in highschool, I really felt a call
that became stronger.
But I want to say that myoriginal call was when I was a
small child in elementaryschool.
And the sisters were talkingabout the mission babies and how
(07:21):
that they were always collectingwhatever money that we could
give.
And um that that stayed with me,mission babies.
SPEAKER_02 (07:31):
So you had such a strong support of missionaries
in that time here in the UnitedStates, right?
SPEAKER_03 (07:36):
Yeah, yes.
And um so my primary call as amissionary sister came from that
that young time in my life whereI really felt I wanted to be
among them and serve them.
Later on, as um I was asked inthe eighth grade, what do you
want to be?
And I said, a nurse or a nun.
(07:57):
I wasn't sure.
I liked the hat stuff, you know.
And um it was at that time thatI started really to think about
uh, you know, what would I do?
And so toward the end of highschool, I was looking through
this huge book of religiouscommunities of women.
And I was looking for amissionary group, but also a
(08:20):
group dedicated to Mary.
And so it is.
I'm a missionary sister, theImmaculate Conception of the
Mother of God.
And it has it has been such ajoy to have found this community
and been a part of sisters whoare so supportive of the same
values that uh we uh want tolive, which uh and to us uh we
(08:45):
are Franciscans, so thatspirituality of the Franciscan
uh life uh really is uh primaryin our in our journey to Christ.
SPEAKER_02 (08:56):
So you just had your feast day, huh?
Is the feast day of theImmaculate Conception?
Yes, we just did.
SPEAKER_03 (09:00):
Yes, a wonderful feast day.
SPEAKER_02 (09:02):
How did your parents respond when you told them?
SPEAKER_03 (09:04):
Oh, well.
My mom was sad.
She always wanted a grandchild.
Oh no.
And actually she took me to theparish priest to try to convince
me not to join a missionarygroup because she was so afraid.
She says, I won't know whereyou're sleeping.
But the parish priest was verygood, and he says, Oh, Claire,
(09:26):
who was her name?
Oh Claire, God will take care ofher, don't worry.
And um so And God has, right?
Yeah, for truth, yes, for truth.
Uh God has taken care of me.
SPEAKER_02 (09:38):
And did you enter right after high school?
SPEAKER_03 (09:40):
One year I worked, my because my mom said, I want
you to to experience more oflife before you go in.
So I said, Okay, mom.
So I worked with her.
We were waitresses in a ChineseAmerican restaurant.
Wow, well so that was mypre-religious experience.
SPEAKER_02 (09:59):
And then you ended up being a missionary where was
it?
SPEAKER_03 (10:03):
Here uh our um our house of formation was right
here in West Patterson.
At the time it's now WoodlandPark.
So in uh 1963, this is where Icame.
Uh, but I didn't remain here allthat long after initial
formation when I first tookvows, then I was sent um to a
(10:24):
school.
Um I remember my provincialsaying, What do you want to do?
And I said, Oh, I can washdishes.
She says, Oh no, no, if you'regoing to serve the people you
need to be educated for it.
So um she said, let me know whatit is you want to study.
And I thought, well, if I'mgoing to be a missionary, I
(10:47):
already know how to do C C Dbecause we were trained here.
And I thought, I suppose being anurse might be the most
beneficial.
So I studied nursing and I'm anurse.
SPEAKER_02 (11:00):
And you served in Brazil?
SPEAKER_03 (11:02):
I yes, uh as a missionary.
Only later, when I was in myforties, I went to Brazil where
our community was originallyfounded, and we have many
Brazilian sisters.
So I was there eight and a halfyears ago.
SPEAKER_05 (11:15):
That's great.
SPEAKER_03 (11:16):
That's great.
Yeah.
It was a wonderful opportunityto enculturate in a whole
different culture.
Although I had been living inTexas along with the Mexican
American for many years, uh fromthe 70s to oh almost 90.
So um I love the Mexicanculture.
(11:38):
They they brought me to Our Ladyof Guadalupe.
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (11:42):
They have a great way of doing that.
And uh sister Patrice.
SPEAKER_04 (11:47):
So I was born in Wilkes Barra, Pennsylvania.
My um parent grandparents wereum Welsh of Welsh descent,
except for my one grandmotherwho was Irish.
So uh they were miners and camefrom Wales to find work.
So they were immigrants as well.
And um we didn't stay there longbecause it wasn't a lot of work.
(12:07):
So my father said we're movingto New Jersey.
He was in the Marines, so he hadhe could get a GI bill at the
time to get a mortgage for thehouse.
So we um settled in Rockaway,New Jersey, where it was new
development, and the parish, St.
Cecilia's was new also, and theschool was just being built.
So uh it wasn't ready until Iwas in second grade.
(12:30):
And um I had the Sisters ofChristian charity, and actually
they were in Wilkesbare as wellbecause our first mother house
was in Wilkesbara, St.
Anne's Academy, and it feelslike they followed me to New
Jersey because they taught inthe school there.
So it's still there, right?
Um we have sisters uh Kier Marieteaching there now.
(12:51):
Sister Diane's working in theparish.
Um, but um, yeah, so thesisters, you know, they were
just um I don't know, I just wasvery much impressed and inspired
by them.
In particular, we had onesister, Sister Carmelita.
She had us in fifth, she starteda vocation club for the girls.
And we would go to the convent,we would help the sisters clean
(13:14):
and you know, just hang out withthem, which was a way of getting
to know them.
And um then and we had we couldgo to Mendem for vocation days.
At that time they were busloadsof girls from all over from
Pennsylvania, New York, NewJersey to our mother house um to
get together for vocation days.
(13:35):
And it was um yeah, a lot, a lotof girls at the time.
So um came time for it wasSister Carmelita had me in
seventh grade and I started shestarted talking to me about
would you like to become asister?
I had read the book BernieBecomes a Nun.
I don't want it to be a MaryKnowles sister.
SPEAKER_01 (13:53):
Bernie Becomes a Nun.
SPEAKER_04 (13:55):
That was the name of the book, yes.
And um she said, Well, whatabout the Sisters of Christian
Charity?
And I said, Well, it's apossibility, I guess.
So she gave me Mother Pauline'slife, uh, Impelled by Love, and
I read that, and yes, I wassmitten.
Um, and so she uh talked to myparents.
My mother said, Absolutely not.
(14:16):
I'm the oldest of six, so I'mmajor babysitter.
SPEAKER_05 (14:19):
Right, right, right, right.
SPEAKER_04 (14:21):
So in fact, my youngest brother wasn't even
born yet, so but um my father uhhe won that battle and said let
her go.
And we had the wonderful pastor,Monsignor Hayes.
Did you know him?
SPEAKER_02 (14:32):
I've heard the name.
Yes, he was Chris Hayes, Ithink, was um Dennis.
SPEAKER_04 (14:36):
Dennis Hayes.
SPEAKER_02 (14:37):
Okay, right, right.
SPEAKER_04 (14:38):
He was wonderful because my parents uh they
wanted me to go to the aspirancyin Mendom.
At that time we had a highschool and it was a boarding
school, but you had a pay boardand uh tuition, and my parents
had we we didn't have a lot ofmoney.
SPEAKER_02 (14:52):
Six children, right?
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_04 (14:54):
So Monsignor offered to pay my tuition and for the
for the board, and he was justso good.
Um so that was uh yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (15:03):
And there was a high school on the grounds.
SPEAKER_04 (15:05):
Yes, it's called a Makalada High School.
And uh when I entered there werefreshmen in my class, there were
13.
No, I'm sorry, 19.
And altogether in four yearsthere were 50 of us.
And um that we still there aresix of us left in the group, and
we've just known each othersince we're 14.
(15:25):
We've bonded together, we havegood friends for um a long time.
So I entered and you'd go homein the summer and get a job and
kind of try to date in thesummers, but um I would go back
then in the fall and um and thenyou make a decision after high
school, and I decided to stayand the rest is history.
SPEAKER_02 (15:45):
And you got sent to the mission territory of the
Bronx, isn't it?
I did, yes.
SPEAKER_04 (15:49):
Well, first I was um uh I was in Pennsylvania for a
couple years in New Jersey.
I was in Florent Park, uh HolyFamily.
Um Monsignor Kupke was pastor atthe time.
SPEAKER_05 (16:00):
Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_04 (16:01):
And then I went to uh well, I taught in the Bronx
for three years.
Actually, when we were novices,the teachers went out on strike
and they called the troops infrom the motherhouse.
So we went and we were scabs.
We went into the classrooms toteach and um yeah, to keep the
kids, you know, there were like800 kids at the time.
(16:23):
And how many in the classroom?
There were 40 in the classroom.
Yeah.
I have some funny stories.
SPEAKER_02 (16:27):
Places that were bigger than funny stories.
SPEAKER_04 (16:30):
But anyway, we were just 21 years old and they said
go in and teach.
We're like, okay.
But um then I went back in 82 toteach fourth grade and I fell in
love with the kids.
I was smitten then.
I just loved the kids.
And working with the immigrantfamilies there was just um was a
wonderful opportunity for mebecause Rockaway we had didn't
(16:53):
have much diversity at all, butthere, you know, I just it was
um a wonderful experience and Ibecame enriched by the diversity
there.
So then they asked me to SisterMarie Sumter, did you know her?
She was provincial.
I don't think so.
She had been my eighth gradeteacher.
So she asked if I would uh be aprincipal because she was
leaving the Bronx at the time.
(17:14):
And I said, What?
SPEAKER_05 (17:15):
I'm a teacher.
SPEAKER_04 (17:17):
So what we did, we went, a couple of us had a study
in the summer.
We went I went to Villanova withLeo, yeah.
Um and we got our degree, ourmaster's in administration,
became principals at the sametime we were principals, so we
would go for six summers to getour degree, yes, exactly.
And then we'd go back to it wasyeah, it was good because you
(17:38):
took what you learned and triedto apply it.
Yeah.
I thought that doesn't work.
But um, so I went to um my firstassignment was in Pennsylvania
for two years, and then I wentto New New Jersey, Hackest Town
Matutchin Diocese, and then toFlorent Park.
And then I went in 2000, I tookSister Joan Daniels' place in
(17:59):
the Bronx.
Now those shoes were big shoesto fill.
She had been there for eightyears.
Um and that was just a greattime because so many of us there
were just trying to help thefamilies, keep the school going,
keep the enrollment up.
You know, we started developmentuh uh development uh offices
where we could help to raisemoney.
(18:20):
And um we had good goodteachers, good people there to
help keep the schools going.
SPEAKER_00 (18:25):
So I mean we have to talk about the Yankees, right?
So you 18 years you were 10blocks from the stadium.
And you had what says you hadyour photo with Bernie Williams.
I did.
SPEAKER_04 (18:36):
Joe Girardi.
Um this is the best story.
When um Derek Cheater hit 3,000that year, I forget.
SPEAKER_02 (18:44):
I think David Price and the Temp Temple Paris.
What year was that?
SPEAKER_04 (18:48):
Do you remember?
SPEAKER_02 (18:49):
Uh good question.
Yeah, yeah.
Early 2010s, I'd say.
SPEAKER_04 (18:54):
But I challenged my kids in the school to read 3,000
books, see if you could matchhis hits.
SPEAKER_05 (18:59):
Excellent.
SPEAKER_04 (19:00):
And they surpassed it.
Great.
So the kids from grades threeand up who read the most books,
they got to go on the fieldbefore the game, and guess who
came out to shake their hands?
SPEAKER_01 (19:11):
Derek.
Derek Jeter.
SPEAKER_04 (19:13):
He shook their hands and congratulated them, so I got
to stand next to Derek.
SPEAKER_02 (19:18):
Um I believe his mom went to Pope John.
SPEAKER_04 (19:21):
Did she really?
Oh, I didn't know that.
How about it?
I met him one time in Manhattan,too, across in the street.
He said to the pastor's fatherBruce at the time, I think
that's Derek Jeter coming acrossthe street.
And he goes, Who?
Father Bruce.
Yeah, Leo and Dasky.
SPEAKER_02 (19:38):
Now Bishop of Providence.
Yes, yes, yeah.
What a great guy.
SPEAKER_04 (19:41):
Yeah, yes.
He was pastor in the Bronx.
He said, Who?
Because he wasn't a baseballfan.
I said, Derek Jeter, you don'tknow Derek Jeter.
So he's coming across, and I'mcoming from this side, and I put
out my hand.
I said, Are you Derek Jeter?
He said, Yes.
We shook hands.
So it was a moment in time.
unknown (19:59):
Very good.
SPEAKER_00 (20:00):
Manhattan, New York story, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_04 (20:02):
A moment in time, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:03):
Well, and he's got connections to West Milford as
well in the area.
All right, so let's let's moveaway from the Yankees and the
Bronx.
SPEAKER_02 (20:11):
So uh as uh uh granddaughters of immigrants,
right?
Um as a son of immigrants, um,you know, I I I think I gained
appreciation from my parentsgetting to know the
Hispanic-Latino immigrantcommunity, especially recent
immigrant communities in um inCorona, Queens and in Brooklyn
(20:32):
and Sunset Park.
Um, but um you each kind ofreferred to it um uh serving in
uh an immigrant community, um aMexican community that will
bring their love for our Lady ofGuadalupe and and uh some of the
other customs and traditionsthat you get to know.
Um maybe just talk a little bitabout um your first um getting
(20:55):
to know an immigrant communityfor was it in was it in Texas
where you first really got toknow?
SPEAKER_03 (21:00):
Yes, I would say Texas was the first immigrant
community that I had livedamong.
Uh and that was um as soon as Iuh graduated from nursing
school, so seven 1970 I went outthere.
Uh and it was very peaceful.
There uh they were first, secondgeneration, sometimes third
(21:23):
generations now of of Mexican uhpeople.
And uh always what I experiencedthough, um, well, out of that
whole culture, such a respectfor people and an
acknowledgement of people.
Courtesy, right?
(21:43):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, right.
And you know what, whenever ameeting started, they might be
late, but they always came inand they had to greet each
other.
Everyone's yes, that's right.
SPEAKER_02 (21:53):
Buenos tardes.
SPEAKER_03 (21:56):
And as a as a an Anglo American her But let's get
to work.
So I had to learn that it wasn'tall about work.
It really was about therelationship that was formed.
Yes, yes.
And they were humble, you know,they uh they just lived very
humbly and had no greatexpectations out of out of life
(22:19):
except to uh have a family andto uh have a good family, you
know, a family that had goodrelationships.
SPEAKER_02 (22:27):
And a strong faith and a love for the Blessed
Mother, right?
Oh, definitely.
Strong faith.
SPEAKER_03 (22:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (22:33):
How about yourself, Sister Patrice?
What was it like getting to knowuh an inner city immigrant
community?
Um maybe not having thatexperience growing up yourself,
right?
SPEAKER_04 (22:44):
I mean um yeah.
It was enriching, as Imentioned.
I got to learn so much aboutother cultures, but there's
different Hispanic culturesthere, and they were from South
America, from the islands, fromMexico, just uh uh how they
could get along with each otherthat and and respecting the
differences.
And I think I learned a lotabout diversity and um how
(23:08):
important it is in enrichingmyself and and and and others,
uh, you know, the children inschool too, that they could
learn from each other.
Um and their devotion and theirdeep faith.
Um they had Our Lady of AltaGrazia.
SPEAKER_02 (23:24):
January 21st, right?
SPEAKER_04 (23:26):
Yeah, and in church they always would they would
show that honor and that respectfor Mary by the flowers and and
back, I mean, you know, Our Ladyof Guadalupe, they're just full
of roses and balloons.
So they just had deep faith andum trust in Mary that she was
gonna help them through.
They struggled, you know, somuch, but they also had they
(23:49):
believed in education.
They wanted their children,first of all, to be safe,
because the area um is not thesafest area.
So one of the motivations tocome to the school was for
safety.
They knew their kids would beloved and cared for and get a
good education.
So they valued education andwanted their children to be able
to get out of the cycle ofpoverty there.
(24:12):
Um but it it was, yeah, Ilearned a lot and it was just a
valuable experience for me toget to know them.
SPEAKER_02 (24:19):
And um, Sister Janice, I think did you serve,
did you say Salvadoriancommunity from Salvador, right?
In uh in the mid-80s, who wereliterally coming from terrible
war um uh where ArchbishopRomero was killed in um uh
terrible violence, right?
SPEAKER_03 (24:35):
Um, that's true.
In the mid-80s, um my communityuh opened a mission in the
Brownsville Diocese, right onthe border of Mexico.
And um so we did experiencefirsthand people crossing the
border and needing uheverything.
They were uh for the most partseeking to either come into the
(24:59):
United States and find a way tostay here or on their way to
Canada on both things.
But um yes, uh the reasons whythey came were so much fear of
what had happened there.
SPEAKER_02 (25:14):
Trauma, right?
Many had experienced would haveexperienced trauma.
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (25:18):
Yes.
And some uh later on were comingfrom uh Nicaragua as well.
SPEAKER_02 (25:23):
Uh just going through a tough time at the
moment for the church.
SPEAKER_03 (25:27):
Yes, I know how that has changed.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:32):
Yeah, and um yeah, I guess you're you're kind of
getting into what I was wantedto ask is you know, what first
attracted you to both to socialjustice, advocacy, it sounds
like your living experience.
SPEAKER_04 (25:45):
But um maybe anything along those lines of um
when when you kind of realizelike wow, this is something I'm
really attracted to and I canhelp and use what I'm learning
through the gospel to help youknow, apply that to the Yeah, I
(26:39):
think for me in the Bronx, wehad an opportunity um to belong
to a group Father Bruceintroduced me to uh South Bronx
Churches, and it was an advocacygroup of all the churches in the
area that would get together andtalk about what are the needs,
what are the needs of thepeople, besides, you know, we
(26:59):
were in education, but what arethe needs in the from the parish
perspective to help these thepeople in in this area and so
and that would have beenecumenical, not only Catholic
right now.
Yeah, we saw Montshoja'secumenical, we had different
faiths involved.
And so we I went to a trainingin Chicago, a 10-day training
where you just you learned howto empower the people because
(27:20):
that was the basis of it.
The people, yes, they need us,but they need to learn to
advocate also for themselves.
So it it was not we're gonna dothis for you, it was we're gonna
help you learn to advocate.
And so we did.
We did a couple initiatives whenI was there.
Um safety, as I said, was anissue.
(27:41):
So we went to the local policeand we said we need more police
presence in our neighborhood.
These children this train wasjust two blocks away from the
school and they traveled fromthe train to the school.
We wanted a safe corridorbecause there was a lot of drug
dealing and a lot of someviolence in in our community
there.
So we went to the police and wesaid this is what we need, this
(28:03):
is what the community needs.
And so we learned how to speakand help the people speak
because we always took thepeople who were uh interested in
advocating with us, and we saidthis is what a collective voice
sounds like to get what youneed.
And so we were able to getbetter police presence because
of the advocacy we did.
(28:24):
Another initiative was the theneed for special education
services.
So we did a whole thing ontrying to get um the attention
of the Department of Educationand get more services because
our own children and thechildren in the public schools
was a good uh initiative that wewere in together to try to get
(28:45):
better services and it improved,but you have to keep doing it,
you have to keep going back andyou have to keep asking, and you
have to keep it's not just theprayer, we say that yeah, prayer
education, but also advocacy isimportant if you want systemic
change.
And that's you know, you can theservice opportunities are there
to give and to help, but youalso want to get the people to
(29:06):
understand that they can makesystemic change and and here's a
way to do it collectively.
SPEAKER_02 (29:11):
I've said before and others have said that um I I
don't think uh well I've said Idon't think that's a coincidence
that um the last our two lasttwo holy fathers, um Pope Leonow
and Pope Francis came out of theSalem, the Church of Latin
America, right?
And that experience of um reallysynodality has been happening in
(29:34):
s Latin and South America forfor for decades, right?
Uh and and the church as that umorganizing force and um but also
trying to um live the gospel umand uh not only feed the hungry
but ask why are people hungry,right?
And uh and how can we and andand seeing the dignity of every
person, not just that it'ssomeone I give, you know, who's
(29:56):
in need, then we give to them,but but each individual um, you
know, as Pope Francis so oftensaid, you know, has a place at
the table, has a voice, um, andand and our our our our human
dignity and our certainly ourbaptismal dignity as disciples.
And but as the church we wantto, and as you were just saying,
sister, that um uh thoughthere's we we meet natural
(30:17):
leaders, right?
And whether it be moms or singlemoms sometimes or parents or
others in the community, youngpeople that you just see there's
something in them.
Um, but if they need to thesupport and encouragement to say
you can be speak for yourselfand be a leader.
Um I I in this whole recentexperience, I uh I I'm thinking
that uh it won't be too long umbefore we have a
(30:41):
Mexican-American president, Ithink.
That some of the young uh peopleuh uh who are here who uh uh and
are really living the Americandream.
I mean the education and uhpublic schools uh that in many
places do uh a good job and umand um you know it's uh being uh
seeing in a parish uh kids thatum are from uh immigrant
(31:01):
families that um but they get aneducation, their parents
encourage them to have thateducation.
They go to maybe communitycollege, but um there are there
are some wonderful leaders Ithink that have been formed in
the immigrant community that umum uh we'll see.
But uh you heard it first.
Uh Sister Janice uh and and sothe church, yes, um, but also um
(31:23):
a religious congregation, right?
And a and a charism.
Yes.
Um and and and so part of themissionary sisters um would be
um not only uh bringing thegospel but trying to um walk the
journey with people who to putthe gospel in into practice,
right?
SPEAKER_03 (31:39):
Yes, our particular charism, each congregation of
sisters has a charism.
Ours uh was I and well not letme say the church ha kind of
caused us to identify ourcharisms in the 70s.
SPEAKER_02 (31:52):
Coming out of the Second Vatican Council, right?
SPEAKER_03 (31:55):
And so we did a charism study to that, right?
So ours, uh we identified andand live try to live this out,
is to be a contemplative,compassionate presence to all,
especially the most in need.
Uh however that is done, becausewe're we uh as educated sisters,
we uh have an education invarious ways of ministry, um
(32:19):
whether it's health care, socialcare, education, et cetera.
Um that is high.
SPEAKER_02 (32:27):
And beautiful um starting with prayer, right?
Because contemplative first,right?
Yes, oh definitely.
And again, I think that's a aprivilege um of of praying with
those who are uh uh you knowmaybe walking a difficult
journey, but uh they have thatsuch strong faith and when they
experience it in community.
SPEAKER_03 (32:43):
And so contemplative, compassionate
presence where and I must say,if I can add, we both our
communities belong to theLeadership Conference of Women
Religious in the United States.
And I tell you, they are very uhcentered on helping religious to
(33:05):
um to recognize the socialjustice as a way of our presence
in the United States, the suchneeded presence.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (33:15):
And Pope Leo has reaffirmed that with uh Deluxe
K.
Right, right, right, right,right.
SPEAKER_05 (33:20):
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (33:21):
Uh and even how he gives a little history of uh
different religious women andmen and religious communities
over the the the centuriesreally that um have um uh uh put
into practice that um Matthew 25and our call to the the social
gospel.
SPEAKER_00 (33:36):
Sister Janice, can you tell us a little bit about
the refugee resettlement workthat you're involved with?
SPEAKER_03 (33:42):
Sure.
Um in uh 2013 in the diocesethere was a a group that was uh
known as the Passaic County UmFamily Promise.
Uh it was begun as a charitableorganization, it was interfaith,
(34:02):
and it was begun to uh providehousing for women and children
that were that were having noplace to live because they were
evicted from their apartments orwhatever due to lack of uh
finances.
So this organization, uh as Isaid, comprised of
interreligious communities,organizations, would house for
(34:27):
one week at a time the families.
Then sometimes there were five,six families altogether.
Uh and so the parish would housethe family, provide food,
provide a space for them to havecots where they would have
sleeping uh arrangements, andthe children would remain housed
and um educated in their sameschool system.
(34:49):
So I I don't know how theyorganized the whole thing for
buses to come and pick up thekids and et cetera.
So this went on for severalyears until about 2016, and for
some reason either there was nomore need or there was just a
different emphasis.
What came into being was uh um,yeah, as a North Jersey
(35:14):
Interfaith Cares.
NJIC as NJIC, yeah, which iswhat it uh uh the initials for
us.
We took on the same uhcharitable uh nonprofit status,
but changed the mission to workwith uh refugees.
And the way it began was therewas uh at that time a large
(35:34):
number of Syrian refugees comingover, fleeing civil war.
Uh and so it was an interfaithgroup still, and our purpose was
really to help them socialize alittle more with the American
culture, so we held uh socialevents, picnics and um other uh
(35:56):
fun kind of events as well asgift-giving events for Christmas
for the children.
Uh, but we didn't providehousing, they uh would find
their own uh arrangements and uhwe didn't really have a close
connection with the governmentat that time.
Later on, uh actually in 2021,NJIC had to um change its focus
(36:23):
more, continuing to work withthe immigrant population, those
that were um here on asylumstatus, uh which means that they
could qualify for green cardsafter a year of being here.
And our role as NJIC um membersor organizations was also to
(36:44):
provide to work with with ChurchWorld Service.
You know, it's agovernment-funded agency, and
they had their limitations ofhow many uh families they could
help resettle, so they reallydepended on uh groups like ours
to to shepherd families,individual families.
So we first began in uh 2021,took on a family that was from
(37:09):
Syria, um, a family of a father,mother, and two children, and uh
settled them in Passaic uh andworked with them for a year.
Our intention was always forindependence so that we would
help them first find servicesfor ESL, English, uh help the
(37:30):
children get in school, uh finda job for the j for the father
or mother if she wanted to work.
Um and and really just beattentive to their
interculturation, uh theirhealth needs, their uh social
needs.
Uh families, especially fromSyria, are n very rarely
(37:53):
Catholic that we get.
They're Muslim.
Uh and so we'd introduce them tothe Muslim, to the Iman, you
know, and uh whether or not theywould continue in uh attending
mosque services was up to them.
We had no no right to force anyreligion on them.
So um that was the first familywe had, our second family, and
(38:15):
they became independent withinthe year, very and now they have
an additional child uh and it'sdoing well.
The second family was fromVenezuela, another a couple with
two other children, and uh theyare also independent.
We found the man had a job,learned English.
(38:35):
The children, the little boy isin accelerated um classes, he's
so smart, and the little girl issuch an artist.
It is incredible the future ofher future in art.
Um and then so now we're workingwith another Syrian family.
The dad came a couple of yearsago, and uh last January the
(38:59):
rest of the family came who arefive children.
Well, one of them is not reallya child, she's in her twenties
and had been married, but herhusband didn't accompany her
here and she was pregnant.
Now has a child, uh, thank Godhealthily.
And um the other uh kids arelike uh teenagers and uh there's
(39:21):
a young uh boy who's justeighteen.
We helped him get into PassaicCounty uh college for the ESL
and uh we're very hopeful thathe will now find himself part of
our society as he can manage theEnglish better.
The girls are in schools um andum we're trying to find a job
(39:46):
for the mother.
Um this family was quite in needbecause the father, although
he'd been here a couple ofyears, he works at a gas station
pumping gas.
So you can imagine trying tofeed a family of that nature.
So we've uh stepped in and uhand helped quite a bit as a
(40:06):
group to get these people on thegrow, you know, their feet on
the ground uh to assist.
SPEAKER_02 (40:11):
New Jersey interfaith cares.
Cares.
Right, great, great.
Yeah.
So the work continues, thespirit uh we try to l have that
discernment right to see wherewe can respond to where the Lord
is asking us to serve.
And uh uh and are you headingback to the Mission Land in the
Bronx?
SPEAKER_04 (40:31):
Yes, I am.
Monday, it's Monday, I'm backthere.
Looking forward to that.
There's a lot of work to do.
In fact, the convent is rightnext door to the Mexican
coalition.
Okay.
It's the old convent.
We're next door to it now.
Um and they do a lot of work,not just with Mexican
immigrants, but anyone who comesto their doors.
So we help them, we provide,we've from here, from New
(40:53):
Jersey, we're providing food forthem as well as uh clothes.
And um I I um took a trainingthrough New Sanctuary, um, which
is a um group that will trainyou to accompany them to court.
So I'll be doing some of thatwork where you can help them
navigate the system that is socumbersome and so difficult for
(41:16):
them to just be with them.
Um I have to shadow someonewho's already doing the work so
I can learn a little bit morehow to do it, but um looking
forward to doing some of that soneeded.
Um we had just a story about umour janitor was picked up by ICE
at Immaculate and the school,and so the whole community
rallied.
(41:37):
He was from um Um Guatemala andhad come here, you know, because
escaping the gangs and and thedrugs there.
And he was on his way out ofcourt to with paperwork that he
was trying to fill out.
And ICE picked him up and hewent to detention and we
rallied.
We got a lawyer and legal aidfor him, and we got his bond in
(42:00):
with one two days, two days, wehad$9,000 collected for his bond
to get him out, which we did,and back into the school.
Yeah, we had a big big party towelcome him back to the school.
But that experience just showedme how difficult it is to get
your papers, your immigration uhwork done.
SPEAKER_02 (42:20):
Right, right, right.
So many of the undocumented havebeen trying for years and years
and years to find a way to havelegal status, and many of them
have been taken advantage of bysome lawyers, unfortunately, and
paid a lot of money and beendisappointed.
Um but but many are close, youknow, and they're um and
unfortunately now there's thatfear of going.
So that's great that you'll beaccompanying.
I know some bishops and otherplaces have um and pr and
(42:43):
priests have uh have haveaccompanied people uh to
immigration court as well.
So um we we try to walk thejourney together, and certainly
um as in these last days of Avenlooking to Christmas, um um we
look at the Holy Family and andthey uh they face fears and and
had to leave their home and uhum and uh receive the welcome of
(43:05):
uh whoever the uh the offeredthe stable there, right?
Um and uh and so um we try tooffer that welcome as well as as
the church and um and so um umwe really thank you for not only
coming on today but for youryour ministry and um I don't
know if Jay had uh Yeah, I justbefore we uh wind down, I I you
(43:27):
know immigration and socialjustice, obviously pretty
controversial, lightning rodtype uh issues.
SPEAKER_00 (43:35):
Uh social justice in particular, sometimes it sounds
like it's a dirty word orsomething, but I I mean can we
talk maybe about uh scripturethat might inspire you in in
your work and your calling inthis area, um, maybe role models
in this area.
Um Matthew 25.
As just an everyday Catholic,like what can you tell me about
(43:57):
social justice?
SPEAKER_04 (43:57):
Matthew 25, right?
That's right.
You do it to me.
SPEAKER_02 (44:00):
You did it for me, right?
Absolutely.
I was hungry, you gave me toeat, I was thirsty, you gave me
a drink personally.
SPEAKER_04 (44:04):
Unfortunately, people make it a political
thing.
It's not political, it's thegospel.
I always say that.
This is gospel, and they hearsocial justice, they think, you
know, I don't know, communism orsomething.
That's right.
This is w helping people getwhat they need.
You hear the word justice somany times in scripture, just
lately.
SPEAKER_02 (44:23):
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (44:24):
Um in the in uh the readings and all through Advent.
SPEAKER_02 (44:27):
Right, right, the prophets.
SPEAKER_04 (44:28):
Yeah, it's it's helping people get a keep their
dignity.
It's Catholic social teaching.
Um but some some of that hasbeen, I don't know, um,
forgotten about or Politicize,or there's not enough focus on
Catholic social training.
SPEAKER_00 (44:44):
How can we learn more?
Who do we turn to?
SPEAKER_04 (44:48):
Well, there's leaderships and there's so many.
Uh Dorothy Day comes to my mind,she was my hero.
She did so much opening Catholicworker houses to anyone that
came to the door in New York.
It was a place for home, a placefor just to be welcomed into
hosp houses of hospitality.
She's one of my heroes.
SPEAKER_03 (45:10):
Yes.
What touched my heart uh inreality was the the death of the
four women in El Salvador.
And of course Bishop Romero.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (45:21):
One of them from Rockaway, uh New York, St.
Francis de Sales Parish and uhwho had a connection to uh
former auxiliary bishop ofBrooklyn, Bishop Ford.
SPEAKER_04 (45:34):
Okay, well Eda Ford, I knew I knew her nephew because
he started Christopher inHarlem.
Oh, is that right?
Christo Ray, New York, BillFord, yeah.
He started the school there forum uh for high school.
SPEAKER_02 (45:47):
And for those who might not know, it was four
American women who were workingas missionaries in El Salvador
and were killed during thatterrible time, right?
SPEAKER_03 (45:55):
Yes, three of them were uh religious sisters and
one was a lay person.
And they had been warned and yetthey chose to stay.
And um in their staying theysuffered what many people have
suffered who stay among theviolent.
SPEAKER_02 (46:12):
Yeah, caring for the victims of the and those.
But they inspired you and theyinspired many others, right?
SPEAKER_03 (46:19):
They sure do, I'm sure today still.
They live in our hearts and inour actions.
SPEAKER_04 (46:26):
My own foundress, Mother Pauline, she was she
founded the community in Germanyfor blind children because they
were the marginalized of theday.
They weren't they weren'tthought to be they they could be
educated, and so she startedschools for the blind there.
She was very much into socialjustice for the poor, the blind,
and any though.
Her mother taught her that.
It came from her mother's heart,I think that she um would go out
(46:48):
in the streets with basket togive out food to those who
needed it.
And uh it just yeah, it's she'salso my inspiration.
SPEAKER_03 (46:57):
And I'll add one from my community too, uh, who
was canonized in 2019.
Her name is uh Sister Dulce ofthe Poor, is the title that was
given to her.
She's Brazilian, and uh she justa simple uh uh small person of
stature, but wow, what a heartof of st of I was gonna say
(47:19):
stone, stone to confront all ofthe people.
Like Mother Cabrini, like MotherCabrini, right?
SPEAKER_02 (47:24):
Yeah, right, right.
SPEAKER_00 (47:25):
That movie was amazing.
You saw that?
Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_05 (47:28):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (47:29):
Okay.
So thank you for joining us andfor your insight and wisdom and
and inspiration.
Um I guess we're gonna winddown.
SPEAKER_02 (47:38):
Right.
And uh we can put up uh, I'msure on your Sister Christian
charity and uh MissionarySisters of American Conception.
If people want to go to yourwebsite, they can find out a lot
about the community and uh andabout the work on behalf of the
gospel and social justice aswell.
SPEAKER_04 (47:51):
Yeah, and it's not just about immigration, but
creation care.
SPEAKER_02 (47:55):
Our environment, yes.
Oh my goodness.
Pope Francis really.
SPEAKER_04 (48:00):
We need to do more with that.
The church needs to do more.
SPEAKER_02 (48:03):
So, Jake pick uh justice, peace, and integrity,
right, right.
Which is part of the Sisters ofChristian charity.
And which you're gonna have moretime to work on now that uh
you're back in the website.
Thank you very much, sister.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (48:22):
It was great being here.
Pleasure.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (48:24):
Jay's gonna take us out, right?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (48:26):
Well, Bishop, anything else you want to add?
SPEAKER_02 (48:28):
Uh at this point, uh mostly uh prayers that everyone
would have a wonderful uhChristmas.
We pray for peace.
Um the sadness of um violenceand Brown University and um and
Australia.
And um so let us pray for peace,especially at at Christmas, that
uh the Prince of Peace who wasborn in that stable would um
(48:51):
give us the peace that only hecan give, and that our world
would know um that peace, andthat please God, in our lives
and our hearts, our families,that um we would know that peace
and be able to be instruments ofpeace um in a world that really
needs it.
SPEAKER_00 (49:05):
Amen.
Amen.
Thank you.
All right, thank you all.
Thanks, Bishop, and thank youfor joining us.
SPEAKER_02 (49:11):
Oh, go ahead.
Uh the closing mass for theJubilee, the Sunday after
Christmas.
Sunday, June 28th, 3 in theafternoon at the cathedral.
Uh we'll put it up, but uh uhhopefully, sister, you can be
there and uh hopefully many willjoin us to close out the Jubilee
of Hope.
SPEAKER_00 (49:27):
We'll see you there.
All right.
Well, thanks for joining us.
Please subscribe, comment, leavea positive rating.
Get to know us better byfollowing Bishop Kevin's
Instagram and beyond the beaconon social media.
Read the Bishop's weekly columnon beaconnj.org.
Get in touch if you have aquestion for the bishop or a
podcast topic idea, and discoverour other podcasts.
(49:47):
See you next time.
SPEAKER_02 (49:48):
Thank you, everybody.
God bless you.
Merry Christmas.
Thank you, sisters.
SPEAKER_03 (49:52):
Thank you.
Thank you.
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