What We Care About
The best way to know who we are today is to know what we care about. Like our earliest members, we focus on serving and advocating for people in need who, like the women and children our pioneer Sisters served, often live on the margins of society. We commit ourselves to actions that allow us to speak up where justice is needed, and we invite others to join us in creating a more just and peaceful world.
In light of the killing of seven people, three of them children, we have linked to the Fellowship of Reconciliation ‘s statement on our webpage.
We join FOR’S “call on lawmakers and communities to take immediate action to finally prioritize life over the profits of firearm companies.”
February 1, 2023—As members of the Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration (OPSCC), the Leadership Team of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill stands in prayerful solidarity with the National Black Sisters Conference (NBSC) and their statement calling for reform of policing practices, and “an end to the police brutality that continues to plague Black and poor communities.” We join with all women and men of goodwill who respect the God-given dignity of every person and oppose violence, injustice, and all threats to peace.
The Leadership Team of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill stand in solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) statement on the heart-rending violence perpetrated at Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO. We join with all women and men of goodwill who respect the God-given dignity of every person. Proud of our long history of opposing violence, especially against the most vulnerable, we remain committed to the pursuit of truth in order to face and address the injustice of discrimination, racism, and all threats to peace, including rhetoric by those who seek to dehumanize God’s children in the LGBTQ+ community.
Learn more about some ways we seek to make a difference through prayer, ministry, and advocacy in service to:
Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary Corporate Stances
1980
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, support the Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race (Printed by the Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies, American Friends Service Committee, Clergy and Laity Concerned, Fellowship of Reconciliation.)
1981
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, support the permanent termination of military aid to El Salvador.
1982
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, oppose the deprivation of human rights of the Catholic population of Northern Ireland; support all non-violent efforts toward a peaceful and just solution that will allow the self-determination of the people of Northern Ireland.
1986
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, believe the call of the Gospel to “bring the Good News to the poor and set the downtrodden free” (Luke 4:18); oppose the United States intervention in Central America; challenge the United States immigration policy.
1989
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, believe in the sanctity of life; oppose the death penalty as a means of punishment.
2000
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, believe that the federal budget is a moral document, representing our priorities, values, and aspiration; believe that huge increases in military spending affect people living in poverty, children, the elderly, and the infirm of our nation; recall the words of Vatican II: “The arms race is an utterly treacherous trap for humanity and one that ensnares the poor to an intolerable degree.” (Gaudium et Spes, 1964, #81)
2004
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, support peaceful, rather than violent means to achieve regime changes; oppose a United States-led military campaign in Iraq, urge our government leaders to reject the use of violence in favor of diplomatic means to secure a lasting peace.
2004
Land Ethic
Our shared values and beliefs regarding the earth in general and the land we own in particular, have grown out of our study of the continuing revelation of God in all of creation, in the Scriptures, in the teachings of the Church, and in human wisdom. Our decisions and actions are shaped by our Dominican heritage, which impels us to seek new vistas of possibility in human and world development. (Call and Response #54-56)
Our studies in search of truth have led us to new understandings of Planet Earth.
- We have come to know Earth as sacred in itself, as revelatory of divinity.
- We have come to know ourselves as members of an interdependent Earth Community in kinship with all creation.
- We have come to appreciate land for its aesthetic and intrinsic value, as well as for its instrumental worth.
- We have come to understand that a relationship to land cannot be strictly economic, that there are obligations as well as privileges.
- We have come to understand that care for people and for the poor in particular, is inextricably connected to our care for Planet Earth.
- We have come to understand that land is God’s, that we are caretakers of land.
- We have come to understand that Earth’s benefits are for everyone, that land should be conserved, restored, and shared equitably.
We pledge to make all decisions about Earth and specifically, lands to which we hold title in light of these values and beliefs.
We pledge to consider the effect that these decisions will have on the Earth Community now and for generations to come.
We pledge to live a simple life in common, to use and share in a responsible manner resources entrusted to us by God, and to continually deepen our understanding of the vow of poverty. (Directory #31.1-31.2)
2005
We, the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary, support human rights and oppose the trafficking of women and children for social exploitation and forced labor.
Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration (OPSCC) Corporate Stances
(Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope, and Sparkill)
April 22, 2015
Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration – Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope, and Sparkill
Dominican Sisters Commit to Work on Climate Change Impacts Climate Justice Calls us to Seek Sustainable Life Habits
Amityville, Blauvelt, Hope, Sparkill, NY and Caldwell, NJ: Five congregations of Dominican Sisters–the Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration–join their voices and efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and build more sustainable lifestyles. Speaking and acting on behalf of Earth systems, essential for the continuation of life, is an important element in the work of justice inherent in the life of a Dominican Sister. By joining together to speak as one voice, organizing actions to protect the environment, and advocating for policies that protect the most vulnerable among us and our environment, the Sisters join the growing number of individuals and families in the Climate Change Movement.
In instituting this Corporate Stance on Climate Change, the Sisters commit to:
- Lending our individual and collective voice to those efforts, consistent with our Catholic faith and the Dominican search for truth, that seek to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.
- Changes in lifestyle individually and collectively that will reduce our carbon footprint upon the planet and encourage others to do the same in our homes, at places of work, at the institutions where we have influence and in our communities of worship.
- Educating ourselves, family, friends, neighbors and colleagues about global warming and ways to address this challenge.
- Joining like-minded groups to mobilize awareness and action toward a more sustainable future by working for systemic change and legislation to protect the environment and the community of life.
- Making responsible investments, supporting the development of sustainable energies and advocating for more environmentally responsible corporate policies and practices.
This corporate stance binds us, individually and corporately, to make decisions that protect our environment, to take actions that make our daily lives less harmful to the environment, and to invite others to understand that protection of Earth systems is essential for insuring a healthy planet for future generations. April, 2015
Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration represents over 1,000 Sisters and Associates from Dominican congregations of Roman Catholic Sisters in New York and New Jersey, dedicated to serving God’s people, especially the most vulnerable among us.
Resolution
We, the Dominican Sisters of Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope and Sparkill, believe that our present immigration law is badly broken and in need of reform: it ignores the human situation of separated families and the oppressive living conditions that force people to migrate.
We support a compassionate and comprehensive immigration law that:
- Provides the processes for undocumented persons to achieve permanent residency and citizenship without leaving the United States.
- Creates legal avenues for migration.
- Assures family unity for immigrant families.
- Provides guaranteed human rights and labor protections for undocumented workers and all workers.
- Addresses the root-causes of migration by protecting the human rights of workers internationally.
Action Steps
- Publish our corporate stance in the media.
- Educate ourselves by staying informed of developments in immigration legislation.
- Continue to advocate and educate for immigration reform in our ministries, parishes and with other concerned groups.
- Contact local and federal legislators to support the issue of a just reform of immigration laws.