“This Good Work” is the Congregation’s bi-monthly e-newsletter to give witness to Precious Blood Spirituality through the lens of social justice, rooted in Gospel values and Catholic social teaching. In it we share real, legitimate information and ways Sisters are thinking about and living out many issues of peace, justice and ecology. This is curated by Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator Jen Morin-Williamson and features articles by Sisters and guest writers.
Democracy needs our voices and our votes
Ohio Sisters work together to strengthen democracy
Partners in educating and developing more informed voters
Partners in educating and developing more informed voters
Vote Our Future: Everyone Thrives. No Exceptions!
Democracy needs our voices and our votes
By Jen Morin-Williamson, Peace, Justice, and Ecology Coordinator
“I’m not political.”
“The legal system is just too complicated.”
“I can’t change anything anyhow.”
I used to say those things because I didn’t feel I knew enough about the legal system, and it seemed very complex. My high school government class was a long time ago, and I hadn’t ever engaged much in the political world in a way that had any real depth – until my work with the Sisters. The Congregation has a robust history of interacting with our legislators in advocating for just laws. I’ve come to learn that while it is complicated and frustrating, every justice issue, every issue that is important to me, is affected by our laws. It was easy for me to just focus on the federal arena because it gets so much national attention, but the real details of our legislation get played out much closer to home. Our state and local governments have real influence. While Congress decides on big overarching legislation, local governments really implement how that works in communities. This is especially true when it comes to the distribution of funds. Read More
Even being true to our nonpartisan commitment, we are compelled to work toward inclusive voter rights. We are seeing Congress and many states enacting legislation that narrows who can vote. This includes large-scale expungement of registered voters; implementing more restrictive absentee voting methods, including the method of and locations for submitting ballots; and making voter identification more difficult. These practices disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged communities, making it difficult for people who work for an hourly wage to take time off work to vote.
The Congregation has been offering opportunities to learn about issues that restrict voter rights. (Please check out our website for resources.) We think of this as being concerned about the state of democracy. In collaboration with other organizations, our efforts include educating our community about voter suppression and gerrymandered districts, advocating for fair voting practices, supporting voter participation, and amplifying our reach by working with other nonprofits, community groups and faith-based organizations. We encourage our readers to do the same.
We also want to encourage voters: your votes do indeed make a difference. (Do a little research about your community. Many have elections that are decided by a handful of votes.) Every vote counts, and participating in elections is crucial for shaping the kind of world we want for ourselves and future generations. I’ll conclude with this quote from U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock: “A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children.”
In slider above, voting rights protest; National Archives photo
Ohio Sisters work together to strengthen democracy
By Mackenzie Doyle, Justice Promoter, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
Although I am a relatively new member of the Ohio Sisters Justice Network (OSJN), I quickly encountered this group’s desire for a more just and inclusive democracy for all people.
Some members of the group had read together David Pepper’s first book, Laboratories of Autocracy, which focuses on how the Ohio Statehouse has been gerrymandered into an autocracy rather than a functioning democracy. Pepper, an Ohio politician, states that Ohio is just one example of what is occurring in statehouses across the country. This book deeply disturbed the group and led to the reading of his second book, Saving Democracy. Read More
At our in-person meeting in March, our conversations showed we wanted to take some action around the election this fall that could encourage voting despite all of the obstacles laid out in Pepper’s books.
Our approach has been two-fold: supporting campaigns and organizations that are doing good work, as well as coming up with our own ideas.
In May, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati hosted NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice for an in-person training that focused on how we can communicate our vision of a multiracial democracy where everyone can thrive. OSJN was a key partner in this event. In June, OSJN hosted a webinar focusing on the two ballot initiatives in Ohio and invited speakers from each campaign to talk about their issue. The Citizens Not Politicians campaign aims to end gerrymandering in Ohio by appointing an independent commission made up of citizens, not politicians, to draw district maps. This will be on the ballot in November, and OSJN plans to be publicly supportive of this, as it will work to end many of the issues detailed in Pepper’s books.
The Raise the Wage campaign is trying to raise the minimum wage for all workers, including tipped workers who currently earn subminimum wage, to $15 (plus tips) over a period of time. This petition is still collecting signatures, but it is also important to support, as tips were historically used to not pay Black workers after slavery ended. Racial justice is another key area of concern for OSJN and is entwined with the vision of a multiracial democracy.
Lastly, OSJN created a team that will focus on our own democracy initiatives which are still in process, but include selling T-shirts, creating videos about why we vote, sending postcards, and more. Stay tuned, because OSJN will need your help to focus on democracy this fall!
Above right and in slider above, participants at the Network workshop; contributed photos.
Partners in educating and developing more informed voters
By Christine Corba, Executive Director and Beth Schaeffer, President, League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area
The first formal call for equal suffrage came in 1848 at the Women’s Rights Convention held at Seneca Falls, New York, just a few years after the first Precious Blood Sisters arrived in the United States. In 1920, with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, women were granted the right to vote, and it was then that the League of Women Voters was formed. Read More
Recognizing that social justice can only be achieved when citizens have full and informed participation in the political process, the mission of the League of Women Voters is to serve as a nonpartisan political organization, to encourage informed and active participation in government, to work to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and to influence public policy through education.
The League is known for its annual voters’ guide, as well as for providing information and education through forums, programs and fact sheets about issues that affect the day-to-day lives of citizens throughout the Greater Dayton Area.
The Sisters of the Precious Blood also recognize the critical role that education plays in supporting its advocacy and justice work, and the value of sharing messaging from reliable sources with aligned values.
Our collaborative relationship with the Sisters began during the summer of 2023, when the League was invited to speak about Issue 1, a proposed amendment that would have severely restricted citizens’ ability to initiate any proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution. Then, last fall, the League was asked to speak to the Sisters about the upcoming general election and to help dispel misinformation about statewide issues.
When the opportunity presented itself for the LWVGDA to partner with the Sisters of the Precious Blood to bring author David Pepper to Dayton for a public conversation on democracy, it was a perfect fit. This collaborative program, which provided everyday citizens with steps they can take to promote democracy, was well-received by the community.
The LWVGDA deeply values its connection to the Sisters of the Precious Blood and looks forward to other opportunities to inform and educate voters on important issues, expand efforts to increase voter participation, and work together in our mutual pursuit of a more just society.
Above right, the LWVGDA speaks with Sisters and staff at Salem Heights; in slider above, David Pepper and the LWVGDA presentation at the Dayton Metro Library; books about democracy on display at the Dayton Metro Library; Jen Morin-Williamson photos.
Vote Our Future: Everyone Thrives. No Exceptions!
By Catherine Gillette, Senior Grassroots Mobilization Organizer, NETWORK Advocates
Founded by Catholic Sisters from across the United States, NETWORK Advocates has been working for policies that advance Catholic Social Justice for over 50 years! Right now, much of our work is focused on our voter education and mobilization campaign, “Vote Our Future: Everyone Thrives. No Exceptions!” As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our work is nonpartisan, and we are not endorsing any candidate or party. Instead, we hope to provide educational resources and opportunities to help Catholics and other people of faith thoughtfully engage to support our democracy this election year and beyond.
One of our most popular resources, and the primary source for voter education materials, is our Equally Sacred Checklist. Pope Francis makes it clear: Catholics and all people of good will are called to be multi-issue voters. Our resource helps people consider some of the issues that are “equally sacred” using a freedom framework. We focus on six particular freedoms that we all need to thrive: health care, economic justice, climate justice, community safety, democracy and immigration. In doing so, we hope to communicate both our values and a positive vision for what is possible. People use this resource for personal reflection and to engage the people in their lives about the importance of being multi-issue voters.
Engaging with the Equally Sacred Checklist is a wonderful place to start; however, we also encourage everyone to find other ways to get involved this year. We recognize that everyone has different gifts, abilities and interests, so we’ve created a “menu” of opportunities for engagement. Some activities can be done from the comfort of one’s home: writing a letter to the editor, helping a loved one come up with a plan to vote, posting a reminder about the election on social media, or even hosting a ballot research party to help the people in your life better understand what is on their ballot. There are also lots of great options for people who prefer to be out and about in their communities: hosting a voter registration drive can be a fun way to engage (and NETWORK has a new resource to help you do so!) Others might feel called to serve as a poll worker, poll watcher or poll chaplain. There are countless ways to get involved — including connecting with local organizations already doing the work. My best advice? Be creative, do the work in community, and have fun with it! Read More
In the words of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community.” I hope that you will join with NETWORK and our advocates in supporting our democracy this election year and beyond!
Ohio Sisters work together to strengthen democracy
Vote Our Future: Everyone Thrives. No Exceptions!