Shalom News North America  
An instrument of hope, formation, and action
concerning priority matters of social justice.

In This Issue
Papal TED Talk

Love of Creation

Tongass Forest

Banks and Climate Crisis

Fratelli Tutti

Native American History

Education

Day of the Poor

Child/Forced Labor

Violence Against Women

Nuclear Disarmament

Roses in Dec

Virtual Prayer Room for Peace
November/2020
Dear Friend,         
  
Our goal is not to amass information or to satisfy curiosity, but rather to become painfully aware, to dare to turn what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it. Laudato Si' (#19)
 
May these words and the resources found in this
e-newsletter inspire your efforts to promote solidarity and protect the dignity of all life during these challenging times.   

  
Shalom North America Contacts


Click here for our printer-friendly (pdf) version of the newsletter.
Integrity of Creation  
Pope Francis - Moral Imperative to Act on
Climate Change   
Pope Francis spoke of the moral imperative to address climate change, to take urgent action to protect our common home and each other in a recent TED Talk presentation. He laid out three paths of action: promoting education about the environment, assuring drinking water and an adequate food supply through sustainable agriculture and promoting the transformation from fossil fuels to clean energy sources. Pope Francis cautioned that we have just a few years “to drastically reduce the emissions of gas and the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.” He noted that this transition must take into account the impact on the poor, local populations, and those who work in the energy sector
Integrity of Creation  
For the Love of Creation Webinar Series       
Every Monday evening in the month of November, For the Love of Creation will hold free on-line webinars focusing on climate change, climate justice, connecting with creation, theologies of creation care and taking action for the protection of our common home. For the Love of Creation is a faith-based initiative for climate justice that unites faith bodies and faith-based organizations in Canada to make a meaningful contribution to the climate crisis in the next decade. Learn more, register for webinars here.
Integrity of Creation  
Tongass National Forest Stripped of Environmental Protections
The Trump Administration has opened up more than half of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to logging and other forms of development, stripping protections that had safeguarded one of the world’s largest intact temperate rainforests for nearly two decades. For years, federal and academic scientists have identified Tongass as an ecological oasis that provides key habitat for many species. Its trees – some of which are between 300 and 1,000 years old – absorb at least 8 percent of all the carbon stored in the entire lower 48′s forests combined. “While tropical rainforests are the lungs of the planet, the Tongass is the lungs of North America,” Dominick DellaSala, chief scientist with the Earth Island Institute’s Wild Heritage project, said in an interview. “It’s America’s last climate sanctuary.” Learn more
Integrity of Creation
Financial Firms and the Climate Crisis     
J P Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the U.S., has been under increasing pressure from faith-based investors (including SSND) and environmental activists to divest from the fossil-fuel industry. Recently, it announced it is establishing goals to be achieved by 2030 for each industry in its portfolio, starting with oil and gas, automotive manufacturing and electric power, announcing its specific targets in 2021. Dozens of other financial firms have committed to Science Based Targets and set climate goals specific to various assets in their portfolios. Learn more.
Human Life and Dignity
Fratelli Tutti
Pope Francis released his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, “On Fraternity and Social Friendship,” on October 4th. The new encyclical builds on themes he has emphasized throughout his papacy, such as interconnectedness, encounter, openness, and dialogue, and makes the case that these values should characterize our approach to social and political structures, as well as interpersonal relationships. We invite you to read Kathleen Bonnette’s reflection on the encyclical published by U.S. Catholic: God is in the ties that bind, says Pope Francis in ‘Fratelli Tutti’. Consider this study guide prepared by the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and this ‘Inside the Vatican’ podcast: ‘Fratelli Tutti’ in 5 minutes. 
Human Life and Dignity
Native American Heritage Month        
In the U.S., November is Native American Heritage Month. The rich culture, contributions and story of the native peoples have been distorted and desecrated by colonization, racism, and the systemic oppression of the noble people who have been guardians of this land centuries before the European conquest. As SSNDs engage the troubling legacy of racism in our countries and lives, let us reflect this month on the story of the Native American Communities that continue to struggle for their right to life in our midst. Click here to read a beautiful essay by a Native American mother addressing the racism in the children’s story “The Ransom of Red Chief.” Click here for beautiful Wisdom sayings. View a brief reflective video on the Words of Crazy Horse here spoken during the Dakota Access pipeline action by Native American people. 
Human Life and Dignity
Education for Girls, for All 
The recently released 2020 report on gender equality in education reports that 180 million more girls have enrolled in primary and secondary education since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark commitment to advance the rights of girls and women made in 1995. Despite great strides over the past 25 years, progress has been uneven, and many girls and women remain excluded from education around the world. The report calls for action in six areas, including making schools safe spaces, free from gender-based violence. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) recognizes that all children deserve, and have the right to, a quality education. Learn more about a new global indicator that will help provide a snapshot of the progress we are making towards achieving SDG 4.
Human Life and Dignity
World Day of the Poor (11/15)
This year’s theme is Stretch forth your hand to the poor. “We cannot feel alright when any member of the human family is left behind and in the shadows,” Pope Francis says in his 2020 World Day of the Poor message. Referencing the challenges of the current global pandemic, he warns that, “Until we revive our sense of responsibility for our neighbor and every person, grave economic, financial and political crises will continue.” Learn about poverty concerns in the U.S., Canada, and globally in light of the COVID-10 pandemic. Ending poverty in all its forms is the first UN Sustainable Development Goal – learn more.
Human Life and Dignity
2020 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or
Forced Labor
The latest global estimates highlight that 152 million children remain in child labor and 25 million adults and children toil under conditions of forced labor. The bi-annual U.S. Department of Labor’s report on products from around the world that are tainted by forced and/or child labor provides governments, NGO’s, and others critical information to support prevention and remediation efforts in global supply chains. Few reports have as much impact on the world of labor rights as this one does. Read full report, download the Sweat & Toil app for your smart phone/tablet.

Human Life and Dignity
World Children's Day (11/20)
On November 20 – the anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) – we celebrate World Children’s Day, “to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.” This year, we remember especially the thousands of migrant children and their families who were separated by U.S. immigration policy, including the 545 children who still have not been reunited with their families, and the children threatened by Family Separation 2.0 during this pandemic. The UNCRC maintains that “in all actions concerning children … the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration,” yet these children have suffered “cruelty in the highest form,” according to Pope Francis, and have experienced trauma rising “to the level of torture,” as concluded by Physicians for Human Rights. Click here for the Interfaith Immigration Coalition’s Prayer for Migrant Children and here for the SSND International Solidarity Reflection on the well-being of children.

Human Life and Dignity
Violence Against Women Day
November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This year, we remember in a special way the Indigenous women and girls who have been trafficked in the United States and Canada. “As a result of colonialism and resulting discrimination, women and girls in Canada and the United States have less access to social support and services putting them at greater risk of being recruited into human trafficking." (Stop Trafficking! Oct 2020 Issue) Thousands of indigenous women are ‘missing’ in Canada and in the United States, indigenous women are murdered at rates more than 10x higher than other racial or ethnic groups. 95% of missing/murdered native American women are not covered by national media. Review this newsletter and this focus paper for more information and action suggestions. 
Peace and Non-Violence
Catholic-Evangelical Dialogue on Nuclear Disarmament
New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the last remaining nuclear weapons agreement between the United States and Russia, expires in February 2021 unless both sides agree to a five-year extension.
The treaty, ratified almost a decade ago, limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons to levels far below those of the Cold War. With the deadline for renewal just months away, what are the current prospects for New START? How can Catholic and Evangelical Protestant communities mobilize in support of the agreement? Watch a panel discussion featuring prominent Evangelical and Catholic leaders and scholars explore these timely and important issues.  

Peace and Non-Violence
Nuclear Ban Treaty to Enter into Force  
The United Nations announced that 50 countries have ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, triggering its entry into force in 90 days, a move hailed by anti-nuclear activists but strongly opposed by the major nuclear powers. The treaty requires that all ratifying countries “never under any circumstances ... develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” It also bans any transfer or use of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices — and the threat to use such weapons -- and requires parties to promote the treaty to other countries. Neither Canada nor the U.S. has supported this treaty with signature or ratification and therefore are not bound by it. Learn more.
Peace and Non-Violence
World Science Day for Peace and Development (11/10)  
This year, at a time when the world is struggling with the global COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of the World Science Day is on “Science for and with Society in dealing with the global pandemic.” Learn more. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #ScienceDay.
Peace and Non-Violence
Roses in December 40th Anniversary Toolkit  
December 2nd marks the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of the "Roses in December" martyrs, Dorothy Kazel, OSU, Maura Clarke, MM, Ita Ford, MM and Jean Donovan who were brutally murdered by the U.S.-supported Salvadoran military for their ministry and for their dedication to those living in poverty. Let us take this opportunity to celebrate the gift of these women and remember all of those who dedicated their lives to working for justice in El Salvador and throughout the world. Click here for a Roses in December toolkit that includes the story of the four church women, ideas for planning a celebration, a prayer service, and suggestions for action.
Peace and Non-Violence
Virtual Prayer Room for Peace  
Throughout the election season, the School Sisters of Notre Dame invite you to enter our virtual Prayer Room for Peace. Please feel free to visit this space often and to share this invitation with others. All are welcome! We also share this Fratelli Tutti inspired election season prayer service for peace. May peace prevail.
Quick Links
The SSND Shalom Network witnesses to the Gospel with audacity and hope as we collaborate to build just relationships and respond to the urgent needs of our times. 
Shalom News North America is an e-publication of the Shalom North America Contacts (SNAC) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame - Arlene Flaherty, Ethel Howley, Jeanne Wingenter, Kathleen Bonnette, Rose Mary Sander, and Tim Dewane. Your comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcomed. Email us at tdewane@ssndcp.org.

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