What's Happening

November 12, 2024, Adrian, Michigan – Catholic Sisters leading Michigan congregations that have collectively served the people of Michigan for more than 700 years are joining with other organizations and municipalities across the state in calling on state lawmakers to pass the Drive SAFE (Safety, Access, Freedom, and Economy) legislation pending in the legislature.
 
The Drive SAFE bill package would make non-commercial Michigan driver’s licenses and state identification cards available to applicants who do not have proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status. The bill would allow undocumented immigrants to have driver’s licenses and reinstate the right to drive in Michigan, a right that was revoked in 2008 and that currently exists in 18 other states and Washington, D.C. The Drive SAFE bill package is supported by Strangers No Longer of Southeast Michigan, an immigrant advocacy organization.
 
“As women of faith we support this legislation because it honors the inherent dignity of all persons and supports the safety and welfare of all Michigan residents. We also support it as practical Michiganders because it makes common sense and is cost-effective,” the leaders stated.
 
Providing access to driver’s licenses and state IDs for all residents of Michigan – regardless of their documentation – gives residents the ability to care for their families and get to and from work and/or school without fear of being arrested, detained, and deported. It also enables residents to participate in daily activities in their communities that require identification. 
 
“These bills would benefit all Michiganders, making our roads and communities safer and improve our economy by adding to the state’s revenue,” the Sisters said.  
 
The legislation provides that all drivers be trained, screened, and tested and required to have auto insurance. In case of emergencies, officials would be able to efficiently identify all individuals. The legislation is estimated to increase revenues in the State of Michigan by up to $13.5 million within the first three years of its passage.
 
“We strongly urge our legislators to pass Drive SAFE legislation for the common good of all residents of Michigan,” the Sisters stated.
 

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The Michigan congregations whose leaders have issued this statement include Dominican Sisters of Adrian; Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids; Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe; Congregation of St. Joseph, Detroit; Sisters, Home Visitors of Mary of Detroit; Servants of Jesus, Detroit. The leaders of these congregations are members of the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and part of its geographic Region VII.

November 4, 2024, New Orleans, Louisiana – Recipients of the 2024 Sister Jamie T. Phelps Scholarship offered thanks to Sister Jamie and the Adrian Dominican Sisters for their opportunity for summer study at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies (IBCS) at Xavier University. 

The IBCS offers students the opportunity every summer to engage in graduate studies or continuing education in theology and pastoral ministry, particularly training them to serve the African American Catholic community and the church at large. Sister Jamie was a consultant in the planning stages of the Institute and taught classes through the program. She was named the Director of the IBCS in 2003. 

The Adrian Dominican Sisters established the Sister Jamie T. Phelps, OP, PhD, scholarship both to support the IBCS program and to offer reparation for the Congregation’s participation in structural racism in the past.

This year’s scholarship recipients offered their thanks via video messages.

“Studying at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies is beneficial to me in so many ways: as a Black Catholic woman, as an academic, and thirdly, as the campus minister at Howard University,” said recipient Ali Mumbach. “God has made a way for me to attend the Institute for Black Catholic Studies every year, actually every summer, and this scholarship is another way that he has provided for me and affirmed my intention to finish this degree.” 

Shaylyn Cothron, a senior at Xavier University majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology and theology said, “Sister Jamie has been a pioneer in Black Catholic theology and Black Catholic catechesis. Sister Jamie’s work has done more than preserve our faith tradition. It has made it tangible, ensuring that the history of our people, which is so often denied to us, is told and remembered. Our faith is marked by resilience and a deep sense of community.”

Also receiving the 2024 scholarship are Alicia Gray, an elementary school teacher in New Orleans working toward a master’s degree in theology; April Williams-Bell, a continuing education student who coordinates the Lafourche Parish Juvenile Justice Facility and an active member of St. Augustine Catholic Church; Rahsaan Carlin, Associate Director of the African American, African, and Caribbean Apostolate for the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, enrolled in the continuing education program; and Pattie J. Griffin, who earned a master’s degree in theology from IBCS in 1995 but returned to participate in the continuing education program.
 

Caption for above feature photo: Sister Jamie T. Phelps, OP, PhD, speaks at the 2003 Commencement Ceremony of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies. A scholarship program for IBCS students was endowed in her name.