What's Happening

February 20, 2017, Adrian, Michigan – More than 130 socially responsible investors – representing $653 billion in assets – sent a joint statement to banks throughout the world who are financing the Dakota Access Pipeline. In the statement, they encourage the banks to “address or support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s request for a reroute of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) to avoid their treaty territory.”

Among the signatories of the statement are Kathleen Woods, Chair of the Corporate Responsibility Committee of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board; Sister Judy Byron, OP, of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment; and representatives of other Congregations of Dominican Sisters and other communities of women religious.

The Standing Rock tribe had actively and peacefully opposed the pipeline’s projected route, which “crosses their drinking water, sacred sites, and treaty territory,” the investors note in their statement. The Sioux at Standing Rock had gained a victory in December when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied the necessary easement to complete the project. President Donald Trump, however, directed the Army Corps of Engineers to approve the grant the easement.

“We are concerned that if DAPL’s projected route moves forward, the result will almost certainly be an escalation of conflict and unrest as well as possible contamination of the water supply,” the investors write. Banks that are tied to the project, they add, could face “long-term brand and reputational damage resulting from consumer boycotts and possible legal liability.”

February 13, 2017, Rome, Italy – The Adrian Dominican Sisters are grateful for the service of Sister Celestina Veloso Freitas, OP, who in August will be completing her term as the International Promoter of Justice and Peace for Dominican Sisters International (DSI).

As Sister Celestina finished out her term, DSI, an international movement of Dominican Sisters of the apostolic life, is seeking a new International Promoter of Justice and Peace. The term will begin on September 1, 2017, and conclude August 31, 2020. 

“We’re so grateful to Celestina, fondly known as ‘Tina’ to many of us, for her service as the Promoter of Justice and Peace for Dominican Sisters International,” said Sister Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. “Tina worked diligently around the world to integrate concerns about the integrity of creation into the Order’s peace and justice agenda. She collaborated intentionally with Margaret Mayce, OP, our UN representative, and was tireless in coordinating our international response as Dominican Sisters to many issues, including the Paris UN Climate Conference in 2015. We wish Tina every blessing as she moves forward.”

The Promoter works to secure awareness among Dominican Sisters worldwide that the promotion of justice, peace, and the integrity of creation are constitutive elements of the Dominican vocation to preach the Gospel. She is also expected to collaborate closely with the Promoter for Peace and Justice of the Dominican Friars, the Order’s permanent delegate to the United Nations, and the Continental Promoters of Justice and Peace. 

Qualifications include work and life experience beyond one’s culture of origin; knowledge and practice of Catholic social teaching; and excellent oral and written communication skills in at least two of the official languages of DSI. For a detailed description of the position and its requirements, contact Sister Therese Marie Clement, OP, International Coordinator, at [email protected].