What's Happening

November 21, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – In a reflection on the United Nations Climate Conference, COP27, taking place on the Sinai Peninsula, Sister Elise D. García, OP, makes the connection between the holy ground of Mt. Sinai – where Moses communed with God – and the holy ground of Earth. Sister Elise, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, ponders whether the call to Moses 3,000 years ago to “remove the sandals from his feet” because he was standing on holy ground could “be heard by all of us today as a call to recognize our whole Earth home as holy ground.” 

Sister Elise also notes the urgency that the national leaders gathered for COP27 recognize the need to make significant commitments to hold global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent further catastrophic consequences to the Earth community. She cites the statements of numerous faith leaders on the urgency of addressing global climate change and environmental degradation. 

Finally, she encourages people of good will to pray for those gathered at Mount Sinai and for the faith leaders who are advocating for action, and to participate virtually through Shoeless on Sinai: A Digital Pilgrimage to COP27.

Read Sister Elise’s reflection, posted on National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sisters Report.

November 21, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – The General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters issued the following statement, deploring the hate crime that resulted in the death of five people and the injury of at least 25 people at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Our hearts ache for the five people who were killed and at least 25 injured in a hate crime committed at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Saturday night. We pray for the repose of the souls of those who died so cruelly, and for the healing and recovery of all who suffered grievous wounds. We offer deep condolences to family and friends who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

There is no place for hate crimes in our nation nor for the angry and venomous language that often precedes such evil acts – whether committed against members of the LGBTQ+ community or people who are Black, Indigenous, Latino, or Asian-American, or because of a person’s religious faith. As women of faith, we believe in the inherent dignity of every person, each one of us wonderfully made (Psalm 139) in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

We call on all people of good will to join in doing whatever we can to end the bitter divisiveness that rends our hearts and society with such deadly consequences. May we embrace the transformative gift of seeing each other as brothers and sisters, all loved by God, sharing precious life on our common Earth home.

Members of the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters are Sisters Elise D. García, OP, Prioress; Lorraine Réaume, OP, Vicaress; and Corinne Sanders, OP, Janice Brown, OP, and Bibiana Colasito, OP.