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allow undocumented immigrants to have driver’s licenses and reinstate the right to drive in Michigan, a right that was revoked in 2008 and that currently exists in 18 other states and Washington, D.C. The Drive SAFE bill package is supported by Strangers No Longer of Southeast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.
 

#   #   #
 

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.

September 18, 2023, Adrian, Michigan – Art lovers can be inspired and instructed as they explore an exhibit of artwork in various media by local artists and members of the Adrian Center for the Arts (ACA) at INAI, an art gallery adjacent to Weber Retreat and Conference Center. 

This exhibit, "ACA at INAI," is open from Friday, October 6, 2023, through Sunday, January 28, 2024, with an artists’ reception from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, October 22, 2023. INAI is open daily from 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. or call 517-266-4090 for an appointment.

Pi Benio, Director of Programming for the ACA, said the exhibit includes paintings, drawings, clay work, metals, glass, printmaking, and fiber art. “It’s a pretty good range of everything we have as a studio,” she said. The ACA offers classes on those media and will soon expand its offerings to include sculpture and hot glass. About 100 members benefit from the organization; residents have established studios in the ACA complex.  

“I’m really excited to collaborate with INAI” on the exhibit, Pi said. “We’ve partnered in a variety of ways in terms of supporting each other’s programming. INAI will have an opening, and we’ll have an opening at the same time” to attract people to both sites. Pi often helps Sister Suzanne Schreiber, OP, the INAI Coordinator, with the installation of art exhibits.

An art professor at Adrian College for 36 years, Pi brought art therapy to the Adrian Girls Training School, a state-run institution for girls who were recommended to it by the juvenile court. “I thought it would be a really great art center,” Pi said. When Michigan closed the school, and after she retired, Pi was part of the group establishing the ACA at the school’s site. The parent organization is the Lenawee Council for the Visual Arts.

“Art is about every feeling a human can have,” Pi said. “Art lets you express what you feel.” She noted that art is an essential outlet and safe way to express anger or other emotions. In addition, art benefits people who view it. “People who go to art shows might be connecting with a feeling, experience, or a place,” she said. “There are a variety of ways that art can reach people.”

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse, Adrian, Michigan. Traveling east on Siena Heights Drive, pass the Adrian Rea Literacy Center and turn left just before the solar panel-covered parking lot. Follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.