What's Happening

By Sister Nancyann Turner, OP, and Rosa Parks Staff

October 18, 2024, Detroit – The Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen celebrated its 25th anniversary with a reunion in late September. Sister Nancyann Turner, OP, creator of the program, was the guest of honor.

The Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program aims to stretch the minds of young people in Detroit, stimulating their creativity to help them find alternatives to violence. Activities include after-school tutoring, art therapy, a lending library, seasonal family activities, youth leadership development, and three-week summer peace camps.
 
Former employees, volunteers, families, and participants attended the celebration. Many former participants, now in their 20s and 30s, brought their own children.

In her opening remarks, Sister Nancyann thanked the many people gathered for all that they had taught her about life and the many ways the children and families blessed her. Guests were invited to reflect on their experiences in the program and shared the highlights of their time with the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program. They spoke of their appreciation for how the program made them feel safe or how they enjoyed the art projects. “The garden program was my favorite,” one participant said. “People are surprised when I can point out a certain plant or talk about the Earth.”

The alumni also shared many stories about how the program made them better people. “I learned about myself and God and values during our yearly retreats, field trips, and Leadership Camp,” one participant said. “The Girls Support Group made a big impact on me during my teens,” another recalled.

Many families commented that the core foundation of the program was peace and respect. They all remembered being blessed with a greeting of peace from Sister Nancyann each evening as they left for home. 

Numerous former and current participants remembered that with the support of the staff and the community with other participants, the program really “felt like a family.” As one mother remarked, “It wasn’t just a program but a beloved community; these were sacred rooms and endeavors.”

Over the years, several Adrian Dominican Sisters volunteered their services in the tutoring and art therapy programs. Others helped with special events like Easter egg decorating and Peace Camp projects. Mission Groups – made up of Adrian Dominican Sisters and lay Associates – often contributed school supplies and Christmas gifts for the mothers.

Sister Nancyann still volunteers one day a week, doing therapy with the children. It is the hope of many that the program will continue for at least another 25 years.

 

Caption for above feature photo: Sister Nancyann Turner, OP, works on fall crafts with a young participant in the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit.
Adrian Dominican Sisters file photo

October 17, 2024, Detroit – Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates were among crowds of people on October 6, 2024, who attended one or two Detroit stops of the Nuns on the Bus and Friends Tour. The tour began September 30, 2024, in Philadelphia and concludes October 18, 2024, in San Francisco.

Nuns on the Bus is a program sponsored by NETWORK, a Catholic social justice lobby, to educate voters on the major issues during national election years and to promote multi-issue voting. The 2024 theme is Revolution of Hope: Vote Our Future So Everyone Thrives, No Exceptions. For the first time, multi-faith and secular coalition partners are riding on the bus with the Catholic Sisters.

Among those attending one or both of the Detroit stops were Adrian Dominican Associates Carol Hofer and Geri Pleva and Sisters Nancyann Turner, OP, Anneliese Sinnott, OP, Kathleen Nolan, OP, Barbara Matievich, OP, Nancy Jurecki, OP, Barbara Cervenka, OP, and Barbara Kelley, OP. 

During the afternoon rally held outside the Electricians’ Union Hall, Nuns and Friends from the Bus and local activists spoke on various issues of concern, emphasizing the importance of encouraging all eligible citizens to vote. 

“I believe that the growing religious and racial diversity is our superpower,” said Rev. Adam Taylor, President of Sojourners Magazine and an ordained Baptist minister. “Far too many politicians are engaging in the politics of fear and scapegoating. We are here to advance justice for all.”

Referring to a line from Isaiah 58:12, in which the prophet said Israel would be known as the “repairer of the breach,” Rev. Taylor spoke of the variety of breaches that the people of Detroit and around the United States are called to repair, including the greater availability of guns than food stamps. “We have the power to repair the breaches in our midst,” he said. “Our vote is our voice.”  

Sister Sally Duffy, SC, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, spoke of the violence and scapegoating that immigrants face today. In particular, she spoke up for the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio – a city in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. . “The Haitian immigrants are revitalizing Springfield,” she said. “They’re filling jobs that need to be filled in manufacturing.” 

During the town hall meeting that evening in a packed Gesu Catholic Church, Nuns and Friends on the Bus and local activists emphasized the need to be multi-issue voters and to vote in ways that benefit the common good. Speakers described six freedoms that Nuns on the Bus emphasize during this election year.

•    The freedom to participate in a vibrant democracy: “We all have the freedom, right, and responsibility to cast a ballot and to help in shaping our society for the common good,” Sister Catherine C. Darcy, RSM, said. Pointing to the Christian Nationalist movement that seeks to make the United States a Christian nation, she said, “Our democracy must include everyone.”

•    The freedom to be healthy: Deborah Weinstein of the Coalition on Human Needs noted progress in providing health insurance, reducing prescription drug costs, and offering food and nutrition programs. “All of those projects can be either extended, approved, or wiped out, depending on Congress next year and the decision the president makes,” she said.

•    The freedom to care for ourselves and our families: Sarah Christopherson, a tax justice advocate, spoke on the need for programs that value workers over profit, make homeownership possible for more people, and invest in college and trade training programs. Through the expanded child tax credit program, children were able to eat well at school and domestic violence was reduced because of less stress in the families, she said.

•    The freedom from harm: Sister Barbara Pfarr, SSND, a community organizer, said people have the right to be free from the danger of gun violence. In addition, she said, the rights of marginalized communities – such as people of color, and LGBTQ+ people – must be respected.

•    The freedom to live in a welcoming country that values dignity and human rights: Sister Sally Duffy, SSND, encouraged the audience to hold leaders in Congress and the White House to account: restoring the right of an individual to seek asylum and to create pathways to citizenship.

•    The freedom to live on a healthy planet: Sister Louise Lears, SC, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, noted the right of all people to breathe clean air and drink clean water. In addition, she called on people to work to mitigate the effects of climate change in the wake of climate disasters such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Participants also met in small groups to discuss their vision for Detroit and heard a call to action to make a voting plan and to encourage others to vote for the common good.

Sister Kathleen Nolan, Director of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation, said she was impressed by the speakers “because they reflected the concerns of their communities in Detroit.” She said the events were unifying, giving a sense of drawing people together. “It was refreshing because it was not about specific candidates, but it was issue-focused: what’s important for communities, for people,” she said. 

 

Caption for above feature photo: Standing in front of the bus before the October 6, 2024, Nuns on the Bus Town Hall Meeting at Gesu Parish in Detroit are, from left, Adrian Dominican Sisters Barbara Matievich, OP, Barbara Kelley, OP, Nancy Jurecki, OP, Anneliese Sinnott, OP, Nancyann Turner, OP, and Kathleen Nolan, OP.