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allow undocumented immigrants to have driver’s licenses and reinstate the right to drive in Michigan, a right that was revoked in 2008 and that currently exists in 18 other states and Washington, D.C. The Drive SAFE bill package is supported by Strangers No Longer of Southeast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

August 25, 2022, St. Louis, Missouri – As Sister Elise García, OP, completed her three-year leadership commitment to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), Executive Director Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ, praised her for the extraordinary spirit she brought to the organization during the challenging times of COVID-19 and other global crises. She described Sister Elise as a “manifestation of global sisterhood” with “an incredible capacity to create integrative partnerships, and clearly the Gospel message in the public square is what your life is about.”

The words of praise came during the LCWR’s general assembly, held August 9-12, 2022, in St. Louis, Missouri. This was the first time since the pandemic that the annual assembly was held in person.

Sister Elise, a General Councilor for the Adrian Dominican Sisters, was elected President-elect of the LCWR during the 2019 general assembly in Scottsdale, Arizona. She served as President-Elect, 2019-2020; President, 2020-2021; and Past President, 2021-2022. Before her election, she served on the LCWR National Board.

The LCWR is comprised of the elected leadership of Catholic Sisters, representing about 80% of women religious in the United States.

Sister Elise was elected to the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ General Council during its General Chapter in 2016. During the 2022 General Chapter held in late June, she was elected to serve as Prioress, succeeding Sister Patricia Siemen, OP. Sister Elise and the newly elected General Council – Sisters Lorraine Réaume, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor, and Sisters Janice Brown, OP, Bibiana “Bless” Colasito, OP, and Corinne Sanders, OP – will take office on October 8, 2022.

Read the full article about the 2022 LCWR general assembly, written by Soli Salgado and published by the National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sisters Report.