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February 23, 2026, Detroit – “I think the most important thing we can do to keep peace is to be a witness.… We can’t let up. We have to be vigilant. We have to reach out in love, compassion, and mercy.” 

Those are the words of Sister Mary Jane Lubinski, OP, who – with Sister Janet Stankowski, OP, and Adrian Dominican Associate Patricia “Patty” Gillis – recently attended a mid-January 2026 vigil outside the regional field office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in downtown Detroit. They – and many other Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates – have been activists and advocates in various ways for immigrants and other people facing injustice. 

During a recent interview, they reflected on their experiences as witnesses and advocates for peace and the common good. As often as possible, they attend weekly protests in Detroit and have been involved through their ministries and in other ways.

Sister Janet is inspired by the people of Minneapolis, who have supported and tried to protect their immigrant neighbors and protest the presence and actions of ICE agents in their city. “I don’t know anything that shines as bright as that example for motivating me to come out [in protests] when something happens…. It should motivate us to say we don’t want our money [used to send] people into our neighborhoods to capture, instill fear, or break up families.” She added that Livonia, Michigan – the location of Madonna University, where she ministers – has been negotiating with the local police about how they will respond to ICE agents. 

Patty said she has attended nearly every protest in the area since the re-election of President Donald Trump. Among the many issues represented at these protests, Patty reflected on the way representatives of the federal government treat immigrants in the attempt to deport them. 

“What really bothers me is how all immigrants are described as criminals,” Patty said. “That’s othering them…. That’s the kind of language authoritarians use when they want to take over the country.” But, she added, people who know particular immigrants know that they are not criminals. “They know the man who washes the dishes or the person who’s working in the restaurant,” she said. “They’re not criminals.” 

Patty recalled an earlier protest, a procession from Holy Trinity Church to ICE headquarters in Detroit in July 2025. The procession was organized by Strangers No Longer (SNL), a network of predominantly Catholic parishes, schools, immigrant organizations, and other organizations in Michigan that work together to promote humane immigration policies. Members of SNL later had the opportunity to meet with representatives of ICE. 

Patty was especially pleased with the involvement of the new Archbishop of Detroit, Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, who spoke in support of the immigrant community. Archbishop Weisenburger later wrote an article on the current treatment of immigrants by the U.S. government; Jesus’ teaching that “whatever you do to the least among us, you do to me”; and the need for reasonable immigration reform. 

Sister Janet said that the Detroit area is fortunate that, six months after the arrival of Archbishop Weisenburger, he participated in a procession for immigrants. “It’s so different when you have that leadership – support that’s more than verbal,” she said.

Sister Mary Jane has direct contact with immigrants through her ministry at St. Frances Cabrini Clinic in Detroit, founded 75 years ago to serve uninsured adults, including immigrants. St. Frances Cabrini (1850-1917) was a Catholic Sister who came to the United States from Italy and ministered to immigrants, who were often treated unjustly. 

The clinic is “still going strong,” Sister Mary Jane said. “It’s a refuge. It’s a place of welcome.” Through her ministry at the clinic, she has met people from throughout the world. “We serve everyone,” she said. “The questions we ask are around insurance or income … not origin and not racial issues.”

Sister Mary Jane added that the clinic is being proactive in designing policies and procedures in the event that ICE agents come. “The goal is to protect people, ensure confidentiality, and comply with laws,” she said. 

Along with her ministry at the clinic, Sister Mary Jane values the opportunity to be a witness of her Christian values through rallies and processions. “The physical action for me makes a difference,” she said. “Certainly, I pray and sing, but when I put my body there, it’s a whole different reality – to be with people, to hear their story or stand in silence and pray.”

Patty added: “It’s a privilege to be out there. It gives people who really care hope that people are out there doing good things. To watch all this violence and negativity is disheartening.”

Sister Janet agreed. “We’ve got to keep the positive going. What we can do with our bodies, let’s do it.”
 

Caption for above feature photo: From left, Sister Janet Stankowski, OP, Associate Patricia Gillis, and Sister Mary Jane Lubinski, OP, attend a January 14, 2026, vigil in front of the field office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regional field office in Detroit. 

October 8, 2025, Tucson, Arizona – Sisters Charlotte Anne Swift, OP, and Lois Paha, OP, were honored on September 12, 2025, by the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, during the Cornerstone Gala of the diocese’s Catholic Foundation for their many years of service to the people of the diocese. 

“From the beginning, it was overwhelming,” said Sister Charlotte Anne, who ministered a total of 56 years in the Diocese of Tucson – six in her early years of ministry and 50 years when she returned to the diocese. “I don’t feel worthy of it myself,” she said. “We come here and we do our jobs. I kept telling myself that it was all the Sisters over the years” who were being honored. In her remarks, Sister Charlotte Anne noted that 150 Adrian Dominican Sisters have served in the Diocese of Tucson since 1910.

While they were humble in accepting the recognition, both Sisters appreciated the gala organized by the Foundation and the support they received from the 835 people who attended – including Adrian Dominican Sisters Mary Jean Williams, OP, Kathleen “Katie” McGrail, OP, Peg Albert, OP, and Corinne Sanders, OP. “It was a most memorable evening.” 

Sister Charlotte Anne’s ministry – on the day of her first profession of vows – was as a teacher at Loretto School in Douglas, Arizona. After serving in California and other parts of Arizona, she returned to the diocese in 1975 to serve as the Principal of Santa Cruz School in Tucson until 1986, and for 15 years as Executive Director of a Project YES (Youth Enrichment and Support). 

Since then, Sister Charlotte Anne has served as administrative assistant to Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, continuing to serve him even after Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger became the Bishop of Tucson in 2017. Now that Bishop Weisenburger has been installed as the Archbishop of Detroit in March 2025, Bishop Kicanas oversees the Diocese of Tucson until a new bishop is appointed. “I asked for part-time” for Bishop Emeritus Kicanas, Sister Charlotte said, “but now it’s more than that because he’s no longer part-time.”   

Sister Lois began her remarks by being grateful for the Sisters who came before us. She came to minister in the Diocese of Tucson in 2005 to serve as the Director of Formation. “The main program was for the formation of permanent deacons and lay ecclesial ministers,” she said. When the current cohort graduates in June 2026, she said, the program will have trained 121 permanent deacons and 80 lay ministers. 

Sister Lois also works with the wives of the deacon candidates. “When I did my doctoral work, I created a curriculum for the formation of the deacons’ wives to walk and talk with them about what will change in their lives once their husbands said yes to the bishop – how they would be public figures,” she said.

Sister Lois came to the Diocese of Tucson with backgrounds in formation, liturgy, and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). By 2009, she said, she was named Director of Pastoral Services, Formation, and Liturgy. Among the highlights of her ministry in Tucson was hosting the Southwest Liturgical Conference Study Week in 2008 and 2020.

Both Sister Charlotte Anne and Sister Lois reflected on their benefits and learnings from their ministries in the diocese. “Coming back here, I felt I was coming home to the Hispanic community because it has been part of my early years in Douglas,” she said. “I appreciate the Hispanic culture and the way they live and the family orientation, and I have many good friends here,” she said. “It’s easy to feel part of this community.”

Sister Charlotte Anne also appreciates the connection she has with many of the people in the diocese. “I do some counseling and help in whatever way I can,” she said. “You’re with the people and you hear what’s going on with them and you do what you can.”

Sister Lois said she has also learned from her work with many of the cultures in the Diocese of Tucson. In her formation with prospective deacons and lay ecclesial ministers, “I’ve learned to listen to their stories first before pushing them further in terms of preparation for ministry. I’ve learned the differences their culture plays and how they learned their faith from their ancestors – their grandparents and the elders in their family.”  

Read more about Sisters Lois and Charlotte Anne here and watch a tribute video below.

Caption for above feature photo: Attending the 2025 Cornerstone Gala hosted by the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Tucson are, from left, Denis Fitzgibbons, Catholic Foundation Board President; Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson; Sister Lois Paha, OP; Donal Drayne, Gala Chair; Sister Charlotte Anne Swift, OP; and Elizabeth Bollinger, Catholic Foundation Executive Director.

Photo Courtesy of the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Tucson