Tell McGraw-Hill to include Modern-Day Slavery in Textbooks

Tell McGraw-Hill Publishers: Slavery Did Not End in 1865, Include Modern-Day Slavery in Textbooks.

A friend just sent the link to this petition: http://bit.ly/rkVWPu

image from Change.org site

When you think about it, it's amazing that any textbook is still teaching that slavery ended in 1865. Can we afford to perpetuate this myth? We protect every child when educators have age-appropriate resources to teach any child about the reality of modern-day slavery.

Please consider signing this petition. 

CSSJs address human trafficking; support Elizabeth Johnson

Wow! We've had an amazing week at our CSSJ Federation Event 2011. I'm finally home unwinding a bit after all the activity. I just went through each of the daily updates and daily slide presentations. Whether or not you were at the event, this review of the week takes about 15 minutes and really puts all the individual pieces into perspective. If you can't do the 15 minute review of our five days, at least read the article in NCR titled: Religious community publically backs embattled Sr. Elizabeth Johnson; Meeting also seeks landmark agreement on human trafficking.

While these two moments were heart-stretching and tranforming, it feels as if every moment was a major moment...

• all the prayers during the event
• the whole setting...ambiance starting with the table centerpieces that drew us together, as well as the banners and  Faces of Zeal videos [now on the event site home page & who are we page]. These represent every congregation in the Federation as well as our international sisters.
• liturgy with one of our associates who is a priest as presider,
• the keynote speakers,
• our public statement of support for our sister, Elizabeth Johnson,
• the culmination of two years of conversation and collaboration in the hotel's signing of the ECPAT Code to address human trafficking,
• ...and the news coverage of both of these -- don't miss the NCR article that does an excellent job of covering both of these in the context of the whole event.
• the many conversations -- formal and informal,
• the amazing hospitality and affirmation from the Millennium St. Louis Hotel management and associates and the brilliant work of NIX Conference and Meeting Management as well as the very patient and attentive technology crew....it just goes on and on.

A slde presentation that reviews the week was used during the closing prayer. It is on the Event 2011 website at

http://sistersofstjosephusfederation.club.officelive.com/WednesdayJuly13.aspx 

Scroll down from the slide show of the closing morning and open the link to the slide show. It takes a minute or so to open. Be patient.

My fear in listing any of these moments is that I will miss something. I want to extend a personal thank you to all who made the Sisters of St. Joseph U.S. Federation Event 2011 possible. The names are too numerous to list but you know who you are. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your "Zeal for healing the neighborhood of God's sacred universe." We are one, all is one, we are all one.

Sisters of St. Joseph Federation Event almost here

Well, for almost two years the planning committee for the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph has been meeting and praying and planning for an event that will start this Saturday. The committee is in the hotel now tending to all the final preparations. Here's a link to the Federation Event Daily Update page where daily updates will be posted. Take a minute to view pictures of today's behind the scenes preprations.