Tom McDonald, Holy Spirit Catholic Community Social Concerns Minister, recommends this article from The Nation for tips and resources on ways to resist Trump's anti-immigrant policies.  Continue reading

On Saturday, January 21st, Millions of women (and their male supporters) in Washington DC, in Cleveland, across the nation and around the world came together to stand up for the values we hold dear.

Some coverage:

Crowd Scientists Say Women’s March in Washington Had 3 Times More People Than Trump’s Inauguration

Pictures From Women’s Marches on Every Continent

Women’s March Highlights as Huge Crowds Protest Trump: ‘We’re Not Going Away’

As a new administration takes power in Washington,
the mandate of the Gospel is clear.

The Community of St Bridget stands with:
Women 
Children
Muslims
Jews
Immigrants
Latinas & Latinos
Mexicans
Refugees
African Americans
LGBTs
Climate Scientists
​People with disabilities
the Old
the Poor
the Sick.

We support equality and inclusion.
We love diversity.
We build bridges - not walls.
We defend the environment.

We oppose:
torture
aggression targeted at women
white supremacists 
dictators and autocrats
hate, fear and division.

We will stand
and speak out in defense of our values,
remembering these words of Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Socialists,
and I did not speak out 
because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak for me.

Dagmar Braun Celeste shares with us a little about her call to the Priesthood... 

Only God’s Love by Dagmar Braun Celeste RCWP

For many years, I believed that the most important day of my life was the day I was baptized.  Then, after experiencing my First Communion, I was certain that no other day would ever match the glory of that day.  But in that same year even more grace was added on the day of my Confirmation.  None of the elaborate trappings of that day could camouflage the fact that I had become co-responsible for the well-being of my soul and the health of my church.  That day I became a spiritual warrior, ready to lay down my life for the love of God.  And for over thirty years, I believed that nothing would ever overshadow the radiant joy of my wedding day.   (Hit the Read More button below to continue with Dagmar’s story)

From Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story by Martin Luther King Jr. (1958)

This passage was written in 1958.  Today, King's biased choice of pronouns seems very dated to our ears. He was in fact unaware that his choice of words were reflective of a massive system of oppression which pushed women to the margins.  A modern day King, writing this paragraph in 2017, would not have made the same mistake.  Even so, King's words are timeless in their underlying meaning.  Often systems of oppression are so pervasive that oppressors are not even aware of the harm they do. Often victims of opression are complicit with their own oppression.  We are all called to "massive non-cooperation" with evil systems.

Mary Eileen shares with us a little about her call to the Priesthood...​

Called to Serve the Church    by Mary Eileen Collingwood, ARCWP

I grew up in a family that was always taking care of someone. During my teenage years, I worked in a Catholic-sponsored nursing home as a nurse's aide.  The nuns in charge indoctrinated us so that everyone who worked there knew the main goal was to prepare the residents for heaven.  After high school, I entered the convent. When it was apparent that my mother was having difficulty caring for my grandmother and I felt the pull to help out, I left the convent to come home.  (My Superior wasted no time in letting me know that I was not submissive enough for convent life.)  So naturally, after I was married and our first child was 6 months old, I thought nothing of having my great-aunt's best friend move in with us when she had nowhere else to live.  This gesture often repeated itself throughout our marriage, including the time after my older sister's death when her five girls needed a place to stay when their father worked weekends, holidays, and summer recess.  And when my father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, my husband and I cared for him in our home until he could be placed in an appropriate nursing facility.                 (Hit the Read More button below to continue with Mary Eileen's story)