Called to Action: A SSNDCP Podcast

In Episode 10: Racial Justice, A Call to Action  we welcome Tim Dewane, Director, Office of Global Justice and Peace at SSND. Tim discusses the need for racial justice and how it is a call to action for all of us by outlining the three pathways the racial justice committee follows. We hope you found this season inspiring and educational, and we can't thank you enough for joining us this season as we explored racial justice. We look forward to Season 5, returning January 2025!

In Episode 9: High School Students Views on Social Justice  we welcome two students from Notre Dame High School in St. Louis to discuss our country's youth and where they stand on the topic of social justice. Joy Garavaglia and Elizabeth Merrill share their experiences learning about social justice in high school and how they apply it to their relationships with their friends and family. We hope you get some helpful information from this episode and we appreciate you listening to Called to Action.

In Episode 8: Ecological Economics and Environmental Racism we welcome Sister Ethel Howley from the Atlantic-Midwest Province joins us to share her experience with Laudato Si' and help us explore ecological economics and environmental racism. We hope you get some helpful information from this episode and we appreciate you listening to Called to Action.

In Episode 7:  Learning about Segregation and Generational Poverty we welcome Sister Vicki Jean Chambers who discusses why there is still segregation in cities across the United States and why generational poverty is part of the systemic racism present in the country. We hope you get some helpful facts from this episode as we educate ourselves on segregation and generational poverty.

In Episode 6:  Understanding White Privilege and White Supremacy we welcome associate Judy Gregor who shares her experience as a SSND Associate and what she has learned as a member of the Racial Justice Committee. We hope you enjoy this episode as we explore understanding white privilege and white supremacy.

In Episode 5: Preserving the History of Indigenous People we welcome Sister Connie Schmidt who shares her experience working in ministry for 21 years on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation located in South Dakota. We hope you enjoy this episode as we explore the importance of honoring the history of indigenous people. 

In Episode 4: Understanding White Privilege, White Fragility; and Mircoagression we welcome Sister Rose Mercurio to help us define these terms, be aware of them, and address them to enact change. We hope you enjoy this episode and that you listen to each episode, available every other Wednesday!

In Episode 3: Learning Our Common History we welcome Sister Addie Lorraine Walker to help us dive into our common history and how banning books affects the narrative of American History. We hope you enjoy this episode and that you listen to each episode, available every other Wednesday!

In Episode 2: Catholic Social Teaching on Racial Justice we welcome Sister Janise Berberich to help us explain Catholic social teaching around racism. She offers a great perspective from her 35 years of teaching at Notre Dame High School, St. Louis. We hope you enjoy this episode and that you listen to each episode, available every other Wednesday!

Welcome back to another season of Called to Action! Season 4: Racial Justice, Episode 1: Introduction to Racial Justice helps us explain how to define racism and lays out the first steps someone can take when working towards dismantling their own racism.  Our first guest Sister Barbara Pfarr, part of SSNDs Racial Justice Committee, help us introduce the topic and walks us through the three pathways the committee suggests following when approaching the subject of racism.  We welcome you to listen to the conversation and to join us as we educate ourselves on how to better accept, navigate, and change the systemic racism that exists around us. 

In preparation for the launch of Called to Action Season 4: Racial Justice we are releasing a special bonus episode that was recorded after the conclusion of Season 3. We hope you enjoy this episode with special guest Libby Keady who is a theology teacher at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Hampton, Maryland. Libby's senior class had been listening to Season 3: Migration, We Stand in Solidarity  and offered us some great feedback that was helpful to have coming from a younger demographic. Our conversation in this episode touches on the youth of today and how they approach topics like racism, mental health and social media. We hope this discussion is helpful for our audience and offers an introspective view on what the youth of today want to change in the world.

Please remember to follow the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province on Facebook to stay up to date on Called to Action. We are excited for our first episode of Season 4, which will be available January 17, 2024.

On episode 10, our Called to Action season finale, we welcome Bishop Mark Seitz from the Diocese of El Paso. Bishop Seitz is currently involved in advocacy for immigration reform. He shares how the Catholic faith shows us how Catholic social teaching can intersect with legislation to find a solution to the problems he sees at the border of Texas and Mexico. We hope you join us for this amazing conversation. If you have any questions or comments please contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org.

All content © 2023 Called to Action: A School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province Podcast.

On episode 9, we welcome Sister Lucy Nigh who has just completed 13 years of service in ministry at the border of Arizona and Mexico. She shares many stories that describe the dangers migrants go through when attempting to cross the Southwestern border and explains the type of enforcement the U.S. is currently using to police the border. We hope you join us for this amazing conversation. If you have any questions or comments please contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org.

All content © 2023 Called to Action: A School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province Podcast.

On episode 8, we welcome Sister Cathy Doherty and a DACA recipient named Ivonne who she has assisted along with many other immigrants through her 30 years of experience working in ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe located in Ferguson. Together we discuss what the term "dreamers" refers to and the process someone goes through to become a DACA recipient. We hope you join us for this amazing conversation and if you have any questions or comments please contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org.

All content © 2023 Called to Action: A School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province Podcast.

On episode 7, we welcome Sister Limeteze Pierre-Gilles who is currently living in Maryland and works for an organization called Beyond Borders that primarily works with the Haitian community to help improve their overall living situations. Sister Limeteze also shares her experience working with migrant families affected by climate change that have been separated through their migration. We hope you join us for this amazing conversation and if you have any questions or comments please contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org.

All content © 2023 Called to Action: A School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province Podcast.

On episode 6, we welcome Sister Kathy Schmittgens who is currently the co-director of the associates program for the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province. Sister Kathy shares her experience of being displaced in Africa with the local migrant community as she helps us explore the root causes of immigration.   If you have any questions or comments please contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org. 

All content © 2023 Called to Action: A School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province Podcast.

On episode 5, we welcome Sister Beatriz Martinez who is currently representing the School Sisters of Norte Dame at the United Nations in New York. Sister Beatriz offers a global view of how legislation and policies have affected migrants worldwide. She also shares with us her personal experience as a migrant, moving to different areas within Mexico as a child so her family could find better work opportunities. We are excited for you to join us in this conversation focusing on how migration is a global topic that calls for all nations to work together towards comprehensive immigration reform. If you have any questions or comments please contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org.  

All content © 2023 Called to Action: A School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province Podcast.

On episode 4, we welcome Sister Christine Garcia who is serving her second term as a Provincial Councilor in the Central Pacific Province. Join us as Sister Christine talks us through the common myths that society has been told about immigrants. We hope you enjoy this episode and welcome you to contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org if you have any questions or comments you would like to share.

Called to Action Season 3: Migration, We Stand in Solidarity is a School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Province podcast.

On episode 3, we welcome Sister Jan Gregorcich, who has been a School Sister of Notre Dame for 53 years, as she shares stories with us about her visits with detained immigrants in detention centers in Kenosha and Douglas Counties in Wisconsin. Her firsthand experience helps us navigate immigration law and puts into perspective what visas are available to immigrants and the obstacles they face. We hope you enjoy this episode and welcome you to contact us at Communications@ssndcp.org if you have any questions or comments you would like to share.

Called to Action Season 3: Migration, We Stand in Solidarity is a School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Province podcast.

On episode 2, we welcome Sister Jean Ersfeld, a School Sister of Notre Dame, who is currently in ministry at Sacred Heart Parish located in St. Paul, Minn. In this episode, Sister Jean explores the topic of what scripture and Catholic social teaching on migration tell us, and what part they play in the movement for immigration reform. Both Sister Jean and Sister Anna Marie offer great perspective and share stories from their experience working in ministry to help explain how faith plays a role to enact change. We hope you enjoy this episode and welcome you to contact us at communications@ssndcp.org if you have any questions or comments you would like to share with us. 

Called to Action Season 3: Migration, We Stand in Solidarity is a School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Province podcast. 

Call to Action's Season 3: Migration, We Stand in Solidarity is a School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Province podcast. Season 3 will feature the return of co-host Sister Anna Marie Reha, and the addition of Adam Schicker, School Sister of Notre Dame's  (SSND) newest Communications Manager. This season will focus on the SSND corporate stance on comprehensive immigration reform and will feature guests that offer the audience perspective and education on this global issue. 

On episode 1 we will welcome our guest Sister Rose Ann Ficker, who will provide an introduction to immigration reform and discuss the importance of the SSND corporate stance as we all stand in solidarity to enact change.

In this last episode of Season 2, Sister Anne Marie Reha and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer speak with Hawley Iseke, Theology Department Chair and SSND associate in Guam. Hawley shared how choices matter and it's important to recognize the interconnectedness of everything. For more information download this pdf: Recognize our interconnectedness with all creation.

Sister Jeanne  Wingenter has a passion for justice and peace. In this episode of Called to Action, Sister Anna Marie Reha and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer, speak with Sister Jeanne to better understand the just war theory and its five principles. For more information download these pdf: Challenge the validity and application of “Just War Theory" and The Challenges of Global Conflict and Eradicating.

Sister Paul Mary Draxler, a member of the Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace committee, shares how important it is to understand the myths of war. In order to have peace, we need to have prayer and open communication. Join co-hosts, Sister Anna Marie Reha and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer, as they learn from Sister Paul Mary. For more information download this pdf: Promote peace-building through nonviolent policies, practices and strategies. You can also sign up to get notifications from Voter Voice. 

Season 2 of Called to Action,  discusses the theme of Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace with co-hosts Sister Anna Marie Reha and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer. In this episode, we talk with Sister Alice Zachmann. Sister Alice is a champion for peace and has participated in many peaceful protests over her 73 years of professed life. She also founded the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA in order to protect the many Guatemalans she came to know and love when missioned there. For more information download this pdf: Foster a culture of peace and eliminate violence.  Find the Prayer for Torture Awareness month written by Sister Dianna Ortiz, an Ursuline Sister, and friend hero of Sister Alice. 

Sister Anna Marie Reha and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer speak with Sister Ruth Mori from Kyoto, Japan.  She shares how the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki affected her family and Japan. To Sister Ruth, Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace is a longing from a person’s soul, and its living out should start personally and should spread gradually among people like gentle water.  For more information download this pdf: Advocate for the use of diplomacy and dialogue to abolish war and nuclear weapons.  Read Sister Ruth's reflection shared in the August 2020 SSND monthly eNewsletter. This episode does have a transcript available.

Sister Lois Martens, shares the importance of Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace (GNJP). She has served on the GNJP committee for many years and still feels that living GNJP is a journey that can take a lifetime. For more information download this pdf: Recognize our interconnectedness with all creation.  Sign up to get notifications from Voter Voice and learn more about the seven-year commitment made by SSND to the Laudato Si' Action Platform. 

Anne Vidacovich, a SSND associate shares how having an open mind and heart can create space for Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace (GNJP) with co-hosts S. Anna Marie Reha and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer. For more information download this pdf: Recognize and respect the dignity of each person; live and teach love and compassion for all.  Gain a better understanding by reading the Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace Corporate Stance Statement. 

Learn more about Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace (GNJP) from Sister Paulissa Jirik who is on the GNJP committee. For more information download this pdf: Cultivate our own inner peace, self-respect and recognition of one’s own dignity.  Read the Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace Corporate Stance Statement. 

In this episode, you learn more about the School Sisters of Notre Dame's corporate stance on Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace from Shalom/JPIC director, Tim Dewane. For more information download this pdf: Nonviolent Policies, Practices, and Strategies.  Read the Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace Corporate Stance Statement. 

Sister Anna Marie Reha, provincial councilor, and Kaitlyn Holdmeyer, communications manager, co-host Season 2 of Called to Action.  In this episode, you learn more about the hosts and explore the urgency of Season 2's theme, Gospel Nonviolence and Just Peace. For more information download this pdf: The centrality of Gospel Nonviolence.  Additional information can be found on our website. 

In this episode we talk to Megan Schnitker. She is an Indigenous traditional herbalist and founder of the Mahkato Revitalization Project. Her parents, Charles Wayne and Marla Bull Bear, have always been a strong foundation for her by providing Lakota teachings and traditions growing up. Her father is hereditary Chief Bull Bear of the Kiyaksa Band of Oglalas of Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, and comes from a long line of traditional spiritual leaders and teachers. She is proud and humbled to be a part of a traditional family.

The final speaker for Season 1, Called to Action, is Megan Schnitker, Owner and Indigenous Traditional Herbalist, Lakota Made, LLC, a speaker during the 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheons in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Her Native American culture values taking care of the Earth, as the Earth takes care of them. In her ancestry, women leaders in the Lakota culture have strong connections to the land. She expresses the importance of a sustainability-centered existence and strives to be one with nature, in all her work.

The School Sister of Notre Dame (SSND) Central Pacific (CP) Province is celebrating their 10th Anniversary on June 12, 2021. The former Dallas, Milwaukee, Mankato (Minnesota) and St. Louis Provinces became one on June 11, 2011. Listen to Sister Debra Sciano, provincial leader, talk about the history of the CP Province as the former Milwaukee Province provincial leader and now looking forward to the future. 

Hear from Janette Monear, President/CEO of the Texas Trees Foundation, a speaker during the 2021 Women's Leadership Luncheons.  She is dedicated to creating livable and resilient communities through the use of trees, green infrastructure and sustainable design. She is a pioneer in urban forestry. 

In this episode, we interview Wanda Kolo. Wanda, a 2021 Women’s Leadership Luncheon speaker, has over a decade of experience in the sustainability sector, ranging from sustainable design to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) consulting and serves as Saint Louis Zoo’s Director of Sustainable Operations and Construction Management.

In this episode we interview with Shannon Hauf, Senior Vice President and Head of Seed Production Innovation, Bayer Crop Science. Shannon talks about her childhood on the farm and why farmers are great protectors of the Earth.

The Living Earth Center (LEC) in Mankato, Minnesota, is a sponsored ministry of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. In this episode, we talk with Laura Peterson the director of LEC. Hear about the history of LEC and the important role a garden can play in the community. 

In this episode, we chat with Sister Jan Gregorcich, SSND, one of the founders of Global Partners Running Waters (GPRW). GPRW is a nonprofit with the mission to build and maintain intercultural relationships through collaborative partnerships benefiting rural and urban communities in Latin America.

We talk with Dr. Marissa Jablonski, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. She is an accomplished water engineer, environmental advisor and plastics-reduction expert who has worked in more than 45 countries. She talks with us about what she learned from her failures, how we can live more eco-consciously and encouraging women in STEM fields.  

Tim Dewane, director of Shalom - Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation, joins us for an introduction on our season one topic of Care of Creation. Tim explains what Care of Creation means (hint: it's not just about the environment) and how it fits into the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province (SSNDCP) charism.

Welcome!

The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) have supported women’s education and enrichment since its founding in 1833. To continue the tradition of education and enrichment, SSND Central Pacific Province has created a podcast, Called to Action, where we feature sisters, staff, SSND ministry leaders and prominent women in our communities who are leading efforts to change the world within five focus areas: Care of Creation, immigration and refugees, human trafficking, Gospel Peace and Nonviolence and racial justice.

Subscribe to our podcast, Called to Action, through Apple Podcast or Spotify. A new episode is released every other week!