How are we different?
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Our Creed
Statements of Concern
Denouncing desecration of our nation’s Capitol
We members of the Leadership Circle of the St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community, on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after Epiphany, unconditionally state: The rioters who desecrated our nation’s Capitol yesterday in no way represent us. As followers of God, who loves every being in the cosmos, and created the world to function in interdependent harmony, we cry out in protest against their violent actions, and against the failure of the Presidential administration to direct law enforcement to be prepared for and to effectively prevent their insurrection. We find the contrasts between the treatment of these seditionists and that of some previous peacefully protesting groups glaringly appalling. We are for peace. We are for equal treatment for all people. Everyone should have the right to peacefully state their opinion in public. Everyone who willfully perpetrates violence against the law should be prosecuted. Going forward, we call on our community, our city, our state, and our country to band together as leaders of harmonious action toward justice. We must respect one another as created in God’s image, reform our society to make sure that all have what they need to provide for themselves and their loved ones, reform our church to make sure all human callings are honored, and reform our government to ascertain that truth and justice supersede party loyalty. This day must be the beginning of the time we come together as one, in the US and around the world, to rebuild the Beloved Community as a place of safety, health, free expression, meaningful work, and democratic liberty, for everyone. In Support of Brebeuf High School’s Statement on Their Relationship with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, summer 2019 As members of the Leadership Circle of the St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community, we would like to express our gratitude to and solidarity with the Jesuit community of Brebeuf High School, for their decision to stand on the side of Christian mercy and love, on the issue of inclusive and fair employment standards. The unfair targeting of LGBTQIA employees by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis is inconsistent with the teachings and example of Jesus, who loved all and prioritized justice for the marginalized. As we approach the Feast of Corpus Christi, we remember that we are all created in God’s image, no human is intrinsically disordered, and every member is precious and vital to the Body of Christ. Opposition to the Death Penalty, July, 2019 "Attorney General William P. Barr has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to adopt a proposed Addendum to the Federal Execution Protocol—clearing the way for the federal government to resume capital punishment after a nearly two-decade lapse, ..." In response to the Attorney General's proposed addendum (above), St. Mary of Magadala Catholic Community is issuing the following statement: From the leadership “All Christians and people of good will are called to struggle not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether it be legal or illegal and in all forms. But also to improve prison conditions, out of respect for the human dignity of persons deprived of their liberty. And this I connect with life imprisonment. Life imprisonment is a hidden death penalty.” Pope Francis, 2014. We, the members of the Leadership Circle, “believe that we are to forgive one another, not to seek retribution with vengeance and further violence.” We oppose capital punishment in all cases and ask that all sentences of death row inmates be commuted to life without parole. We urge our federal and state governments to abolish the death penalty once and for all. A recent decision handed down by the United States Attorney General asked the Bureau of Prisons to ‘adopt an updated execution protocol’ resulting in five persons being scheduled for execution in the very near future. The only Federal execution is in Terre Haute, IN. “As a nation, we must face the deep flaws in our criminal justice system. The system is inherently racist, and thus cannot be relied upon to be fair. We support the life and dignity of all persons.” We invite you to pray with the Sisters of Providence the closing sections of their Litany of Non-Violence: “God of love, mercy and justice, acknowledging our complicity in those attitudes, actions and words which perpetuate violence, we beg the grace of a non-violent heart. Amen.” (Adapted from the Statement issued from the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the Woods.) |
