The Sisters of St. Joseph and the People of the United States of America

This week we are invited to pray for the 3,351 Sisters of St. Joseph ministering in the United States of America (U.S.), and for the 3076 Associates/Companions and 46 Agrégées as well as the people of that nation. The Sisters belong to 16 Congregations in the U.S. including: Baden, Boston, Brentwood, Buffalo, Carondelet, Concordia, Congregation of St. Joseph, Erie, Orange, Philadelphia, Rochester, Springfield, St. Augustine, Watertown, West Hartford - Chambery, and Winslow – Lyon (see map below). Collectively, the Sisters focus on projects supporting anti-racism, civic engagement, the environment/climate change, immigration, LGBTQ+, restorative justice, and Indigenous rights. For example, in their anti-racism efforts, the Sisters work to elevate Black voices, to create and provide resources and materials to deepen understanding and foster action, and also publish numerous statements on critical issues. Similarly, the Sisters and their community partners work actively on immigration issues through open letters, endorsements, accompaniment, and grass-roots actions. The U.S. Federation website provides details about these ministries and links to each of the 16 Congregations. Country Background: The United States of America (U.S.) is a federal republic comprised of 50 states, a federal district, five territories and several uninhabited island territories. Primarily urban (82percent), the U.S. is the third most populous country in the world with over 331 million counted in the 2020 census. It is considered a highly developed nation, accounting for approximately a quarter of the global GDP and holding almost 30percent of total global wealth. While the U.S. ranks high in international measures of quality of life, education, economic freedom and human rights, it has been criticized for inequity with respect to income/wealth, lack of universal health care, incarceration rates, civil and human rights abuses. For example, while the U.S. ranks highest in terms of the number of world-wide millionaires/billionaires, that wealth is concentrated in the richest 10percent of the adult population who possess 72percent of the nation’s household wealth. The 2021 Human Rights Watch reported “the grossly disproportionate effects of Covid-19 on Black, brown, and Native people, connected to longstanding disparities in health, education, and economic status, revealed the enduring effects of past overtly racist laws and policies and continuing impediments to equality”. The report also pointed to the dismantling of the U.S. “asylum system, limit[ed] access to women’s health care … and weaken[ed] regulations that reduce pollution and address climate change”. Voter suppression following the 2020 presidential election as well as civil rights abuses also continue to dominate the political landscape.