2018 Carondelet Magazine - English
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Women Against War<br />
PARTNERS IN NONVIOLENCE<br />
BY SISTER MARY ROSE NOONAN, CSJ<br />
As Sisters of St. Joseph, we collaborate with others who work for peace<br />
and nonviolence. We might call it “joining our collective power for<br />
mission” or simply “networking for a better world.” One such group with<br />
whom we partner to promote and strengthen a culture of peace is the<br />
Albany-based Women Against War.<br />
Women Against War was<br />
founded in 2002 by a group<br />
of women from the Albany<br />
area who felt it was crucial<br />
to organize against our<br />
government’s plan to go to<br />
war with Iraq. The founders<br />
soon realized that there were<br />
hundreds of area women,<br />
including many Sisters of St.<br />
Joseph, who were committed<br />
to voicing their opposition to<br />
the impending hostility. In the<br />
years since its inception, Women<br />
Against War has become a vital<br />
participant in regional, national<br />
and global efforts toward<br />
nonviolent social change and<br />
peacebuilding. WAW focuses on<br />
bringing the voices of women,<br />
with their collective energy and<br />
unique skills, to bear on peace<br />
and justice issues.<br />
Women Against War is<br />
coordinated by a seven-person<br />
steering committee, which<br />
includes Sisters Doreen Glynn<br />
and Francine Dempsey, both<br />
members of the Justice, Peace<br />
and the Integrity of Creation<br />
Committee for the Sisters of St.<br />
Joseph in Albany. The steering<br />
committee manages WAW’s<br />
organizational needs and longrange<br />
planning, seeks input from<br />
members and makes decisions<br />
about proposed actions and<br />
issues, using a consensus model<br />
whenever possible.<br />
Women Against War has several<br />
projects through which members<br />
concretize their core beliefs that<br />
war is not an answer to conflict<br />
and that women can lead the<br />
way in developing alternatives<br />
to violence. Several Sisters of<br />
St. Joseph are involved with<br />
Grannies for Peace, a project<br />
that brings together older<br />
women who work to transform<br />
our world into one of peace and<br />
sustainability for our children.<br />
About a dozen Sisters have<br />
participated in Grannies for<br />
Peace vigils and rallies at the<br />
New York Capitol and in the<br />
streets of Albany.<br />
For Dorothy Richards, longtime<br />
member of the group and proud<br />
Grannie for Peace, her personal<br />
experience was a strong<br />
motivator for her involvement.<br />
“As an 86-year old grandmother<br />
of twelve and twice a greatgrandmother,<br />
I am determined<br />
never to give them up to war!<br />
The Grannies teach that peace<br />
and nonviolent solutions are<br />
viable options for American<br />
Sister Carmella Ann Pfohl, CSJ<br />
14 CARONDELET
Change language