The Justice and Peace Ministries are served by a Socio-Eco Justice and Peacemaking committee, comprised of Rochester Franciscan Sisters and Cojourners and community partners, to educate, advocate and commit to disabling unjust systems and systemic injustices.  For more information, contact Sister Ma. Carolina Pardo.

We, Rochester Franciscan Sisters and Cojourners, recognize the great challenges of our Mother Earth and ask, “How can we be Silent?” Mother Alfred Moes tackled the needs of her day with conviction and determination that gives rise to our current and urgent call to respond to the cry of the earth and vulnerable communities.

Led by the Holy Spirit in prayer and service we, Sisters and Cojourners, commit ourselves to the Laudato Sí Action Platform and join in its seven-year journey to integral ecology. We seek to reverence all creation, promote sustainable lifestyles, and collaborate with other faith-based and civic agencies to advocate for systemic and structural change.

Laudato Sí Action Platform (LSAP) is the collaborative action response between the Vatican and Catholic dioceses and organizations, bringing together “all men and women of goodwill” to empower and take “decisive action here and now” to care for our common home.

Laudato Sí teaches us “everything is connected.” (LS 91) The relationship with our divine Creator has been neglected, human relationships have faltered, and our world has grown hotter, less stable, and more lifeless. As a result, we all suffer, and the poorest and most vulnerable suffer most of all. We face a complex crisis that is both social and environmental. (LS 139) We need to embark on new ways of living on the planet, caring for our brothers and sisters, the waters, soil, forests, and air the world over. The time is now!

Franciscans International (FI) is a ministry of the world-wide Franciscan family designed to develop dialogue with world leaders on human rights, care of creation, peacemaking, and concern for the poor. It holds non-governmental status with the UN General Council. Its efforts and work began in 1982.

FI is inspired by Franciscan values which visualizes a world community where every human is respected, the resources are shared equitably, and the environment is protected and sustained while nations and peoples choose to live peaceably.

Our Rochester affiliate began in 1994. We meet monthly to keep abreast of the local, state and national issues. As a grassroots organization, we have dealt with concerns of: immigration/refugees, human trafficking, housing and nutrition for the poor, homelessness, and water issues.

Our Earth cluster meets on the second Tuesday of every month, except July and August. The agenda is set by the members, many of whom are active in other working groups of the Socio-Eco Justice and Peacemaking Office. Members are also active in many other broad community concerns, protests and actions. These meetings offer an opportunity to share information and take common action.

We also remain mindful and hold in prayer the voices of many other suffering people who deserve to be heard including those in the mid-east, Ukraine, Nigeria and Venezuela.

We invite sisters and Cojourners to join us in living out our Franciscan charism. For more information contact Sister Ann Redig.

Guided by the Directional Statement of the Congregation we work to overcome injustices in the immigration system by studying, advocating, protesting, and acting on issues that lead to systemic change as well as by participating in direct actions that aid our immigrant brothers and sisters.

We participate in community actions and protests. We respond with support when need arises, such as delivering food to families afraid to leave their homes when ICE was active in the community.

We hold monthly conference calls to stay abreast of federal and local issues and to plan actions related to them. We collaborate with other groups who are working on behalf of the immigrant population.

For more information, please contact Cojourner JoAnne Kellen.

We have been actively advocating for the RECLAIM Act and re-authorization of the Abandoned Mine Lands Act to help clean up inadequately restored mine sites and to help fund economic diversification in traditionally coal-producing communities. We are pleased that these measures totaling $11.3 billion were included in the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

We also study and discuss the complex political relationships between the coal industry, miners’ unions, and climate change mitigation efforts. For more information on the activities of this group, contact Sister Betty Kenny.

The Water Working Group has been looking at the perils of water privatization in American cities. We have learned about an attempt to privatize water in Atlanta (GA), Akron (OH), and yet another attempt in Highland Park (MI). We are sure there are many more! Water privatization means higher water costs, job losses, worse service, environmental degradation, and other problems.

For more than fifteen years, private water corporations have begun targeting American cities for privatization. Forces supportive of privatization cite economic efficiency as one of its biggest selling points.

If your city is thinking of privatizing its water system, we suggest that the city officials view the award-winning documentary film ‘The Water Front’ which tells the story of one American community standing up for their right to affordable water.

The Water Working Group is no longer actively meeting, though individual Sisters and Cojourners continue to monitor this issue.