Equity and Justice

On May 22, 2023 the community was privileged to hear directly from Ann Chermak Dillen on the current situation in Ukraine. Ms. Dillen is a career diplomat who now focuses her attention on Ukraine's democratic development by organizing women's leadership projects and supporting Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), located in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, where in 2018 she was a visiting lecturer on public relations and public diplomacy. She is the founder and chair of San Francisco Friends of Ukrainian Catholic University and also on the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation, a 501c3 that supports UCU in the U.S.

Presentation Associate Nanette Miller is an associate of Ms. Dillen and invited her to speak with the Sisters on the current situation in Ukraine. We heard of the circumstances in which Ukrainians are living, the politics of the situation, and the horrific atrocities being committed there. Several bills to aid Ukraine are before the U.S. Congress now; please contact your Congresspersons to encourage their support. See Ukraine Action Summit document for details. 

UPDATE October 6, 2023

Click here to read about progress on the legislative priorities listed in the Action Summit on this page, as well as information about the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity
(REPO) for Ukrainians Act [H.R.4175], legislation to provide additional assistance to Ukraine using assets confiscated from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and other sovereign assets of the Russian Federation.

Click here for a poll measuring Americans’ attitudes about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the role of the
United States in the world.

We are grateful to Anne Chermak Dillen for keeping us informed about this situation. She urges us to press California's national legislators to support the pending bills.  

How to Help:

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Day Laborer Meals

For 24 years the Sisters have been making nutritious bag lunches each week in the Motherhouse, which are then distributed with the help of parish volunteers to locations where day laborers gather to seek work. It is always a gratifying, meaningful afternoon of service.

Cards of Encouragement

San Francisco is a bustling, exciting city. However, many residents live alone, a situation that can become more and more challenging with age. Sisters write cards of encouragement to people who are isolated. The cards are distributed through The Healing Well, an organization designed to bring hope and reflect human kindness. Those who receive the cards often comment how welcome and comforting the messages are.

Avera Health

Photo, left to right: Shine Alvin-Krueger, Nyah Titterington, Sister Joanna Bruno, and Hope Gabel

Sister Joanna Bruno's nursing career took her to the mission fields of Mexico and Guatemala, and eventually to  Avera Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is a certified Medical Interpreter for Spanish at Avera's downtown clinic for the uninsured in Sioux Falls, where about 40 percent of patient intake is done in Spanish. Sister Annie, as she is known there, works alongside staff doctors, medical residents, nurses, secretaries, and a social worker. Avera is a regional health system with 300 locations in 100 communities across five states in the Upper Midwest, founded by the South Dakota Presentation Sisters and Benedictine Sisters. Avera’s mission is to care for all patients regardless of ability to pay.

St. Mary's Center

Providing meals, companionship, education, and social services for at-risk and unhoused senior citizens and preschoolers in Oakland. Sister Marilyn Medau was on staff for 21 years and is currently a member of the Board of Directors.

Barbeque for the Unhoused

This annual event is sponsored by the Archdiocese Office of Consecrated Life. Sisters work alongside other local Men and Women Religious to provide a  barbeque lunch, fellow-ship, and free clothing and other necessities.

Martha's Kitchen

Sister Catherine Mary, left, and other Sisters volunteer regularly at Martha's Kitchen in San Jose, preparing 1200 sandwiches several days a week for distribution to those experiencing food insecurity in nine South Bay counties. The kitchen is adjacent to Sacred Heart Nativity School, where Sister Catherine Mary also volunteers.

Ceasefire Walks

Sister Marilyn Medau, left, is a champion for peace on the streets of Oakland, where she has lived and ministered for many years. To learn more about these monthly demonstrations, visit Ceasefire's Facebook page.