Shalom / UN-NGO Newsletter
Volume 20, Issue 1April 2019Love Gives Everything
By Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia
Dear sisters,
My name is Beatriz Eugenia Martinez-Garcia. Iwas born and raised in Mexico where my family lives.

Sister Beatriz Eugenia Martinez-Garcia

As a School Sister of Notre Dame, I have ministered in parishes anddiocesan offices in the area of evangelization and catechesis inMexico and in the United States in Arizona, Texas, and Minnesota.
Last October 1, I was appointed to minister as the SSND NGO
representative at the United Nations. At this time, I am privileged to
be in training. Sr. Eileen Reilly, current UN NGO representative is
helping me know very important aspects of this ministry and to better
understand how to work in collaboration with Shalom International.

I strongly believe that, as the Directional Statement and Acts of the
24 General Chapter affirm, we are called and sent to “educate, advocate, and act in collaboration
with others for the dignity of life and the care of all creation” and to “discern as a congregation
which urgent and critical global concerns we are called to address and we dare to respond boldly inunsuspected ways.”
thI deeply thank each one of you for your prayers and support.

Leaving No One Behind
By Sister Eileen Reilly, Director of SSND UN-NGO Office
As the members of the United Nations continue to implement the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) that were initiated in 2016, they often remindthemselves of the importance of “leaving no one behind.” This concept was
important in the negotiations around the goals and has become a theme moving forward.
What does it mean in practice? A few examples: in the efforts to provide universal education,
special measures need to be taken to include children with disabilities; those charged with promoting
gender equality must see that women and girls are included.
On a very practical level, these concerns have led to a developing effort at the UN to promote “SocialProtection.” This phrase is used to describe all the various programs that contribute to the wellbeing of all, especially those most in need. “Social Protection” includes health services, education,unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and much more.
Both the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Commission on Social Development(CSocD) have chosen Social Protection for their meetings this year. With this renewed emphasis on
the importance of “leaving no one behind” there is renewed optimism that the SDGs could be attainedby the due date of 2030
Shalom / UN-NGO Newsletter, April 2019

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Human Rights Day
December 10, 2018
By Sister Kathy Schmittgens,International Shalom Coordinator
One of our common International Days as aShalom network is December 11, Human Rights
Day. Here are some ways that our sisters arebringing these important rights into theirministries in Poland. Thanks to Sister M.
Chiara for sending the information!
In the kindergarten in Opole, Poland, thechildren prayed for all the people whose rights
are violated. In the classroom, the teachers
talked with children about the rights of a smallchild from birth to pre-school age, then about
the rights of children attending kindergarten andschool, and next about the rights of adults.
Children mentioned many rights. Some of themwere written down on colorful pieces of paper,
because every right is important, so thateveryone has a good life; thanks to us, the world
will be more beautiful.
In Belarus, on the Sunday before Human Rights
Day, Sister M. Regina and Sister M. Alicjaorganized a meeting in their home of adults andchildren on the subject of human rights; theyalso prayed with them the intentions they wereusing during Advent.

Children in Bl. Maria Theresia Kindergarten talkParents and children in Belarus discuss Human Rights.

SSND at the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women

By Patricia Stortz, Congregational Communications Coordinator
The 63rd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) took place March 11-22 in
New York. Each year, an SSND delegation attends the first week. This year the SSND delegation
included Sister Eileen Reilly, Director of SSND UN-NGO Office, Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia,and staff and students from SSND schools in Brazil, Hungary, and the United States.
Each year there is a priority theme and a review theme. The priority theme for this year was “socialprotection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality andthe empowerment of women and girls”. The review theme, “women’s empowerment and the link toShalom / UN-NGO Newsletter, April 2019

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sustainable development,” was the theme of the 60th meeting; the implementation of the agreed
conclusions from the 60th meeting was evaluated at the 63rd.
You can read about CSW63 and the activities of the SSND delegation on the congregational website(https://gerhardinger.org) and congregational Facebook page (@ssnd_global).

Living Laudato Si’
By Sister Kathy Schmittgens, International Shalom Coordinator
As a Shalom network, “we continue to study Catholic Social Teaching, in particular Laudato
Si’.” Small things we do can be a witness to others. Sisters in Peru had made cloth bags to avoid
using plastic ones for the things they buy. Roberta, the woman who sells bread in the area saw themand asked if they would make 50 bags for her to give to her regular customers.

S. Lucy sews the bags; S. Veronica puts in the strings.

S. Yvonne paints on each one "No to Plastic".

There are many good resources available to learn more
about Laudato Si’. We can make Living Laudato Si’ realin our communities and our ministries.
The UISG (International Union of Superiors General)launched a website with the theme for their General
Assembly, Sowing Hope for the Planet. The address ishttp://www.sowinghopefortheplanet.org/ . You will findresources and events to inspire you. Available in English,Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Become a Laudato Si’ Animator through the Global
Catholic Climate Movement at
https://laudatosi.teachable.com/p/lsas

S Lucy delivers the bags to Roberta.

Shalom / UN-NGO Newsletter, April 2019

More information on Integrated Ecology can be found on
the Global Catholic Climate Movement at
https://catholicclimatemovement.global/

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Ending Homelessness – one step at a time
By Sister Eileen Reilly, Director of SSND UN-NGO Office
The Vincentian Family – those groups that trace their roots back to St.
Vincent dePaul, such as the Vincentian Priests, the Sisters and Daughters ofCharity, the Vincent dePaul Society – have invited SSND and others to joinwith them in their efforts to end homelessness.
Although this goal is quite ambitious, we are happy to report that after lessthan two years, our Working Group to End Homelessness has taken a major
step foreward. We successfully lobbied the Commission on Social
Development to name Homelessnesss as its theme for its 2020 meeting. With this in place, themember states as the United Nations will have the task of addressing the issue in all its forms, in all
countries around the world.
In the process, we have learned that some countries have no statistics on homelessness and that somecountries deny they have any homeless people.
In all of our efforts so far, we have operated under the theme of “nothing about us, without us.” Thismeans that we give voice to people who are homeless through our working group and in our lobbying
efforts. For example, I was deeply moved when Iris, a women who is homeless in New York City,
spoke at a UN event about her experience.

Global Compact for Migration
By Sister Eileen Reilly, Director of SSND UN-NGO Office
Negotiated for two years, approved in December 2018, the UN Global
Compact for Migration seeks to promote responsibilty sharing among allnations for the growing number of migrants around the world. The best
estimate of their number is over 258 million, which does not acount for themillions displaced from their homes but still living in the same country.
The 23 objectives contained in the Compact, cover all dimensions of themigration issues in a comprehensive manner. The compact calls for “safe, orderly, and regularmigration.” Even though the vast majority of nations agreed to this process, it is unfortunate thatsome countries were not part of the effort. Of the countries where SSND is present, Austria, theCzech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and the United States are among the ones who did not sign
the compact; Brazil initially signed, but later withdrew.

Easter is April 21. Earth Day is April 22.

Wishing you a joyful Shalom Easter!
Shalom/UN-NGO Newsletter is a triannual publication of the School Sisters of Notre Dame:
via della Stazione Aurelia 95, 00165 Roma · tel: +39.06.6652.01; fax: +39.06.6652.0234.

Shalom / UN-NGO Newsletter, April 2019

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