CSA Statements

We, the Sisters of St. Agnes, participate in the mission of Christ by joyful service in the Church, always aware that we, too, are among the needy and are enriched by those we serve.

Inspired by our founders--by the missionary zeal of Father Caspar Rehrl, the courageous initiatives of Mother Agnes Hazotte and the spiritual influence of Father Francis Haas--we continue to respond in our own times to those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened.

Rooted in Christ through prayer and worship we serve in both rural and urban settings throughout the United States and in Latin America.

We strive to minister with simplicity and hospitality in the fields of education, health care, pastoral ministry and social service.

We are committed to transformation of the world, the Church and ourselves through promoting

• systemic change for the quality of life
• justice for the economically poor
• furtherance of the role of women in church and society
• mutuality, inclusivity and collaboration.

Love binds us together, and by sharing our lives and our faith in community, we support one another to live with singleness of purpose: that among us and in our world the Risen Christ be discovered and revealed.

1990

We, the Sisters of St. Agnes, commit ourselves to furthering the role of women in church and society. Our deep and vital union with God calls us to discern our distinct contribution as a community of women religious to the ongoing transformation of the world. We recognize the reality of oppression in the lives of women and the effect of that oppression on the dignity and rights of all people.

We commit ourselves, therefore, to work for justice and reconciliation endeavoring to:

• cultivate an inclusive spirituality which empowers both women and men
• promote educational opportunities which liberate women
• network to transform existing structures in church and society which oppress women.

Corporate Responses

Cultivating Inclusive Spirituality
Engage with colleagues in the process of theological reflection, recognizing our human experience as the starting point of reflection.
Use inclusive language and imagery in songs, prayer forms and worship in our community gatherings and those public gatherings sponsored by CSA.

Promoting Educational Opportunities
Search out existing resources and design, for use at the local level, a model of adult education for women which enhances personal strengths and skills, and enables women to pursue further education of their choice.

Networking to Transform Structures
Come together on local settings with women of various backgrounds and experiences to share problems and struggles, and to use our mutual strengths to develop alternatives and find resources. By networking in this manner, CSA members and other women can confront their prejudices, build solidarity, and empower each other to change oppressive structures.

Developed by CSA Women Committee 2
Adopted July 13, 1989
Revised/Reissued 2007
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community on April 13, 2021

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes released the following statement January 20, 2002, to coincide with the feast of our patroness, St. Agnes, and the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and his commitment to nonviolence. In it, we wish to share who we are and what we believe.

• We are women committed to living the gospel values of love and forgiveness. 
• We are women committed to being peacemakers. 
• We are women who have lost three of our members to acts of violence in Nicaragua, yet remain committed to nonviolence.
• We are women who believe, as citizens of a democracy, that it is our responsibility to add our voice to the public discourse. 
• We are women who protest our government's training of terrorists and have demonstrated and advocated for closing of the School of the Americas now known as Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC). 
• We are women who believe we are called to treat all people with value and dignity.
• We are women who pray for our country, our leaders and for all the victims of terrorism and their families. 
• We are women who pray for our enemies and seek deeper understanding of the struggles that generate enmity.
• We are women who believe the United States needs to assess those foreign, economic and ecological policies that continue to widen the gap between the wealthy and the poor. 
• We are women who believe our nation spends too much on making war possible and far too little on creating and empowering just societies in the world.
• We are women who strive to hear the cry of the poor and respond globally, nationally and locally with our presence and our resources. 
• We are women who are committed to the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church and engage in legislative advocacy to promote the common good. 
• We are women who embrace diversity of race, gender, religion, culture and work to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, both locally and globally. 
• We are women who join with people of goodwill to pray for peace and to become peacemakers.

Released by CSA on January 20, 2002
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community on February 2, 2021

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes stands in solidarity with the victims of human trafficking and takes a corporate stance against the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation.

Corporate Stance
Adopted by the Congregation on the Feast of St. Agnes, January 21, 2007
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community on November 11, 2020​​​​​​​

In light of the growing impact of climate change on the global community, we, the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, honoring our interdependence with all of God's creation and in a spirit of nonviolence, personally and communally renew and recommit to care for Earth, home of all living creatures.

We commit to actions that:

• Flow from a spirituality of integral ecology (Laudato Si’ – Chapter 4) that expresses interconnections among environmental, economic, scientific, social and cultural systems,
• Respect Earth and the interdependence of all life,
• Consume less of Earth’s nonrenewable resources through the six R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and restore,
• Educate ourselves and others about the equitable development of renewable, cleaner energy sources in order to
  • mitigate the impact of climate change and
  • enable the most vulnerable to adapt to climate change
• Promote a low-carbon economy especially in Nicaragua and the USA where we serve,
• Cooperate with governmental and non-governmental organizations that are committed to care for Earth.

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Corporate Stance
Developed by the Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee
Adopted by the Congregation May 31, 2016
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community on November 11, 2020

CSA goes on record as being opposed to the death penalty.

Based on several sources, the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Ministry produces a list of names and addresses of inmates to be executed every month. Members of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee (JPIC) write them a letter and pray for them and their victims. On the day of their execution, a candle is lit and their name is mentioned in the liturgy. For a current list of names and addresses of inmates, please click HERE to download the latest schedule.

Approved by CSA in November 2006
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community on February 2, 2021

As Co-Creators in our world, we believe that nuclear arms are destructive of life in all forms and contrary to the Gospel message. Be it resolved that we, the Congregation of St. Agnes of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin,

1. Declare the Motherhouse property of 475 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to be a nuclear free zone, within which no nuclear weapons or any component thereof shall be researched, designed, produced, tested, stored, disposed or permitted in any fashion;
2. Declare to the United States Government that we do not want such property defended by the threat or use of nuclear weapons;
3. Will not invest in or promote companies which derive a significant income from nuclear weapons production;
4. Invite others to take similar actions in their communities and municipalities.

Announced by General Council after Congregational Referendum
April 10, 1989
Affirmed by the CSA USA Associate Community on April 13, 2021

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes acknowledges our Motherhouse is located on land that is a gift of the Creator. Nestled along the Niagara Escarpment, near the southeast shore of Lake Winnebago in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, this sacred land is the ancestral homeland of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Menominee, Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and many indigenous groups of North America who have passed through or called Wisconsin their home at some point in the last three centuries. 

The Sisters of St. Agnes recognize the historical and ongoing realities of settler colonialism. We lament the violence, genocide, broken treaties, efforts to strip our brothers and sisters of their culture and language, and the forced removal of all indigenous peoples from these sacred lands. We acknowledge the First Nations communities who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We respect their past and present elders and continue to learn from their wisdom. We are grateful to pray, study, minister, and live in community on this holy ground. We commit to being good stewards of the land, to showing special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions, and to collaborating with First Nation People today on issues that impact our common home, and the common good. 

“All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.”

-Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ (#14)

The Leadership Team of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes

Sister Jean Steffes, General Superior
Sister Rhea Emmer, General Vicar
Sister Susan Seeby, General Councilor
Sister Cyndi Nienhaus, General Councilor

In observance of World Refugee Day on Wednesday, June 20, the leadership of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes issues the following statement in response to the practice by immigration officials of separating immigrant children from their parents at the border of the United States and Mexico.

The Sisters of St. Agnes urge an immediate end to the morally reprehensible practice of immigration authorities separating children from their mothers and fathers at the US-Mexico border.

We learn of heartbreaking stories of children being taken into government custody, separated from parents who are sometimes sent to far-flung detention centers with no way of communicating with their children for days or weeks. Parents and children suffer agonizing uncertainty about whether they will be reunited. This speaks of a nation that has lost its moral compass.

We call on President Trump to stop his Administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy of filing criminal charges against immigrants, including families seeking asylum from gang violence, rape, or political persecution. In solidarity with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops we urge Congress to enact long-overdue immigration reform that enjoys broad public support and reflects American values, such as protecting young Dreamers and keeping families united.

Additionally, we support protecting foreign aid, which is vital to supporting refugees around the world, as well as efforts to address the root causes of migration and displacement.

PDF version

Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes Statement concerning the treatment of Immigrants on the Border of the United States and Mexico

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes stands with those whose faith life and human dignity are threatened, and we denounce in the strongest possible terms the unconscionable mistreatment of Immigrants, especially children,  on the U.S.-Mexico border while in U.S. custody, and call on our elected leaders to take all measures necessary to provide them with adequate food, shelter, and healthcare, and in the case of these children, to reunite them with their families.

That these persons, but especially children – infants, toddlers, youngsters – reportedly have been subject to horrific overcrowding, hunger, lice infestations, sleeping on concrete floors, and other unhygienic and inhumane conditions is an assault on our human decency and fundamental moral values.

All people, regardless of their country of origin or legal status, are made in the image of God and should be treated with dignity and respect. We can and must remain a country that provides refuge for children and families fleeing violence, persecution, and acute poverty. 

As Members of Congress take steps to address the urgent humanitarian crisis on the border created by this Administration’s cruel approach to immigration, the top priority must be to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of these vulnerable people especially the children now and into the future. 

The Leadership Team of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes,

PDF Version

Issued CSA General Council on July 3, 2019

The Sisters of St. Agnes are deeply saddened over the most recent mass shootings in our country. We grieve with the entire country over the numerous senseless tragedies which arise out of hatred and fear. And we condemn the hate-filled rhetoric and racist ideologies that fuel violence.

As a religious community that has lost three of our members to acts of violence, we have long been committed to prayer and action in the promotion of peace and non-violence.  We will not accept mass shooting as the new normal and join the many voices demanding sensible legislation that works for the good of all people, not for the powerful few.  We demand a ban on the sale of high capacity weapons and magazines, and we request universal background checks and mandatory waiting periods prior to the purchase of firearms.

We ask people to commit to prayer accompanied by action, such as writing and calling state and national leaders to put the welfare of people first.

Our commitment to non-violence extends to those who commit acts of violence.  We believe that we are called to treat all people with dignity and value.

The Leadership Team of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes,

PDF Version

Issued on August 8, 2019

In the spirit of our CSA Statement of Mission which reads, “we continue to respond in our own times to those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened”, we strongly condemn the police-killing of another black man on the streets of our nation. We mourn with the family and friends of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahamaud Arbery, David McAtee, and all the others who have lost loved ones to law enforcement violence. The continued killing of black people; the constant harassment of people of color; and the denial of the rights and dignity of our black neighbors must end now.
 
We recognize the sin of racism and the terrible reality and frustration of those suffering from our nation’s 400-year history of institutionalized racism. In that spirit we…

Grieve injustice in our world.

Stand in Solidarity with our sisters and brothers of color 

Acknowledge our own privilege.

Support those assembled in peaceful protest. 

Pray for an end to violence.

Unite ourselves with others to dismantle racism.

 
The Leadership Team of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Director, Office of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation, CSA
Issued June 3, 2020

We, the Sisters of St. Agnes,
embrace our transformative journey with an expanding cosmological awareness.
We respond to the needs of God’s creation with

Contemplative Hearts
grounded in God who calls us to love

Compassionate Hearts
responding to ecological, ecclesial, societal, and global challenges

Courageous Hearts
exercising moral authority on behalf of creation,
especially those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened

Caring Hearts
valuing presence and mutual relationships
as a way of life

This journey calls us to…
Dedicate ourselves to the common good of all creation
Reverence Earth, our common home
Strengthen the bond that unites us
Explore our unfolding future

Click here for a PDF

Nosotras, las Hermanas de Santa Inés,
acogemos nuestro viaje de transformación con una creciente conciencia de la cosmología. Respondemos a las necesidades de la creación de Dios con

Corazones Contemplativos
que arraigados en Dios nos llaman a amar

Corazones Compasivos
que responden a los desafíos ecológicos, eclesiales, sociales y globales

Corazones Valientes
que ejercen su autoridad moral en nombre de la creación, especialmente las personas cuyas vidas de fe o dignidad humana
están amenazadas

Corazones Bondadosos
que valoran la presencia y las relaciones mutuas como forma de vida

Este viaje nos llama a…
Fomentar el bien común de toda la creación
Reverenciar la Tierra, nuestra casa común
Fortalecer el lazo que nos une
Explorar nuestro futuro en desarrollo

Click here for a PDF