Bending the Arc

Data centers have been all over the news lately, with new ones and new proposals popping up across the state of Wisconsin. These data centers need massive amounts of energy to operate and water to cool their systems - resources they expect Wisconsin to provide.

The only legislation the state has passed on data centers so far include tax breaks and no requirements attached. But help is on the way! On Friday, Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin and Rep. Angela Stroud introduced the Data Center Accountability Bill (LRB 5432) – the first measure to hold tech and utility companies accountable when building, powering, and operating data centers. It ensures communities and ratepayers aren’t left bearing the financial and environmental costs.

The Data Center Accountability Bill (LRB 5432) would:

• Require data centers to contribute to Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy Fund, which supports energy efficiency, renewable energy, and low-income energy assistance. And, half of the contributions would go to the Green Innovation Fund, which supports next-generation environmental and clean energy technologies and projects in Wisconsin.
• Require data centers to source at least 70 percent of their annual electricity from renewable sources to qualify for state tax exemptions.
• Mandate that utilities provide transparency on water and energy use.

This also protects workers by requiring those who build data centers be paid the prevailing wage or, if covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the higher of the two. 

It is crucial that our state legislature adopt these standards for data centers. 
Please contact your Wisconsin State legislator and ask them to support the Data Center Accountability Bill.

Don’t stop there! Take a stand against unchecked data center development with Clean Wisconsin too. They are calling on state and local leaders to pause AI data center approvals until Wisconsin has a comprehensive state plan to ensure their projects will not harm our communities. Learn more at https://www.cleanwisconsin.org/take-a-stand-against-unchecked-data-center-development/ 
 

The public is invited to join Ebony Vision’s November Member Meeting on Monday, November 17 at 6:30 pm CST.

Hear from guest speaker, Kimberly Barrett, PhD, where she will provide a Conversation of the Process and Purpose of Writing her book, “Rethinking Race.” Dr. Barrett will share how her views about race shifted—from seeing it as something fixed and unchangeable to realizing it’s more of a powerful idea that shapes how we see ourselves and others. You won’t want to miss this thought-provoking and inspiring meeting!

At the meeting, you will also hear community updates from this Fond du Lac organization. 

Join Zoom Meeting
Https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8163421769?pwd=VDVKZGZMVG8zTkV0SU5OUGVOVU9kZz09&omn=83288988021 

Meeting ID: 816 342 1769
Passcode: EVFDL
 

This past summer, the City of Sun Prairie launched a composting pilot program called, Food RESCU (residential, event, and school compost undertaking) Residential Composting Pilot. This 18-month pilot will provide 150 Sun Prairie households (renters included!) with a curbside composting service for a subsidized rate of $10/month. The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded Sun Prairie a $109,000 grant for a pilot compost program. Read more here. 

All participating households will receive a 4-gallon bucket to collect food scraps. On a biweekly basis, Green Box Compost, the pilot's composting service provider, will stop by participating homes and swap full buckets for a clean bucket. Participating households will also receive finished compost twice throughout the pilot. In order for the city to gather valuable feedback on the success of the pilot, all participating households will be required to fill out feedback surveys twice during the pilot.

Since the start of the school year, September 2, Sustain Dane, in partnership with the City of Sun Prairie, Green Box Compost, and Sun Prairie School District, kicked off a school composting pilot program. Elementary students at Token Springs and Royal Oaks are now composting in their own cafeteria. The West High School kitchen production staff is diverting their food scraps to compost. In the first week, 365 pounds of food scraps were diverted from the landfill to Green Box Composting. The food scraps are composted into fertile compost that will be diverted to local agriculture and gardens. 

Maddie, a Senior from Sun Prairie West High School, supports the idea of composting and hopes it’s something the school can continue to do in the future. “We’re all so used to just throwing everything in the garbage, it will take time for students to learn how to properly separate their waste and to understand the benefits of keeping food out of landfills.”

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes has begun exploring a similar pilot with the City of Fond du Lac and Green Box. They are now looking for businesses, schools, and residents to join their effort. Contact Tracy at tabler@csasisters.org for more information. 

In an age that mocks empathy, one Carmelite made it her path to God. Edith Stein believed that empathy is a doorway to the Divine.

Long before psychologists gave it a name, Edith wrote of “Einfuhlung”—the ability to “feel into” another person—as a sacred participation in the mystery of God’s own compassion. To suffer with another was not weakness for her—it was love made real.

Born into a Jewish family, Edith became an atheist, then one of Europe’s first female philosophers, and finally a Carmelite nun who died at Auschwitz. Through every transformation, her guiding question remained: How do we keep our hearts open when the world is breaking?

For Edith, empathy was not sentimental. It was mystical solidarity—a way of entering the world’s pain without losing faith in its redemption.

In our own time of division and exhaustion, she offers a vision of strength rooted in tenderness, of courage grounded in contemplation.

In a new online class, part of a larger series on 20th Century Mystics & Prophets, discover Edith Stein’s life and wisdom—her journey from atheist to mystic, her theology of empathy, and the hope she offers to all who long to live with compassion in a wounded world.

The Edith Stein: The Saint of Empathy masterclass is live and online Saturday, November 1 at 11 am CT. Can’t join live? Register now to receive the recording afterwards.
 

During the school days, October 20-23, 2025, approximately 400 first year students (100 each day), walked into an experience they were not expecting - 30 roaring adults lined up to welcome and cheer them on as they entered the small gym of Fond du Lac High School for Challenge Day. 

Challenge Day is an interactive anti-bullying program featuring music, exercises, impactful encounters, and discussions over one entire school day. It is led by two energetic, charismatic, and highly trained facilitators who themselves come from a background of overcoming trauma, where they relate openly, speaking honestly about their life experiences and provide stories of hope and inspiration. 

This was the fourth year in a row that United for Diversity and community supporters offered Challenge Day to the entire Fondy High freshmen class over the course of three to four days. Now all four current grade levels have experienced a Challenge Day in their time at Fondy High and together began creating a new culture at the high school. A few families opt to withdraw their students from this experience, otherwise all freshmen are expected to participate. Before it was more of an expectation, Challenge Day was optional and offered to Fondy High students for just one day, starting in 2008. Eventually, as more students talked about their experience, more became interested, and school administrators and staff saw the benefits of the program, the number of days the program was offered began to grow. It was stopped in 2020 because of COVID, but resumed annually in 2021.

A key component to the success each day are the adult volunteers, all of whom are required to complete a background check with the FDL School District. With an average of 100 students participating in the program daily, 30 volunteers are needed each day. Together, adults and students confront stereotypes and prejudices, underlying causes of bullying, and practice deep listening in their family circles and interactive group activities. The “cross the line” activity is probably what students remember the most. This is an experience that shows students they are not alone and stirs care and compassion among classmates, those they thought they knew, and those they never met before.

The Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) has been an important sponsor of Challenge Day over the years. This year, CSA’s generosity supported one full day of the program. They also sent two staff members on day one and Sister Sue Seeby, CSA joined on day two. Sue shared, “I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in Challenge Day at Fondy High School. I was moved by the students' honesty and vulnerability as well as their compassion for one another. It was a very, very enriching experience. I hope to participate again.”

Dusty Krikau shared, “Listening to first year high school students remind one another that it’s ok to ask for help, that it’s ok to be vulnerable, and that they aren’t alone, is exactly what my soul needed. Seeing that vulnerability in action from adults and youth is a powerful and unifying event.”

Visit www.challengeday.org for more information and to watch a short video which beautifully shows what happens in this powerful workshop.

October 24-31 is Bat Week, an international celebration of bats and their importance. Bats are amazing creatures that are vital to the health of our natural world and economy. Although we may not always see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night - eating tons of insects, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.

Bats are in decline nearly everywhere they are found. These amazing animals face a multitude of threats including habitat loss, pesticide use, destruction of roost sites, over-harvesting for bush-meat, climate change; and much more. Discover more why bats matter.

This Halloween, celebrate bats! Find an event in your area

On November 13, 2025, Catholics across the U.S. are invited to join in a national day of public witness for our immigrant brothers and sisters. This effort builds on the binational mass at the U.S.-Mexico Border in San Luis on October 12, in which Bishops from both countries called attention to the urgent crisis facing migrants. November 13 celebrates the feast day of St. Cabrini, the patron saint of migrants.

Dioceses, parishes, schools, religious communities, and other institutions and organizations are invited to host public actions that lift up the dignity of migrants – especially in the places where that dignity is most often denied. This may be a vigil in front of a detention center, a prayer service at a place where migrants were publicly detained, or a rosary accompanying people who are going to immigration court hearings. All Catholics are called to witness to the richness of our traditions and teachings on migration.

As Catholics and people of faith, we reject the culture of fear and silence that dehumanizes, and we choose instead to stand with migrants. Together, our voices will send a powerful message in defense of the dignity of our neighbors, family members, fellow parishioners, classmates, coworkers, and friends. We are one church. One family. Visit https://1family.us/ for more details. 

PLEASE JOIN AN ACTION!  Women religious communities in Wisconsin are planning a peaceful presence outside the ICE office (310 East Knapp Street) in Milwaukee on November 13, 11:45am-12:30pm. If you would like more information and/or are interested in attending the Milwaukee event, but need a ride, please email Tracy at tabler@csasisters.org Otherwise, please find an action near you or access media resources by visiting https://1family.us/

"The safety of a nation cannot come at the expense of violations of human dignity and surely the dignity of the undocumented can never be violated by unnecessarily aggressive tactics that go far beyond the task of apprehending people and which seem to be intended to terrorize and cause chaos, rather than fulfilling the noble calling of law enforcement."
–Cardinal Blase Cupich,
Archbishop of Chicago (October 14, 2025)

Watch Cardinal Cupich’s full statement in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIk9Cmy1IkE 
 

What If “Homosexual” Was Never Meant To Be In The Bible?

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture is a feature documentary that follows the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. It chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale University which unveil astonishing new revelations, and casts significant doubt on any biblical basis for LGBTQIA+ prejudice. Featuring commentary from prominent scholars as well as opposing pastors, including the personal stories of the film’s creators, 1946 is at once challenging, enlightening, and inspiring.

Watch the official trailer here.

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture will be available Worldwide to watch and own starting November 7 on Fandango (US only), Apple TV, and YouTube Movies. Currently available on Amazon (US & UK) and Eventive.org (worldwide). 

Links can be found on the website: https://www.1946themovie.com/

This powerful, award-winning documentary that began as an independent grassroots mission is about to reach audiences across the globe, complete with subtitles in 10 languages including French, Dutch, Thai, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Italian.

On November 23, there will be a special online Worldwide Release Chat with Q&A featuring the director, Sharon “Rocky” Roggio, moderated by dancer and music artist, Blake McGrath.
REGISTER FOR THE ZOOM LINK HERE.

Prior to the live Q&A, viewers can stream 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture for free exclusively through the Eventive platform. To access the film, simply register for the Zoom event — the free streaming link will be included in your confirmation email.

If you’ve already seen the film, you will recognize Kathy Baldock. Watch this exclusive video: Forging A Sacred Weapon: How a 1946 Mistranslation Shifted Culture.