Bending the Arc

Monday, October 12, is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a time to honor the communities who have, since time immemorial, been stewarding these lands we call home. In reflection, celebration, and mourning, we recognize the weight of our fractured world—how colonization and genocide have taken so much from so many; how white supremacy, Christian domination, and capitalism have ruptured our relationships and the life of this earth; and how we are urgently needed in the movement for accountability, justice, and repair.

As we head into the weekend, we invite you to ask yourself, your community: what does it really mean to support Indigenous sovereignty, return, and rematriation? How do we both materially and spiritually answer the call to bring Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands—to not just acknowledge but make right the wrongs that have been done in our name?

To support answering these questions, consider:

• Contributing to an honor fund near you. Honor funds, also called voluntary land taxes or real rent, are a way to acknowledge through action that we are on stolen land that Indigenous people have been forcibly severed from. These funds support Native Tribes and organizations with critical resources needed for their communities and larger rematriation efforts. You can find an honor fund near you with this map, or explore starting one using the Native Governance Center’s guide.
• Volunteering with Indigenous organizations in your area. This can be a great way to offer your time and skills, learn about what’s important to your neighbors, and develop meaningful relationships.
• Advocating for the removal of monuments, street names, and other public imagery that celebrates racist colonial figures. Too often, our parks, schools, and community institutions are filled with symbols and stories that uphold a dishonest narrative of the United States. We can honor the true history of this country by taking down these harmful commemorations and promoting public education about the devastating consequences of colonization.
• Rematriating Native burials, remains, and cultural objects. Many religious communities, conservation organizations, museums, and private landowners are in relationship with Native burial sites and/or Native American human remains or objects that have religious, cultural, spiritual, or other significance to Tribal Nations. Check out the Sacred Grounds guide we developed with the Native American Rights Fund for guidance about best practices and the important process of meaningful consultation and repair with Tribal Nations.
• Supporting Indigenous-led land reclamation, protection, and defense efforts. As we see a historic rise in efforts to return and rematriate lands to Indigenous stewardship, so, too, do we see an aggressive increase in extractive development projects that violate Tribal rights and the health of land, air, and water. Do some research to see where there are mines, pipelines, or data centers threatening lands and sacred sites near you. 

In addition, consider joining one of the upcoming program offerings from Land Justice Futures. During the events you will witness and practice in real time the material and spiritual work of showing up for right relationship as non-Native people. 

Explore events
 

On September 16, Sister Jean Salchert, CSA attended ACLU’s online event, “Know Your Voting Rights: A Training with Black Voters Matter.” She provided the following notes, summarizing what she learned and wishes to share with others.

The goal of the election safeguarding is to ensure that:

• an eligible voter can vote;
• votes are counted according to law;
• the result is a fair election. 

Elections are administered by each state and the local authorities. The president has NO constitutional authority over elections. Federal voting laws have not changed. Each voter needs to follow the current rules in their state. Therefore, it is important to check state laws.

In Wisconsin, each voter needs to bring their picture ID. You can vote if you: 1) are a citizen; 2) are at least 18 years old; and 3) are a resident of the state you are voting in.

If you have a criminal conviction, you can check the state law to understand when you can start voting again. Unfortunately, sometimes the criminal conviction and the law are rooted in discrimination.

Voting rules for all states can be found on https://866ourvote.org/ 

Other notes

• It is good to thank the poll workers for their service.
• A month before the election, it is wise to verify you are registered to vote.
• You can vote early, by mail, or in person. Check with your Municipal Clerk’s Office to see when early voting starts.
• Check state deadlines for returning absentee ballots. Return ballots as early as possible.
• The Supreme Court ruled the current Administration’s restrictions will not be in effect by this election.
• To vote is taking action for others, not just yourself.
• Poll opening and closing times vary by state. In Wisconsin, the polls are open 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Your Rights when casting a ballot

• Federal law states that all polling places have to be fully accessible for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
• Federal law states that people with language difficulties can get help at the polling place or at home (Voting Rights Act sec. 203). Let the poll worker know if you have needs.
• If you, the voter, is having a problem at the polling place, call the voter hotline, ask for a provisional ballot - DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT VOTING. 
  The Voter Hotline is 866 OUR VOTE. The hotline tracks problems.
  • English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
  • Spanish/English: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
  • Asian languages/English: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
  • Arabic/English: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)
• Remain in line even if the polls close. All who are in line will be able to vote.
• If you make a mistake, you can get a replacement ballot.
• Federal law protects voters from intimidation. Intimidation is illegal and a crime.
• Federal law explicitly prohibits the presence of armed federal agents at the polls.

Plan to lessen intimidation

• Stay safe, stay calm.
• Take notes and call the voter protection hotline.
• Tell the poll workers.
• Only take photos if the state allows.

Finally, find out if you are registered to vote at https://www.aclu.org/are-you-registered-to-vote or visit myvote.wi.gov if you reside in Wisconsin. 

 

Interested in learning more about artificial intelligence and its impact on our communities and our common home? As AI continues to shape our world, important questions are emerging about its social, ethical, environmental, and spiritual implications. Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, invites us to consider these questions through a Christian lens.

Register to receive the link and the recording link afterwards

Join the CSSJ Community October 20, 2026 at 6:00 pm CT for an event co-sponsored by the U.S. Federation and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia featuring Nicholas Collura, DMin who serves as the program director of Radius and as a chaplain in the Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He co-founded and co-facilitated a community-based climate organizing initiative in the Philadelphia area.

Dr. Collura will provide a basic framework for how artificial intelligence data centers operate and an ethical and spiritual lens for considering the impacts of these operations on our communities and the Earth. His talk will be followed by a Q&A during this 60 minute session.

Those who register for the recording will receive a link to a recording of the presentation. Questions? Email Bwelch@cssjfed.org 
 

Haiti is experiencing a catastrophic human rights and security crisis, with armed criminal groups controlling large areas of the country and carrying out grave abuses against civilians. In 2025, 8,100 people were killed and approximately 1.5 million Haitians were internally displaced. Violence has also disrupted access to essential services, forcing schools and medical facilities to close or operate at severely reduced capacity. Nearly half the population, 5.8 million people, lack sufficient food and require emergency humanitarian assistance.

The crisis is fueled in part by the flow of U.S.-manufactured firearms into Haiti. Haiti has no domestic firearms or ammunition manufacturers, and most firearms entering the country are trafficked from the United States.

In Mid-September, Newtown Action Alliance joined 21 advocacy, research, faith-based, and international organizations in Washington, D.C., calling for an end to the flow of U.S. weapons to Haiti, Mexico, and Latin America. They also participated in a congressional briefing on the ARMAS Act and met with congressional offices to lobby for the bill.

Even when Congress is out of session, you can still take action. Please use this link to tell your members of Congress to bring H.R. 6736, the ARMAS Act, to the floor when they return.

Below are Resources to Learn More:
ARMAS & Stop Arming Cartels Info Sheet
Haiti Fact Sheet
Mexico Fact Sheet
Disrupting U.S. Arms to Haiti – IHRC Policy Brief

October 7 is an anniversary that trauma built. The trauma of centuries of suffering of the Jewish people and also of the Palestinian people, of anger seething beneath the surface unaddressed, of terrible hurt and pain unnamed and unexplored together. It is also Bishop Desmond Tutu’s birthday which Rev. Cameron Trimble uses to try to help us all think through the nuances of this seemingly intractable situation together and feel it together as human beings—together.

In her October 7, 2026, online post, Rev. Trimble reminds us of a common quote from Desmond Tutu, which is: “My humanity is caught up in yours. And if you are dehumanized, I am dehumanized.” She then shares a beautiful meditation. 

Read the meditation.

Then consider her reflection questions:

Has there been a grief or trauma in your own life that changed the way you saw other people? What did it help you see, and what might it have made harder to see?

Where have you encountered memory being used to preserve dignity and truth, and where have you seen remembered suffering used to justify new harm?

What would it mean to honor your own grief fully while refusing to let it determine the boundaries of your compassion?

On behalf of Sister Peg Spindler, CSA, we Sister of St. Agnes, hold all of you who are hurting on this day, ALL OF YOU, in the deep, loving care of our hearts, too.
 

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’” - Genesis 4:9

In her September 25, 2026, post on Piloting Faith, Rev. Rev. Cameron Trimble shared a thoughtful meditation inviting us to consider (1) Who has become difficult for you to see as an individual human being because you primarily encounter them as part of a political, social, or religious category?, (2) What happens to our moral responsibility when the suffering of another person becomes hidden from our view?, and (3) What might it mean for you to be another person’s “keeper” without controlling them, rescuing them, or assuming responsibility that belongs to them?

Read the meditation
 

With the midterm elections approaching, it is a good idea to make sure you are registered. Each state has a tool to do so. In Wisconsin, that site is myvote.wi.gov. The federal government also has a page that directs you to the right place, vote.gov, just select your state of residence.

Vote.gov is run by the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and does NOT ask for your personal information or track your activities. According to the site’s privacy policy, the EAC “does not collect personally-identifiable information about you when you visit our site, unless you choose to provide such information to us.”  The exception to the policy is very limited. For example, if you email the EAC requesting information, they will retain your email address so they can send a response. Further, the EAC does not track your internet activity. “No cookies used by EAC ever store any information that may be used to identify you personally,” the commission’s privacy policy says.

Voters need to be aware that there is a similar website being promoted that does not have these privacy protections. votesafe.org (this text is intentionally left un-linked) is a website run by America PAC and collects this information:

• First, middle and last name
• Date of birth
• Full home address
• Email address
• Cell phone number
• IP address and location (info used to derive each user’s city, zip code, approx. longitude and latitude, time zone, and internet provider)
• Browser, operating system, screen size and language of your device
• What website referred you to votesafe.org
• Every link you click
• Every page you look at
• Your voter registration status (derived from a voter file held by America PAC or its vendors - not the state’s actual records)
• Your district and ballot (derived from Ballotpedia)

As of August 29, 2026, the privacy policy allows America PAC to share or sell your personal information with their business partners. Read more about this warning at https://popular.info/p/the-hidden-dangers-of-musks-votesafeorg
 

Sophia Walker, aka Lisle Lester, was a one-time resident of Fond du Lac and world-famous dramatist.  She created the first magazine in Wisconsin, The Badger State Monthly, and was acclaimed for her stage performances. She hired the first women typesetters in Wisconsin, when working at the Milwaukee Sentinel. Her life story was one of constant support of women’s issues. She died in New York City, and her life ended with the final indignity of having her cremains go unclaimed for 138 years.  

For 138 years, the cremains of Lisle Lester have been sitting on a shelf in a New York mortuary, unclaimed. When her life was featured by Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac, for their Women’s History Luncheon in 2024, the group decided to bring her home. Little did that organization know how much time and fees and red tape would be needed to bring back those cremains to Fond du Lac. 

After fundraising to acquire the legal means to do so, Soroptimist International of Fond du Lac petitioned a Queens, New York court for Ms. Lester's cremated remains to be moved to the custody of Calvary Cemetery. The petition was granted and Ms. Lester will be laid to rest in Fond du Lac on October 17, 2026, at 10 am at Calvary Cemetery. The public is invited to attend. 

Soroptimist's final goal is to gather funds for a monument stone to honor her life. Please consider donating at https://givebutter.com/lisle-lester-memorial-stone-fund-laikww 

This story was also featured on Green Bay local news: https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/lisle-lester-returns-fond-du-lac/