Bending the Arc

On Tuesday, June 4, WAVE (Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort) allies in the Wisconsin State Legislature introduced a package of lifesaving gun violence prevention bills. To show you are committed to preventing gun tragedies, you can now urge your legislators to support this critical progress.

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The package includes some of WAVE’s top policy priorities—evidence-based measures shown to reduce gun deaths in states where these policies are already law. It contains bills to:

1.  Require background checks on all gun sales – because Wisconsin must keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of already-prohibited people.
2. Create an extreme risk law – because those closest to someone in a crisis must be empowered to stop a tragedy.
3. Reinstate the 48-hour waiting period, which Republicans rescinded – because rage and despair should never pull the trigger.
4. Prohibit ghost guns – because untraceable firearms keep showing up at crime scenes.  

Any one of these measures would save lives. Together, they could drastically improve the safety of Wisconsin children and communities.

Here’s the catch: While these measures are deeply popular, they won’t move forward in the legislature without bipartisan backing. That’s why it’s so important to contact your legislators today and urge them to support these bills!  

The timing for this announcement is not a coincidence. It comes just days before National Gun Violence Awareness weekend and at the start of summer, when, sadly, gun violence traditionally spikes.

CSA Sisters support the end of gun violence and participate in the 2025 #WearOrange campaign. They wear orange to honor survivors and build community with those working to end gun violence.

CSA is also a member of Nuns Against Gun Violence. Visit Nuns Against Gun Violence website for prayers to end gun violence or find more from this prayer collection.

Every day in the U.S., 125 people are shot and killed, and hundreds more are wounded or traumatized, according to https://everytownresearch.org/
 

A flurry of six executions are scheduled in June - 6 men to be killed in five states. Four executions will take place on June 10 (two within an hour of each other), June 12 and June 13.  On June 24, Florida will have its second execution in as many weeks, and on June 25, Mississippi will execute an honorably discharged Vietnam Veteran who has been on death row since 1976.

According to Death Penalty Action, 19 of the last 23 executions in the United States had real issues in appeals which courts refused to consider. Why? Procedural bars. Missed deadlines. Issues raised too late in the process. Finality was more important than justice and due process.

Death Penalty Action has launched an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise $300,000 in 45 days. Their Justice.Can’t.Wait movement is a collective effort to sustain and grow the national movement to end the death penalty. Support fuels:

• Clemency campaigns for people facing execution
• Support for families directly impacted by executions
• Pressure on governors to halt executions and lawmakers to end capital punishment
• Public education and mobilization efforts across the country
   

Visit https://deathpenaltyaction.org/ to learn more, sign petitions, and support.

CSA has a stance against the death penalty and offers additional resources, to include letter writing assistance, here: https://www.csasisters.org/our-values/death-penalty.cfm
 

If you were unable to attend the May 29 program at Midvale Community Lutheran Church in Madison, WI where Rev. Khader El-Yateem spoke on Gaza and the West Bank, it was recorded. This is an hour well worth your time. You are welcome to share it with others as well.

Rev. El-Yateem’s presentation was powerful and challenging and tells a very interesting story about his own experience with the Israeli Occupation Forces. He starts his remarks by saying his goal is not to have anyone leave feeling pro-Israel or pro-Palestine, but to be pro-human, to be for justice, peace, and dignity for all.

Khader El-Yateem is the Executive Director for Service and Justice at the ELCA. This event was sponsored by the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA and Wisconsin’s Interfaith Peace Working Group.

If you would like to make a donation to support the ELCA Disaster Response and their work with schools, hospitals and psycho-social care in the West Bank and Gaza, you can do so on Midvale’s website by selecting the ELCA Disaster Response fund from the drop down menu on our secure online giving page.
 

In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage equality nationwide with the landmark decision on Obergefell v. Hodges. The Court ruled that the 14th Amendment guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry and have their marriages recognized in all states.

The following year, President Barack Obama, declared June as LGBT Pride Month in this official proclamation.

On June 2, 2025, the Trump Administration declared that June will now be recognized as Title IX Month, not Pride Month, an unrelated observation.

Title IX has been protecting women in sports since 1972. The official language reads: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

A Title IX explainer from Harvard University notes that "Title IX regulations guide how colleges and universities, including Harvard, must respond to sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct through appropriate grievance procedures, supportive measures, and related policies."

As DEI has been under attack in the last several months, big brands are pulling back on Pride merchandise. However, cities across the country continue to celebrate the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Pride is more than a month, it’s a way of life. It is estimated that 10% of American adults identify as LGBTQ+.

This website shows where cities across Wisconsin are holding their Pride festivals. A Google search will help you find events near you. Here in Fond du Lac,  Pride Picnic will be Sunday, June 22 from 1-7 pm at Lakeside Park. 

Read more about The History of Pride. 

On May 5, five former National Weather Service (NWS) directors shared an open letter warning that proposed cuts to the organization may soon endanger lives.

“N.W.S. staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,” they write in the letter, dated Friday. “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.”

The letter notes that the coming weeks are “the busiest time for severe storm predictions like tornadoes and hurricanes,” and it points to a wide range of activities that rely on accurate forecasting: “Airplanes can’t fly without weather observations and forecasts; ships crossing the oceans rely on storm forecasts to avoid the high seas; farmers rely on seasonal forecasts to plant and harvest their crops which feed us.     Read the full letter here

June 1 to the end of November is hurricane season in the United States. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also suffered dramatic cuts with the current administration intending to push disaster recovery to the states.

Americans are urged to raise their voice against these cuts, but also pray Mother Nature can lessen the weather disasters brought on by our changing climate.
 

Five years ago, people around the United States—and the world—watched a police officer kneel on the neck of George Floyd on a street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ending his life, shocking our nation, and leading to protests, reflection, and predictions of a racial justice reckoning. In response, the Initiative held one of our most powerful and widely viewed dialogues, which challenged us to resist the racism in our streets, structures, and ourselves. On this sad anniversary and as we remember Juneteenth, our nation is still in pain and still needs greater justice. For Catholics and all believers, racism is not just a political issue: it is a sin, a national moral failure, and a fundamental test of our faith. 

Now five years later, a Pulitzer prize-winning historian, a leader in Catholic social ministry, and a journalist and pro-life leader will look back at what happened and what didn’t, look around at signs of both progress and retreat on racial justice, and look ahead to what we are called to do now in light of Catholic social teaching.

Join the Georgetown University Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life for their next online dialogue on What Happened to America’s Racial Reckoning? Faith, Justice, and Catholic Social Teaching Five Years after the Killing of George Floyd.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 5:00 - 6:00 CT
 

RSVP
 

The dialogue will be recorded and posted online for later viewing. You can also watch previous streams here: https://www.youtube.com/@GlobalGeorgetown/streams
 

Watch this video to understand the work of the Initiative.
 

During Laudato Si’ Week, May 24-31 (or any time of the year!), you’re invited to explore the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website to see the many ways they are animating the prophetic voice of Pope Francis.

Read the Statement from Archbishop Broglio and his Letter to Young People, where he recognizes the impact the climate crisis has on them and applauds their strong witness for a better future.

Visit this page dedicated to Environmental Advocacy.

Learn about their Catholic Campaign for Human Development Stories of Hope, and more resources from their Environmental Justice webpage.

Consider our integral interconnectedness and take actions with the USCCB Voter Voice tool to find and contact officials, learn about bills, and more at www.votervoice.net/USCCB/home

The Wisconsin Council of Churches finds Christian Unity as the foundational concept of their ecumenical movement and underlies all of their work. One of their projects is Taking a Faithful Stand for Equity. This group engages in civic engagement. They gather for monthly webinars featuring speakers on a variety of topics and a time for local organizing around the state.

On June 10 at 6:30 pm CT, you are invited to join their next webinar, titled, “Immigration: Fiction, Facts & Faith” featuring Darryl D. Morin, National President and Chairman of the Board of Forward Latino, Inc.

Forward Latino’s mission is to empower affiliates to inspire and engage communities, strengthen our democracy, improve the lives of working families, protect the environment, and stand up for equality and civil rights. They cultivate, train, and support a diverse national network of Latina/o/x community leaders addressing the civic, economic, and political challenges of the 21st century.

Other cosponsors of this webinar are:

• Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee
• MICAH
• Wisconsin Council of Churches
• Wisconsin Council of Rabbis
• Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
• WISDOM

Please register here