Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Through lives of vowed poverty and common ownership CSA Sisters live simply (Constitution ¶17) so that some among them are able to minister among “those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened” (Constitution ¶4).
In an option for the most vulnerable, they have responded affirmatively to calls for service where many other communities would not go (Letter to a sister, February 10, 1884).
UNANIMA International
UNANIMA International (UI), is a non-governmental organization (NGO) at the United Nations which CSA helped found in 2002. “Anima” is Latin for feminine spirit. UI is an international coalition of 23 communities of religious women in 85 countries and with over 23,000 members. Their work takes place primarily at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
UI’s current focus is Women, Children and Girls. We advocate for women and children experiencing poverty, homelessness/displacement and who are victims of human trafficking and bring their voices to the United Nations. Learn more including several publications, available for download.
JPIC Coordinator, Tracy Abler, serves on the UI Board as CSA’s representative.
UI staff contribute significantly to other NGO committees, workings groups, commissions, and collaborations.
Learn more and follow events of the Second World Summit for Social Development, happening November 4-6, 2025 in Doha, Qatar.
UNANIMA International bi-monthly newsletters are currently available in four languages.
The UNANIMA International website is available in EIGHT languages!
You may also be interested in following the work of JCoR – Justice Coalition of Religious, a group of 23 NGO organizations that are accredited to collectively represent over 200 congregations of Roman Catholic women and men Religious at the UN Headquarters in New York. Visit: https://jcor2030.org/
Similar to UNANIMA International, JCoR’s primary aim of their collaboration is to strengthen the capacity of their members to address the root causes of unsustainable development.
This short documentary highlights how UNANIMA International have brought attention to Family Homelessness within the United Nations system, including through education and advocacy efforts at the United Nations 58th Commission for Social Development (CSocD58).
The Poor People’s Campaign
“In 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others called for a “revolution of values” in America. They sought to build a broad, fusion movement that could unite poor and impacted communities across the country. Their name was a direct cry from the underside of history: The Poor People’s Campaign.
Today, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has picked up this unfinished work. From Alaska to Arkansas, the Bronx to the border, people are coming together to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism. We understand that as a nation we are at a critical juncture — that we need a movement that will shift the moral narrative, impact policies and elections at every level of government, and build lasting power for poor and impacted people. “
Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Wisconsin’s Poor People’s Campaign - wisconsin@poorpeoplescampaign.org.
NETWORK
NETWORK is a Catholic Sisters Lobby group which addresses several issues that impact families and the community: budget, healthcare, housing, income, taxes, women and families.
Learn more about the NETWORK Lobby