2014 List of Further Resources #3

The selection of Further Resources published in Mercy E-News throughout 2014 can be found below. If you hadn't time throughout the year to read, watch and listen to these, you might like to do so over the Christmas holidays and before Mercy E-news returns on 21 January 2015.

Note: Timebound news items, including UN observances, conferences and other highlighted events, have been deleted and monthly links to newsletters such as Stop Trafficking and LCWR's Update have been replaced by a link to the current/latest issues at the end of this list on #4

SEPTEMBER 2014

'...There’s a gathering of spirits
There’s a festival of friends
And we’ll take up where we left off
When we all meet again...'

Lyrics from The Gathering of Spirits by Carrie Newcomer. Watch the concert performance here (video: 03:53)

The paperback version of Journey of the Universe by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker will be published by Yale University Press on October 28. You can order this book here

'Peace Now: The End of Suffering.' A reflection on the state of the world (07:59). Words by Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, poet and peace activist. Singing by Phap Niem. Music by Gary Malkin. Listen and reflect on it here

'8 Days' is inspired by real stories of human trafficking. Amber is the lead character in the just released film '8 Days'. After sneaking to a party with her friends, sixteen year old Amber Stevens goes missing. Forced into the world of sex trafficking, her family and community fight to get her back. Inspired by actual events. So much can happen in 8 days. Watch the trailer (02:07) -visit  the promotional site

Rebecca Pober Citrin is a high school senior from Daphne, Alabama, USA who filmed a documentary on human trafficking to build awareness of the issue for her Girl Scout Gold Award project.  Watch it here (26:40)

Last month the International Organisation for Migration, the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration, produced this short film,' Letter from a Refugee'. It features very moving and frank interviews with a number of young women, all Syrian refugees. The film ends with their affecting messages to others to be strong. Suitable for showing to senior secondary (second level) and tertiary (third level) students who are the ages of the interviewees. Watch it here (09:58)

Book: New Generations of Catholic Sisters: The Challenge of Diversity. (Oxford University Press, 2014; $29.95) is now available. From the Editorial comments: 'This book is an outstanding example of sociology at the service of life! The authors have engaged a topic of vital interest to all segments of the Church—apostolic women’s religious life—and analyzed its current state, potential future, and ultimate significance with remarkable insight. A must-read for anyone who cares about the ‘new evangelization.'   —Doris Gottemoeller rsm, Past President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and of the Sisters of Mercy of the America.

Read article 'Concentration on connections will keep religious life alive' in Global Sisters Report.
Preview the book and Purchase on iTunes

Long long Journey by Enya

'Long, long journey
Through the darkness,
Long, long way to go;
But what are miles
Across the ocean
To the heart that's coming home?'

View it here on Youtube (03:22) . Purchase it here on iTunes.

To celebrate the 50 anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on African American Affairs plans to release a series of resources to highlight the achievements of the Civil Rights era and its connections to the Catholic Church. Over the next 12 months, resources will highlight the Mississippi Freedom Summer (June to August 1964); the Civil Rights Act (July 1964); the March from Selma to Montgomery (March 1965); and the 50 anniversary of the Voting Rights Act in August 2015. For further information, click here

AUGUST 2014

(Maria) Magdalena Matthey Correa is a well-known Chilean singer-songwriter, very popular in Latin America. Vienen con alegría, Señor (They come with joy, Lord) is a favourite song in Peru. Listen to it here

'Aging gracefully requires the courage to face our burdens, to accept our blessings, and to recreate our lives in new ways.' From Embracing life's second act: An interview with Joan Chittister. Read the interview from August 2014 issue of U.S. Catholic

The Institute Leadership Team (Americas) has made the cause of unaccompanied child migrants a priority. In Mercy Enews over the past 3 weeks we have shared the story of the efforts of Anne Murphy rsm and the stance (resulting in arrest) of Eileen Campbell rsm (ILT) and Jean Stokan, director of the Sisters of Mercy Institute Justice Team.

This article published in NCR online 'Unthinkable violence drives Hondurans north to United States' (18 August) is informative reading for those readers of Mercy Enews seeking background on this significant social issue.

A seven-part series of training videos on human trafficking  produced by the HOPE Campaign (Help Our Prostituted and Exploited Children) and funded through a grant from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund (CVTF) in  Kentucky USA was launched on 15 August.
View the series online here. Background Information about the series can be read here

Ohio State University's course "Human Trafficking" commenced 22 August. Join for  free. Enrol here

Pope Francis' 2015 World Peace Day message (1 January) will focus on human trafficking. "Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters" will be the title of the Message for the 48th World Day of Peace. Read the announcement here. View the clip on Rome Reports (0:55)

The report 'First decade of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children' has been released by the United Nations. The report can be downloaded here (PDF; 44 pps)

Sacred Threads Center, Massachusetts, founded by Rosemary Mulvihill rsm and Marie LaBollita, SC, is an interfaith ministry for women dedicated to providing opportunities to explore and enrich their spiritual journey. Videos from their 2013/14 Speakers series - Donna Hicks (founder of Declare Dignity), Liz Walker (Roxbury Presbyterian Church's senior pastor, Boston), and Simone Campbell SSS - can be accessed from the homepage of the Sacred Threads website. Joan Chittister OSB and artist Janet McKenzie are due to present on 15 November at Wellesley College. Janet illustrated Sr Joan's publication The Way of the Cross - The Path to New Life Details of the November event can be found here.

Anne Quigley is an English composer and liturgist. Her beautiful song expressing the search for God's presence 'There is a Longing' played by Blest and Broken can be found here (05:03) Purchase on iTunes   Purchase the sheet music here

The Reflections, Addresses, Media Releases, Outstanding Leadership Award Acceptance Speech by Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, and other materials made public from the LCWR Assembly 2014, can be accessed here

'Nuns build a house of straw'. Women religious are setting an example of Catholic teaching on protecting the environment by welcoming people into their house of straw. Watch the video here (03:34)

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the name Colleen Fulmer was identified with social justice/feminist Christian music Her story before and since can be read here in 'Finding Colleen Fulmer'. She doesn't have a website but has now posted much of her music on her own channel on YouTube. Songs to celebrate: Blessed Is She and Mantle of Light

Krista Tippet 'On Being'. You might be one of the many who listen to her on one of the 334 radio shows that sydicate her; or one of the 1.5million who download her podcasts. If so, you'll enjoy this interview. If not, it might encourage you to visit her website and explore the offerings

 Wednesday, 30 July, was the first the first World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The focus of Mercy E-news (issue 576) was on this major theme of Mercy Global Action. Find that issue of E-news here

Statements issued for first-ever World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, 30 July 2014:
-Statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay
-Keynote address by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay at special event to mark the first observation of the World Day Against Trafficking in persons.
-Statement by Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Ms. Joy Ezeilo
-Statement by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Baptist World Aid Australia has conducted an evaluation of 39 electronic brands to rate their efforts to prevent worker exploitation . Read the report and download the digital guide—both free resources—  to find out what you need to know before buying your next gadget. Find these here

The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples will be celebrated this Saturday, 9 August. To 'help bridge the gap' of understanding, mark this day by listening to an Indigenous Australian musician, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, who sings in the Yolngu language, his native tongue. His song 'Bapa' (Father) from his critically aclaimed album 'Gurrumul' has been rightly described as 'hauntingly beautiful'. The version linked here is perfectly accompanied by an animation consisting entirely of line drawings. Worth sitting with. (02:34)

Preview/purchase the album on iTunes

JULY 2014

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that the illegal profits made from the use of forced labor in the private economy worldwide amount to $150.2 billion per year, exceeding both the population and GDP of many countries or territories around the world. From the report Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour. Read the report in full or summary here or read a fact sheet here

Globally, 14 million girls under the age of 18 marry every year. An estimated 140 million girls are expected to become child brides this decade if current rates continue— that's according to the CEO of Plan International Australia which has recently released a report Just Married, Just a Child: Child Marriage in the Indo-Pacific Region, written in conjunction with Anti-Slavery Australia. The report can be read here (27 pps; pdf) The video clip Lamana's Story - Because I am a Girl accompanies the report (03:40).

'Meet the woman who makes Walmart’s low-priced clothes. She works 10-hour days for $103 per month. And her factory is one of the good ones...'  Read the article in US Catholic online.

'Til Everyone Can See'. This very catchy song with powerful lyrics —'Everyone is blind  'til everyone can see, No one can be free when there is slavery'—was written to launch the ILO’s Red Card to Child Labour Campaign for last month's World Day Against Child Labour. 168 million children are currently estimated to be in child labour worldwide; a number fed by situations such as the poverty forcing many Syrian refugee families to send their children to work in Lebanon.

Play the song here. (03:54)

This song features popular artists such as Pharell Williams and Sons of the Sea (among others) so would be very appealing to second level (secondary) students. Images in the video clip are from the film The Harvest (La Cosecha) by Shine Global Inc. Worth viewing.

STop Slavery is a video infographic created by USCCB (01:47) promoting their resources. View it here

Anti-Slavery Australia offers a free  online training program for frontline workers dealing with trafficking and slavery. Find out more details and enrol here

The 38th Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) National Assembly, 'Living on the Fault Lines - Leading in a Climate of Change' held in Melbourne, Australia, from 23 to 27 June, examined the challenges facing religious life today.

Papers given by the Keynote speakers are linked below:

-Sister Carmen Sammut msola, President of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) PDF
-Cardinal João Bráz de Aviz cm, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life PDF

Article in NCR online 'The Evolution of Ilia Delio' might be helpful background reading. Read the article here

The 2014 World Cup is finished and Qatar’s World Cup is eight years away. '2022 FIFA World Cup slave labour deaths' describes the experiences of Nepalese workers 'in a country where trade unions are illegal and minimum wages do not exist... end[ing] up as de facto slaves on construction sites...' Read the article here.

The Australian Catholic Religious Against trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) Newsletter July 2014  provides an update of recent work and achievements. Download the newsletter here (PDF)

Tens of thousands of children from Central America are arriving alone at America's border, posing a major challenge to humanitarian systems that have been in place since World War II. For readers unfamiliar with the situation, this is a very accessible, visual presentation of the humanitarian issue which the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Leadership Team are addressing as a top priority.  Watch the presentation here (02:00) See also the article in NCR online 'Catholics respond to migrants’ humanitarian crisis' for which Kathleen Erickson rsm was interviewed about her knowledge of the situation in Honduras. Read the article here

In 1994 well known Irish composer Shaun Davey put a section of St Patrick's Breastplate to some stirring music on his CD "The Pilgrim".  Enjoy the moving performance of this ancient Irish prayer 'I arise Today', sung by Dublin-born Rita Connolly who sang it at the inauguration of Michael Higgins, the ninth president of Ireland, in November 2011, and who has become identified with the singing of this invocation for protection and strength. Play it here. (04:07).  Purchase it here from iTunes

'Human trafficking has no place in the modern world, the President of the General Assembly declared today (14 July) at a special event at United Nations Headquarters ahead of the observance of the first ever World Day against Trafficking in Persons.'  Read the article here

'Pipeline: Photo essay shows human trafficking in Italy'. 80 per cent of women trafficked to Italy come from Benin City (Edo State), in south Nigeria. This photo essay illustrates aspects of life for these women who 'come to Europe under the pretence that they will be working as nannies or work in factories, with the hope they can send money back to their families. However, most of their dreams of freedom quickly collapse into a nightmare of prostitution and abuse.' Read the essay here

TRACE (Trafficking As a Criminal Enterprise), is a EU funded project that started in May 2014 and will run for two years, until April 2016. TRACE consists of a multi-disciplinary team from across Europe who will develop state-of-the-art knowledge on the business of human trafficking in an effort to support stakeholders in their fight against this crime. Details of the project can be found here

In a country (India) where, according to the 2011 census, nearly 70 percent of rural households, as well as over 18 percent of homes in towns and cities, don’t have toilets, this article from Inter Press Service (IPS) provides one practical example of the importance of advocacy for water and sanitation. Read: 'Lack of Toilets Keeps Women Out of Politics'

Be transported. It's well worth pausing to listen and to watch the 2Cellos (Sulic & Hauser) play Benedictus. Beautifully played here (07:13). Equally moving is the performance of Benedictus sung by classically trained operatic singer Hayley Westenra from Aotearoa New Zealand. Purchase it from iTunes. 

'God's Grandeur'  is a Pray-as-you-go retreat focussing on the poetry of Gerald Manley Hopkins sj. Beginning with an introduction on the life of Hopkins, each eight-minute session then focusses on an individual work. Poems selected for the online retreat are: The Caged Skylark, The Wreck of the Deutschland, Pied Beauty, As Kingfishers, Felix Randal, Spring & Fall, To Seem the Stranger, Thou Art Indeed God, To RB and Peace.
There is no charge to participate. Access the retreat here

Who Are We Post-Vatican II Religious Now and Where Are We Headed?  is the theme of articles in the Spring (current) issue of the CRC (Canadian Religious Conference) Bulletin. 'Consecrated Life and the Image of a Butterfly' by Elizabeth M. Davis rsm, Congregation Leader Newfoundland, is among the many contributions. Also accessible from the homepage of the CRC site are a number of personal testimonies on the future of religious life.Read/download these resources here

LCWR Annual Report: 2013-2014: Leadership Evolving: Graced, Grounded & Free is now online. The report can be read or downloaded here (35 pps; pdf)

'Scientists have, for the first time, linked hundreds of earthquakes across a broad swath of Oklahoma to a handful of wastewater wells used by the fracking industry.'  Read the Guardian news report here

'A major study into the potential of fracking to contaminate drinking water with methane has been published. The British Geological Survey and the Environment Agency have mapped where key aquifers in England and Wales coincide with locations of shale.' Read the BBC news report here

The Center for Youth’s Safe Harbour Program in Rochester, New York State last week launched two new videos to raise awareness of human trafficking. Teachers and others working with young people — learn more about sex trafficking and warning signs young people might exhibit from the Safe Harbour animation (01:43) Watch the animation here

The Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST) website Resources section holds a number of 'Toolkits' that can be used — in whole or in part — by church, community, college and school groups to educate about trafficking. These resources have been developed by FAAST, Polaris and other organisations. View the 'Toolkits' here

Earth's Creator, Everyday God, Loving Maker, O Jesus, You who shaped Us, O Spirit, Recreate Us, Come, Be With Us... lyrics from the meditative 'Everyday God' by Bernadette Farrell. Reflectively listen to it here on YouTube (04:49). Purchase it from iTunes Purchase it from Google Play

Audio CDs of the two-day seminar with  Ilia Delio, OSF, hosted by the Union of Presentation Sisters in Dublin last week, will be available for purchase from the ÉIST Conference Recording Service's online store. The online store can be found here

The text of the reflection Pope Francis seeking the Wisdom of Women, a presentation given at the recent Broken Bay NSW eConference (refer Mercy E-news 18 June), by Monica Cavanagh rsj, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, has now been posted online. It can be read here.

The article by Lilah Lohr on Bishop Robert N. Lynch's delivery of the Catholic Health Assembly's first annual Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan lecture where Bishop Robert 'drew a sharp distinction between reimagining and re-imaging' the Church. Read the report here

'Local face of human slavery' gives access to statistics and other sites for further information on the topic. Read the article here
Is fracking the answer to our energy crisis?'  Dan Misleh is executive director of Catholic Coalition on Climate Change - Read his article in US Catholic

Watch Angélique Kidjo, Benin-born singer, powerfully cover Bob Marley's Redemption song (03:38) from her Spirit Rising album. Lyrics here. Purchase the song here Read her book of the same name

The video clip 'US State Department releases annual report on human trafficking, downgrades Thailand and Venezuela', produced by Rome Reports TV Agency, provides a useful introduction to the U.S. State Department's Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released on 20 June (02:44) (refer Mercy E-news 25 June). View the clip which features Ken Hackett, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and read the transcript here

Thumbnail image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net