At a recent Sisters Speak Out Day of Action gathering in the Bronx, Sister Donna Dodge, SC, addressed attendees and livestream viewers with a sobering truth:

“We are living in a country where most of our leaders do not share our values.”

Her words were not political, but prophetic. As President of the Sisters of Charity of New York, Sister Donna spoke from a place of deep conviction—on behalf of a Congregation that has, for over two centuries, stood with those pushed to the margins: immigrants, children, families in poverty, and all those made vulnerable by injustice.

She reminded us that this is not about Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives.

“It is about Gospel values.”

Her words came amid what we believe is one of the most overlooked truths in American politics today: our current government is the wealthiest in the nation’s history.

More than half of members of Congress are millionaires. Some possess fortunes over $100 million. Meanwhile, families in our neighborhoods cannot afford rent. Immigrant children are separated from their parents. Seniors must choose between medication and food … and those we are told to care for most—“the least of these”—are treated as disposable.

“We are living in a time that is crying out for the voice of charity,” Sister Donna said.

“Our mission… is not a poetic ideal. It is a prophetic mandate.”

This isn’t just a political crisis. It’s a moral one.

As Sisters of Charity, we carry forward the legacy of three saints whose lives speak volumes to this moment.

Sisters Speak Out on injustice at Mount Saint Vincent Convent

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, our foundress, knew what it was to lose everything—and to find God in the struggle. When her beloved city of New York was rocked by corruption and elitism, she spoke boldly of “crooked politicks” and lamented how often the poor were left behind.

St. Vincent de Paul, whose vision inspired our mission, called the poor our masters, not our charity cases. He insisted that true service required not just aid, but reverence.

St. Louise de Marillac, our spiritual mother, taught us to “honor Christ in the poor,” believing that justice begins when we stop looking away.

These are not lofty spiritual sentiments.

“These are not mere suggestions,” Sister Donna said. “This is our call.”

In a recent reflection “Saints Speak Out: Elizabeth Seton on Injustice,” we revisited Mother Seton’s call to confront “public abuse and corruption” and to walk the line between Christian hope and holy discontent. She wrote not with cynicism, but with fierce compassion:

“How false are the maxims of the world! How contrary to the Gospel! How much do we daily see of injustice, oppression, and bad faith!”

Elizabeth knew that love of neighbor required truth-telling. She called out injustice not as an outsider, but as a woman immersed in the suffering of her time.

Sisters bring some necessary Holy Trouble to the Good Trouble Rally in Yonkers

We believe she would be doing the same today.

What would Elizabeth say about the children she once comforted—now caged at borders and deported without care?

What would Louise say to lawmakers who cut food assistance while funding luxury and war?

What would Vincent say to a Church that tolerates vast economic inequality while quoting the Beatitudes on Sunday?

At Sisters Speak Out, Sister Donna’s voice carried the weight of those questions. Speaking from Mount Saint Vincent Convent, joined by Sisters and ministry representatives, she made it clear—this moment demands courage.

“We speak out… not as a nice gesture. Not when it is convenient. But always.”

“Silence has never been our legacy. Courage has.”

Therefore, like our Saints before us, we raise our voices not to condemn, but to compel.

We urge a deeper reckoning with the wealth gap in government. We challenge policies that treat immigrants as political pawns. We reject economic systems that thrive on exploitation. We invite all people of faith to remember: the Gospel never asked us to be silent in the face of injustice—it asks us to stand where Jesus stands.

The work is not easy but neither was caring for hundreds of orphans during waves of cholera and poverty. Neither was founding schools, hospitals, and missions across a divided and growing nation. Neither was staying faithful to a mission that sometimes meant choosing discomfort over security.

Sister Ann Borromeo Obermeyer—one of our original 33 Sisters—spent nearly 60 years caring for immigrant children orphaned by disease and neglect. Her story was recently shared in our Pioneer Sisters video series. What would she say today, knowing that many of the children she once cradled would now be turned away, detained, or deported?

Her faithful witness still asks us: Who are we becoming?

We do not pretend to have all the answers. But we believe the Church is at its best when it listens to the margins, speaks truth to power, and walks with the crucified people of our time.

“Will there be risks? Most likely. Loss of donors? Possibly. Threats to our tax-exempt status? Perhaps.

But we are Easter people,” Sister Donna said. “And we hold fast to hope.”

She concluded her remarks with a question for each of us—rooted in honesty and conviction:

What is mine to do now?

Then, echoing the words of Elizabeth Seton, she added:

“Let us only do our best—and leave the rest to our dear God.”

And together, we say: Amen.

By James Rowe, Communications Director
Source: https://scny.org/