Issues

Nonviolence . . . Human trafficking . . . Women . . . . The elderly . . . Immigrants' rights . . . Housing. . . Children . . . Prisoners' rights . . . Health care . . . World Hunger . . . Globalization, as it affects Latin America . . . Care of the earth . . . Seamless ethic of life

Note: The ideas and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author's and should not be ascribed to the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes or its members.





Friday, May 29, 2015

Thousands Celebrate the Romero Beatification

 
Salvadorans and pilgrims from around the world come together May 23 for the beatification of martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero in a spectacular celebration in San Salvador.

June 5th - World Environment Day

What is your dream for Planet Earth? As a consumer, what are you willing to do to protect it? This is the question posed for us by the UN for this year’s World Environment Day: “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.” The Solar Panel Project that CSA is undertaking this summer represents a significant action that will make a huge difference for future generations. In addition to this project may each of us re-commit to a simpler lifestyle through one of the “5 Rs” of the environment: reduce, reuse, recycle, renew and respect.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

What is a Mother?

A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.
 - Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The Cold Hard Facts of Human Trafficking

  • Human trafficking generates $9.5 billion yearly in the United States. (United Nations)
  • Approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States. (U.S. Department of Justice)
  • The average age of entry into prostitution for a child victim in the United States is 13-14 years old. (U.S. Department of Justice)
  • A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls. (U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
  • The average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20-48 times a day. (Polaris Project)
  • Fewer than 100 beds are available in the United States for underage victims. (Health and Human Services)
  • Department Of Justice has identified the top twenty human trafficking jurisdictions in the country:” Houston
• El Paso
• Los Angeles
• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Charlotte
• Miami
• Las Vegas
• New York
• Long Island
• New Orleans
• Washington, D.C.
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Richmond
• San Diego• San Francisco
• St Louis
• Seattle
• Tampa  (Department of Justice)
  • A pimp can make $150,000-$200,000 per child each year and the average pimp has 4 to 6 girls. (U.S. Justice Department, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
  • One in three teens on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. (National Runaway Hotline (from The Covering House)

Friday, May 1, 2015

Global Action for People and Planet

In a link to the UN’s new website 2015 Time for Global Action for People and Planet, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remarked to Pope Francis that he looks forward to the encyclical on climate change. Because of their vulnerability, women and children suffer the most from our changing environment.
Pope Francis and Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon