In November of 2012, Mary’s Pence had a booth and sponsored a panel at Call To Action in Louisville, KY. In addition to the work, we were treated to illustrious and learned speakers, some well seasoned on the theological journey and others bringing new ideas. Their microphone delivery from well written papers was impressive and inspiring. However, for me, the highlight was a Monday night trip to the Catholic Worker, in downtown Louisville, where we met a diminutive indigenous woman from rural Guatemala. Juanita was a member of La Casita Center, a network of women’s groups engaged in education, advocacy, wellness and mutual support in support of the health and well being of the local Hispanic/Latino community.

Juanita share her story of migration with Pat in Louisville KY.

Juanita shares her story of migrating to the U.S. with Pat in Louisville. Juanita spoke eloquently from the heart, without paper or microphone, as she recounted her story. She was a poor single mother who had worked on a farm until the owner finally sold the parcel where she had worked. She sought other ways to support her family, but found none. This is not unusual. The history of Latin America is one of exploitation of the land’s resources and its native labor force (for more information see Eduardo Galeano – Open Veins of Latin America). Military dictatorships and rule by the wealthy had little interest in creating jobs in order to have a ready supply of cheap labor for coffee, cotton, fruit, and vegetable farms.

Thus, Juanita made the decision to endure the rigors of the dangerous journey North and leave her children in the care of family. Juanita was not able to cross the border successfully and returned home. With the help of family, she made a second attempt and eventually was able to send for her children. Juanita is most grateful for the Catholic Worker where she is presently employed. Her oldest son had walked over with her on this dark night and would accompany her home. He is nineteen and a sophomore in high school. Juanita is determined to have him graduate.

The women of Santa Cruz del Quiche in Guatemala started a bakery using a loan from the ESPERA program.

In 1987, Mary’s Pence came into being, followed by our ESPERA program, in 2009. If ESPERA had been available when Juanita was looking for work to support her family, maybe she would not have had to leave Guatemala. Some of her “sisters” in rural Santa Cruz del Quiche, are benefiting from having access to credit through ESPERA to start small businesses. They are becoming economically empowered and can make their own decisions and a better life for their children. This is a small solution to the big economic problem that looms over Latin America, but it works.

Pat is a member of Sisters for Christian Community and spends each summer in El Salvador in a poor parish in San Salvador, the capital.  Pat has a big heart and great love for the women of Latin America. She shows it by her many years of solidarity with them, here in the U.S. and in Latin America.  She frequently travels with Gilda Larios, Mary’s Pence ESPERA Facilitator.

Karen Gargamelli of Common Law speaks to the press about Latino vending permit issues.

Karen is a part of Mary’s Pence community…. co-founder of Common Law, a past grantee.  When I first met Karen I was impressed with how Common Law operated. They had a strong commitment to working in a non hierarchical way with the community organizations they  partnered with.  They also were committed to working with community organizations in a way that supported community organizing and activism -working with community and membership organizations to build their voice and their base.  When the Mary’s Pence office was in New York I had the opportunity to visit the Catholic Worker there, and what a delight to meet Karen once again.  Karen is a warm and gracious person, full of energy and vision.  She is contemplating community, and what it could look like for lay people, members of religious communities and individuals needing homes to collaborate and create community.  If this topic intrigues you, I’m sure Karen would love to hear from you.

Read this interview in the National Catholic Reporter to learn more.  Former Dominican Volunteer uses law degree to help low-income New Yorkers

I have had the honor to intern for Mary’s Pence this past summer as their philanthropy coordinator.  At first, I must say, I was nervous about working for a Catholic charity, when I have been raised as a Methodist.  I wasn’t quite sure how my point of views would differ from the organization.  However, I have quickly seen all the good that Mary’s Pence has accomplished for women in need.  After taking several classes dealing with statistical analysis, I decided to quantify all the ministry grants made by Mary’s Pence since 1989.

Mary’s Pence has given close to $1,200,000 in the last 23 years.  This equals out to be 525 grants since 1989.  Mary’s Pence has supported organizations of all ages, but have proudly financially backed more than 117 start-up ventures.  While there is a majority of grantees who have been from the USA, there have been awards given to South America, Central America, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Mary’s Pence has given to almost every state in the US with the largest number of grants going to the Great Lakes area.

Our grants are broken down into basically two categories- grants given to grassroots women’s groups and those given to study projects.

Mary’s Pence has fluctuated in the dollar amounts awarded each year.  Our best giving years were in 1999 when we were celebrating our ten year anniversary of giving with a total of $112,500 awarded.  There was also  a spike in 2007 at $93,000 awarded to our grantees.

Since 2009, some of our grant giving has shifted to our ESPERA program.   These lending pools in Central America have been able to allow for communities to have a source of economic strength.  Each year, more resources have been devoted to these lending pools to cover the actual grants and costs such as salaries, travel, and network support.

My internship is coming to an end, and I am glad I was able to complete some statistics to truly understand the help Mary’s Pence has been able to do in the world. I hope to continue to be involved with the charity and see how it continues to grow and aid in economic development.

Nuns on the Bus, which was started by Campbell, is a bus of sisters that travels to places throughout the country to stand in solidarity with those who live in poverty. These women confront structural injustices in hopes of eliminating suffering.

But why is a Catholic sister speaking at the DNC?

It’s simple. Her opposition to the Paul Ryan-proposed, Mitt Romney-endorsed budget plan, which has drawn great criticism from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“They stated the Ryan plan failed a basic moral test, and we agree with them,” Sr. Campbell said to the delegates.

“We agree with our bishops,” Sr. Campbell said. “And, that’s why we went on the road.”

“Our faith strongly affirms that we are responsible for one another. I am my sister’s keeper,” Sr. Campbell said as the delegates rose to their feet applauding. “I am my brother’s keeper.”

What’s more, Sr. Campbell did not directly endorse Pres. Obama either.

Here is Sr. Campbell’s speech in its entirety:

How do we successfully navigate the structures of the system to eliminate injustices and stand in solidarity with one another?

What are your thoughts?

Source: Wall Street Journal

Sr Robbie greets supporters at the Mary's Pence booth at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly.

It’s always moving to feel the sisters’ support for our work. At this assembly the sisters gathered to do their usual business, but also to respond to the Vatican’s mandate.

As a woman, as a Catholic, and as a feminist who doesn’t always agree with the church hierarchy, I had a feeling in my bones that the sister’s discernment would affect all women, and all people on the margins. That’s an unfair responsibility to place on the sisters’ shoulders. But they rose to the occasion.

We enjoyed your company at the Mary's Pence Wine & Cheese reception. We appreciate your continued support.

They chose a third way; they chose to stay in dialogue. To learn more read the address by Sister Pat Farrell, president of LCWR, here and an National Catholic Reporter article summarizing the LCWR response to the mandate here. Another great resource is Sister Hughes’ talk with the Press Club — Watch the video here.

Church hierarchy is a tricky thing. By its nature and structure hierarchy treats some as more important than others. It takes real discipline and respect for all not to treat the people at the bottom as less than. Within their own structure the sisters worked to consensus — having discussions and incorporating the views and emotions of 900 women, and reflecting the concerns of the 56,000 members at large — through table discussions, gathering of input, and signaling with colored cards. It is a rare and creative model for all leaders – religious, secular and global.

During my stay in St. Louis, I stayed in the home of a friend, Angie O’Gorman, an activist and author. It was a fitting place to be each evening, adding clarity and focus on the process and the spirit I was experiencing during the day.

Angie’s home sits next to a center that supports homeless – a food shelf is held every Friday morning at 10 a.m., but a few people gather around 6 a.m., not because a long line forms, but rather to be in the company of others they consider community.

The building she lives in served as a sanctuary house during the ’80s, sheltering Latin Americans who had fled violence in their countries. On the wall is a picture of Rigoberta Menchú Tum with two children in the kitchen of this home. Rigoberta is a Nobel Peace Prize winner from Guatemala, and stayed in the home several times during the Guatemalan conflict. On the floor above Angie’s home is the Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma. In St. Louis there are over 9,000 refugee and immigrant people who suffer from such trauma. The work done here makes it a holy place.

At the end of my stay, I thought about the world of men who rise to the level of bishop or higher, and the world of sisters who work with people on the margins, are very far apart. It makes discussion between the two parties difficult. I am glad I know women, sisters and lay, who work close to the margins. I have a better understanding of the world than if I did not know these women. I think every bishop should spend a week with a sister and the people she serves, to experience and learn about their reality.

The Old Cathedral in St. Louis with the famous Gateway Arch in the background.

Only, with a common understanding of those on the margins, will the discussion between the sisters and the bishops become productive for making real change and the creating of the possibility for justice. 

I am nurturing a small seed of hope that such discussion can unfold, and that the world is about to turn.

Thank you for your compassionate support and for your continued prayers for the work of Mary’s Pence and the ministries we serve, and keep the church and the sisters in your prayers.

Katherine Wojtan, Executive Director

About a year ago, Karen, behind Common Law, became a lawyer for Mary Lee Ward, an elderly woman, facing eviction from her home. A couple years back, Ward took out a loan from a subprime lender, Delta Funding Corporations. Later, Delta Funding Corporations was identified as corporation of predatory lending practices targeted at elderly members of minority groups throughout Queens and Brooklyn. Ward’s community and Karen, with Common Law, stood strong. They demanded negotiation, and refused to let Ward lose her home. They were successful.

Another action Karen is known for took place about a year ago when community members and activists, Gargamelli amongst them, charged into an auction of foreclosed homes. They sang a gospel song, “Listen Auctioneer: Hold All the Sales Right Now!” As Karen said in an interview, “When you know the way foreclosures happen, you know a foreclosure auction like this should never happen. If we know that as lawyers, we have a duty to say something about this.” Indeed she and the community did –in harmony!

Foreclosure Prevention Program, in partnership with Organization for Occupation (O4O), another organization that Karen co-founded, provides legal services and legal education to homeowners about their rights and options when faced with foreclosure.

Through vision, hard work and dedication, that idea became the Mary’s Pence we know today. Maureen recalls her early experience with Mary’s Pence at the 25th Anniversary celebration, “You’re supposed to speak up on behalf of women.” The founding mothers of Mary’s Pence did just that.

Learn how Maureen and the other founding mothers of Mary’s Pence “took their anger and turned it into a positive action” in the following video at the 25th Anniversary celebration of Mary’s Pence.

Watching this video makes me ponder, how can we turn our anger into positive action today? How can we create change in our communities?

Did Maureen’s video leave you wanting more of the 25th Anniversary celebration of Mary’s Pence?

• Read the National Catholic Reporter article about the event
• Check out the event program
• See event photos

Read Maureen’s and Sheila’s posts, in their own words, on the founding of Mary’s Pence.

• Founding Board Member Judge Sheila Murphy Remembers
• In Her Own Words, Maureen Gallagher Remembers
• Do Something! by Maureen

Aug. 1: Linda Chavez-Thompson, political activist

Aug. 2: Our Lady of the Angels, Costa Rica

Aug. 3: Flannery O’Connor, author, “Wise Blood”

Aug. 4: Augusta Savage, African-American artist

Aug. 5: Susie King Taylor, educator, nurse

Aug. 6: Lydia Villa Komaroff, prominent scientist

Aug. 7: Mary McKillop, founder of Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart

Aug. 8: Maureen Gallagher, OP, founder of Mary’s Pence

Aug. 9: Edith Stein, Jewish and Carmelite martyr at Auschwitz

Aug. 10: Cunegund, advocate for the poor

Aug 11: Clare, founded Poor Clares

Aug. 12: Isabel Allende, author and feminist

Aug. 13: Maude Dominica Petre, Woman of Great Faith, modernist

Aug. 14: Irene FitzGibbon, SC, advocate for Unwed Mothers and Foundlings

Aug. 15: Catherine de Hueck Doherty, founder of Madonna House

Aug. 16: Marilyn Waring, feminist, activist and politician

Aug. 17: Raissa Maritan, poet and contemplative

Aug. 18: Lydia, early Apostolic Church leader

Aug. 19: Anne Morrow Lindbergh, spiritual writer and aviation pioneer

Aug. 20: Simone Weil, Gravity & Grace

Aug. 21: Saba Kidane, writer and activist

Aug. 22: Queenship of the Virgin Mary

Aug. 23: Rose of Lima, first saint of the New World

Aug. 24: Clara Maass, nurse — died in yellow fever immunization experiment

Aug. 25: Sumi Sevilla Haur, equal opportunity activist

Aug. 26: Women’s Equality Day, women in U.S. achieve right to vote in 1920

Aug. 27: Monica, faith-filled mother

Aug. 28: Maria Elena Zavala, biologist who ignored racial barriers

Aug. 29: Alice Garg, feminist and social reformer

Aug. 30: Blessed Jeanne Jugan, founder of Little Sisters of the Poor

Aug. 31: Maria Montessori, intellectual and teacher

I hope we can continue talking about the central point of the article–not whether women can balance the competing demands of children and careers, but what is the best way to effect change on issues that affect all people.

Most of the projects Mary’s Pence funds start out this way. Women begin to talk about what they think is a personal problem and discover that it actually is a larger issue pointing to a broken system that affects many others. Then they work together, either to reform what already exists or to create alternatives. Or both.

Slaughter writes:

The best hope for improving the lot of all women, and for closing …a “new gender gap”—measured by well-being rather than wages—is to close the leadership gap: to elect a woman president and 50 women senators; to ensure that women are equally represented in the ranks of corporate executives and judicial leaders. Only when women wield power in sufficient numbers will we create a society that genuinely works for all women. That will be a society that works for everyone.

This isn’t a new idea. For the past several decades there has been a concerted effort to guide women into positions of “power” so the rest of us can benefit from their inroads. The fact that women still don’t comprise even half of all leadership positions is often seen as a failure, or a dismissal of Feminism, especially among younger women. I like to think it may be a reflection of successful grassroots movements offering alternative solutions from a feminist perspective.

Both kinds of change are needed and they are interdependent. The movement that sought to put women into politics and business came from the grassroots.  At the same time, grassroots solutions often become the basis of our best policies.

However, I do believe that grassroots movements are the place to begin. When we help those on the broadest level we help everyone. The 1% statistics confirm that solutions at with a narrow base don’t always trickle down. And Slaughter’s article, seemingly out of touch with so many women’s lives, reminds us that the ground is where we find leaders who are in touch with both problems and solutions.

This is the model that Mary’s Pence has funded for 25 years.  Women working for change right where they are. And having that change trickle up instead of down. All Slaughter’s prescriptions for leaders —changing the culture of face time, revaluing family values, redefining the arc of a successful career, rediscovering the pursuit of happiness, innovation nation, and enlisting men—are the basis of alternative systems that women are already creating with or without our policy makers.

I hope the young women of today who seem to be rejecting the mantle of “have it all” will follow a third way modeled by many of us who have been working on the ground for the past three decades:  Rather than putting yourself in a position of power in order to change the world, you can simply change the world right where you are. Then pass it on. When everyone does it, we call it a movement.

It was my friend Cindy Starr who first introduced me to the wonderful work of Mary’s Pence in 2001. I had been an unpaid – in money – volunteer in Nicaragua since 1986, including ten years with the Casa Materna – Mary Ann Jackman, whose mission focused on reducing maternal and infant death in the northern highland region of Matagalpa.

Kitty Madden, right, with a woman and newborn baby at Casa Materna, which works to reduce maternal and infant death rates in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua.

While part of my work was helping to raise money for the Nicaraguan staff’s salaries, I always hesitated about having a salary. Initially I thought to spend a few years in Nicaragua, but, quickly realized, my life was taking another path.

My savings account was approaching zero when Cindy suggested that, possibly, Mary’s Pence could provide a small stipend to help support my work as fundraiser and accompanier of the staff and mothers. Cindy and Anna, another friend, had come to know Mary’s Pence through Edwina Gateley, who is one of the founding mothers of Mary’s Pence and spoke about the organization at the 1997 Call To Action meeting in Detroit.

When the Mary’s Pence application form arrived, I was grateful for its simplicity and clarity, but was also touched by the letters of recommendation sent by several friends. When my request was approved, I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Not only did I receive a stipend, but through the coordinating staff, Karen Flotte and Sheila Daly, I also received priceless technical assistance for my work as a fundraiser.

Sheila connected me with graphic designer, Patricia Lynch, in Wisconsin and, with her assistance, the first printed brochure for Friends of the Casa Materna came to life! What’s more, Patricia also helped to design a calendar of monthly envelopes the following year.

As I approached the time for evaluation of my grant year, I was delighted with the thoughtfulness of the questions raised and the ways in which they helped me to analyze and appreciate various aspects of my work. It was an opportunity to reflect on how the grant had made a difference for the Casa.

Reading the Mary’s Pence newsletter in 2002, I realized there were several groups receiving small grants in Nicaragua and thought it would be great to bring together representatives from each group to share our various works, but also to look at ways to support each other.

Another small grant in 2003 helped us do just that. At the Casa Materna, we gathered women who were potters, jewelry makers, seamstresses, community organizers and promoters of natural medicines together with ourselves as caregivers for mothers with high-risk pregnancies – what energy filled the house during our two days together.

The group, which would eventually become the Network Nicarahualt (to read the story about the naming click here), convened for yearly gatherings in various work settings across northern Nicaragua in order to deepen our learning and to provide places for marketing the various products and works of art crafted by the women, including baby slings from the Casa Materna.

Over the years, Nicarahualt became the foundation for the ESPERA fund program in Nicaragua that now benefits an even greater number of women with the able assistance of Gilda Larios, ESPERA fund facilitator.

After two years as a grantee, I put my name in the hat to be a board member of Mary’s Pence, in an effort to “pay it forward.” Once again, what an incredible gift it was to work with such amazing women, many of whom continue to be good friends today. I continued as a board member for two terms.

Both at home in Nicaragua and on my travels, Mary’s Pence is not far from me, as I use the shawl of many colors, which I was gifted with at my final board meeting in 2008. It was lovingly crafted by the women in Mexico at Centro Santa Catalina who are still accompanied by one of the founding mothers of Mary’s Pence, Maureen Gallagher, OP.