What's Happening

St. Louis, Missouri, September 28, 2023 – “What are you doing here?”

For Adrian Dominican Sister Sara Fairbanks, OP, Professor of Homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, that is the “most vital spiritual question every human being must answer. What supreme reality can claim your whole heart and free you to live for one another at any cost?”

Sister Sara posed those questions during a recorded video homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, focusing on the story of the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a and on Jesus’ loving support for his apostles – and us – in Matthew 14:22-33. 

“What makes it possible for us to embrace hardships, to put aside self-indulgence and indifference to the sufferings of others and the Earth, ‘to lay down our lives’ for the people we love and the common good?” Sister Sara asked. She turned to the prophet Elijah for the answer, noting how Elijah fled for his life from the rulers of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel, and was finally crushed in spirit. God treated him with kindness and compassion, giving him rest and appearing as a gentle whisper until, ultimately, Elijah answered God’s questions with his life. “With spirit renewed, liberated from fear, he rededicates himself to participate in God’s saving plan for Israel,” Sister Sara said. Jesus offered the same loving support to his apostles when he appeared to them in their boat on the stormy sea.

Sister Sara’s homily was part of a unique initiative, Catholic Women Preach (CWP), in which Catholic women offer homilies on the readings for each Sunday, encouraging Catholics in their daily faith lives. CWP provides “a global platform for women’s voices and faith reflections so that the fullness of our Catholic giftedness can be accessed by all Catholics,” according to the website.

Read more about Sister Sara and watch a video of her preaching.

September 18, 2023, Troy, Michigan – Sister Donna Markham, OP, Ph.D., recently retired as President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) and was one of three recipients of Time, Talent, and Treasure Awards presented during the annual gala of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan. More than 400 people attended the September 7, 2023, event at Petruzello’s Banquet Center in Troy.

Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan is one of a nationwide network of Catholic Charities agencies under CCUSA that serve people who are poor and vulnerable in areas such as housing, food and nutrition, domestic disaster relief, and immigration. Monsignor Chuck Kosanke, Chair of the Board of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, bestowed the Leonard R. Jagels Award on Sister Donna. The award is named for the former director of Catholic Social Services.  

“Catholic Charities has grown, the services have grown, and your support and your commitment to people who are really suffering is apparent to the entire network of Catholic charities across the United States,” Sister Donna said, accepting the award.

Read more about Sister Donna’s Award and the work of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan in this article by Gabriella Patti, published in The Detroit Catholic.