June 9, 2021

At noon Eastern time, Sisters of Charity Federation executive director Sister Grace Hartzog, SC welcomed more than 90 participants to the federation’s first virtual leadership meeting. Leadership team members from 14 congregations, NGO liaisons, and Federation Formation Team members gathered via Zoom videoconferencing, with the goal of “Connecting and Collaborating with Compassion and Courage.”

The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey, were our hosts. Sister Maureen Shaughnessy, SC, general superior, prepared a video message to welcome the group. The sisters at the motherhouse also offered a rousing welcome through video.

Following the opening ritual, facilitator Sister Pat Kozak, CSJ, led the group in conversations to begin the work of the day, which was focused on information sharing and interactions between leadership team members and NGO liaisons.

Following the break, NGO liaisons for the federation congregations were featured in video conversations around three topics: Racism, Climate Change, and Intersectionality with SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The leadership teams then had time to talk with NGO liaisons in breakout rooms.

Sister Teresa Kotturan, SCN, SC Federation NGO representative at the United Nations, presented highlights from her report, “A New Way for Advocacy.”

The first day of the meeting came to a close with a short video prepared by the students of Saint Vincent’s Academy in Newark, New Jersey, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the school’s founding by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.