The Sisters of the Holy Names, U.S.-Ontario Province added their voices to the many Catholic voices rejecting Cardinal Dolan’s praise of President Trump. The Sisters of the Holy Names, along with the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-in-the-Woods and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet all authored letters in recent weeks addressing Cardinal Dolan’s statements of support for President Trump. Read about all of the letters in coverage from Global Sisters Report. We applaud these women religious for their prophetic witness and their faithful witness to the Gospel.

Read the Sisters of the Holy Names, U.S.-Ontario Province letter here, or below:

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We, the Leadership Team of the Sisters of the Holy Names (SNJM), U.S.-Ontario Province, would like to add our voices to the thousands of others telling Cardinal Dolan how shocked and saddened we were when we heard him publicly praise President Trump in a speech given April 25, 2020:

“I salute his leadership… and praise his leadership and sensitivity to the feelings of the religious community.”

As a community of women religious who for the past 175 years have been educating people based on the values of justice, respect and the teachings of the social encyclicals of the Church, we find it particularly offensive for Cardinal Dolan to raise up as a model for all of us – especially our students – a person whose actions are so contrary to Gospel values and everything we teach. These include:

• Bullying and making fun of people.
• Calling people from other countries degrading names.
• Promoting policies that favor the rich.
• Lacking a sensitivity to people suffering and in need.
• Protecting life in the womb but opposing policies that help families with life after birth.

We, as women religious and educators, are confident that when our students list the values they are being taught in our schools and compare them to statements, policies and actions the President expresses and lives by, they will be very puzzled why Cardinal Dolan could consider President Trump an “inspiring leader.”

Certainly meeting and talking to the president of our country is an important, privileged and significant event. We count on “speaking truth to power” as a guiding principle.

As we go forward and live together into these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we pray for wisdom, compassion and integrity in our church and civic leaders as well as strength and healing for the people of our world.

Peace and many blessings,
The Leadership Team of the Sisters of the Holy Names, U.S.-Ontario Province
Sister Mary Breiling SNJM
Sister Maureen Delaney SNJM
Sister Guadalupe Guajardo, SNJM
Sister Margaret Kennedy, SNJM
Sister Mary Rita Rhode, SNJM