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A MESSAGE OF COMMUNITY AND LOVE |
We, the 2017 participants of the Embody Summer Theology Institute at Saint Mary’s College, have spent the last week exploring themes of beauty, justice, and faith. We are powerful women of faith, possessors of unbounded beauty and unbridled spirit. Our bodies are instruments of God’s love, not ornaments for the consumption of others, and we use them in service for the communities to which we are called. We are created with purpose by the God who made the mountains and oceans. We are crafted in God’s image; we embody infinite dignity and yet remain unfinished.
In the tradition of Sister Madeleva Wolff, CSC, and the 15 Madeleva lecturers of 2000, we speak this message:
- To people who are treated as if they have no dignity, we say: you are valuable. You are loved. We reject any judgment of you that does not account for your infinite worth.
- To people who believe they have no dignity, we say: you are created in the image and likeness of God, who is infinitely beautiful. God created you with a plan in mind.
- To those who doubt the goodness of the world, we say: this world is not yet finished. Join with us in making it what God intended it to be.
- To people seeking to love, we say: we are all called to love and serve God. The work of justice takes a long time and much effort. A community is only as strong as its weakest members, and so we strive to strengthen all. Partner with us as a community, and together we will strive to restore beauty to a broken world.
We reject all prejudices and stereotypes, especially against marginalized groups. We stand against harmful standards of beauty, especially hyper-sexualized media images that demean human worth. We work to end all forms of hate, from the gossip and self-deprecation of daily life to large-scale violence and poverty.
We commit ourselves to faithfully surrendering to the will of God and to actively partnering with God to bring that will to life. We walk with both charity and justice in an effort to serve others and to recognize their beauty. By living in community that imitates the divine community of the Trinity, we strive to make others friends of God.
July 13, 2017
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, Indiana
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Jailah Alexander, Columbus, OH
Megan Anderson, Winthrop Harbor, IL
Melanie Arcineda, South Bend, IN
Paige Bowermaster, Bethel Park, PA
Teresa Boyd, Chicago, IL
Samantha Bredar, St. John, IN
Nicole Brown, Hammond, IN
Alita Caron, Valparaiso, IN
Erin Conway, Granger, IN
Brooke Ditmire, Culver, IN
Sophia Fernandez, Carmel, IN
Meghan Higgins, Neenah, WI
Devin Hurley, Darien, IL
Kathryn Hurley, Darien, IL
Avery Kain, Chicago, IL
Kelsey Kavanaugh, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Megan Kavanaugh, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Hannah Keller, Wauwatosa, WI
Jacqueline Ketcham, Lawrenceburg, IN
Nicole Leon, Rochester Hills, MI
Caroline Mannion, Westerville, OH
Olivia Miller, Osceola, IN
Alma Nunez, South Bend, IN
Aubrey Petulla, Pittsburgh, PA
Mary Puckett, Fort Wayne, IN
Sara Roell, Harrison, OH
Eliana Sanchez, Hammond, IN
Margarita Sandoval, Albequerque, NM
Maggie Smith, Pittsburgh, PA
Maria Solis, Fort Wayne, IN
Katherine Stautberg, Cincinnati, OH
Emma Swailes, Grand Rapids, MI
Emilia Tallent, Norton Shores, MI
Sydney Weber, East Lansing, MI
Jessie Williams, Traverse City, MI
Kayleigh Winter, Greenwood, IN