FY 2020 MINISTRY TRUST GRANT MEMBER INITIATIVES The Congregation Grants Committee experiencing domestic violence in Lenawee of the Adrian Dominican Ministry Trust County. The Ministry Trust funds will assist approved $761,300 for the following 32 clients in the development of individualized safety Member Initiatives for the fiscal year 2020. plans based on current and future relationship These projects reflect the Mission and needs. Survivors and their children will learn to Vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. build their resilience and re-establish violence-free households on the solid foundation of improved Angela House mental, social, and emotional well-being. Houston, Texas Participants will also deepen their understanding Maureen O’Connell, OP, Board Member of trauma and its effect on family dynamics. Angela House provides safe, drug- and violence-free transitional housing and holistic Catholic Committee of the South programs for women re-entering society after Decatur, Georgia incarceration. With the 2020 Ministry Trust Mary Priniski, OP, Staff and Board Member grant, the staff at Angela House will continue Gathering for Mission, a program of the Catholic their work. Participants will have access to Committee of the South, seeks to empower structured case management to help them church leadership, clerics, and lay leaders to address factors that can lead to homelessness embrace dialogue with voices often unheard and and recidivism. Angela House will also to address social justice issues that often cannot provide public transportation support to enable be resolved at the local level. The organization’s residents to obtain necessary services. purpose is to stand in solidarity with those who are struggling to claim respect and human Capuchin Soup Kitchen dignity. Gathering for Mission is patterned after Detroit, Michigan Pope Francis’ encouragement of the faithful to Nancyann Turner, OP, Staff Member be a church of the peripheries, a church listening Situated in a poverty-stricken area of Detroit, to the voices of those who are marginalized the Capuchin Soup Kitchen offers services and searching out perspectives beyond those to people in need. The Rosa Parks Children’s Peace Garden is in its courtyard. The Ministry of people who gather for Sunday worship. Trust grant will give youth the opportunity to deepen their sense of Earth community by Centro Santa Catalina emphasizing the nexus between gardening Juárez, Mexico Maureen Gallagher, OP, Director of Marketing and good nutrition. Participants will develop a The purpose of the Centro Santa Catalina sense of Earth community while simultaneously project is to lift women and children from strengthening human community. The project abject poverty and social marginalization will also teach and reinforce basic job skills by providing nutritional, entrepreneurial, such as teamwork, accountability, and mutual and life-skills activities that relieve severe respect for the young adult garden coordinators. economic hardships. Ministry Trust funds will be used to offer educational support Catherine Cobb Safe House, for women, to foster independence, and to Operation Safety Net maintain just wages for Centro staff. The funds Adrian, Michigan Aneesah McNamee, OP, Board Member will also help to expand the organic garden project and to employ a part-time Assistant Catherine Cobb Safe House is the only shelter Marketing Director. For information, see http:// and safe haven for women and their children centrosantacatalina.org/about/our-stories/ Continued on next page. 1 Ministry Trust Grants, continued. more Latinx families by connecting them with Child Advocacy Center, Catholic Charities professionals who help them meet their specific of Jackson, Lenawee, and needs. These programs deal with issues such Hillsdale Counties as management of family resources, child care, Adrian, Michigan school problems, landlord/tenant issues, wage Pam Millenbach, OP, Staff theft, domestic violence, and rape, and provide The Child Advocacy Center will continue a accompaniment to family court, immigration partnership that provides a collaborative, uniform court, and hospital emergency rooms. response to the investigation, prosecution, intervention, and management of child sexual Covenant Community Care abuse cases, with additional community Detroit, Michigan initiatives related to prevention. The Child Mary Jane Lubinski, OP, Board Member Advocacy Center provides a single forensic Detroit has one of the highest infant mortality interview at a child-friendly site, reducing trauma rates in the country. The Ministry Trust grant and preventing re-victimization of children this year will develop a Centering Pregnancy suspected to have suffered severe sexual and/ Program in southwest Detroit, providing services or physical abuse. Community prevention such as individual health check-ups. Medical initiatives are in initial stages of implementation, professionals will provide additional time and using an evidence-informed, internationally attention in a group setting with women who are acclaimed program, Darkness to Light. pregnant. In 2018, 100 healthy babies were born to mothers in this program. For more information, Con/Vida: Popular Arts of the Americas visit https://covenantcommunitycare.org/ Detroit, Michigan welcome/services-locations/pregnancy-care/. Barbara Cervenka, OP, Co-Director Con/Vida works primarily with Brazilian and Earth Law Education Initiative Peruvian artists with limited financial resources. New York, New York The goal is to give voice to the artists and to Elise García, OP, Board Member validate and popularize their work within the The Earth Law Center (ELC) is developing an North American culture. Con/Vida promotes Earth law curriculum to train a new generation traveling art exhibits to educate and inform of Earth law advocates. The organization will North American audiences about the history and publish the first-ever Earth Law textbook. culture of common people of Peru and Brazil. The During the grant cycle, ELC will expand the directors estimate the programming reaches about number of law schools that give students the 10,000 people annually and the “Bandits and knowledge and skills to be effective Earth Law Heroes, Poets and Saints” traveling exhibit was practitioners through the newly published viewed by more than 75,000 people. The Ministry textbook. ELC will also empower young Trust grant provides rent for space to house the people to become effective advocates for the artists’ works in a central Detroit location. For an rights of nature by increasing their mock exhibit tour, see https://youtube/qramlgqyR5w. trial initiative in New York public schools. Centro Latino of Shelbyville, Inc. Friends in Solidarity with South Sudan Shelbyville, Kentucky Washington, D.C. Durstyne Farnan, OP, Board Member Patricia Reno, OP, Executive Director Friends in Solidarity with South Sudan works in Centro Latino assists the vulnerable and voiceless Latinx community through life-sustaining collaboration with the Catholic Health Training and hope-enhancing programs and services. Institute to support the empowerment of citizens During the 2020 grant cycle, Centro Latino will in this newly established African nation. The expand the Advocacy Program and the Women’s Ministry Trust grant will provide full funding Meeting programs to directly assist 600 or to support six students for one year in a three- Continued on next page. 2 Ministry Trust Grants, continued. goal is to complete a safe, affordable, energy- year nursing program to train South Sudanese efficient home for a family in the community women as certified midwives and registered with the collaboration of five new faith nurses. The comprehensive training includes groups. Participation could include financial practical experience in hospitals and local clinics, contributions, volunteer construction workers, as well as trauma healing and peace-making. provision of lunches for workers, contributed skilled labor, and prayer. Watch a video of the Gianna House Faith Build of Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Eastpointe, Michigan whose program is similar to the one planned Theresa Mayrand, OP, Co-Director by Habitat for Humanity of Lenawee County. Gianna House provides a safe residence for https://www.youtube.com/ pregnant teens and for teen mothers and their watch?v=2OQVEm_SoYs newborns. The house serves as a center of comfort and support for all pregnant women. HOPE Community Center Most women seeking services at Gianna House Adrian, Michigan do not experience freedom, equality, and Rosemary Abramovich, OP, Board Member full personhood because they were denied a HOPE Community Center offers members the nurturing environment and adequate education opportunity for holistic programs and projects as adolescents and now lack support from that promote health, wellness, and dignity in a the fathers of their newborns. At Gianna culture of caring and sharing. The center offers House, young mothers receive support, baby excellent programs and support for the life and items, referrals, and classes in prenatal care, dignity of marginalized people in Lenawee personal growth, and nutrition. The grant will County. Men and women who are challenged provide partial staff salaries to ensure the full emotionally, physically, or mentally have the implementation of the outreach program. opportunity to engage with each other, staff, and volunteers to build meaningful relationships and Grace House experience laughter, friendship, collaboration, and Chicago, Illinois