Our concern for Africa is shaped by long term relationsips between Maryknoll missioners and the people of Sudan and South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Namibia. We honor their strength and wisdom and believe that African cultures and traditions often suggest solutions to seemingly intractable local and global problems.
In Africa our Global Concerns work is at times country-specific, focussing, for example, on the slow process toward peace between Sudan and South Sudan, or the genocide in Darfur; the political and economic collapse of Zimbabwe; the introduction of genetically modified seeds or the political situation in Tanzania; efforts to stop corruption in Kenya, among other issues. We also address transnational issues of great concern to all people in Africa: deep and endemic poverty; the HIV and AIDS pandemic; the call for the cancellation of illegitimate and overwhelming debt without conditions that worsen poverty; just trade agreements; the rights of women and children; and environmental degradation.
One theme from today’s Scripture readings appears crystal clear – Call. Today’s sacred stories also seem clear about the circumstances in which the Call was given and received; Isaiah, Paul, and Simon experienced something extraordinary. They couldn’t miss hearing God’s voice in unusual external events, and they probably couldn’t say no. Isaiah was confronted by…
Sept. 5, 2023 Be sure to read Maryknoll Fr. Rick Bauer’s guest opinion piece in The New York Times about witnessing lives saved from HIV/AIDS in Africa thanks to access to treatment and prevention generously given by the United States over the last twenty years through a program called PEPFAR. “As a pro-life man of faith, I…
In the readings for this week, the “body” and the “spirit” are mentioned multiple times. What a juxtaposition! In mainstream Western culture, we idolize the body. How we look, how much we weigh, how we feel, (or at least how we are supposed to feel according to our wearable devices,) all lead us to obsess…
The international body that addresses peace and security currently has no permanent seats for the often underrepresented and historically marginalized continent. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. On September 13, 2024, the United States declared to the UN General Assembly its support of the creation of two…
The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined a letter to Trump nominee for Secretary of Sate, Senator Marco Rubio, requesting he prioritize ending the violent crisis in Sudan through nonviolent interventions. Photo of Senator Marco Rubio speaking at luncheon in Phoenix, Arizona, by Gage Skidmore via Flickr. The Sudanese American Physicians Association, an organization made…
Indigenous Maasai community leaders met with the Tanzanian president in their ongoing to struggle to defend their land and human rights. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. On December 1, 150 Maasai delegates from Ngorongoro, Loliondo, and Sale met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the…
Expect the Unexpected My husband, three kids, and I have been serving as Maryknoll lay missioners in Tanzania, East Africa for the past two years. I work as a nurse and help coordinate healthcare for children with disabilities. The children and families I work with on a weekly basis live very much on the margins…
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined thirty faith and civil society groups in a letter to Senator Marco Rubio, Trump nominee for Secretary of Sate, requesting he prioritize ending the Sudan crisis through diplomatic efforts, appointing a special envoy, support for local aid providers, and support for atrocity documentation. Read as a PDF. December 5,…
This reflection was originally published in the 2024 Advent Reflection Guide: One Family of God. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand. LUKE 21:28 The first scripture readings for the Season of Advent tell of difficult times ahead. In the gospel reading from…
The first reading from Daniel reminds me of one of the most impactful mission experiences of my life from my time living and working in Kenya. Our team of Maryknoll Sisters focused on building bridges across deep divides within communities, among individuals, and within families torn apart by violent conflicts. Mothers lost children, children lost…
This reflection was previously published in A Maryknoll Liturgical Year: Reflections on the Readings for Year B, available from Orbis Books. Today’s readings present us with several people from whom there are lessons to be learned. First, we encounter Elijah, a towering figure in the history of Israel, a prophet so revered that he was…
The abductions and murders of political opposition leaders in recent months raise questions of how peaceful and fair elections will be on November 28 and in October of 2025. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. On September 6, Ali Mohammed Kibao, a leading member of the Party for Democracy…
Come and see justice growing, illuminating, and expanding. Come, God’s dominion is in our reach! I remember eagerly awaiting our mother’s return from the market as a child, hoping for a treat. She consistently brought back goods like doughnuts, nuts, or sweets, which were suitable gifts because of their rarity and their lessons in sharing….
September 2024 Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 23 other organizations in a policy brief on biodiversity: Protecting the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to Halt Biodiversity Loss. The policy brief notes the importance of addressing biodiversity loss while also emphasizing the role of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge in protecting…
Tens of thousands of Maasai People living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania joined a five-day protest in August, forcing President Samia Suluhu Hassan to acknowledge their demands to restore essential social services and the right to vote.
Kenyan Catholic bishops expressed solidarity and support for young people in Kenya who, frustrated by corruption, grinding poverty, and lack of jobs, protested President Ruto’s proposal to raise taxes for making payments on debts to international creditors, and won.
UN warns of dire conditions in Sudan as the war between two generals drags on into its sixteenth month.
Tell Pres. Biden to work for a truce in Sudan and expansion of corridors for humanitarian aid. War in Sudan between two generals now drags on into its sixteenth month,…
