Leadership Conference of Women Religious
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) is an association of the leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The conference has more than 1,500 members, who represent about 95 percent of the 68,000 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, the conference assists its members to collaboratively carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world. (from http://www.lcwr.org/index.htm)
Working for a more just and peaceful world is an integral component of LCWR’s vision and goals. While many member congregations are actively engaged in efforts promoting social, economic, and earth justice, LCWR provides opportunities for addressing issues of concern with a corporate voice by taking action on resolutions approved at the national assembly. Resolutions are kept before the members through the work of the Global Concerns Committee and periodic publications of Resolutions to Action. (from http://www.lcwr.org/lcwrsocialjustice/socialjusticeoverview.htm)
Members of LCWR currently are involved with the following issues and activities:
- Advocacy for debt cancellation for impoverished countries (Jubilee Act of 2007 HR 2634);
- Jubilee USA which seeks to cut poverty in half in the United States by the year 2020;
- Comprehensive immigration reform through the group Justice for Immigrants;
- Support of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (SCHIP) (HR 976);
- Support of the Child Support Protection Act of 2007 (HR 1386, S803);
- Support of The Gulf Coast Recovery Act of 2007 (S1668);
- Developing strategies to lessen our impact on the environment and become more efficient in our use of natural resources;
- Education, reflection, and prayer about torture and its misuse in our society today;
- The use of inter-religious dialogue to develop relationships and collaboration with people of other faiths.