August 2026
Articles from Mercy:
Critical Considerations
Moral courage or moral cowardice?
Karen Donahue, RSM
In a recent article posted on his blogsite, Popular Resistance, Mazin Qumsiyeh, professor of biology at the Catholic Bethlehem University in the West Bank and founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS), said that Palestine has become one of the defining moral tests of our era. He observes that “history rarely asks ordinary people to perform extraordinary acts. More often, it presents simple moral choices: to tell the truth or remain silent, to defend the vulnerable or look away, to challenge injustice or accommodate it.”
He contrasts moral courage and moral cowardice and notes that “moral courage is not the absence of fear. Rather, it is the willingness to act ethically despite fear, inconvenience, social pressure, or personal cost.” Moral cowardice, on the other hand, “is the decision to subordinate conscience to comfort, career, ideology, or conformity.”
Professor Qumsiyeh places Palestine within the historical context of other liberation struggles, including the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, labor rights, civil rights movements, decolonization struggles, and the defeat of apartheid in South Africa. All of these efforts “depended on individuals willing to challenge prevailing systems of power. They faced ridicule, imprisonment, professional ostracism, violence, or worse. Yet history now remembers them not as radicals but as pioneers of justice.
“Ultimately, the struggle between moral courage and moral cowardice is not fundamentally about Palestine. It is about humanity. Palestine simply magnifies dilemmas that exist everywhere: whether power is constrained by ethics, whether truth prevails over propaganda, whether empathy extends beyond tribal boundaries, and whether ordinary people choose conscience over convenience.
“The lesson is timeless. Future generations will undoubtedly examine this period as historians now examine slavery, colonialism, segregation, apartheid, and other systems of institutionalized injustice. They will ask what people knew, what they chose to believe, what they did, and what they failed to do. They will recognize that some individuals—Palestinian, Israeli, and international—demonstrated remarkable moral courage by defending universal human dignity despite enormous pressure. They will also recognize that many others, through silence, indifference, rationalization, or active participation, allowed preventable suffering to continue.”
Back to top
Featured Contributor
Every action counts!
Joan Marie O’Donnell, RSM
I have had the privilege of being a volunteer with the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IMHI) in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 10 years. Its purpose is “to protect, nourish, and uphold the human dignity of all people [and to] build beloved community centered in spiritual values and in the leadership of people impacted by immigration, incarceration, and militarization.” The community formed in this organization has provided me the impetus to do my small part in bringing about justice for immigrants. Through advocacy, accompaniment, presence, and prayer, we can do so much more together, and each small action can count for more than we will ever know.
Recently, I volunteered to be what is called a “paper sponsor” with IMHI. A paper sponsor is matched with a person in detention to assist them in being released. The paper sponsor works with a lawyer to write a letter attesting their belief that the detained person will thrive and contribute positively to society upon being released from detention. Thanks to the IMHI, we can also indicate confidently that the person will have resources to support them once they are released. When a judge sees there is a community of support waiting for the person, the judge is more inclined to rule favorably.
I had just such a favorable experience recently when I wrote a letter on behalf of Fernando, who was in the process of pursuing adjustment of status and asylum. Fernando’s family members with legal status did not feel comfortable submitting letters or other documents with their names attached. With that supporting documentation, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorney argued that Fernando was a flight risk. However, using my letter as a paper sponsor, Fernando’s lawyer was able to push back and use the support of IMHI to secure a favorable ruling from the judge. Fernando is now in the process of securing a bond for his release. One more step forward.
I wanted to share that as one simple way to participate in the liberation of our immigrant siblings. I believe the Sisters of Mercy are recognized for our commitment to support those who are suffering greatly in our society. A small act like writing a letter, especially when leveraging the credence afforded to members of faith communities like ours, can make a big difference.
Back to top
A day in the life: a sister on the Justice Team
Rose Marie Tresp, RSM; Institute Justice Team
What do I do all day in this Justice Team ministry? No two days are exactly alike. Sometimes I am out of town at a conference or visiting sisters in one of our convents that has become a retirement care center. When I have one of my more “usual” days at the office in Belmont, it looks something like the day described here.
I arrive at the office at 7:00 a.m. I do my best work in the morning, and I almost never work at home; I find the ambiance of an office more supportive. If I run into a problem, such as a Zoom link not working, help is near. The office is also more conducive to plans for meetings with local people. When I arrive at the office, I start a pot of coffee unless one of the other early arrivals has already done so. I look at my calendar to see what is already scheduled for the day. Usually, there is a conference call or webinar on a topic related to the Critical Concerns or to Catholic social justice in general. Topics and sponsoring organizations can vary widely: the Coalition on Human Needs, the Mecklenburg Interfaith Ministry organization, Catholic Climate Covenant, the Center for Migration Studies, or an analysis of some legislation such as the budget bill. I also interact with and give limited support to local groups such as a local human trafficking group or a local care for creation group. Some are time limited, such as the committee for the Belmont Solar Ribbon Cutting Event or the committee to plan the Catholic Committee of Appalachia’s Annual Meeting being held in North Carolina this year. I also sometimes work with the Social Justice Office of Catholic Charities to sponsor an event such as a session for Earth Day to which local Catholics are invited.
With coffee in hand and a sense of my day’s plans, I begin to go through my e-mails. I do not listen to the news on the TV, so this catches me up on international and national events. I also receive some state-level news by e-mail, particularly from nearby southern states’ journalists or state-level justice groups such as Ohio Sisters for Justice and Alabama ARISE. I subscribe to a variety of news sources and analysts. I curate my sources by using the delete and unsubscribe options as needed, especially with the numerous unwanted shopping e-mails. I occasionally analyze what kind of e-mails I receive; I don’t need to get e-mails from every environmental, immigration, or news organization, so I choose to unsubscribe from some. E-mails with more lasting value are moved into folders labeled by topics. E-mails calling for a response get one immediately if I can, or I make a note of where I need to follow up. For example, I received a request from the Southern Poverty Law Center to share an upcoming program for community organizations working on health care in low-income areas. I connected with the Catholic Charites staff member who handles applications for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. He immediately responded that he knew of a group that fit these criteria.
Mid-morning, I take a break and go across the street for the daily mass at the local parish. I don’t do this out of obligation or even spirituality but because this quiet half-hour with other people in community helps me in this very stressful time to give attention to my mental health and to stay somewhat centered and peaceful.
After Mass, I get another cup of coffee and look at my schedule; what is on my list to either follow up or initiate? Is there an issue that I would like to recommend to our action alert committee? Is there an action I should invite people to in one of the states I watch? Should I plan a state-level lobby meeting with Senator Tillis’s office on extending temporary protected status for Haitians?
Looking ahead to the next few days and weeks, are there meetings I should prepare for in advance? For example, I am speaking on advocacy at a local trafficking conference. I will be on a panel at the Mercy Education Conference in October on the Critical Concern of Women. My responsibilities in the Justice Team Strategic Planning Project need time to plan and work.
Are there longer-term meetings or commitments that need more advance planning? I want to plan out-of-town visits to the sisters and ministries in Georgia and Ohio. There are one-on-one meetings I’d like to have locally, and others to set up in places I’ll visit in my travels. Recently, I had a one-on-one with a contact from a local Catholic group formed in response to the pedophilia crisis and another with a local interfaith dialogue group. Are there ways we and other groups can work together, especially given the upcoming midterms?
On my list is to contact the local organization that trains and schedules volunteers to be present with immigrants at the Charlotte Immigration Court. I would like to participate and encourage others to participate if they can.
Then I also look at upcoming meetings or webinars that are on my schedule. They can take place in the daytime, evening, or on weekends. My main question is: are there ones I can skip or ones I should or must attend? I prioritize in-person meetings to build contacts and community, and I prioritize Mercy-sponsored opportunities. But I may choose not to attend others, particularly if the topic could be covered in other meetings or if it takes place in the evening.
Each day’s schedule, then, is a combination of already-planned meetings or webinars and setting priorities drawn from the rest of the list.
This ministry is never boring, but there is never enough time. In it all, I am carrying out my vow of service to the poor, sick, and ignorant. I measure my success not only by the outcomes achieved but by my faithfulness to the call of the Gospel, even as I pledged at my vows in this community of Mercy in my ring motto: My Lord Jesus, I am yours.
Back to top
