Leadership taking action

Below are the IHM Leadership Council’s most recent endorsements of organizational sign-on letters and position statements on important issues for the congregation.

Oct. 6, 2026: Voting is a sacred act

As IHM Sisters, we are troubled by two recent efforts to discourage citizens from exercising their right to vote. Our first concern is the effort to sow confusion about the safety and security of voting by mail and early voting and that our national elections, constitutionally required to be run by each state,1 are not “free and fair.” On the contrary, when challenged, states have documented the accuracy of their election results, and these results have proven time and again that all eligible votes are represented in their final counts.

On January 16, 2022, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the National Black Sisters’ Conference issued a joint statement calling for the protection of voting rights for all Americans.2 They noted that “As women of faith and faithful Americans, we are committed to protecting the God-given dignity and rights of all people.” In their statement, they underscored Dr. King’s premise that all people “have the right to dignity and the duty to participate fully in our democracy, no matter their race, background, or zip code. Most precious among these rights and duties is the sacred right to vote. Today, that right is threatened by those who seek to make voting more difficult and elected officials less accountable.” Much to our disappointment, that threat continues to this day.

Our second concern involves the Supreme Court’s April 2026 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which significantly changed how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can be used to challenge congressional redistricting. The 1965 Voting Rights Act has long served as an important protection against discrimination in voting. The Court’s decision makes it more difficult to challenge some electoral maps under Section 2.

Our democracy is a gift, and preserving it is a responsibility. Our Church reminds us that every person possesses inherent dignity and participation in the life of society is a moral obligation.3 The right to vote is the most powerful non-violent tool we have and an essential way for us to participate in our democracy and exercise our responsibility to preserve it.

Voting is sacred. In this election season, we urge all citizens to vote. We invite you to join us by holding in intention and prayer the protection and exercise of the sacred right to vote. We ask you to commit to this contemplative practice to help bring about a more just and inclusive world.

Leadership Council of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, MI

Feb. 13, 2026: Immigration

As people of faith, the love of God unites us as we stand together in our desire for a more humane, just and compassionate response to the immigration crisis we are witnessing in our country. We are appalled and broken-hearted by the immense suffering being inflicted on our migrant sisters and brothers. Scripture calls us to lament and to respond. Therefore, we call for an end to:

Violence being used by masked federal immigration agents against migrants and peaceful protestors;

• The dehumanization and racial profiling of people of color and different ethnic backgrounds and the disregard for their human rights;
• The cruel separation of families with children being ripped away from their parents who are detained and/or deported;
• Mass incarcerations of migrants in overcrowded, unsanitary prisons and detention centers and to the denial of access to pastoral presence.
• Mass deportations without due process, especially to third-party countries; and
• Wholesale bans on accepting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers based on their country of origin or homeland.

These practices are the direct result of a deeply flawed and immoral belief that all migrants are criminals to be feared and deported. The violence currently directed at migrants is being done in the name of the American people with impunity and without congressional oversight. We call for an end to these lawless, unconstitutional action.

We believe in the rights of all people (citizens and non-citizens alike) enumerated in the Constitution, particularly freedom of speech, the right to assemble and protest peacefully, the right to protection from unlawful search and seizures and due process under the law. We will continue to work with all those who believe that every human being is endowed with God-given dignity. Rooted in Jesus’ proclamation of the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor without distinction, we are dedicated to the promotion of a society based on truth, love and compassion rather than fear, hatred and division.

We call for a comprehensive immigration system that recognizes the richness and value immigrants have historically brought and continue to bring to our country, and that offers an accessible pathway to legal status.

We urge our federal legislators to withhold all funding for the Department of Homeland Security (with the exception of FEMA) pending a complete overhaul of current operational policies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and to reject any additional funding that would result in the expansion of this massive, unjust system that is operating without meaningful accountability to Congress or the American people.

We believe that prayer and contemplation, both personal and congregational, bring before each one of us the invitation to conversion, to a change of heart. We invite all people to join us in prayer and action that will transform our hearts and our world.

Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, MI – Leadership Council
Sisters of IHM Leadership Team, Scranton, PA
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Malvern, PA – Leadership Team
Congregation of St. Joseph Leadership Team
Dominican Sisters, Grand Rapids
Leadership Team, Sisters, Home Visitors of Mary
Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Leadership Team
The Leadership Team, Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg, Indiana
Servants of Jesus
Sisters of Mary Reparatrix (US Region)
Strangers No Longer (Michigan)