More than 200 People Gather to Witness ‘Sisters Speak Out’ in Washington, D.C.

By Samantha Miller

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood rallied in Washington, D.C., on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, alongside 55 other religious congregations Tuesday, June 24, at the “Sisters Speak Out” event to do just that — speak out against President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The bill, which passed the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025, calls for drastic cuts in aid to the country’s most vulnerable, while increasing the budget for immigration enforcement and defense. 

“The ‘big beautiful bill’ is not beautiful,” S. Karen Burke, CSJ, Ed.D., said at the rally. “It is harmful. It is unjust and it goes against everything we believe in as Catholic women religious. Let’s be honest about what’s happening.”

S. Karen, a councillor on the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, was joined by other Sisters of St. Joseph, as well as many directors within the CSJ Brentwood community, including Michele Bocia, CSJ Associate; Virginia Dowd, Director of CSJ Archives; S. Mary Ellen Kane, Director of the CSSJ Federation; S. Janet Kinney, Director of the Long Island Immigration Clinic; Samantha Miller, Director of Communications; Cristian Murphy, Director of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation; Jeff Smith, Director of Grants and Funding; and Helen Wolf, Director of Mission Integration. 

“We know that this bill will take food from the hungry, care from the sick, and hope from the poor so that the rich can get richer,” S. Karen said. “As women of faith, we must speak clearly: This is not just policy. It is morally wrong. Our faith calls us to protect human dignity, our traditions call us to care for the common good, but our gospel calls us to walk with the poor, not criminalize them or deport them.”

Also in attendance were members of the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, as well as Sisters of St. Joseph based in Rochester, Springfield, Philadelphia, and Northwestern PA.

Speaking to the Senate

The Sisters and their supporters called for the Senate to reject the cuts that would hurt the poor, immigrants, and others without a voice.

“When the world feels like it has no safe havens or that the seams are being stretched to break, the Sisters are always right there ready to jump in and provide a calming perspective,” shared Murphy. 

Just this morning, on June 26, the Senate announced that Medicaid and other health care cuts will be removed from the bill, having not met Senate rules.

“With more decisions to come, this guidance results in more than $250 billion in health care cuts removed from the Republicans’ big bad bill,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said. “Democrats fought and won, striking health care cuts from this bill that would hurt Americans’ walking on an economic tightrope.

Sisters Showing Support Virtually

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood also hosted Echo Events for those who could not attend the rally in person, but who wanted to show their support. These events took place at the St. Joseph Convent and the Sacred Heart Convent, with a Zoom meeting connecting the two. The rest of the leadership team attended, and the Sisters participated through a prayer service that was shared by the event sponsors, as well as the praying of the rosary.

Those who participated virtually also received copies of a letter from the event sponsors, and each Sister in attendance signed one. Those letters, along with photographs showing the Sisters signing it, will be mailed to our New York state senators.

“Being homebound did not deter more than 40 Sisters from decrying the attempt of Congress to slash the sixty-year-old programs that have been a lifeline to so many seniors, children, veterans, and persons who are disabled — Medicaid for health care and SNAP for adequate food,” shared S. Rosalie Carven, CSJ, who helped organize the Echo Events. 

“Sisters speak out until there is justice for all,” she added.