III 112th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 515 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 28, 2012 Ms. Mikulski (for herself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Landrieu, Ms. Snowe, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. McCaskill) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Honoring Catholic Sisters for their contributions to the United States.

Whereas approximately 220,000 Catholic Sisters have served in the United States beginning even before the Nation's founding; Whereas approximately 57,000 Catholic Sisters serve in the United States today; Whereas Catholic Sisters are women who dedicate their lives to God by serving God’s people, especially the poor, the sick, and the marginalized; Whereas, fortified by a deep faith in God and an unwavering commitment to the common good, American nuns built the Catholic Church in the United States through their ministry to the vulnerable, the sick, and the poor; Whereas individuals trained by the Catholic Sisters serve as health providers in communities across the Nation; Whereas Catholic hospitals treated approximately one in 6 patients in the United States; Whereas Catholic Sisters helped establish the Nation’s largest private school system and founded more than 150 colleges and universities and educated millions of young people in the United States; Whereas, since 1980, 9 Catholic Sisters from the United States have been martyred while working for social justice and human rights overseas; Whereas Catholic Sisters who have answered the call of the Second Vatican Council to seek justice in the world continue the vital mission of teaching our children in schools, healing the sick in hospitals, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, administering major institutions, encouraging corporate responsibility, and advocating for public policies that honor human dignity; and Whereas the congregations of women religious, along with their respective organizations, make the United States stronger and deserve our deepest appreciation: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)recognizes and commends the Catholic Sisters of the United States, whose inspiring legacy of service enriches the Nation; (2)honors the contributions of Catholic Sisters to the Nation; and (3)stands in solidarity with Catholic Sisters in their work toward a more just society for all of God’s people.