[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 99 (Thursday, June 28, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S4727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SENATE RESOLUTION 515--HONORING CATHOLIC SISTERS FOR THEIR 
                   CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES

  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:

                              S. Res. 515

       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
       Resolved, 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.

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