In The News
Here you'll find news articles that the Sisters of Social Service have participated in or have a special mention!
Sr. Simone, SSS, an “Emerson Elder” Meets with the Emerson Collective Team in D.C. - October 2023
Sr. Simone writes to us from Washington D.C.:
“The first gathering of the Emerson Elders was held on Sept. 27 in Washington DC. with our staff, in order to get to know each other and see what we might be able to do together. We are a very diverse four-some and are eager to find intersections in support to younger leaders as well as projects where we can work together for the common good. As the website says, ‘We work in pursuit of a world where every individual has access to opportunity, health, and well-being.’ The Eldersare in the middle: Dr. Martin Murray, Dr. Agnes Bingawaho, myself, and Dr. Eduardo Padron.”
To read more about the Emerson Elders, click HERE LINK:https://www.emersoncollective.com
SSS Leadership Travel to Rome to Attend Audience with Pope Francis on January 20, 2023
With a joyful spirit, together with our Sisters of Social Service around the world, we Sisters of Social Service of Los Angeles are delighted to celebrate the centennial of the founding of the community in Budapest, Hungary, on May 12, 1923. It was from these roots in Hungary, that the mission and charism of the SSS would carry herself to the United States, where the Sisters of Social Service of Los Angeles was established in November, 1926, by Sister Frederica Horvath, one of the original founders of the SSS in 1923. Looking ahead, we will celebrate our own centennial in 2026!
Come Holy Spirit!
To mark this momentous occasion, members of all three branches of SSS international leadership traveled to Rome to attend an audience with Pope Francis on January 20. Following the visit to Rome, the Sisters traveled to Hungary, where they celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on January 22. To read more about these events, please see the list of links below.
“Dear sisters, your Foundress, the Church, the Holy Spirit challenge us by always repeating the same truth that there is no greater love than giving one’s life for others.”
“In this way, we can see that the charism received one hundred years ago by your Foundress, Margaret Slachta, has been applied over time and through the Church’s social teaching to different political and social situations, up to the present day. I am impressed that your Foundress was actively engaged in societal issues even while living the consecrated life. What is particularly inspiring is her declaration during the Holocaust that the precepts of the faith obliged the sisters to protect the Jews, even at the risk of their own lives.”
-Pope Francis
Click here for the full Angelus article!
SSS Audience with the Pope, Opening Mass of Thanksgiving, SSS History and More,
please visit the SSS International website HERE!
To read Global Sisters Report article about the SSS Visit to the Vatican, click HERE!
President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom | The White House - July, 2022
Statement from Simone Campbell, SSS
“I am so honored by this unexpected award! It highlights our work of lifting up the experiences of ordinary people in our nation in order to make policy that works for all. In a time when so many struggle economically and still do not have access to meet their basic needs, our work at NETWORK, Nuns on the Bus and Understanding US is being acknowledged for its faith seeking justice. I am grateful to President Biden for this honor and trust that our work for economic justice and political healing might receive a renewed focus in these challenging times!”
WASHINGTON – Today, President Biden named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.
President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities – and across the world – while blazing trails for generations to come.
The awards will be presented at the White House on July 7, 2022.
The following individuals will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:
Simone Biles – Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, with a combined total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. Biles is also a prominent advocate for athletes’ mental health and safety, children in the foster care system, and victims of sexual assault.
Sister Simone Campbell – Sister Simone Campbell is a member of the Sisters of Social Service and former Executive Director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization. She is also a prominent advocate for economic justice, immigration reform, and healthcare policy.
Julieta García – Dr. Julieta García is the former president of The University of Texas at Brownsville, where she was named one of Time magazine’s best college presidents. Dr. García was the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president and dedicated her career to serving students from the Southwest Border region.
Gabrielle Giffords – Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, serving first in the Arizona legislature and later in the U.S. Congress. A survivor of gun violence, she co-founded Giffords, a nonprofit organization dedicated to gun violence prevention.
Fred Gray – Fred Gray was one of the first black members of the Alabama State legislature since Reconstruction. As an attorney, he represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP, and Martin Luther King, who called him “the chief counsel for the protest movement.”
Steve Jobs (posthumous) Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc. and held leading roles at Pixar and the Walt Disney Company. His inventions, designs, and legacy changed the computer, music, film and wireless industries.
Father Alexander Karloutsos – Father Alexander Karloutsos is the former Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. After over 50 years as a priest, providing counsel to several U.S. presidents, he was named by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as a Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Khizr Khan – Khizr Khan is a Gold Star father and founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center. He is a prominent advocate for the rule of law and religious freedom and served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom under President Biden.
Sandra Lindsay – Sandra Lindsay is a New York critical care nurse who served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response. She was the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials and is a prominent advocate for vaccines and mental health for health care workers.
John McCain (posthumous) John McCain (d. 2018) was a public servant who was awarded a Purple Heart with one gold star for his service in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. He also served the people of Arizona for decades in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and was the Republican nominee for president in 2008.
Diane Nash – Diane Nash is a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who organized some of the most important civil rights campaigns of the 20th century. Nash worked closely with Martin Luther King, who described her as the “driving spirit in the nonviolent assault on segregation at lunch counters.”
Megan Rapinoe – Megan Rapinoe is an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion. She also captains OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League. She is a prominent advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice, and LGBTQI+ rights.
Alan Simpson – Alan Simpson served as a U.S. Senator from Wyoming for 18 years. During his public service, he has been a prominent advocate on issues including campaign finance reform, responsible governance, and marriage equality.
Richard Trumka (posthumous) – Richard Trumka (d. 2021) was president of the 12.5-million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade, president of the United Mine Workers, and secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. Throughout his career, he was an outspoken advocate for social and economic justice.
Wilma Vaught – Brigadier General Wilma Vaught is one of the most decorated women in the history of the U.S. military, repeatedly breaking gender barriers as she rose through the ranks. When she retired in 1985, she was one of only seven women generals in the Armed Forces.
Denzel Washington – Denzel Washington is an actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, and two Golden Globes. In 2016, he was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the world of entertainment.
Raúl Yzaguirre – Raúl Yzaguirre is a civil rights advocate who served as CEO and president of National Council of La Raza for thirty years. He also served as U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic under President Barack Obama.
