During this year’s Catholic Sisters Week, we are excited to be part of the #LikeaCatholicSister campaign—a national initiative that highlights the incredible work of Catholic Sisters across the country. This campaign showcases the diverse, dynamic, and impactful ways Sisters serve today. Below are just a handful of examples of how SSND are responding to the needs of our times in their ministries, their prayers, their daily interactions, and in everything they do and are.
Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia (left), director of the School Sisters of Notre Dame UN-NGO Office, brings the gift of SSND charism and the values of the Gospel to bear on the deliberations and decisions of the United Nations. Her advocacy and educational efforts focus primarily on issues related to the rights of girls, women, and those who are poor — especially their right to education, economic justice, and sustainable development. Just last month, she and Lisa Cathelyn (right), Shalom Director of the Central Pacific Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, took part in the United Nations’ 63rd Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD).
To learn more about School Sisters of Notre Dame at the United Nations, visit https://gerhardinger.org/ministry/global/un-ngo/.
Sister Esther Alaam serves as a midwife in Ghana, meeting the needs of women, many of whom face challenges such as poverty, lack of medical care, lack of education, and hostile family members. Sister Esther listens attentively to her patients, learning about their experiences, needs, questions, and worries. She shows respect to the women in her care, encouraging them to respect themselves. Sister Esther also empowers her patients with health education that can change their lives for the better.
To learn more about Sister Esther’s ministry, visit https://africassnd.org/share-our-mission/stories/the-joys-and-challenges-of-ministry-in-the-health-sector.
Sister Eileen Reilly helps mobilize people in the United States to value life over death by working to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice. Her work at Catholic Mobilizing Network affirms the sacredness of all life, advancing justice solutions that promote Jesus’ reconciling way.
To hear Sister Eileen speak about her ministry, listen to episode 48 of the In Good Faith podcast at https://anunslife.org/podcasts/in-good-faith/igf048-sister-eileen-reilly.
Sister Deb Sciano and Sister Charlene Zeisset (left) and Sister Charmaine Krohe and Sister Regina Palacios (right) recently visited the labs at the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, the current home of the Nun Study. A National Institute on Aging study of Alzheimer’s and related dementias, the Nun Study began in 1990 with 678 School Sisters of Notre Dame. At the time of their enrollment, sisters agreed to periodic cognitive and physical assessments throughout the rest of their lives as well as brain donation at death. Although all the sisters involved with the study are now deceased, the sisters involved continue to impact Alzheimer’s research through the gift of their brain donations. In addition to the ongoing Nun Study, SSND are also involved in The RUSH University Religious Orders Study. This study has enrolled currently living sisters, many of whom were too young to participate in the Nun Study when it began collecting data in the 1990s.
To learn more about SSND’s participation in the Nun Study, visit https://ssnd.org/ministries/nun_study/.
Sister Barb Pfarr (center) took to the road this past October, participating in the Nuns on the Bus & Friends initiative, a two-and-a-half week, nation-wide tour from Philadelphia to San Francisco. The tour was a call to Catholics and all people of goodwill to be multi-issue voters for the common good. Nuns on the Bus & Friends is a project of NETWORK, an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization dedicated to educating, organizing, and lobbying for federal policies that serve the common good, honor the dignity of all, and foster an inclusive, multiracial, multi-faith democracy.
To learn more about NETWORK Lobby for Social Justice, visit https://networklobby.org/.
Although Sister Maria Gomez’s primary ministry is as a hospital chaplain at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, she also serves as an area vocation minister for the SSND vocation team. In that capacity, she enjoys accompanying young adults in their faith journeys as they discern calls to religious life. Sister Maria herself entered religious life in her forties in response to a feeling that God was calling her to do “more”.
To learn more about Sister Maria Gomez, visit https://ssnd.org/about-us/meet-our-sisters/.
Sister Barbara Paleczny (right) met members of the Grassy Narrows First Nation community at an event this past fall in Toronto to protest mercury poisoning of the Anishinaabe community’s land in Northwestern Ontario. Sister Barbara shared the stories of SSND sisters who had lived there for decades and walked with them and thousands of others in support of Indigenous people and care of water.
To read more about restoring Indigenous rights and advancing climate justice in Canada, visit https://cpj.ca/report/restoring-indigenous-rights/.
#LikeaCatholicSister
As we celebrate the ways in which Catholic sisters have been a source of strength, hope, and transformation, we also invite you to reflect on the ways you too make a difference in your community. Just as Catholic sisters dedicate their lives to service, advocacy, and faith, so we all can share compassion, uphold our values, and contribute to the greater good in our own unique ways.
We also encourage you to visit the Catholic Sisters Week website to read inspiring stories, view engaging content, and interact with congregations participating in the #LikeaCatholicSister campaign: https://catholicsistersweek.org/