By Fr. Kevin Magner

This week is Catholic Sisters Week! It is a week dedicated to celebrating the spirituality, mission, and lives of women religious. Catholic Sisters Week began in 2014 as an annual celebration to honor women religious with a series of events that bring greater focus on the lives of women religious. It’s a chance to recognize all that they do, with the hope that as more young women learn about religious life, more will choose to follow the example of these wonderful sisters.

There are currently about 300 religious orders for women in the United States. Their work includes everything from education, healthcare, pastoral and spiritual ministries, social services, counseling, religious education and caring for the poor.

It is incredible to think of how much good has been brought about through the work of religious sisters. They are the ones who have built our Catholic schools and taught our children. They are the ones who have built hospitals and nursing homes in order to care for the sick. Today, the Catholic Church remains as the largest non-government provider of health care services in the world. This is mainly due to the vision and work of the women religious who founded these institutions.

St. John the Baptist is blessed to currently have women religious from three different religious orders serving our parish. Sister Clarinda is with the Order of the Franciscan Sisters of Sylvania. Sr. Rose is with the Good Shepherd Sisters. Srs. Leonarda, Ermie and Novie are all members of the Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines.

Tomorrow evening, March 9, our sisters will be hosting, “Sitting With the Sisters”, an event to share stories about their lives as women religious. They will share their vocation stories as well as information about their religious orders and their ministries. The event will be Tuesday at 6:30 PM in St. Joseph Hall and will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page.

Please take the time this week to thank our sisters when you see them at the parish and to pray for many more vocations to religious life.

Have a blessed week!