Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC Begins Term on RFC Board of Directors

February 22, 2024

The RFC is delighted to announce three new members of the Board of Directors who began terms in January: Fr. Carlos Medina, OSA, Sr. Michelle Stachowiak, CSSF, and Sr. Barbara Staley, MSC. The RFC is grateful that these leaders have stepped forward and agreed to serve the Conference at this important time.

Sister Barbara Staley, MSC served as the General Superior of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Cabrini Sisters) from 2014 until July 2022. During her tenure a major focus was strengthening formation for formators and establishing international coordination programs for intial formation. She has a Master’s degree in Social Work from NYU and her undergraduate degree is in Special Education. She also has extensive studies in theology and administration.

Prior to Sr. Barbara’s term as General Superior her apostolic ministries include founding Cabrini Ministries Swaziland. This organization was established to serve persons infected and affected by the HIV pandemic. Her primary responsibilities included establishing a comprehensive holistic orphan care program and a family service unit. Sr. Barbara also worked for ten years in Chicago, delivering care to undocumented immigrants helping them to access healthcare and social services as well as providing direct mental healthcare. Sr. Barbara worked for three years in Barcenas, Guatemala providing programs of Human Protection and Christian Formation.

Before entering the MSCs in 1988 Sr. Barbara was the administrator of a residential care facility for adults with developmental disabilities. She also was a member of the Covenant House Faith community and served as a childcare worker with homeless street children in New York City, and later served as a paraprofessional in Covenant House’s legal department.

Everyone Has a Divine Vocation

November 2, 2023

“Jesus has a specific task in life for each and every one of us. Each one of us is handpicked, called by name by Jesus! There is no one among us who does not have a divine vocation! Some are called audibly by God, but the usual kind of call is internal, through the inner working of the Spirit.
~ Homily by Pope St. John Paul II

From the Guadalupe Province Vocation Promotion Team:
Our Vocational Ministry Team wishes to celebrate with each of our Update readers the Vocational Week that takes place from November 5 to 11, 2023.

Each member of the Vocation Promotion Team of Guadalupe Province has the task in their place of mission, to raise, welcome and accompany the different vocations, emphasizing vocations to consecrated life.

Our objective is to have the ability to provide the person who feels called, the space and time to make their itinerary of search and service to others giving meaning to their own existence. This Vocational Culture is a process to live the mission in and from the community to others. It will be a very strong and valuable gesture for the Church and the world, to pray for vocations to Religious Life. ~ Sr. Yolanda Flores, MSC

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”

Sharing Life and Belonging

September 19, 2023

Dr. Angela Campbell, Vice President of Mission, DEI and Belonging and Chief Mission Officer, at Cabrini University, recently presented a workshop on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which was held at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in New York City on Tuesday, September 5th. The workshop focused on the history and current realities of African Americans.

Dr. Campbell shared, “We enjoyed our time learning and dialoguing together. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to support the education, empowerment and socialization of the novices. To Christ be the glory!”

Among Religious of Latin America, LCWR Director Speaks of ‘New Beginning’

June 8, 2023

~ by Rhina Guidos, Global Sisters Report

In an early June meeting of women and men religious from Latin America and the Caribbean, the leader of a U.S. group of sisters spoke about church life in the U.S., its brokenness and the country’s polarization, and asked them to consider the possibility of a “new beginning” that would include groups of consecrated life from all corners of the Americas.

“No more Canada, U.S., Central America, South America,” Sr. Carol Zinn, executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), said to those gathered June 2 for a board meeting of the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious (CLAR) in Lima, Peru. “[Let’s] think about consecrated life of the Americas and still celebrate Canada, the United States, Central America, South America.”

Those gathered for the CLAR meeting, which included general secretaries and presidents of conferences from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as consulting theologians, spoke of new structures and systems, customs and practices to champion the mission of the church among the poor and vulnerable. Their vision is one of transformation in the church, where clericalism, personal interests and power-seeking among some church members are set aside.

Sr. Carol asked for prayers for LCWR as it takes a “contemplative time to step back and to ask God: What is ours to do as leaders of consecrated life of women? What is ours to do in a country and a church that is so polarized?” she said.

“Pray for us because we have made a commitment that our work is to be in those uncomfortable situations of polarization. How to listen deeply and then how to discern, how do we go together to God?”

Catholic Sisters Week and International Women’s Day – What Can We Learn from Vowed Religious Women?

March 8, 2023

With the start of Catholic Sisters Week and International Women’s Day on March 8th, this is a time of commemorating extraordinary religious women and the many ways they have enriched our lives. Whether it’s Sisters, Saints or our fellow practicing Catholics, women of faith never fail to leave us feeling inspired.

At Cabrini Mission Foundation, we have learned life lessons from the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that teach us to put others before ourselves and hold to our hearts the stories of their missionary work which inspire us to never give up. By doing so, we are nurturing our own souls in the process and aligning with the plan Jesus had for us.

Our foundress, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, taught us the importance of dignity, development, and the empowerment of all people that starts within our own communities.

We hope, with our ministry, we embody the resilience of these incredible women, and make meaningful changes that emulate Mother Cabrini’s spirit and commitment to helping the most vulnerable.

Catholic Sisters Week

March 1, 2023

Fifty-two weeks a year women religious stand with the poor and immigrants, teach children, fight injustice, heal the sick, share spirituality, empower women, defend the planet, promote peace, create community, offer hope…

But for one week, March 8-14, we shine the spotlight on women religious and encourage a wide range of campaigns and events that invite all who follow Jesus to
• expand and support their gospel witness
• grow the service networks they have seeded
• share their spirituality, charisms, and community
• encourage young women to consider a vocation to religious life
• support their pastoral, teaching and prophetic works
• and focus on the new world they call into being.

During the week of March 8-14
• Let’s light up hope in our communities & highlight women choosing religious life today!
• Let’s call attention to the new world that sisters call into being each and every day through service and ministry.
• Let’s raise up the world with experiences and legacy stories of women religious.
• Let’s recall memories that bring joy to alumni formed by sisters.

Ukrainians Endure and Religious Ministry Continues

February 23, 2023

Basil Knutazev stands in front of his apartment building in Irpin, Ukraine, that was destroyed by Russian artillery in the early days of the invasion. All the residents had evacuated and nobody was injured in the shelling.

Dominican Sisters at Mukachevo, Ukraine

~ by Chris Herlinger, Global Sisters Report

“We lost everything”: It’s a sentiment shared by millions of Ukrainians uprooted and displaced during a year of war condemned by much of the world that has transformed the face of Europe, increased international tensions and caused ripples in the global economy.

“Life has changed not just for Ukraine, but the whole world,” said Sr. Yanuariya Isyk, a member of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great whose ministry is based in Kyiv. “We’re living a new life now. It can’t be the same as it was before the war. Life will never be the same again.”

The new reality is one of displacement and confusion, loss and death. Hospitals, schools and neighborhoods have been targeted in particularly brutal acts that have outraged the world. The United Nations says more than 7,000 civilians, including more than 400 children, have died because of the war, and more than 11,700 have been injured.

Even in locales far from the front, life is always on edge, with blackouts and electrical outages – Russia has targeted the country’s power grid – and air-raid sirens interrupting the afternoon idyll.

Yet, Ukrainians also speak of a renewed unity, solidarity and hope. In a country that has become one big conflict zone, the war has galvanized religious communities to open their doors to those who have been displaced and to lead various humanitarian missions.

“We’ve had to think less of ourselves and more about everybody else,” Sr. Isyk said in an interview in the small apartment monastery she share with two other sisters in a building damaged when Russian saboteurs engaged with Ukrainian forces early in the war.

The Sisters teach school to Ukrainian children. Though her work in Christian education in Kyiv remains paramount, Isyk has coordinated deliveries of food – flour, pasta, canned fish and meat, rice, and milk and medical supplies to those in need.

“Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have experience a long, difficult and painful year of Lent. Every Ukrainian has suffered during this year one way or another,” said Sr. Anna Andrusiv, of the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil.

There is no sign that the war will end soon. Earlier this month, people spoke of bracing for the worse, with many fearing a new Russian onslaught from the north.

And even amid such uncertainty, the ministries continue.

“The things people don’t understand is that Putin and Russia will not give us a real peace,” Sr. Andrusiv said. “If they give us two years, they will come back and kill. That will not be a real peace. We know there are good people in Russia who want peace. But, they aren’t in the majority.”

Ukraine is fighting a battle against tyranny in a war that has implications far beyond the borders of Ukraine, Sr. Andrusiv said. Our people are dying to protect the world.”
To read the entire article, please click here

The Gift of Mission Program presented at Villa Joseph Marie

March 10, 2022

As an integral part of their vocation promotion outreach, the Missionary Sisters are members of the National Religious Vocations Conference (NRVC). The NRVC has established member-areas throughout the United States and internationally toward the accomplishment of their vision “to set the world ablaze with the fire of God’s love through the prophetic, joyful witness of religious sisters, brothers and priests as radical disciples of Jesus.”

The Delaware Valley Chapter of the NRVC, which is comprised of many women’s and men’s religious congregations, meets regularly. Part of their vocation outreach is to present The Gift of Mission, an interactive vocation awareness program, to high school students. This has been the practice since 2010. The pandemic, unfortunately, suspended such programs for two years. However, with Covid subsiding in many parts of the area, the Delaware Valley Chapter members responded positively to an invitation from NRVC Board Chair Sr. Mindy Welding, IHM, to present The Gift of Mission at Villa Joseph Marie High School in Southampton, PA on Thursday, March 3rd.

The Director of Campus Ministry there, Mrs. Stephanie McCarthy, shared this feedback on the students’ reaction to the day:

“I wanted to thank you again for making your way to Villa yesterday. The girls truly LOVED the day. One turned to me and said, “Mrs. McCarthy can we do this EVERYDAY?!” The schedule you facilitated certainly encouraged them to want more. We celebrated Mass today for our feast of St. Casimir and Father spoke about answering God’s call. I was almost moved to tears by this connection to Gift of Mission and I imagine the hearts of these 18 young women were stirred as well.

The movements of the Holy Spirit were palpable. Several of the girls found me yesterday afternoon or today to share more excitement about the retreat day. I will do a follow-up with them soon. (cont’d next page)
Thank you for your vocational ministry. If you ever feel discouraged please look back at yesterday’s retreat as consolation that God is most certainly working through you. I cannot thank you enough for your vocational YES and for your invitational YES to be with us yesterday. You are always welcome at Villa. If you ever want to connect with our students please just reach out to me.”

The vocation directors were uplifted by, and most grateful for, Stephanie McCarthy’s hope-filled and positive comments. The hope, as a member area, is that more Gift of Mission programs can be scheduled for the upcoming academic year.

7th Annual Catholic Sisters Week Celebrates the Contemporary Work of Women Religious

March 10, 2022

The theme for this year’s Catholic Sisters Week is “Caring for Earth, Caring for You.” Many events are incorporating an environmental focus or aspects of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical “Laudato Sí’ on Care for Our Common Home.”

Catholic Sisters Week also brings the final episode of “Exploring Intersections: Catholic Sisters on Racism, Migration and Climate” a project of LCWR’s Region 10. For a year, the monthly program has explored the issues of racism, migration and climate and how they are intertwined. The March 9 episode, “Navigating the Road Ahead,” will focus on takeaways from the series and suggestions for continuing the conversation.

“One of the things Catholic Sisters Week embraces this year is the concept of being engaged in the work,” said Ginny Hizer, Executive Director of Communicators for Women Religious. “It’s taking the flavor and the mission of the sisters and actually living it out.”

While lay people are increasingly involved in the work of sisters through sponsored ministries and associate programs, Catholic Sisters Week opens those opportunities to a much broader audience, Hizer said.

“Sisters are better than anybody at finding the hope and holding the hope and recognizing the abundance that surrounds our lives. If you want to experience a bit of that abundance, look to Catholic Sisters Week,” said Stacy Spitler, Chair of the Communicators for Women Religious.
To learn more, please click here

Nuns in Ukraine Rescue, Escort, Stranded Foreign Students

March 10, 2022

~ Thomas Scaria, Global Sisters Report

An Indian Catholic nun and her associates are working round-the-clock to help stranded students and others fleeing war-torn Ukraine.

“God is using me to save people from death in Ukraine,” said Sr. Ligi Payyappilly, the 48-year-old superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Saint-Marc in Mukachevo, Ukraine.

Payyappilly, and 17 sisters of her congregation are giving shelter and food to the distressed students besides helping them cross the Ukrainian border to escape to countries including Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

“Being in Ukraine for over 20 years, I have a lot of contacts and networks that helped me carry out this mission so far,” Payyappilly told Global Sisters Report, just before her scheduled two-hour sleep. Her convent in Mukachevo in western Ukraine is some 480 miles southwest of the national capital of Kiev.

People helped by Payyappilly’s team profusely thanked the nuns.

“We never thought we would be alive now,” said Vignesh Suresh, a third-year student of medicine who hails Payyappilly as “God’s angel who came to help us when we were totally lost.”

Suresh said he and 45 other Indian students were stranded at the Polish border for 15 hours when Payyappilly’ and Sr. Christine Tymurzhina, a Ukrainian, came to helpo them.

“The sisters took us to their convent in their vehicles, hugged each of us with their love and warmth, gave us food, a warm hall to sleep in and escorted us in the morning to cross the Romania border,” Suresh said as his friends slept on the train.

Payyappilly said Suresh was among about 1,000 foreign students her convent has helped so far.

She said most students reached them in a desperate state. “They had not bathed for many days or eaten food. They were mentally shocked and physically weak. So our first priority was to give them a comfortable stay before taking them to the border,” Payyappilly said.

Payyappilly said the sisters are flood with phone calls from panicked parents after a Catholic website in Kerala published information about their services.

Payyappilly said once the people cross the border safely, they consider the mission accomplished and look for other lost ones in Ukraine.
To read the complete account please click here