Fourth Annual Meet Our Sisters Tour Launches
in Advance of National Vocation Awareness Week
Catholic Sisters continue to serve and have an impact even after almost two centuries of their presence in Illinois. That’s the message of the Illinois-based Meet Our Sisters Tour kicking off during National Vocation Awareness Week, November 6-12, 2022.
This fourth annual Meet Our Sisters Tour is the brainchild of the Chicago regional group of Communicators for Women Religious, communications professionals who support the ministry of Catholic Sisters.
The tour begins HERE: below, “tourists” will find links to the participating congregations’ websites, which include details about in-person and virtual events, discernment resources, and inspirational stories and videos about the impact of Catholic Sisters on education, healthcare, and the social and spiritual lives of Individuals and communities in Illinois and around the world.
There is also a TOOL KIT friends of Catholic Sisters—individuals, schools or parishes—can use to promote the event through their social media accounts. “We invite everyone whose life has been enriched by a Catholic Sister, as well as those curious about religious life who want to help build a culture of vocations, to take the tour and learn more about women religious in Illinois today,” said Laurie Lindauer, a communications professional for the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Tutoring immigrants, teaching new readers, leading prayer, accompanying rape victims, supporting young people, advocating for abused children, walking with ex-felons, administering hospitals, working for systems change, praying for those in crisis, cooking for the homeless, holding the powerful to account: These are the daily tasks of Catholic Sisters in more than 50 congregations with a presence in Illinois.
“Unlike most people who eventually retire from their profession, Catholic sisters are professed to a lifetime of ministry” said Springfield Dominican Sister Beth Murphy, one of a handful of professional communicators who are also consecrated religious. “Even as our sisters age and slow down, they remain active through prayer and works of service and sacrifice ‘For the Life of the World’—as we say in my community. The Meet Our Sisters Tour is a fun way for people to learn about our lives and be inspired by the spiritual energy that continues to emanate from our motherhouses, convents, and in the hidden corners of Illinois’ urban regions where sisters often reside in humble apartments, bestowing the fruits of their life-long commitments on neighbors.”
National Vocation Awareness Week, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, promotes awareness of the many ways God calls women and men into a life of commitment to the Gospel. Consecrated life—the umbrella term that includes women and men who profess vows of obedience, consecrated celibacy, and poverty—is one expression of the call of every baptized Christian. This week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States occurs annually during the first full week of November. NVAW is dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education. NVAW also emphasizes a renewal of our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.
