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More than 110 Events Organized throughout the Country to Celebrate Catholic Sisters during National Catholic Sisters Week
The third annual National Catholic Sisters Week takes place March 8 – 14, 2016
ST. PAUL, Minn. March 1, 2016 – National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW), the third annual celebration of women religious taking place March 8 – 14, 2016, announces a record number of events planned across the country to celebrate the remarkable contributions and devoted lives of Catholic sisters, in tandem with National Women’s History Month.
“There’s so much energy surrounding NCSW, due in part to the 40 mini-grant recipients and the 50 Ambassadors we engaged across the country, making this year’s celebrations of women religious incredibly exciting,” said Sister Mary Soher, co-executive director of NCSW headquartered at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn.
NCSW was created in 2014 to recognize and celebrate the profound impact Catholic sisters have had historically and presently on the communities in which we live. For NCSW 2016, that mission was heightened by granting event-based scholarships and activating a network of Ambassadors across the country, culminating in the planning of more than 110 events in 22 states.
The mini-grant initiative, announced in November 2015, encouraged individuals or communities of sisters to apply to receive up to $1,000 in grants to fund local activities that would celebrate Catholic sisters during NCSW 2016. Grants are funding a range of activities, including a Little Free Library dedicated to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange, Calif., and a Quincenera After-Party hosted by San Antonio sisters.
Additionally, a network of more than 50 Ambassadors was activated to focus event-planning efforts in five key religious communities: Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston and Los Angeles. The ambassadors orchestrated unique, hyper-local events in their cities to create more opportunities to bring a focus – and celebration – to the work of Catholic sisters. Initiatives planned by NCSW Ambassadors include Cookies with a Sister at Xavier University and Loyola University in New Orleans, radio interviews with Sisters in the Houston market, and a video series highlighting the ministry of sisters being produced by Presence Health in Chicago.
“The outpouring of creative ideas from individuals across the United States has resulted in what will be the best NCSW yet,” said Molly Hazelton, co-executive director of NCSW. “It is thrilling to see the national community join as one to celebrate and honor women religious.”
“Take a sister to get a cup of coffee, ask her a question about her life, her vocation” suggested Sister Mary. “Events large and small are welcomed for NCSW. It’s never too late to celebrate sisters.”
To participate in an event celebrating women religious in your area, click here, or to learn more about NCSW, visit www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org. Follow NCSW on our social channels and use #NCSW2016 to engage.
About National Catholic Sisters Week
National Catholic Sisters Week is headquartered at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn., and supported by a three-year, $3.3 million grant the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded to the university in late 2013. Everyone is invited to participate in National Catholic Sisters Week through local community events and outreach, volunteer opportunities and social media. National Catholic Sisters Week also features community-submitted content through its Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest channels. Learn more at nationalcatholicsistersweek.org and follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance abuse, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. Following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $1.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants. The Foundation’s current assets exceed $2.2 billion.
About St. Catherine University
St. Catherine University is an undergraduate college for women. A comprehensive University, St. Kate’s offers baccalaureate, associate, master’s and clinical doctorate degrees in a variety of liberal arts, health care and professional programs. Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages, as well as men in its associate and graduate programs, the university offers many of its degree programs in traditional, weekend and evening as well as online formats. With beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis, St. Catherine University has a total enrollment of nearly 5,000. It was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905.
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