Today's Catholic Sisters

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In dedicating the Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis called on the Church to celebrate the legacy of religious life and to renew the Church’s appreciation for this unique form of discipleship with a hope that others may join its ranks in the future. Religious sisters, in particular, have had a remarkable legacy in the United States, for they were some of America’s first pioneers who quickly became the backbone of the Catholic hospital and health care systems, parochial schools, and social services agencies that have been integral to the health, education, and welfare of generations of Americans and helped ensure the strength and endurance not only of the Church in the U.S. but the nation itself. 
    Recognizing the unique and significant gifts of women religious, NRVC sponsored the Today’s Catholic Sisters gatherings to provide a greater awareness and more informed understanding among laity, clergy, media, and other interested parties about women’s religious life today and why a younger woman would consider being a part of it. 
    The participants’ positive response to these gatherings affirmed that the faithful witness and selfless service of religious sisters continue to inspire and have a positive impact on our Church and world. Undoubtedly, there is a need to continue to tell this extraordinary story of faith, love, and service.    
    NRVC hopes that these gatherings will spur other church constituencies (especially Catholic colleges and universities) to engage in similar projects supportive of women religious and their unique and essential vocation, which in turn will contribute to an environment more conducive to religious vocation discernment among young women and men. The future of religious life depends on the efforts of an entire Church that benefits from the lives, works, and prayer of those who choose religious life.