Impact Stories

Sister Joachima Mystkowska is a Missionary Sister of St. Benedict in Huntington, NY (above).  She grew up in a family grounded in faith, prayer and action. “We would pray the Rosary together,” Sister Joachima said, “and my mother always showed us the importance of being helpful and caring for those who had less.”  She shared…

Sister Teresa McShane is a Daughter of Mary and Joseph in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. After completing her novitiate in Ireland and Belgium, she made her vows in 1956 and began her ministry in California, where she enjoyed many years as a teacher. A lover of mathematics, Sister Teresa taught at St. Bernard High School…

When Sister Nuala Briody, a Daughter of Mary and Joseph, professed her vows many years ago, she imagined her future unfolding under the warm sun of an African mission—sitting beneath a tree, surrounded by children, sharing stories about God. But as it often happens, God had other plans. Sister Nuala was instead called to serve…

Sister Catherine Sullivan’s life began in Co. Kerry, Ireland, as the oldest of nine children. Her story nearly ended early—at just three years old, she nearly died from sepsis. She believes her recovery, which followed her mother’s request for a Mass in Lourdes, was miraculous. Sister Catherine was educated at her local national school and…

Sister Barbara Piller, OSF, a member of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Oldenburg, IN, shares her story here.  I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. My siblings and I are all musicians, thanks to my father. I was educated by the Sisters of St. Francis through my elementary and secondary education….

Fr. Norbert Schappler, a member of the Benedictine Monks at Conception Abbey in Missouri, recently shared her story with SOAR!  This year, Fr. Norbert Schappler, OSB, celebrates his 98th birthday at Conception Abbey in northwest Missouri. Born in 1926 in Atchison, Kansas, he followed in the footsteps of his uncle, Abbot Stephen Schappler, when he…

SOAR! recently had an opportunity to talk with Sister M. Christine Crowder, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, Illinois. We share her story here.   When we asked Sister about her vocation path, she said, “I never thought of becoming a Sister until my senior retreat in…

Sister Mary Louise was born on June 22, 1933. She grew up in her family home in Queens, N.Y., along with her parents and her three brothers and two sisters. While visiting her sister, Sister Beth Anne, at the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore convent, she was edified by the Sisters and their work with African…

Sister Margarita was born in San Juan de los Lagos Jalisco, Mexico in 1948 into a loving family with 12 brothers and sisters. Sister Margarita entered the convent at the age of 16, and she remembers the exact moment she felt that call to become a Sister. She remembers jokingly sneaking into the convent as…

Sister Rita Petrarca, a member of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hamden, Connecticut, shared the story of her life in ministry with SOAR!. The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have always been a part of my life.  They were my teachers in both elementary and secondary school, and their…