Impact Stories

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…

Born in Washington, DC in 1937, Sister Canisius Hansberry first met the Oblate sisters of Providence when she was in school. While she was at a camp at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, the Sisters encouraged her to consider becoming a Sister and she entered the order in 1956. Sister took some time away around…

Recently, SOAR! spoke with Father Conrad Schmitt, a priest and Missionary Servant of the Most Holy Trinity. Father Conrad always knew he wanted to be a priest. He also knew he wanted to be a missionary, and part of a religious community. “There was a vocation club,” he recalls, “and each month a different religious…

As a child, Barbara Blackman always thought that she might become a Sister. In 2022 as she celebrated her 70th Jubilee as a member of the Sisters of Saint Ursula of the Blessed Virgin Mary in New York, she looked back on those early days and knew that her thoughts were not her own rather…

After 70 plus years as a professed member of the Sister Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, Sister Maria Whitney (previously featured in 2016) continues to be an inspiration, bringing happiness and joy wherever she goes. Her sense of humor and her ability to tell a story make her a sought after member of the community….

Sister Theodosia Lukiw has been a member of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, a Ukrainian Catholic religious order located in the outskirts of Philadelphia, for 73 years. SOAR! shared some of her story in a blog post a few years ago, and we decided to catch up with her. “Sister…

Sister Marie de Paul Carter professed her final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph of Buffalo in 1965. She describes herself as “a dedicated teacher among dedicated teachers.” Her ministry of special education to young children allowed her to play a significant role in their development. Her rich experience in education includes The St….

Sister Ruth Marie Soens was born Dolores Soens on July 9, 1937 in Kenosha, WI. She is the youngest of six children: three boys and three girls. One of the girls – Ruth Marie – died at age 5 of scarlet fever, before Dolores was born. In 1957, Dolores took her vows with the Sisters…

As vaccines begin to roll out across the globe, people are looking to a fresh start.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear to the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart in Towson, Maryland that many of their Sisters did not have access to electronic devices that support Zoom or other online communication activities. They…