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Recently, SOAR! met with Sister Jeanette Zielinski, a Sister of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio to talk about her vocation. Sister Jeanette Zielinski was born in 1935.  She felt the call to become a Sister at an early age. “The Sisters were full of such joy and happiness. They were always kind to each other…

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…

Sister Julia Costello, DMJ, of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, recently shared a reflection on her life with SOAR! My life as a Daughter of Mary and Joseph began when I entered our Irish Novitiate on August 15, 1948. There were six in our group; now we are four….

Sister Rosemary Bertels, OSB, of the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica recently shared her story with SOAR! I grew up in a faith-filled home with good, faithful parents. I was born and baptized on Easter Sunday. Much later, I learned that the pastor told my father that I would become a nun. The Sisters’…