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SOAR! recently had the opportunity to meet Sister Clare and interview her via Zoom. Sister Clare entered the order in 1974. She says, “God led me here. I did not want to be a nun. I had been engaged. But my love for God drew me to become a Benedictine Sister.” Sister Clare worked with…

SOAR! recently had an opportunity to interview Sister Jean Marie, OP, a Dominican Sister of Nashville. “I wanted to be a Sister since I was in first grade,” says Sister Jean Marie. “In fact, when I was in elementary school in the late 1950s, every little girl wanted to be a Sister.” While Sister Jean…

Sister Judith Frederick grew up with Sisters of Notre Dame in her school and parish in Fremont, OH, so when she heard the call, there was no question where she belonged. She entered Sisters of Notre Dame in Toledo, OH after high school. “I was familiar with the Sisters of Notre Dame and admired the…

Sister Bernadette Schafer’s oldest sister was a Sister of Notre Dame. With a 10-year age difference, however, Sister Bernadette says she didn’t know her very well. She was only three when her sister left for the convent. When Sister Bernadette was in the eighth grade, her teacher asked her if she wanted to be a…

SOAR! recently spoke with Sister Mary of the Redemption, a founding member of the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) in Corpus Christi, Texas. She shares her story below.   What attracted you to become a Sister and how did you come to be a founding member of the SOLT community?   I met…

When Sister Diane Brin, CSJ reflects on her 66 years as a Sister of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas, she sees a lifetime filled with service and compassion.   “What first drew me to religious life was the example of my very religious mother and the influence of the Sisters of St. Joseph,” she said.  Those early inspirations led…

Father Richard Walz, OSB always knew that he wanted to be a priest. “Incredibly, I was blessed to reach that goal,” he said. “However, the longer I have been a monk, the more I realize that what I really wanted was to be a religious in a community. I have been doubly blessed to find…

For Sister Donna Otter, the call to religious life came early, and never wavered. “For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a Sister,” she said.   Sister Donna was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph from first grade through college, and her two sisters had already entered the congregation — it seemed like that was her natural path.  But then her…

SOAR! recently had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Sister Margaret about her years in religious life as a member of the Sisters of Charity of New York.  What attracted you to become a Sister? As I recall my many years as a religious and reflect on what attracted me to become a Sister, so…

Teacher, principal, campus minister and chaplain. Award-winning writer, photographer, organist and world traveler. All are part of Sister Mary Francis Gangloff’s experiences during her 67 years as a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. “The kindness of my elementary and high school teachers inspired me. They were Sisters of St. Francis,” she says….